How to Sell Your Idea for a TV Show

How to Sell Your Idea for a TV ShowHow to Sell Your Idea for a TV ShowIf youre an avid viewer of television, gelegenheits are youve found yourself toying with an idea for a TV show. But what do you do with it? Who would you sell it to? With a few exceptions, theres a pretty defined process for how TV show concepts are bought. Here is how it works and some things youll want to consider. The Idea Youre watching TV, or maybe youre driving your car or just puttering around the house when it hits you. It could be a reality show idea, a game show, or a sitcom. You have the idea. Now you have to flesh it out. Think the idea all the way through. If its a reality show, whats the whole concept? If its a game show, how does it work? Is it a scripted series? Who are the characters, what are some storylines, and how do you see the series playing out? The genre and the type of show youve come up with will determine how you go about trying to sell your idea. Heres the good news- most television executives are desperate for great ideas. They dont care who offers them as long as theyre unique and fresh. Now heres the bad news- theyve probably heard your idea before. That said, theresstill a chance that your idea might be completely new, or it might be a new take on an old idea that an executive would be willing to consider. The Pitch Now its time to come up with your pitch. It refers to what you plan to tell a fhigkeit buyer about your project to interest him enough to make him want to buy it. Your pitch should be tight, no more than 10 to 15 minutes. It should include enough information that clearly explains your idea while simultaneously getting your listener excited about the concept. You might want also to consider coming up with a shorter two-minute elevator pitch version. In other words, this the amount of time it might take you to pitch your idea if you just happened to find yourself in an elevator with the right person. Its always good to have an elevator pitch in your arsenal in case you ever need it. Consider Hiring an Agent No matter what type of show youve come up with, trying to get an werber to represent you and your idea is always a good first step. Having an agent comes in handy because he can lead you to the exact person you need to sit down with- the person who has the power to purchase your idea. An agent can also narrow down the list of potential buyers by focusing on people and companies that specialize in producing exactly the type of idea youve generated. Anagentisnt mandatory to the process, but having one does make it a little easier because he can put you in touch with the right people. Most companies- and many agencies, for that matter- dont accept unsolicited submissions. Thats a polite way of saying that if they didnt ask you for it, they dont want it. If you type out your idea and send it off to a network or studio, chances are it will either come back to you unopened or with an unsolicited submissions form letter . Avoid sending out random pieces of material to everyone listed in the Hollywood Creative Directory. How to Get an Agent So how do you get an agent? Network, network, network. If you ask enough people, theres a chance that someone knows someone who is an agent or who knows someone else who might know an agent. It may be a distant in, but every connection helpsso take advantage of contacts when they present themselves. Youll probably sit down with whats known as a development executive after youve lined up an agent. Your agent will arrange for this. These folks are specialists in helping to identify exactly what their studio or network is asking for- and theyre usually classified by the genre they buy, such as comedy development, drama development, or reality development. These people are the first ones youll encounter who have the power to turn your idea into a paycheck, but you must first be able to sell them on your concept and state it in such a way that they can reiterate i t to their bosses. Selling an idea for atelevision showis not an easy task, but it can be done if youre persistent enough, patient enough, and passionate enough to keep trying.