OBB Pictures Announces Winner of Pilot Season Program (Exclusive)

OBB Pictures has announced the results of its inaugural pilot season program, the multimedia production company’s official television and digital initiative that seeks to partner with talented and hungry content creators to help develop and produce their dream projects. Out of hundreds of submissions, creator-director Lara Sfire’s irreverent comedy V in the D was selected as the 2016-17 winner. 

As such, OBB Pictures will fund a pilot presentation for Sfire, who recently received an MFA in directing from NYU Tisch. The production company will collaborate with Sfire in further developing and producing the single-cam comedy about a woman moves to Detroit in search of a much-needed fresh start, accompanied by her walking, talking and fairly outspoken vagina, Giny. V in the D is currently in production. 

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Founded in 2014 by Michael D. Ratner, OBB Pictures specializes in millennial-driven content including comedy, drama, sports, documentary and music. The company produces film, television, music videos, commercials and digital media, creating projects for partners such as Netflix, ESPN, VICE, Tinder, Verizon’s Go90 and EPIX, among others. 

 “We are very excited to be launching our inaugural Pilot Season Program. Lara is an extremely talented writer/director/producer and recent alumnus from NYU Grad Film. Our mission as a company is to create unique and exciting content and that is what we see in V in the D,” said Ratner. “Our pilot season program is a way for us to produce alongside the best, untapped filmmakers and provide them with real resources so they can have a chance at commercial opportunities to bring their storytelling to life.”

The goal of its pilot season program is to find undiscovered cinematic projects and introduce them to a larger audience. OBB requests pitches, where content creators can submit ideas for narrative shows, docuseries, web series, anthologies — anything extendible over multiple installments. The company considers projects in any and all genres. They are looking for ideas that are unique and a bit outside the box, but ones that are marketable to a definite audience. OBB will pick up to five concept proposals and fund “pilots” or proofs-of-concept. 

The winners will have the means to write, direct and produce their selected pilots. OBB will collaborate with and support the winner throughout the process, helping with many of the production logistics.  At the end of the process, the winner will be expected to deliver a five- to 15-minute pilot and/or pilot presentation that can be used to pitch to OBB’s network of distributors, with the goal of turning the pilot into a fully funded show.

OBB Pictures’ most recent projects include One in a Billion, a feature documentary streaming exclusively on Netflix; The 5th Quarter, a sports mockumentary comedy series available on Verizon’s go90; Gonzo @ The Derby, a short film for ESPN’s 30 for 30 series; and Vice Sports Ride Along series.

In 2016, OBB Pictures teamed with Mandalay Sports Media to develop and co-produce a series of sports-themed films, TV projects and multimedia programming. The company also formed a strategic partnership with Authentic Brands Group, owner of a global portfolio of iconic fashion, sports, celebrity and entertainment brands including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali, to develop content across their brands for digital and traditional platforms targeted toward millennials.