The 4th Annual Independent Television Festival (ITV Fest) will be held in Los Angeles July 31-August 6. The ITVFest, is the nation’s leading festival for independently produced, original television pilots and Web series. The week-long festival is a great event for filmmakers and creative content producers to hear from industry insiders and see the innovative work of others.

ITVFest continues to recognize and support web series and creators of digital content and it offers a great chance to hear some of our industry peers speak, such as Warren Chao of My Damn Channel, Jigar Thakarar of CBS Interactive and Dina Kaplan of Blip.tv . You can check out their full schedule of events and purchase tickets here.

Pilot-makers showcased at ITVFest have gone on to get script deals with NBC, Web deals with atomfilms.com, and development deals at Starz! In addition to major production companies and representation from agencies such as UTA and 3 Arts.

The festival features screenings and hosts several great panel discussions for young and aspiring filmmakers.  Here's a few of the festival's panels:

Polish Your Pitch - July 31st, 11:30 AM
This hour and a half, intimate coffee talk walks participants through job placement opportunities in Hollywood and polishing your pitch to sell. Sample show pitches will be fixed in the session.  Panelists include:  Barbara Weintraub, Executive Producer & Donna Michelle Anderson (DMA), Executive Producer

Development: Executives Explain - August 1st, 2:30 PM
The process of development to many people is a mysterious underworld reserved for the privileged. In this panel, development executives and development gurus will simplify the process, outlining and explaining what to expect, how to protect yourself and how to move your project up the ladder. Panelists include:
Scott Freeman (EVP Bunim Murray); Monika Zielinska (Manager, Comedy Central); David Bickel (Executive Producer, Yes, Dear); Andy Weil (Executive, Berman Braun).

Web TV or TV: Success Stories sponsored by Tubemogul - August 3rd, 3:30 PM
It seems all the major studios are using the internet to incubate talent for other projects at the studios. And now we're seeing the transition more and more. Quarterlife, In the Motherhood, were just the start of this incredible opportunity and trend. At this panel we'll hear from people who have made their web TV show into a TV show and hear all about what the good and the bad about the transition may be. Panelists include: Lindsay Goffman (FreMantle, Secret Girlfriend); Dan Levy (My Long Distance Relationship); Ben and Rafi Fine; David Burch (Tubemogul); Dina Kaplan (co-founder, blip.tv)\

---

Alongside these panels, pilot-makers will be screening 45 of their projects for TV, Web and Mobile.  So, if you’re looking to see fresh, innovative content from upcoming talent and want learn insiders' tips on the industry, make sure to checkout the seven day festival and all their offerings.

ITV Fest Website:  http://www.ITVFest.org