What short-film festival did Dan Harmon co-found?

Dan Harmon co-founded the short-film festival Channel 101.

Channel 101 is a non-profit monthly festival created in Los Angeles by Harmon and Rob Schrab. It launched in 2002 and presents short films formatted like television pilots, generally running for less than five minutes. The name refers to the way television series traditionally number their first episodes.

Its unusual format gives the audience programming power: viewers vote on the pilots they want to see continue, and the most popular shows return for another episode. This made Channel 101 a testing ground for experimental comedy and helped launch several creators’ careers.

Harmon met Justin Roiland through Channel 101. Roiland’s short The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti, a parody of Back to the Future, eventually became the creative foundation for Rick and Morty. A common mix-up is confusing Channel 101 with Channel 101 NY, a later New York sister festival; the original Los Angeles festival is the answer to this question.