Film Independent’s First-Ever Spirit Award TV Nominations Successfully Figure Out What ‘Indie TV’ Is
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeWhen Film Independent announced last fall that it would add several TV categories to this year’s Spirit Awards, perhaps the biggest question was, “What is Indie TV?”Ultimately, with no budgetary cap (unlike the $22.5 million limit in film), and with most TV projects coming from major networks and studios, Film Independent president John Walsh told me at the time that it would come down to a “smell test”: “aesthetic, original provocative subject matter, unique voice and diversity. The types of work that we celebrate on the film side, and TV side, they’re going to look very similar.