Exclusive: Winners Announced for New ‘Project Greenlight’ Digital Series Competition

Back in November, Indiewire announced a new contest from the producers of Project Greenlight entitled the “#GetTheGreenlight Contest.” Filmmakers were asked to send in two-minute pitches for their own digital web series. The public voted on the submissions, with the winner receiving $25,000, as well as distribution for their series. As of today, Indiewire can officially announce the contest winners: Edson Jean and Joshua Jean-Baptiste for their web series “#Josh.”

“#Josh” follows the title character, a young Haitian-American, as he moves on from the recent death of his mother and into the apartment of his sexually promiscuous cousin in Miami, Florida.

In their pitch video, the filmmaking duo spoke of their desire to combine a universal coming-of-age story in a contemporary atmosphere (the viewer can follow character interaction through various social media platforms) and from a unique cultural perspective. Before winning the contest, Edson and Joshua proved themselves as accomplished filmmakers as the directors and stars of the short film “The Adventures of Edson Jean,” which has aired on HBO/HBOGO.

“This entire #GetTheGreenlight process has been a roller coaster of emotions, or as our fellow Haitians would say…MEZAMI! We are forever grateful that an organization like Project Greenlight is determined to get stories like ours out there,” said the winning filmmakers. “After receiving an unprecedented amount of support from our community, we are honored to share a story set in Miami that isn’t coated in glitz or glamour.”

“Project Greenlight Digital Studios was created in part to help find exceptional filmmaking talent by digging deep into communities we couldn’t access before,” says Brittany Turner, VP of Digital Video at Adaptive Studios. “#Josh is a perfect example of this, and we are thrilled to be able to share the high quality content that Joshua and Edson created and to expose it to a wider audience.”

Watch the directors’ winning pitch video by clicking here.

READ MORE: Effie Brown on the Upside of the ‘Project Greenlight’ Controversy and Why Diversity is Suddenly a Hot Topic