Photo by Dog Daze Photography
At first, Claire Taylor didn’t think the coronavirus pandemic would drastically affect her career. Like others, the director of programming for Denver’s SeriesFest nonprofit believed it would be short-lived and that the television-focused festival would go off in June like normal. As the weeks went on, however, she realized it wouldn’t affect just the 2020 festival, but the festival for the following year and beyond.
SeriesFest provides year-round programming aimed at creatives breaking into the entertainment industry. It culminates in a celebratory festival each summer that includes panels, screenings, competitions, education and more. With production coming to a halt in Los Angeles, New York City and elsewhere in the industry, Taylor wasn’t sure what that would mean for the festival if it lacked network premieres or new scripts.