Ardán are delighted to announce the successful applicants who will each pitch at the FÍS TV Summit in An Taibhdhearc this February with the chance of winning €1,000. This years’ Pitching Competition had an incredible response with 87 applications being received for six places! The final TV projects chosen will have five individuals and one team pitching for the prize on the day.  

This is the first Pitching Competition to be held at FÍS TV Summit since 2020 when Paddy Hayes won for the TV show Obituary, written by Mayo writer Ray Lawlor. Ardán would like to thank all of those who applied and appreciate the hard work which went into each of their applications.  

This event is supported by the National Talent Academy (NTA) for Film & TV and the WRAP Fund. 

The pitching event finalists are: 

Billy McGrath – BURGESS G.D. 

During lockdown – after a successful and award-winning career as a writer, producer, and director – Billy re-ignited his two passions for writing and comedy. He gained a 1st Class Honours MA in Screenwriting at IADT in October 2021, and after developing a slate of projects (including Burgess GD; feature film Rage Action and sitcom Sweet Dreams), this 3rd Act actor returns to his stand-up roots in 2023 with a new one-man show GUSTO live at Galway’s Town Hall Theatre (February 17th) and Limerick’s Record Room (February 18th). www.sideline.ie  

BURGESS G.D. Logline

A genealogy detective solves family mysteries for present day clients, while struggling to overcome the ghosts of her past. 

Diandra Xavier – Paper 

Diandra is an emerging writer based in Dublin. Her original comedy drama, Paper, was developed under the Screen Ireland Spotlight Comedy Scheme. She currently freelances in Research and Casting, for both scripted and factual programming and feature film. Diandra has a Master’s in Television and Film from Dublin City University and has worked in the industry in Ireland, the UK and America. 

Paper Logline

An heiress starts a grass roots campaign for the legislation of prenuptial agreements in Ireland. 

Heather Brown – The Peace Makers 

Heather is a Screenwriter. She has a drama series and various comedy pilots in development. She was in the Writers Room for the BBC drama series Blue Lights, and she has over 12 years’ experience working factual TV development. She is a BAFTA Connect member, a Women in Film & TV mentee and is represented by Long Road Talent. “Her writing has a bit of that early years Sally Wainwright vibe to it with a touch of Vic Wood… great voice in the writing.” – Gregor Sharp (BBC Comedy Commissioner). 

The Peace Makers Logline

The Peace Makers is a drama about a group of trailblazing women who founded a women’s political party to ensure that women had a voice at the Peace Talks. 

Ivan Cush – Fix Them 

Ivan is a writer from Dublin with four funded short films to date. His work has been supported by Screen Ireland and various Arts Councils and has gone on to play at festivals including Tribeca, Flickerfest, Galway, Cork and Dublin. In 2022, his short Silence was nominated for an IFTA Award. The same year, Ivan was selected to participate in Screen Skills Ireland’s Mentoring Scheme being paired up with BAFTA-winning screenwriter Malcolm Campbell for a yearlong mentorship. Ivan is now working on a slate of longer form material, including a feature version of his short Haven, which won the prestigious Pitching Competition at the Galway Film Fleadh 2022. 

Fix Them – Logline

Dawn, a flighty therapist in her thirties, battles serious imposter syndrome as she is thrust into a mixed secondary school to ‘clean up the mess’. 

Oisín Ó’hEartáin & Denis Haugh – An Poitín 

Oisín Ó hEartáin and Denis Haugh, both drama graduates from NUI Galway, have been working together in mixed mediums of television, shorts, music videos, theatre and more, developing their style by forming strange and abstract ideas with honest and relatable life experiences. 

An Poitín Logline

Braon Poitín hopes to bring his poitín business around the globe in any creatively wrong backwards way he can possibly think of! 

Sinéad Collopy – The Claddagh 

Sinéad has worked in writer’s rooms on internationally broadcast award-winning TV shows as well as having had her own TV drama commissioned by a national broadcaster. Her work includes writing an episode for season three of the award-winning thriller Smother (Treasure Entertainment/BBC Studios), scheduled to air in 2023, and is currently writing an episode for the second season of award-winning Irish crime drama Hidden Assets (Saffron-Moon). Sinead’s original project Every Five Miles (Vico Films), aired on RTE as part of the Storyland Sessions in November 2022 to much critical acclaim. Sinéad has spent the last 20 years working for the state Child Protection & Welfare Agency across Ireland, work which has strongly influenced her writing. She lives in Co. Clare with her husband and three young children. 

The Claddagh Logline 

Two opposing worlds battle for control of Galway harbour in 1880’s Ireland. Corruption, arson and murder ignites a brutal class war casting the shadow of the hangman’s noose across The Claddagh. 

Each of the Pitchers will have five minutes to pitch their TV show idea to the audience with an opportunity for questions afterwards. A panel of industry experts will decide who will win the €1,000 prize sponsored by the National Talent Academy for Film & TV, with the winners’ announcement made at the Networking Session after the FÍS TV Summit. 

About FÍS TV Summit 

FÍS is organised by Ardán in partnership with TG4, Screen Ireland (FÍS Eireann) and Gréasán na Meán (Skillnet) with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), Creative Europe Media Desk, ATU Galway City, National Talent Academy for Film & TV and the WRAP Fund.