5 Steps to Develop Shows Without Going Broke

Want to develop shows for unscripted television, whether documentary series, reality TV, or documentary specials? There’s one thing you just can’t get around.You need great tape. Unless your plan to develop shows for our industry involves shooting and editing a terrific piece of video along the way, you risk being thought of as an idea person, someone who doesn’t know how to make yourself valuable. UPDATE: Since this post we’ve built a submission portal, so you can submit your submission agreement and initial materials together. Learn more in this cheat sheet on pitching to us. However, the advice in today’s podcast ep still stands and is CRUCIAL…so be sure to listen. Because, as we know first hand… It Costs Money, Time, and Resources to Develop Shows With Great Tape That’s why here in episode 004 of Producing Unscripted we discuss: * 5 bullet proof steps to develop shows without going broke when pitching to us * Step-by-step process of connecting with us to take your concept from idea to finished video pitch * How we used the same process to get our new documentary on the air at MTV We Constantly Develop Shows… …but it’s not always easy. With every idea we come up with on our own, and every pitch we receive, we have to ask ourselves: * Are there any networks that would make this show right now? * Do we want to make this show? * Would it be a good show? * How hard would it be to make a great tape to sell this show? * Who’s life will be changed for the better if we got this show on TV? * Is this show possible to produce, or a pie in the sky idea (i.e. reality show at the White House.) * Do we want to team up with the people pitching us this show? * Will we still want to develop shows when this is all over? 🙂 That’s why… To Develop Shows is to Play a Numbers Game Simply put, the more shows you develop, the more shows you’ll sell. However, as we talk about in this week’s Producing Unscripted podcast episode, there has to be a “weed out” process at some point in the development pipeline. Just because an idea pops into your head doesn’t mean you should rush out and make a tape to try to sell it. You have to make educated guesses about where to put your money, time, and resources when you develop shows. How Do We Know When to Further Develop Shows? After more than a decade in the business, we can tell you the old Hollywood axiom is true: Nobody knows nothin’. An idea we pass on today might be a smash hit tomorrow. The show we take a chance on that goes against everything our agents tell us should work might end up lighting the world on fire. That said, we’ve been in unscripted TV for a while. We’re no longer the new kids on the block, begging networks to meet with us.