I don't know when the third round will be, but if/when it does come up I wanna share this:
The Incubator program is awesome. For some more than others, however. It won't suit every creator, but if you're willing to work in partnership with Tapas, invest a significant amount of time and effort into the story you pitch, and look to a more long-term vision of continued work in comics and with Tapas particularly, this is an opportunity worth taking.
I'm one of the two that got chosen in the Incubator Class #2, so I'd like to share some insights.
First, making a Pitch is not easy. To create a succinct, interesting synopsis of your story bolstered by a solid logline/1-2 sentence summary, clear themes, and excellent concept art takes a lot of time. That's why they give everyone a huge heads up before submissions open and close.
Last May when they announced the opening of the second Incubator, I calculated they had a 5-6 week window in which to submit. I made an action plan that included a 1 week buffer before the submission date and got to work.
I spent nearly every day in those 5 weeks not only developing the pitch for Swaha, but studying screenplay (Story by Robert McKee; the whole book). All while doing my freelancing cause income is good and there was no guarantees I would win. I only knew I'd regret it if I didn't go for the opportunity.
At one point I even had to scrap the entire story cause the conflict wasn't compelling enough, and this was with 2 weeks to go. But because I had been outlining and creating my background information for the story consistently the first 2-3 weeks I knew enough about my characters to come up with a better synopsis.
The entire last week before submitting was when I did all my concept work. Now, not all stories need the costume changes mine did, and I knew I was going to be a bit on the far end of the spectrum, but I had 7-8 sheets, one for each principle character and a couple sketches of settings.
I submitted my pitch two days before the deadline. Then I promptly went back to my comics and my freelance work. If I got it, great, if not, I still had work to do and it was out of my hands. All I knew at that point was that I had learned a freaking ton of new information about screenplay and storycraft that I could immediately apply to my current comics.
This, as it turned out was a good indicator of the level of work and organization it takes to do the incubator program itself successfully. It is a significant time-commitment.
Because for the Incubator itself, you're working in partnership with Tapas. This is not the same as the Writer's Camp or Premium Comics. This is something wholly new and more involved than either.
The Incubator means getting to work with an editor who will support, guide, and mentor you every step of the way. With my editor's help I was able to make Swaha an even tighter story than my original synopsis (It now has dramatically changed yet kept its core meaning that I had worked out over those 5 weeks) and learnt a TON of things just through the process of creating more concept art and the first episode.
I've also learnt not to overwork myself and rest. Consistent and Persistent work is what's called for, but Tapas doesn't want comics at the expense of the Creator's health and wellness. I will say that if you don't have an established work habit or not willing to create one, the Incubator may not work well for you.
Tapas works with you every single step of the way. They are flexible and understanding and more important than anything, they love comics and they care about the creators. Yes they're a company, but they're a company of fellow creators and the kind of people who not only support creators but know how to help creators too.
In exchange, as creators, we have to bring our very best to hold up our side of the partnership. In the Incubator program, Tapas basically makes a financial and time investment in you and your work in advance. They know life happens and creators may have obligations and they can and will work with you. So you have to bring your A-game too, 'cause they're all in.
I had three comics ongoing when work on Swaha began in earnest (the production phase after my concepts and scripts were done. My personal work method is heavily regimented, to the point Tapas had to teach me to loosen up). Anyway, I do not have time right now to work on any of them because production for Swaha takes ALL the priority. Thankfully however, I'm in a position in my life where I can dedicate to it full time.
So yeah, if you're a creator who wants to grow, I deeply suggest working from the moment they announce right to the deadline to make the best possible pitch you can. Even if you don't win, you'll have learnt some invaluable stuff that will help you either next time or in future endeavors. And I want to encourage creators interested in it to just try, what do you have to lose? If anything you'll gain an entire synopsis for a comic you can then just put into production on your terms if you're not chosen.
The Incubator's not for everyone, but it's a hell of a way to get inspired and moving on any original story ideas that you're sitting on.