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First Sale = Break-Even

May 24, 2008

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!

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Television Networks

May 24, 2008

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

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Networking

May 24, 2008

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.

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How to Pitch in 6 Steps

May 24, 2008

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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