Actors, producers, and executives all came together to prepare for the new Omni Cultural Television Festival. One of those is actress and creator Shari Belafonte who is excited to be a part of the festival.

"It is a new opportunity to meet and greet and network then buy and hopefully sell," said Belafonte.

She is actually submitting a TV show to the festival. The May event is an opportunity for independent content creators and producers from all backgrounds and career levels to show off television ideas. Think Sundance but for TV.

Belafonte has an idea for a reality golf show, and she is excited to get it in front of the best in the industry. Even with her experience, the fest is a great opportunity for all eyes to see her work. She said this is pivotal for up and comers.

"You have to have tenacity and the drive and passion to do it," said Belafonte.

Lane is new to the producing world, and he is submitting a show as well. He travels around the world finding new medicines and treatments. He hopes this fest will open doors for him.

"To get into one location where there are multiple networks, I was like yes how did I manifest this one. I’m ecstatic," Lane said.

This is the first year of the festival, and preparations are in full swing. Founder KiKi Melendez is hard at work gathering judges, submissions and more. Her co-founder Cindy Cowan hopes this is only the beginning for the fest.

"TV is a hard industry to break into. Everything is about showrunners and people who are very established in the industry. To discover unknown voices is very important and to be one of the first festivals to do so is very exciting," Cowan said.

The festival will be a full day of screenings, discussions and networking. The deadline to submit a TV show is March 30. The festival is May 1 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.