How To: Write an oversimplified Treatment

Step One: Create an outline of your story, highlighting the most crucial elements. Introduce the main characters, plot, climax and conclusion. Do not leave out the ending, as the reader will need to know the entire story.

Step Two: Write a your first draft of the treatment from this outline in first or third-person. Worry more about explaining the story at this point rather than word count or length. You can whittle it down later. However, do try to keep it at a manageable level.

Step Three: Edit the first draft by removing any unnecessary sentences, flowery language, adjectives, adverbs, etc. If it isn’t pertinent to the progress of explaining the story to the reader, remove it. The editor or producer is pressed for time, and are more likely to read shorter treatments than longer ones.

Step Four: Set the treatment down for a day and then read it with fresh eyes. Again, remove any unnecessary flowery language, adjectives, adverbs and so on. Get to the meat of the story.

Step Five: Research a market for your story using online resources or writer’s magazines and books. Send them the treatment in a 9″ x 12″ manila envelope so as not to fold the treatment. Also include a cover letter and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the reply.

Step Six: Register your treatment with the Writer’s Guild of America. It costs $20 and will protect your story from being unlawfully copied or otherwise stolen.

Hiring the right crew!

If you are producing a reality series in Los Angeles or Toronto, you won’t have an issue finding a great crew, but if you are working in an atypical television market like Dallas it might be a challenge. Fortunately, Robert knew the crew that worked on another reality series based in Dallas called Cheaters. I didn’t know much about the show, other than they seemed to hold their cameras steady and tended to stay in focus more often than not.

Robert arranged a meeting and we met the crew at Robert’s offices in Deep Ellum. To be frank, I wasn’t impressed with their youth, unprofessional dress or off color remarks. Of course, I have never really talked to a ‘crew’ before so I am not certain what to expect. Robert was running the meeting and decided they were a good fit. He asked them if they would take the job (i.e. production of the pilot episode) and they accepted. I stayed quiet.

Two weeks later Robert called me and suggested that he didn’t think the crew we hired were a good fit for the pilot. I never really got the scoop on what happened, but it didn’t seem to matter so I simply asked what his backup plan was. Robert’s landlord, a television production company called Mad River, was interested in producing the pilot and Robert told me he engaged their services for the pilot. We scheduled a test shoot and to our surprise they backed out of the project, indicating they were not confident that they could produce a reality program (their experience was with commercial work).

I began to ask myself, “is the problem them or is it us?”

We shifted our focus from finding the ‘right’ crew, to finding the right director. After interviewing several local directors with extensive experience directing commercials, I started to get worried again. How were we going to producing a reality pilot in Dallas? It turns out that very few Dallas directors had experience in reality television and the ones who did weren’t available. We could take a risk on a director without experience, but given our budget, timeframe and experience we really needed to find someone who as ‘been there, done that’ on a reality television set.

Robert was working with an agent in Los Angeles who represented a reality television director named Joe Dea. Joe was just finishing a directing engagement with NBC/Bravo for the hit reality series, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Joe is an Emmy-winning director who works primarily in the reality television genre including prime-time network specials for NBC, FOX as well as the TLC his series A Wedding Story. Joe’s reality experience includes:

Knight School with Bobby Knight - ESPN - Director
Disney Lunchtime - Disney Channel - Segment Director
Fool for Love (pilot for Fake-A-Date) - GSN / Montana Prod / Carsey Warner – Pilot Director
Rock & Roll Hotel (pilot) - VH1/Film Garden – Pilot Director
The 5th Wheel - Universal – Field Director
Mostly True Stories - TLC / Burrud Productions – Field Director / Field Producer
Weekend Flash/Man on the Street - Playboy TV – Field Director / Field Producer
Worst Case Scenario - Sony Tri Star / TBS - Field Director
Audio File - Tech TV - Host Wrap Director
Planet TV - Plant Hollywood Ent. - Chuck Cirino Productions – Director
Movies for Guys Who Like Movies - TBS /Norsemen Prod. – Host Wrap Director
Brain Attack (with Stefanie Powers) - A Doctor in Your House.Com - Director
Drive On (pilot) - Warner Bros. - Director
AXN TV - Columbia Tri Star - Studio Host Wrap Director
Extreme World Records - UPN / The Gurin Company - Host Wrap Director
The World’s Funniest Kids - Fox / Brad Lachman Prod. - Field Director
Extreme Weekend - ABC / InterSport - Field Director
Sightings - Fox / Berkley Group - Field Director
Final Vision - NBC / Greystone - Field Director
New Visions of the Future - NBC / Greystone - Field Director
Secrets Revealed - NBC / Dave Bell & Associates - Field Director
Masters of Illusion - NBC / GRB Ent. - Director
Movie Magic - Discovery / GRB - Field Director
World’s Greatest Stunts - Fox / GRB Ent. - Field & Host Wrap Director (4 specials)
MTV Music News - MTV- Field Director / Field Producer
Playboy 360 - Playboy - Field Director
Playboy Behind The Scenes - Playboy - Director / Producer
A Tribute to Ian Fleming - Robert Halmi Jr. / GRB Ent. - Director
Roller Games - Quintex - Field Director

Joe seemed like the real deal and the fact that he was available and interested was even more important. We knew we wanted to hire Joe, but we had two problems: a) he was expensive and b) he lived in LA. Robert negotiated a VERY reasonable fixed price for directing the pilot with an agreement that Joe would get first “dibs” on direction of he series should the program get picked up by a network. Almost 20% of our budget was committed to pay for Joe’s work and his travel expenses.

Of course, we still didn’t have a crew…

Entrepreneur Magazine

Entrepreneur Magazine covered our efforts to sell the MotorSport Ranch series which ultimately resulted in the sale of the pilot to INHD and the series to Dish Network (Rush HD Channel).

The article, titled “Working the Net” described how social networking sites offer entrepreneurs a chance to connect with investors, potential partners and customers. Read the full story by C.J. Prince:

Paul Allen, managing partner of business incubator Infobase Venturesin Provo, Utah, likes to help entrepreneurs with advice on business plans and raising capital. But as a frequent lecturer at business schools and conferences, he recently found himself inundated with requests. So he made a new rule: If you’re not a member of the LinkedIn network with a minimum of 10 connections and two endorsements on the site, don’t even bother calling him. “The most important thing for an entrepreneur is not necessarily what they know, but who they know,” says Allen.

Allen’s prerequisite underscores the growing popularity–and scope–of online business networking tools such as Palo Alto, California-based LinkedIn Corp. These sites allow members to build networks of friends and associates, as well as gain warm introductions to investors and potential clients. “It’s really automating and streamlining the historic word-of-mouth introduction process, which tends to be the best source of investment opportunities,” says LinkedIn member Chip Hazard, managing general partner at Boston-based VC firm IDG Ventures.

More Than Money
Beyond just bringing entrepreneurs and investors together in a trusted context, these virtual communities are helping small businesses find potential customers, board members and other strategic business partners. Spoke.com, run by Palo Alto, California-based Spoke Software, helps small companies with sales prospecting and lead generation. Tim Connors, a general partner at U.S. Venture Partners who helped found Spoke Software, realized that the speed with which a small venture could get to a decision-maker at a prospective company had a direct impact on the company’s success. “We needed to get to companies quickly and understand quickly whether there was opportunity there,” says Connors, 38. The software developed by Spoke analyzes members’ e-mail traffic to assess the strength of relationships with contacts and bring people closer through those connections.

In addition to hastening introductions, virtual networks are leveling the field by replacing costly middlemen small businesses can ill afford. Alexander Muse, co-founder of Dallas-based Hive.media, a production company developing programming for the nascent high-definition TV market, realized this benefit when he was shopping his pilot to the networks. He found that reps wanted anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 upfront, plus 50 percent of the profits from the sale. “And all they’d really be doing is making introductions,” says the 33-year-old executive producer.

Instead, Muse and his partner, Scott Ryan, 35, joined LinkedIn for free and found program directors at major cable networks and marketing folks at advertisers like BMW who have expressed interest in buying into the reality show, which follows three amateur car enthusiasts racing at 300-acre MotorSport Ranch. “It looks like those contacts will result in the sale of the program,” Muse says.

Clearly, the value of online networks has grown along with their memberships. LinkedIn, for one, has been adding 60,000 new members a week, according to vice president of marketing and co-founder Konstantin Guericke.

Muse observes, however, that the growing pool could hurt entrepreneurs. “I think, over time, it’s going to get less useful because there will be too many people connecting to too many people, so eventually, we’re all connected,” he says. Discriminating users, he adds, could help maintain the value.

Muse also points out, as do VCs, that virtual cocktail parties are not a replacement for face-to-face contact. “It’s a neat tool you can use in conjunction with your networking,” Muse says. “But if you never go to networking events and just sit in your house and play on LinkedIn, you’re not going to get anywhere. You have to know people for it to have value.”

Business Week

Business didn’t cover MotorSport Ranch, but they did cover the MotorSport Ranch blog in their Selection of Small Business Blogs back in July. Stephen Baker, began covering technology for BusinessWeek as Paris-based European correspondent 1998. He came to New York in 2002 as acting senior editor for info tech, and is now a senior writer. Here was Stephen’s coverage:

Thanks for all the responses to my call for small business blogs. I went through the comments and put together these links, in no particular order, so it will be easier to check them out. They range from a first-time Hollywood producer to Aldo Coffee in Mt. Lebanon, Pa. (where I used to live, back when BW still had a Pittsburgh bureau). Here’s a small biz site, run, naturally, by a small biz. This 55-person data recovery company bet that a blog with the voice of the CEO would pay dividends. BlogBridge is a three-person company that has an open-source aggregator. A British sheet metal company runs the Tinbasher blog, and a British tailor posts on English Cut. Here’s one for those, as one reader writes, who are drawn to the “gloriously uneuphonious phenomenon of composting toilets.” Hayden Trumpets teaches tooters not only how to hold the horn, but even how to breathe. This consultants’ blog just debuted in June.

One bracingly frank writer has started a blog on specialty insurance–but isn’t convinced yet that it “will have a big impact on marketing.” (We’ll be glad to have an update on that one.) Paul Perdue’s Purdue’s new blog deals with Internet order fulfillment. Marqui, which made a splash earlier this year by paying bloggers, has a communications management blog of its own. Finally, this from a luxury resort business.

There were a couple of comments touting blogs, but without including the urls. I didn’t hunt them down. A couple of the other ulrs didn’t seem to work. Also, I’m having a miserable time getting onto sites from this laptop. I usually go through a post and try the links before posting. But that’s holding me up today. Sorry in advance if any of them are duds. Also, if you click through these blogs and find an approach that seems either really smart or… otherwise, we can discuss. I’m only starting to look at them myself.

Black Enterprise Magazine

My first conversation with the reporter from Black Enterprise Magazine was a bit awkward as I tried to explain that I wasn’t black. Of course, the reporter didn’t really care about the color of my skin, instead he was more interested in the quality of my story. Karen Jones’ story was titled, “Rubbing Elbows in Cyberspace: More professionals are connecting through online networking.” Read the full story here:

As executive producer of hive.media, an independent television production company based in Dallas, Alexander Muse knows that while creating a television series is one thing, selling it to a network is quite another. After completing the pilot for Motorsport Ranch, a high-octane series about a country club for people who love to race cars, Muse received numerous offers from “third-party consultants” asking for hefty sums, plus a percentage, to introduce him to the right people at various broadcast and cable networks.

Instead, Muse tapped into his online database of trusted contacts at LinkedIn.com, a business-oriented networking site with more than 2 million registered users. “I searched [LinkedIn] for program directors and program managers for every television network I could think of and it netted conversations with several of them,” says Muse. Though he is awaiting finalization, Motorsport Ranch is as good as sold.

Proponents of online social networking say person-to-person networking cannot compare to having access to a massive digital database of business professionals. “I have 418 of my contacts on LinkedIn.com. These 418 connect me to 1.2 million professionals. It is wild to think you can reach that many people,” says Konstantin Guericke, co-founder and vice president of marketing at LinkedIn.

An initial network of 10 people, each adding 10 more, could quickly grow to a web of 10,000 professionals. Users can search their network for jobs, services, referrals, and more. “Most people prefer to hire people from a trusted contact,” says Guericke.

Lee Green, director of the National Black Business Trade Association (www.nbbta .org), has between 400 and 500 direct contacts on the association’s online network (www.nbbta-network.ryze.com), which he moderates on Ryze.com, another business-oriented networking site. He estimates that networking on the Internet gives him access to 20,000 to 30,000 contacts. Green, a big believer in the benefits of networking, emphasizes that online networking provides “the tools to extend ourselves out to the larger marketplace.”

Meanwhile, Darren Smith, co-owner of Global Ad Marketing, a commercial printing and advertising firm, moderates the Black Business Network on Ryze.com. He says online networks like Ryze and others are excellent sites to advertise business services because “they allow you to reach a massive audience at one time.

“Networking is a key element in building relationships that enable you to gain support from friends, relatives, associates, and acquaintances to help you reach a goal or objective.”

Fast Company

Fast Company asked, “Are you really ready for the rise of DIY media?” in their regular ‘blogjam’ article. The author pointed out,

Sometimes, the amateurs even turn pro. Alexander Muse started his own DIY media project — a reality tv show called MotorSport Ranch, which followed a few members of a Texas country club built for car racing enthusiasts. He taught himself how to produce the first high-definition reality show, used LinkedIn to find people to work with and pitch the show to, sold the pilot to INHD and is now negotiating for additional episodes and distribution in Asia. All because the tools are available, knowledge is easily acquired and connections are simpler to come by.

We’ll let others hash out if Web 2.0 is the right term for what is happening on the Web right now. What is already having an impact on the way we do business is the arrival of the remixable Web, with the ‘audience’ now taking an active role with their own DIY media tools. Blogs, sure. But also homebrewed podcasts, shared & tagged photo libraries, and now, today, word of YouTube (flickr for video). With tools like Technorati & del.icio.us, these do-it-yourself media creations find their own audience. And quickly.

What’s your plan for listening in and responding to this multitude of voices

Silence is not a sound strategy. Exhibit A: Dell. When Jeff Jarvis started having trouble with his Dell, he naturally started talking about it on his blog. As the problems dragged on, he amp’d up the volume. Eventually, ‘everyday folks’ (read: not obsessive bloggers) were overheard talking about the Jarvis issue and saying they wouldn’t buy Dell.

That conversation spread and spoiled potential Dell sales. (Spurring a Dell Cluewatch feature as a not-so-nice byproduct. Others continue to pile on — like IT services provider Architel who just blogged the other day that Dell servers aren’t holding up for their clients over the long haul.)

Dell’s online response? We’re still waiting. While Dell sits on the sidelines, the conversation continues on without them.

Exhibit B: Vonage. During a massive outage the other day, they had no quick way to broadcast a response to the online chatter that was developing. They were getting Dell’d.

Exhibit C: Kryptonite.

Enough cautionary tales. How can you use those DIY media tools for good?

• Take an open source approach to your marketing. Alex Wipperfurth (who wrote the book on what he calls Brand Hijacking) would counsel you to ’scrap the focus groups, fire the cool chasers and hire your audience.’
• Give em something to talk about. If information wants to be free, the new tools make it easier than ever to spread your memes. Compare the Netflix amateur presence online with an amateur Blockbuster-focused site. Who has the evangelists working for them?
• Host the party. Cobrandit is a new idea for an agency, inviting everyday consumers to contribute DIY media bits to showcase the real impact brands can have.

Sometimes, the amateurs even turn pro. Alexander Muse started his own DIY media project — a reality tv show called MotorSport Ranch, which followed a few members of a Texas country club built for car racing enthusiasts. He taught himself how to produce the first high-definition reality show, used LinkedIn to find people to work with and pitch the show to, sold the pilot to INHD and is now negotiating for additional episodes and distribution in Asia. All because the tools are available, knowledge is easily acquired and connections are simpler to come by.

The people are ready to post, tag, subscribe. What are you doing?

First Sale = Break-Even

Once we gave up on selling MotorSport Ranch to a major network (ABC, NBC, CBS or FOX) we quickly realized that selling the HD rights in the United States would be a break-even affair. Our goal was to attempt to recoup production costs by selling the U.S. HD rights for 2-3 years. The deal with VOOM would just cover the ‘budgeted cost’ of 13, 60-minute episodes. The only catch was that VOOM would only pay once we delivered all 13 episodes. It took almost ten months after general photography wrap to get VOOM to accept delivery and another two months to get paid. Of course, we exceeded the budget by around 15%, which at the end of the day, isn’t that bad. So how do you make money? The real money is in international sales.

In the case of MotorSport Ranch we still own the standard definition (SD) rights worldwide and the HD rights for everywhere by North America. Your first step will be to find a distributor. I wrote about how to pick a distributor in my blog back in February here:

My partner in the project, Robert Bennett, gave me some interesting insight that I thought might be worthwhile for any of you looking to sell your a television show (i.e. one that you already have in the can).

Robert likes John Mclean Media, a solid and reliable distributor with a deep library and a set of established clients. He also suggested that we could talk to Defianace Distribution (they sell to HDNET) or Behr Entertainment. Robert explained that two of the most important factors are a) the length of time they have been in business and b) whether or not they exhibit at MIP and MIPCOM (i.e. both conferences are expensive).

Robert also explained that our existing distributor, Rainbow Media, is a real player not to be discounted. Specifically, he suggested that they can get in networks that most distributors can’t touch including top tier cable, DBS or television outlets in most of Europe. Based on my own research it would there are three tiers of distributors:

• Tier One: Giants like Sony Pictures
• Tier Two: Rainbow, Discovery and various cable outlets
• Tier Three: Mclean, Behr and Defiance

One last bit of advice from Robert was to ask a potential distributor what current titles they are representing. If they are focused on Three’s Company or I Love Lucy you might be in trouble.

Ultimately we selected John Mclean Media who presented MotorSport Ranch at MIPS in Paris this Spring. Assuming he is successful, each incremental dollar of revenue is pure profit!

Television Networks

There are literally hundreds of networks for you to sell your show to. Here is a relatively completely list:

• 3sat - German Culture channel with contribution of German, Swiss and Austrian TV stations (ARD, ZDF, ORF, SF)
• A&E - Entertainment
• Aaj Tak - Hindi news channel, India
• ATN Aastha Channel - Spiritual/Hindu religious programming, India
• ABS-CBN Broadcasting Company - (Alto Broadcasting System - Chronicle Broadcasting Network) Philippine
• Abu Dhabi TV - Arabic 24 hour news and lifestyle channel, from United Arab Emirates
• ABC - American Broadcasting Company, USA, Canada
• ABC - Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia
• ABC - Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, Osaka, Japan
• ABC - Associated Broadcasting Company (ABC-5), Manila, Philippines
• ABC Family - Family, US
• The Amp - Indie music videos, UK
• Adult Channel - Adult programming
• AmericanLife TV Network -Entertainment
• America One Television Network - Family
• Animal Planet - Programmes about animals, owned by the Discovery Channel
• Anime Network - Entertainment
• Antena 3 - Spain
• ANT1 - Greek language
• Al Jazeera - Arabic 24 hour news channel, from Qatar
• Al Arabiyya - Arabic 24 hour news channel, from United Arab Emirates
• Alpha TV GUJARATI - Gujrati channel, India
• Alpha TV PUNJABI - Punjabi channel, India
• ARD Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rundfunk Deutschland - German TV Network with contribution of regional TV stations (BR NDR, MDR, RB, RBB, SWR, WDR)
• ARTE French-German cultural TV
• ARY Digital - Pakistani channel - Asian programmes, UK Europe, Middle East & Asian Subcontinent, most of the world
• Atlantic Television System (ATV) - Canada
• AXN - Action Television
• B4U Movies - Hindi movies and other film shows owned by Sony Entertainment Television, UK, India, US, UAE, Parts of Europe
• B4U Music - Hindu music channel
• Radio Bremen - German TV for Bremen and Bremerhafen
• BR - Bayrischer Rundfunk - German TV channel for Bavaria
• BR-alpha - German Education TV Channel from Bayrischer Rundfunk
• BBC America - British Broadcasting Corporation US lifestyle channel, US
• BBC Canada - British Broadcasting Corporation Canadian lifestyle channel, Canada
• BBC Kids - British Broadcasting Corporation Canadian children’s channel, Canada
• BBC One - British Broadcasting Corporation primary analogue channel, UK
• BBC Two - British Broadcasting Corporation secondary analogue channel, UK
• BBC Three - British Broadcasting Corporation digital channel, UK
• BBC Four - British Broadcasting Corporation digital channel, UK
• BBC News - British Broadcasting Corporation 24-hour news channel, UK
• BBC Parliament - British Broadcasting Corporation political channel, UK
• BBC Prime - British Broadcasting Corporation European lifestyle channel
• BBC World News - British Broadcasting Corporation international news channel
• BabyFirstTV - Children’s, United States
• Biography Channel - Biographies, UK
• Boomerang - Cartoons, US, UK, Mexico
• The Box - interactive music channel owned by Box Television, UK
• Bravo - cable television network owned by NBC, US
• Bravo - 1980s TV shows like Knight Rider and The A-Team, UK
• Bravo! - Arts and entertainment themed channel, Canada.
• Bubble Hits - Independent music channel available on digital cable and Sky , Republic of Ireland
• Canal Plus - Cable, France
• Carlton Television - ITV London regional, UK
• Cartoon Network - Cartoons, US, UK & worldwide
• CBBC - British Broadcasting Corporation Children’s, digital channel, UK
• CBC - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada
• CBeebies - British Broadcasting Corporation digital channel for young children, UK
• Canvas/Ketnet - culture from 20:00/kids channel until 20:00 - Belgium (Flemish)
• CBS - Columbia Broadcasting System, US, Canada
• CCTV - Chinese Central Television, worldwide
• Challenge - Game Shows Channel, UK
• Chart Show TV - Continuous music videos and charts, UK
• Channel 4 - Channel 4, UK
• Channel 5 - MediaCorp Channel 5, Singapore. Broadcast in English
• Channel 6 - a cable, satellite and digital terrestrial channel that launched in March 2006, Republic of Ireland
• Channel 8 - MediaCorp Channel 8, Singapore. Broadcast in Mandarin.
• Channel U - MediaCorp Channel U, Singapore. Broadcast in Mandarin.
• Channel V - Music channel, India
• City Channel - local channel localised for Irish cities on UPC Ireland only, Republic of Ireland
• Chorus Sports - - Sports channel carried on the Chorus Cable and Digital MMDS networks (UPC Ireland), Republic of Ireland
• Classic Arts Showcase - Arts, United States
• Classic FM TV - Classical music (part of the Classic FM brand), UK
• CN8 - Entertainment
• CNBC TV18 - Business news channel, India
• CNN - Cable News network, worldwide
• Comedy Channel - Entertainment
• Court TV - Entertainment
• CPAC - Government programming, Canada
• C-Span - Government programming, US
• CTV - Canadian Television Network, Canada/USA
• The CW - Commercial (entertainment) broadcast network, serves the United States and parts of Canada and Mexico
• Das Erste - Public channel, Germany
• Deutsche Welle TV - International Broadcast Service from Germany
• Disney Channel - Disney Cartoons and other shows, UK–outlet of a production company, which also owns ABC network.
• Disney Cinemagic - Disney films and other shows, UK
• Discovery - Documentary Channels, UK
• Discovery Kids - Children’s, United States
• Dish TV - India’s first DTH Entertainment service
• Doordarshan National - National Broadcaster, India
• Doordarshan National Gujarat - State owned Gujrati language entertainment channel
• Doordarshan News - State owned News channel, India
• Doordarshan Sports - State owned sports channel, India
• E! - Entertainment
• E! International - Entertainment
• E4 - Entertainment & Comedy Channel, UK & Ireland
• EBS - Education channel, South Korea
• ERT - Greek language, worldwide
• ESPN - sports, USA
• ESPN Asia - sports
• ESPN Hong Kong - sports
• ESPN India - sports
• ESPN Korea - sports
• ESPN Philippines - sports
• ESPN Taiwan - sports
• ETV Gujarati - Gujarati language, India
• Eurosport - European Sports Channel
• Fashion TV - Entertainment
• Five - (formerly Channel 5) UK
• Five Life - UK
• Five US - UK
• Fox Reality - Entertainment
• France 2 - Public channel, France
• France 3 - Public channel, France
• France 4 - Public channel, France
• France 5 - Education TV, France
• France Ô - Public channel, France
• Fred TV - A variety of types of shows
• FujiTV - Fuji Television, Japan
• FUNimation Channel - Entertainment
• FX - Entertainment
• Family - Disney Cartoons and other shows, Canadian TV Network to represent Disney Channel in Canada
• GMA - Global Media Arts Network, network based in Manila, Philippines.
• GSN - Game shows
• Guardian Television Network - Family, US
• Hallmark Channel - Family
• i - Family, formerly PAX
• KanaalTwee - soap, films, sport, Belgium (Flemish)
• Kerrang! TV - Interactive Alternative Music Channel, UK
• Kids and Teens TV - Children’s, US
• KIKA - Der Kinderkanal - German noncommercial TV Station
• Kiss - Interactive R&B, Rap and Dance Music Channel, UK
• KBS - South Korea Broadcaster, Korea
• LCI - News channel, France
• Liberty Channel - Family, US
• Liberty TV - Family Entertainment, UK
• Living - UK
• M6 - France
• Magic - Interactive Easy Listening and Jazz Music Channel, UK
• MATV - Hindi, Gujarati entertainment, UK
• MBS - Mainichi Broadcasting System, Japan
• Mega Channel - Greek Language
• MDR - Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk - German TV for Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia
• MTV - Music Television
• MTV2 - Alternative Music Television
• MTV Hits - Popular Music Television
• MTV Base - Rap, Garage and R&B Music Television
• MTV Dance - Dance Music Television
• MUTV - Manchester United (Football Club) TV, UK
• Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation - spelling your MBC, Korea
• National Geographic - Documentaries (also National Geogrpahic +1), and (National Geographic Channel), US, UK, worldwide
• NBC - National Broadcast company, US, Canada
• NBN (National Broadcasting Network) - government-owned television network, Philippines
• NBT (National Broadcasting Services of Thailand) - Formely Television of Thailand Channel 11
• NDTV 24×7 - News channel, India
• NDTV India - News channel, India
• NDR - Nordeutscher Rundfunk - German TV network for Hambourgh, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schlewig-Holstein,
• Network 2 - Radio Telefís Éireann, Network 2, now known as RTÉ Two, Republic of Ireland
• New Tang Dynasty TV - Chinese language, New York, US
• NHK - Public broadcaster, Japan
• Nick at Nite - Children’s
• Nickelodeon - Children’s programs
• Nick GAS - Children’s
• NickToons Network - Children’s
• Nine Network - Australia
• NTV - Japan Television, Japan
• Noggin - Children’s
• NTA - Nigerian Telavision Authority, Nigeria
• Ovation TV - Arts channel, United States
• Paramount Comedy - UK, Canadian and US sitcoms, UK
• PBS - Public Broadcasting Service, US
• PBS Kids Sprout - Children’s
• Peephole TV - Adult Television Network from the United States
• Phoenix - Public Documentary and Event Channel for Germany
• Phoenix TV - based in Hong Kong, broadcast worldwide for Chinese viewers.
• Playboy TV - Adult entertainment channel from the makers of Playboy
• Playhouse Disney - Younger children’s programming
• PlayJam - Interactive Games Channel, UK
• PRO TV - Romanian language
• Pub Channel - Channel for people in the restaurant and pub trades, UK
• Q TV - Interactive Indie Music Channel, UK
• QVC - Home shopping channel
• Radio Canada - Canada
• RAI - Italian language, Italy
• RBB - Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, German TV for Berlin and Brandenburg
• RCTI - Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia, Indonesia
• Record - Brazil
• Red Hot TV - 5 adult entertainment channels, United Kingdom
• Revelation TV - United Kingdom
• Rede Globo - Brazil
• Radio Philippines Network (RPN-9) - Philippines
• rmusic TV - United Kingdom
• RTÉ One - Radio Telefís Éireann, Republic of Ireland
• RTÉ Two - Ireland’s second terrestrial channel, Republic of Ireland
• RTÉ International - For Irish living in the UK , Republic of Ireland (Broadcast in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland on digital cable and satellite)
• RTL Television - Germany
• RTP1 - Portugal
• RTP Internacional - International Portuguese public television broadcast
• RTP África - Portuguese channel broadcasted in both Portugal and some African countries
• RTP Açores - Portuguese channel broadcasted in Azores Islands
• RTP Madeira - Portuguese channel broadcasted in Madeira Islands
• RTP N - Portuguese public news channel
• S4C - Sianel Pedwar Cymru, Entertainment and News (in Welsh language), UK
• S4C2 - Sianel Pedwar Cymru 2, Political coverage (in Welsh language), UK
• Sahara ONE - Entertainment channel, India
• Sab TV - Entertainment channel, India
• Sanskar - Hindu religious/spiritual programming, India
• Setanta Ireland - commercial sports channel available digital cable and Sky, flagship of the Irish company Setanta Sports Group
• SBS (Korea) - Nationality Broadcaster, Korea
• Sci Fi Channel (Australia), - Science Fiction, launched in 2006
• Sci Fi Channel (France), - Science Fiction, launched in 2005
• Sci Fi Channel (Germany), - Science Fiction, launched in 2003
• Sci Fi Channel (United Kingdom), - Science Fiction, launched in 1995
• Sci Fi Channel (United States), - Science Fiction, launched in 1992
• Sci Fi Channel (Spain), - Science Fiction, launched in 2006
• Scuzz - Rock music station, UK
• SET MAX - Hindi movie/entertainment channel, India
• Seven Network - Australia
• Showtime - movie channel, USA
• SIC - SIC private TV for Portugal
• SIC Comédia - Portuguese TV private comedy channel
• SIC Mulher - Portuguese TV dedicated to women
• SIC Notícias - Portuguese TV private news channel
• SIC Radical - Portuguese bizarre TV dedicated to teenager audiences
• SIC Sempre Gold - Portuguese TV with old shows
• Sirasa - Sirasa TV, Sri Lanka
• Sky Box Office - Pay Per View Movies and Events, UK
• Sky Cinema - 2 Movie Channels, UK
• Sky Movies - 9 Movie Channels, UK
• Sky News - 24 hour news, UK
• Sky News Ireland - The same as British Sky News with two Irish Broadcasts a day
• Sky One - UK Entertainment Channel
• Sky Sports - 5 Sports Channels, UK
• Sky Travel - 2 travel channels, UK
• Sky Two - UK Entertainment Channel
• Sleuth (TV) - Crime, mystery
• Smash Hits - Interactive Music Channel, UK:
• SOAPnet - Soap operas
• Sony Entertainment Television - Entertainment channel, Latin America & India
• Sony TV - Entertainment channel, India
• SET MAX- HINDI movie channel (INDIA) (SONY GROUP)
• SBS - Multi-cultural Television, Australia
• Spike TV - young adult, USA
• STAR Gold - Hindi movie channel, India
• STAR Movies - English movies channel, Middle East, South-East Asia and India
• STAR News - Hindi news channel, India
• STAR Plus - Hindi entertainment channel, India
• STAR Cricket- 24×7 Cricket channel (INDIA)
• STAR Sports Asia - sports
• STAR Sports Hong Kong - sports
• STAR Sports India - sports
• STAR Sports S.E.A - sports
• STAR Sports Singapore - sports
• STAR Sports Taiwan - sports
• Star World - Entertainment channel, Middle East, South-East Asia & India
• STAR vijay - INDIA
• Starz! - movie channel, USA
• Studio 23 - ABS-CBN’s UHF television network, Philippines
• STV - Independent TV for Scotland
• Style TV - Entertainment
• SWR - Südwestrundfunk - German TV station for Baden-Wuerttemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland
• SUN TV - INDIA
• SUN music - INDIA
• SUN news - INDIA
• Swarnawahini - EAP Networks- SRILANKA
• Superstation WGN - Entertainment
• TBS - Tokyo Broadcasting System, Japan
• TBS Superstation - Turner Broadcasting System, US
• TCM - Turner Classic Movies, UK
• TeleG - Gaelic language channel, Scotland
• Telemundo - US, parts of Latin America
• Televisa - Spanish language, Mexico
• Ten Network, Australia
• TEN SPORTS - Sports channel, India
• TF1 - France
• TG4 - Independent public television channel aimed at Irish speakers mainly with some programing aired in English, Republic of Ireland
• The Den - a cable-only children’s television channel owned by RTÉ, Republic of Ireland
• The N - Children’s
• TMC - Monaco
• TMF - The Music Factory - Music videos, owned by MTV
• Treehouse TV - Cable Preschool channel - Corus Entertainament Canada
• TNT - Turner Network Television, US, UK
• Toon Disney - Disney cartoons
• TQS - Television Quatre Saisons, Canada
• Travel Channel - 2 travel channels, UK
• Turner South - Entertainment
• TV3 -Independent, free to air terrestrial channel, Republic of Ireland
• TV5 Monde - World French language channel
• TV Asahi - TV Asahi, Japan
• TVB - Television Broadcast Hong Kong
• TVBS - TVBS Taiwan
• TV Cabo - TV Cabo Portugal, private Pay TV accessible by cable or satellite
• TV Chile - Chile (Spanish language)
• TVE - Spain
• TVG Network - Horse racing
• TV Guide Channel - TV listings and TV-related events
• TVI - Televisao Independente, Portugal
• TV Land - Re-runs of old shows
• TVM - Television Malta, Malta
• TVRI - Televisi Republik Indonesia, Indonesia
• TV Tokyo - TV Tokyo, Japan
• TVS Sydney - TVS Sydney, Australia
• UK Entertainment Channel - Strictly ‘U’ rated content, worldwide Internet broadcasting
• UKTV BrightIdeas -
• UKTV Documentary - Documentaries, UK
• UKTV Drama - Classic TV Drama, UK
• UKTV Food - Cookery programming, UK
• UKTV Gold - Classic TV Series, UK
• UKTV G2 - Comedy programming, UK
• UKTV History - History programming, UK
• UKTV People -
• UKTV Style - Home, garden and cookery programming, UK
• Univision - Spanish Language, US, parts of Latin America
• UNTV 37 - In service to humanity world wide, [1]
• UPN - US
• USA Network - Entertainment
• UTV - Ulster Television (an ITV franchise) Northern Ireland (many in the Republic have it too), UK
• VH1 - Rock Music & Older Music Television (Owned by MTV)
• VH1 Classics - Older easy listening and rock music
• Volksmusik TV - German Folk music Television Network in Europe and the Americas
• VT4 - soap, film, sport, broadcasts in Belgium (Flemish)
• VTM - soap, film, shows, broadcasts in Belgium (Flemish)
• VijfTV - soaps, films, focusted on women, broadcasted in Belgium (Flemish)
• Warner Channel - Entertainment, Latin America
• The WB - Warner Bros. TV, US–both a small network and a production company.
• TV1 - National TV, broadcasts in Belgium (Flemish) and The Netherlands
• Varsity TV - High-school student-produced programming
• WDR - Westdeutscher Rundfunk German, TV network for Northrhine Westfalia
• WE: Women’s Entertainment - US
• The Weather Channel - US
• Weather Network (MétéoMédia) - Canada
• XY TV - Entertainment
• YTV - Cable Television Channel - Corus Entertainment Inc. Canada
• ZDF - Public channel, Germany
• YLE - Yleisradio, Finland
• ZOOM - Hindi, family entertainment (INDIA)
• Zee TV - Hindi soap and entertainment
• Zee Muzic - Hindi and Punjabi music
• Zee Movies - Hindi films and other film shows
• Zee Gujarati - Gujarati entertainment

Networking

If you were like me, you don’t know anyone in the business. As detailed in several magazine articles, I used LinkedIn to find contacts at every major network. I also used it to talk to potential sponsors. For example, an advanced search in LinkedIn for Fox Television yields very useful information:

The search showed me over 261 current Fox employees and 8% had the title of producer. I can see new hires and anyone who has been recently promoted. Give it a try, you will be very impressed.

How to Pitch in 6 Steps

I found this primer on ‘how to pitch’ on the SoYouWanna website and I thought it might be worth reprinting here:

Get an idea or concept:

You go home for a Thanksgiving dinner, and:

• The ladies’ man in apartment 2B keeps showing up.
• Your mother won’t stop hounding you about your table manners.
• The dog eats Aunt Gloria’s famous turkey spread.
• Your cousin keeps hitting on you (ew!).

That’s when you think, “This is ridiculous! It’s like I’m living a bad TV show!” Well, why not turn your life into a TV show? It worked for Truman.

Whether it’s a comedy, a drama, or a rip-off of The Real World, every new television show started as an idea in someone’s head. But to turn that precious gem of an idea into ‘destination viewing,’ you’ll need to sell that idea to someone (or as they say in Hollywood, you have to “pitch” your idea). This is not nearly as easy as it sounds. To successfully pitch a TV show, you have to have a great idea, convince powerful people that it’s good, and get a production company to buy it. It involves a lot of careful research, networking, and ass-kissing. So take a meeting with SoYouWanna.com for the inside scoop.

Write a treatment:

Once you have your idea, it’s time to write a treatment. A treatment is a brief synopsis of your idea and how it is suited to television. It is not a script. We repeat, it is not a script. Again, for those of you who forget things easily, IT IS NOT A SCRIPT. A television treatment is usually about 1-5 pages in length, written in persuasive, snappy language. No lingo about ’smash cuts’ or ‘three frame dissolves’ - you haven’t shot it yet, much less edited it, and if you are not a professional producer, jargon will only embarrass you. Your treatment is what your Development Executive will use as a guide when he/she pitches your idea to his/her bosses. So edit it and rewrite it until it’s perfect.

Wait, wait, what’s a Development Executive? He/she is the person responsible for attracting, reviewing, and rejecting or “growing” (that is, developing) new projects for his/her company. Larger companies may have an entire department handling this task; smaller companies may saddle one beleaguered individual with this mountain of work. Often, there are different people for fiction or non-fiction projects.

Samples for television treatments can be found in books like Writing Treatments that Sell, or on websites like www.donedealpro.com. For further guidance in preparing your ideas for a pitch, you might want to check out courses offered at local colleges, or through associations such as IMAGE in Atlanta, BFVF in Boston, or American Women in Radio and Television nationally.

Once you’ve written your treatment, register it with the Writer’s Guild of America. You do not have to be a member of the union to do it, and it’ll only cost you $20. Registering your idea will prove that you had the idea first if it’s ever questioned, and it’ll protect you from having other people steal it. As an added bonus, the WGA registration number on your cover page is a subtle way to show that you’re a pro who knows how to play the game. Details like that really help.

Meet, greet and network:

Make tons of copies of your treatment, stick it under your arm, and start swimming with the sharks it’s now time to think very seriously about whether you want to align yourself with a known producer who has a track record. We don’t want to discourage you, but it is extremely tough to get a pitch meeting if you are new to the business. If the Development Executive you are trying to contact already has a relationship with a successful producer, your idea will be more likely to be heard if Mr./Ms. “Known Producer” brings it forward. It’s all about who you know (hey, no one said Hollywood is fair).

How do you meet a producer who wants to work with you? You network. That is, you must build a support system of powerful (read: well-connected) people who like your work. This is also called “schmoozing,” and it’s what makes the Hollywood world go ’round. Attending film festivals (yes, even if you’re pitching for television!), industry conferences, classes and entering writer’s contests are time-honored ways to schmooze. So even if you can’t get into NATPE (the annual conference and new programming market for the National Association of Television Program Executives) this year, don’t despair. Enter all the television writing contests that you can. Industry professionals often serve as judges, and you might win a development deal. More likely though, you’ll start a very useful collection of business cards.

If you can afford to make a complete career change, getting an entry-level job or internship with a television production company can help you meet the right people. (Check those industry associations again, or browse the phone book). Exposure to groups like these will help you to connect with like-minded people who might offer some good input. Plus, it’s always nice to have friends.

If you still want to try to pitch your idea yourself, almost all networks and production companies require that you approach them through an agent or an entertainment attorney. TV is all about money, and as such, networks are wary of wasting any time on an unknown, no matter how cute you are. Agents and entertainment attorneys know the inside of the business, and if you hire one, it’s his/her job to help you work the system. A professional’s services can be crucial if you are optioning a title, too.

Research networks and production companies:

Pitching is hard work, and you don’t want to waste your energy talking to a development executive who simply doesn’t produce the kind of show you’re offering. That is, unless you really like to collect rejections, or “passes“, in development lingo. So you gotta do homework.

This homework is fascinating if you love television, ’cause you’re going to be watching television. Lots and lots of it. Why? For these reasons:

• It’ll keep your couch warm.
• This orgy of television viewing will help you see if there’s anything currently on that’s remotely similar to what you’re planning to pitch. (Get it? “remote”?) If there is, consider retooling what you have. It’ll also help you package your show. (e.g., “Six 20-somethings start a bar - it’s Friends meets Cheers.”)
• It’s important for you to get familiar with the style of different networks and production companies. Some networks are family-oriented, while others focus on history (The History Channel), comedy (Comedy Central), or animals (Animal Planet). Some production companies specialize in game shows, dramas, or sitcoms. You want to be sure that you’re approaching the right home for your project.

The growth of cable TV has meant that there are more homes for possible TV shows (HBO, USA, Showtime, A&E, and Lifetime all have original TV series), but most broadcast and cable networks do not accept unsolicited submissions. So unless they asked you first, you must approach them through an agent or attorney.

Some of the many prominent broadcast and cable networks that currently do provide submission agreements for unsolicited treatments are:

Comedy Central Coordinator of Development
Comedy Central
1775 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
212-767-8600Discovery Communications Development Liaison
(for the network, such as The Travel Channel)
7700 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-986-0444

MTV Networks Series Pitch Line
2600 Colorado Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-752-8000

Another tactic is to try to approach production companies directly. Regularly watch the end credits of programs you like. Notice the name of the executive producer? Write him/her a letter inquiring about procedures for reviewing new projects. Listings of production companies that handle new projects are also in The Hollywood Creative Directory.

Do market research

Be prepared to explain WHO the target audience is for your planned program, and WHY your idea will appeal to them. You can conduct grassroots research without performing a grim statistical analysis. For example, if the heroine of your sit-com idea is a twelve-year-old girl with a wry take on life, ask every pre-teen girl you know what she likes and doesn’t like about the character. Poll a Girl Scout troop. Interview the kids in your sister’s class. Get to know your target audience’s taste. Then in your pitch meeting, you can wow ‘em with something along the lines of “I polled one hundred teenaged girls in my city and they unanimously voiced my character’s point of view.” You are now the voice of a generation.

In doing all of this research, you must always always ALWAYS read the “trades.” These are the well-established industry magazines, such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. They’re full of wacky slang, have regular news about development and production deals in the works, discuss executive “transitions” (who works where this week), and loads of other useful information such as how shows are doing in the ratings. So order a double skinny soy latté and study what’s going on in the biz.

Get additional material:

You have a killer concept and you have a convincing, succinct treatment. Congratulations! You’re almost ready to start knocking on doors. But remember, a good part of your pitch (and it’s the fun part) is all about you. You’re not only selling the project, but you’re selling yourself as well. Whore.

Along with your treatment, you may be asked to provide:

• Budget parameters and information about financiers already on board, if you have them. It’s not absolutely required that you provide funding for your project, but it’s unlikely that a network or production company will foot your bill entirely. If you have a rich benefactor who has promised to pay for the pilot episode, let ‘em know. You’ll get points for initiative, credibility, and understanding the bottom line.
• If you are pitching an idea for a series as opposed to a special, include a brief Episode Breakdown, outlining key dramatic events in each episode or installment.
• A demo tape or a portfolio of current or previous work of yours or any other key individual whom you may have associated with the project. If your cousin is a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who has agreed to consult about the dietary habits of the extra-terrestrial villains in your program, let ‘em know.

Check your submission agreement or call your contacts again to learn exactly what, if any, supplemental materials are required. Remember that they may not be returned, so keep copies of everything.

Get a pitch meeting:

Here’s where the agent, attorney, or known producer comes in really handy, because development executives take their calls. Tell the person on the phone that you have a treatment that you want to pitch to his/her network or Production Company, and you would like to receive submissions guidelines.

If the company accepts unsolicited material, you will be required to sign a submission agreement before sending anything in. This document, usually thick with legal-ese, asks you to state that you own the idea you’re submitting, and to acknowledge that they may already have a similar idea in development or on the air. This is a lawsuit prevention method on the part of the company reading your treatment. It prevents you from showing up and claiming that you’re owed millions because you believe that it was really your idea to have a hit show about a stand up comic and his three neurotic friends in Manhattan.

Some time after you have signed and returned the submission agreement along with your treatment and any other supporting materials requested, you may get a call from the assistant to the Development or Creative Affairs department requesting a meeting. (How long depends on company policies, individual workloads, and how conscientious the caller is.) In this call, he/she will discuss your project in more depth, probing to determine how closely your idea fits current programming needs. Based on the outcome of that initial conversation, you might be heading out to buy new duds to look spiffy when you ‘take’ your meeting.

Practice pitching to friends. Watch their reactions. Are they interested in your idea? Did you tell the story in a friendly, engaging manner? Do they want to hear more? That’s the idea.

Things to do in the pitch

When the big day comes, relax! Remember why you’re here: to generate interest in the story that moved you to try to create a TV show in the first place. It’s your moment (and we mean moment: it’s very likely that you have been scheduled for meeting that will last all of ten minutes) to convince the producer or executive that he/she (and the viewers) will love it, too.

• Arrive at least 15 minutes early.
• Bring extra copies of your treatment and any other material you have been asked to provide. Your meeting will involve you, a Development or Creative Affairs Executive, an assistant, and maybe a few other people who dropped in to cruise the snack tray.
• You’ll be asked to give a verbal description of your story. Consider this a friendly chat about you and your big idea.
• It’s wise to have two or more pitches ready in the meeting, just in case you’re doing great but the executive already has an idea like yours in the works. In case you missed it, we just said that you must come in with at least two different show ideas in case your first one is a bust.
• Remember that you are SELLING yourself and your idea. Your goal is to hook your ‘audience’-the people listening to your pitch. Be upbeat and positive. Use creative props if you think they’ll help illustrate your story. Consider this an “open mic” performance without the comedy. Don’t read from your treatment, but do distribute copies. Your pitch might start out something like this . . .
  

  “Visualize this. It ’s a dark and stormy night. Our hero, a moody, intelligent teenaged boy, is struggling to get into a second story bedroom window. Is he a burglar? Is he in some kind of trouble? No, he’s a teen superhero and he’s locked out of his house for the third time this week!”

  OK, so that’s kind of lame, but you have to admit that it’s a lot better than, “My show is about a teenager. He’s a superhero, too.” The first speech shows passion.

• Be willing to answer questions readily, and be flexible about suggestions, but don’t lose your train of thought. Believe in yourself and be positive! Your goal is to make the Development Executive your ally, as he/she may want to champion your idea to his/her bosses.

The verdict

Just like in driver’s ed, in the television and film biz, a “green light” means go. (Hey, a bit of jargon never hurts.) If you get a call back sometime after your meeting telling you that your project has been “greenlighted,” then you are officially on the road to seeing your great idea produced as a television show.

If your pitch is rejected, or “passed” on, don’t take it personally. Keep practicing, keep networking, and try to set up a meeting somewhere else. Believe in yourself and your work. And don’t forget to mention us in your Emmy acceptance speech.

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