The North Fork TV Festival Celebrates 10 Years

Supporting independent program development. Building a regional event into a respected festival for the television industry. Fostering a sense of camaraderie in the North Fork, Long Island community.

Celebrating 10 years, the North Fork TV Festival has transitioned from a competition for creators to submit their television pilots into a renowned celebration for emerging artists, creators, industry executives, professionals, and film enthusiasts. Slated for Tuesday, June 17 and Tuesday, June 18 at the Sound View Seaside Resort in Greenport, New York, the North Fork TV Festival, per the official descriptor, is a “creative community that champions bold original work, with a launchpad for diverse storytellers celebrating the art of television.”

Specifically, the North Fork TV Festival offers a platform for independent television projects and their creators. It features industry panels, discussions, and networking events. It recognizes and honors individuals who have contributed to the independent television landscape. And, set in Greenport, New York, the festival supports a community that is home to Noah Doyle, who founded the North Fork TV Festival in 2016.

“It was a different time for television when we began. Episodic scripted TV was breaking out. We weren’t necessarily talking about what shows we were binging on Netflix or any streaming service. And artists had begun creating independently produced TV pilots,” noted Noah Doyle. “Once we started a competition for people to submit their television pilots, there were suddenly submissions from around the world, where we selected the honorees in a one-day festival.”

“From there, we spent the next couple of years building the program into a full festival, which prior COVID already housed thousands of attendees. We started giving out awards and honors. And we added panel discussions centered on the television business in a fun and light atmosphere to bring more arts and culture out to North Fork,” he said. “People let their guard down, which is the culture we wanted to create.”

This year, Christopher Meloni, star of Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime, will receive the 2025 Canopy Award, which recognizes a career of enduring impact and innovation in television. Earlier, Meloni rose to fame as criminal Chris Keller in the HBO prison drama Oz.

Severance star Tramell Tillman will be honored with the Breakout Performance Award, which per the North Folk TV Festival, “celebrates his performance, which has captivated audiences and defined a moment in television.” Tillman, who originally was a pre-med student with plans to become an orthopedic surgeon, currently appears in the latest Mission: Impossible theatrical, The Final Reckoning.

Other guests at the North Fork TV Festival this year include Veep star and six-time Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky, who rose to early fame at age 11 in the 1991 film My Girl; veteran actor Richard Kind, currently seen on Only Murders in the Building and who boasts an acting resume with over 300 credits; former This Is Us star Susan Kelechi Watson, who recently appeared in Netflix miniseries The Residence; and Jenn Lyon from Netflix limited series Sirens and TNT drama Claws.

Also on the agenda at the North Fork TV Festival is a reimagined Inside the Actors Studio series, which was originally hosted by the late James Lipton and aired on Bravo from 1994 to 2018 before briefly moving to Ovation in 2019.

“People gave us feedback that they want to be able to talk to and experience the actors in a more intimate environment, which is why we created this new version of Inside the Actor Studio. This new incarnation will create a relaxed environment for candid conversations with our roster of talent,” noted Doyle. “We also started a program called ”Behind the Pitch,” where emerging TV writers, directors, and producers can apply to and then take meetings with individuals who work professionally in the TV industry.”

“The heart of the festival has always been the independently produced television pilot competition, which will have three different screenings over the two days. And then, on Tuesday night, is this year’s Canopy honoree, Christopher Maloni, who has been a mainstay in scripted episodic television for decades.,” he said. “So, there is a great deal packed in those 48 hours.”