Just for Laughs and the International Academy of Web Television (IAWTV) announced a new partnership and initiative to seek out and encourage original comedy web series with the announcement of Pitch ’Til Your Sides Split, a pitch program for web series creators.

Pitch ’Til Your Sides Split: Web Series Pitch Program takes place at Just For Laughs ComedyPRO, the conference and industry portion of the annual Montreal Just for Laughs Festival presented by Videotron in association with Loto-Québec.

Presented by the Fonds de Solidarité FTQ, Pitch ’Til Your Sides Split: Web Series Pitch Program is THE best place for web series creators to get their best —and funniest — ideas in front of a panel of top industry professionals.

Submission deadline is May 9, 2014 at midnight (PT).

“Just For Laughs ComedyPRO is the premier place to pitch to decision-makers in TV and online,” says ComedyPRO’s Director, Paul Ronca. “Several of our past pitches are now in production and that’s the strongest proof of the program’s success.”

“We’re excited to partner with Just For Laughs, and look forward to supporting web series creators through this program,” says IAWTV Chairman, J. Sibley Law. “For anyone interested in digital entertainment content, now is the time, and this is the place!”

Previous winners of the open-form pitch session include last year’s winners Luck Conrad and Jock Hiltz for One Pair of Underpants; Mark Little and Daniel Beirne (winner of a deal with Cracked.com); Bill & Sons Towing (just picked up by My Damn Channel); and SOS: Save Our Skins (a Canada-UK co-production soon to be released on FEARNET in the US and on BiteTV in Canada).

The pitch competition is open to international applicants ages 18 and over. Submissions to Pitch ’Til Your Sides Split: Web Series Pitch Program can be made online at http://comedypro.hahaha.com/pitch-your-project/. A non-refundable fee of $45.00 USD must be included with each submission.

Pitch ’Til Your Sides Split takes place on Saturday, July 26, 2014 at 1:00 pm at the Hyatt Regency Montreal during the 2014 edition of Just for Laughs ComedyPRO.

Just For Laughs ComedyPRO runs from July 24 – 26, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Montreal. But early registration starts now, with Early Bird prices in effect for industry members (you know who you are) until March 21, 2014 at the ComedyPRO website.