It is a known fact that watching your favorite TV show can help you relax, feel better, and forget all of your problems at least for an hour. These days everyone is watching television and most networks are looking for new content that will attract more viewers. If you have an idea for a TV show, then you should think about pitching it to a network or a streaming service.
The hole pitch process may seem like something that is too stressful, but with these tips you will learn how to do it and how to have your own television show in no time. Follow our guide and your dreams will become a reality, and who knows, maybe your idea will become the most popular show ever seen!?
What is the plot?
The first thing you need to do is to create something that hasn’t been seen before. This may seem like a hard task, since there are a lot of different shows these days, and you will have to do really good research before you start. You don’t want to try and pitch the same idea someone else had, even though you know that your idea is unique.
Before you go and talk to the network make sure you have everything written down, so you can show them the originality of your idea. Start by writing down how that story is connected to you, and why, continue with your thought process and why that is the plot of the story, and don’t forget to write a summary of the events.
The next thing you need to think about is the number of episodes or at least seasons. You don’t have to have an exact number on your mind, but if you need to have at least some ideas. For example, if you want to pitch a show that has 4 seasons, with 6 episodes each, you need to tell them why that is, what is the story behind every season, and if the whole thing can be made shorter or longer.
To show that you are prepared and that you have more ideas coming, then you should make a plan for more seasons than you originally thought. Give them some key points on how the story could evolve and what would happen if they need more seasons.
All of these things will prepare you for the interview and you will be ready to come up with answers, looking professional and creative. It is good if you can practice these things with your friends, or you can just sit down, and rehearse out loud. Do some research on the questions they might ask you and be prepared for anything that you could be asked.
Focus on the key points
One mistake that people make is writing too long scripts and sending too long documents. No one has the time to sit down for hours reading your initial idea. Save all of those things for later, when you have an official interview, and when you will need to walk the producers through every single step.
For the logline, you need just a few sentences that will make people interested in the story you want to turn into a TV show. One thing that you need is the wow factor. Something that will make readers want more, something that will spike their interest, and that will make them excited for the next line, episode, or season. The initial concept needs to be something fun, but something that has room for improvement as well.
The next point you should think about is where do you think your show wants to air? If it is a streaming service, then are you interested in presenting your idea to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or some other streaming service? Remember to mention why you chose their service and why you think the audience of that service will be interested in your show.
If you want your show to air on a specific channel, you need to think why you decided to go to a TV channel, and not with a streaming service. You can see here why choosing a satellite channel and an areal network may be a better idea than a streaming service.
General Tips
There are a lot of things you need to focus on, but you should start with the documentation. No one wants to see great ideas without the proper documentation, so make sure everything is ready and complete before you send in your pitch.
You need to register your intellectual property and do that before you contact anyone else. You can do this yourself, or you can hire an attorney to help you with the whole process. For this part, you will need all the records that show that your idea is yours only and that it wasn’t plagiarized. This means all emails, journals, documents, scripts, and scribbles that are connected to your show should be available for the registration process. Keep all of these things even after you register your property because the network will want to see those records as well.
Write down a short summary, as well as the long-term plan. Even if you have an idea for one season only, you need to think about the things that will happen after the first season. You also need to talk about the big picture and the general message you want to send with your show. Is it empowering? Is it to show equality or is it something else? Think about that, write several concepts and messages down, and choose the one that is the most powerful.
Make sure you are friendly, positive, and that you are full of energy when it comes to the pitch meeting. You need to show your passion and that you are different from anything else they’ve seen before. And try to rely as little on technology and visual aids as possible. Things can break down, and they can go wrong, so it is better to talk to the people there, than to just show them a presentation that you could’ve sent via email. Get personal and show them everything you’ve got. You can still include a presentation, but don’t fully rely on it.
Before you go to the meeting, research on the network you want your TV show to be a part of. Think of why you are choosing that exact network and how your show will make it better. You also need to think about the target audience and how many people will be interested in what you have to offer. Remember to stay calm, follow all the steps and everything will be okay.
