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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Advice on selling TV Show

M

Mark Pavy

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I am a complete newbie when it comes to selling a TV series and the process involved, I'd greatly appreciate any advice that fellow redusers could offer.

Some specific details are:

- I have been working on the concept and format for over 2 years, the shows format is unique.
- The nature of the show allows for revenue raising from product placement and is uniquely adaptable for different markets.
- The shows format also allows for over dubbing in any language with little or no affect to the show.
- I have enough content for the 1st series (10 episodes)
- The show, whilst having a continuous plot and theme, is watchable as a one off show.
- I could raise the funds necessary to complete the 1st series, providing I knew somebody would buy it.

Any advice or suggestions are welcome.
 
Usually it's done by submitting a Synopsis/Outline of the series and a screenplay of the first episode. Then the studio will approve it or pass. If approved they will give you a budget for for the pilot, then depending on ratings and or studio approval they will either pick it up or not.

There is another indie route where you can make the pilot with your own funding, then pitch it to a studio. But that's a big risk.

Obviously these are simplified answers and entail a lot more behind the scenes than mentioned. There is a long process to becoming approved for a pilot production. The first big thing is to actually make contact with an executive who has the power, otherwise theres no chance.
 
I have worked post on a show that went from where you are, to going to pilot stage, to being sold internationally. In this case the creators financed the project themselves or used sponsorship they organized themselves at all stages to finance the production, but didn't commit to financing series post until after they had attracted a sales agent based on the pilot.

I am assuming that your show is not dramatic, but rather either reality or magazine/factual entertainment style etc.

As such your steps could be.
Find a competent post production partner to budget post-producing the pilot, and get them also to supply a per episode cost based on them doing the series.
When working out the cost for series post production factor in whether you will need voice talent, staff writers (chances are if you are producing a series you will be unable to write all the content yourself, compared to a pilot where you will often have time to). Also don't forget music licensing for production music or clearing other music rights for your production. Ensure the post includes an appropriate budget for in program graphics and branding for the pilot as well as the series - this will be important both for the success of the series, but also to create strong collatarel that will attract sales agents and help distributors sell your film to networks.

Talk to sales agents who attend international film and TV markets who will rep your project to distributors, show them a teaser, see if they might be interested in seeing the pilot, if so give them a timeline for when you are hoping to finish the pilot ep and se if that fits in with their market schedule.
If you have a sales agent keen and a timeline to show the pilot at markets, produce a pilot. If you don't have a sales agent keen or a timeline, make sure you get one before you are finished producing the pilot, or are confident to rep the film to distributors at market yourself.
Be prepared for distributors who are interested wanting to see more than the pilot episode pretty shortly after negotiations begin or before they commit to taking on the series. This is where you find out if your per episode cost is going to match what they are looking to pay, but still means you are bank rolling the project through other means.
Get a few more episodes out the door, the distributor takes on the project, and begin to try and sell it to other territories while giving you a deadline for full series delivery.
Continue working on the series trying to get all series 01 episodes completed based on your contract with distributor.
Complete the series, have the series go through technical QC and get E&O insurance etc, and if all is well distributor will hopefully be negotiating with various international networks.
Wait for distributor to close deals, may take a while as distributor may be holding out for larger network who may take longer deciding.
You get sales. Yay. Wait for payment. Depending on network expect potentially long wait - like 6 months after the deal is done/series delivered long waits are a possibility.
Show eventually airs - if show is successful then either get a second series commissioned by the large network who brought it, or self produce second series and attend international tv markets pitching the format to sell.

Overall timeline for the process from where you are right now to getting money from a sale in the door, 2-3 years or more.

Alternatively you can cut a teaser and pitch the show to a network/existing production company with a development arm, but expect them to want to buy up as much as possible and take over the whole thing, and ignore your creative influence if they like it and like you. If they really LOVE the idea, but see you as an unknown quantity, expect them to say no to your face and then for something very similar to turn up in 5-9 months time. This happens far more often than it should and is by all accounts incredibly difficult to protect against, except through actually making a pilot ep first.

Hope that helps.
 
My advice: get an agent and a good lawyer if you're serious about pursuing this. Do not put your own money into the show unless you have explored every other possible option.
 
Craig, that was very kind of you for taking the time to write such a detailed and thorough reply, you know exactly where I'm coming from, particularly in regard to your final paragraph.
Marc, yep.

Thankyou
 
Having self financed numerous pilots myself, I can tell you first-hand it's very difficult and exhausting work. Its just excruciating to get THROUGH THE DOOR. To break through. Most of my pilots very well produced, and looked slick, but that usually isn't enough. Every network has a specific thing THEY are looking for. Most programmers are looking at TALENT, more then PRODUCTION VALUE. I've lost out to numerous more "interesting" shows, and that has taught me a lot.

it's better to be true to your voice, than simply being techinically savvy and "good".

That being said, w/out being a known commodity, most networks will see you as just that - unknown. Even if you get a show or one off picked up, they will call all the shots and stretch your budget to the limit on round after round of revisions.

I wish you the best of luck. May you have better luck than I.
 
Hah! That's hilarious. I just logged in to ask generally the same thing.

I'm about to make a TV Pilot and my initial plan is to shop it to a few different Networks (one in particular would fit with the show perfectly).

Would definitely love to hear more input from everyone here.
 
The first question you need to be able to answer about your show is... who is going to watch it? Who is your audience? The answer is not everyone. Is it Teenage boys? Black women between 30-46? Middle-aged white men? The answer will lead you to where you need to take your show.
 
All the advice previously given is very good. My additional recommendation is to investigate NATPE (National Association of Television Programming Executives). Their convention is next week in Florida. Basically, it is a trade show for content producers and content buyers. People attend the show to sell and buy programming. If you are not in the "industry" it is a somewhat difficult show to get into. (Great food, drink, freebies and tchotchkes ... I remember having lunch at one "booth" with Fran Drescher and we were served by Wolfgang Puck! It is a real eye-opener.) The bad news is that you might have to join NATPE to get in. However membership has its advantages. For instance, they have a "pitch seminar" where you are given tips on how to pitch your show to actual TV executives. (They had it last month in Hollywood.)

Here are some links with all the information you need:

http://www.natpemarket.com/natpemarket/
http://pitchcon.org/

Good luck!


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Its very hard to pitch Networks directly, w/out an agent. And even if you do get an audience, it will serve to give them ideas. When you make a pilot in advance, when you shoot it...and edit it...what happens is it gets CEMENTED in their minds, and it becomes hard for programmers to imagine it as ANYTHING ELSE. What happens is..."it's good...BUT"....You'll be asked to make X changes for one programmer, and Y changes for another.

It's all doable. But I for one ended up realizing it wasn't worth it. It was TOO MUCH work. I'd rather put that energy into other medium's that interest me more.

And that's the point. Make a show you PASSIONATELY BELIEVE IN. Don't try and make a quick buck. It doesn't work. Besides, if you are lucky enough to even get a pilot picked up, it will be for a bare bones $$$. The money comes only from truly original, amazing ideas. And even then...they need to be molded by great programmers that know what they are doing.

Anyone who thinks making a show is a get rich scheme, is deluding themselves. I'm not saying anyone here is, but I'm just saying this upfront. Getting a show made is such an uphill strenuous battle, that if $$$ is anyone's objective they better be willing to put in 5 to 10 years and be truly committed to the medium.

Good luck guys. If it's useful, I can post one of my pilots so you can get a sense of what I was doing. Learn from my mistakes.

:banghead:
 
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