The Pencilneck ® TV Show

'21st Century Hemingway' Wins $10,000 and
First Place at the Los Angeles TV Festival!

Is the next Big TV Reality Show About a Color Blind Artist?

Owen Garratt has taken the $10,000 First Prize at the
Los Angeles TV Festival!

www.latvfest.net

The Contest, held July 25-27 2007, was searching for 'The Next Big Thing' in television.

The winning entry was a reality based show called 'The Tales of The Pencilneck' ® that shows Owen going on the adventures he uses to fuel his art, like scuba diving with Great White Sharks, re-enacting the Battle of Britain, and drawing nudes at The Playboy Mansion - set against the backdrop of his family and businesses and how what he does affects the people around him.

The entries were judged by a panel of judges from MSN, who sponsored the contest in an effort to develop cutting edge talent for broadcast over the web and with various cable TV partners.

'The Tales of The Pencilneck' ® footage caused one enthusiastic producer to proclaim Owen:

'THE HEMINGWAY OF THE 21st CENTURY'

"She seemed to like the whole 'two-fisted Rock and Roll lifestyle contrasted with the quiet Dad at home thing with the diapers and the litter box."

'The Tales of The Pencilneck' ® is a world away from what we've seen so far; it's a quantum evolution in format that lays bare the creative process.

Shot in an engaging Verite style, 'The Tales of The Pencilneck' ® integrates strong character driven storylines, a dramatic soundtrack, pop culture references, and a self deprecating humor that pulls viewers into a world that no one has shown before!

The LATV Festival was hosted by NATPE, The National Association of Television Program Executives.

"For the test footage, we headed up towards the Arctic Circle and went snorkelling with Beluga Whales! I was pretty concerned about it at first, because we went at the time of year that they gave birth and hell hath no fury like a 15 foot, 3500 lb ANYTHING defending her young."

"Once the whales knew we were there, they surrounded us ... there were so many that it looked like the water was boiling; literally hundreds and hundreds of whales swarmed around our boat. They brought the newborn calves right up to us and you could tell that they were just as happy to see us as we were to be there. It was magic - real magic ... not that Harry Potter stuff."

"Then they filmed me doing a drawing distilled from my adventure with the whales. I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical of the idea, but after seeing what was done with the footage, I gotta say that it's pretty piping hot .. sort of a cross between The Crocodile Hunter, American Chopper, and Two Fat Ladies!"

"So with the TV show, running around the U.S. having meetings about the TV show, writing a book to accompany the TV show, co-writing and recording the music for the TV show, various charity functions and appearances, ceaseless traveling, constant research for upcoming drawings, managing support staff, corporate commissions, keeping in touch with clients, losing this bloody weight, being a husband and raising two outstanding little boys ... somehow, I have to find the time to actually draw something!"

Beluga Blow