Dead Meat, the horror-focused YouTube brand founded by James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca (pictured), is launching Fresh Meat, a new short film competition designed to identify emerging horror filmmakers. The initiative was first reported by IndieWire.
Created in partnership with Atlas Entertainment’s Atlas Literary and Hades Film, the competition will culminate in a theatrical anthology feature comprising selected short films from the submission process.
Submissions open on July 25 and close on August 24. The competition is open to filmmakers worldwide, provided English is the primary spoken language in the submitted film. A $50 submission fee applies.
According to IndieWire, approximately 10 short films will be selected for inclusion in the anthology. Selected filmmakers will receive a monetary award, participate in profits from the anthology’s theatrical release, and be eligible for first-look consideration for feature development through a joint venture between Dead Meat and Hades Film.
Dead Meat has grown into one of YouTube’s largest horror-focused brands since launching in 2017. Operated by Janisse and Rebecca, the channel has built an audience of more than 7 million subscribers through programming including The Kill Count and the Dead Meat Podcast, alongside live events and other genre-focused content.
The rise of creators such as Kane Parsons, Curry Barker and the team behind Dead Meat underscores YouTube’s growing importance as a proving ground for the next generation of horror filmmakers. Studios and producers are increasingly looking to creators who have developed loyal fan communities online, seeing YouTube as a source of filmmaker talent as well as market validation.
Recent projects including A24’s Backrooms (Parsons) and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster’s Obsession (Barker) illustrate how online horror creators are making the transition to studio features, while initiatives such as Fresh Meat competition further formalise the pipeline from digital-first storytelling to theatrical filmmaking.
The Fresh Meat anthology is scheduled for a theatrical release on October 12.
Image courtesy Dead Meat
