My show

It seems to me that your choice is to go with either:

1. a trustworthy friend who will preserve your vision but whose disorganization will keep your project on the drawing board indefinitely
2. a competent stranger who will get you produced but compromise your vision

So what means more to you: getting produced, or preserving your vision?

gambit924 said:

So I wrote this show treatment and I showed it to one of my friends on facebook who has just started his own production company. He has made films before and stuff, but it's never been an organized company. I showed him what I had and he liked it, but my question is, is this the best way to go or should I hold out for a better production company? I know this guy and I really trust him and he likes the vision I have created. Should I go forward with him knowing that he is a small but trusted company, or should I go with someone else, someone I don't know and perhaps doesn't see my vision in the same light?

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When you say "show," I'm assuming it's some kind of TV property. You don't say if it's for a scripted show or a reality based series.

Does this company have experience with that medium? Getting a show to broadcast is extremely difficult. There are lots of steps to climb and hoops to jump through. If your friend doesn't have a respectable history in TV then it's unlikely that he's ever going to set up something - especially if it's just in treatment form. (From an unknown entity, networks will want to see a script or a pilot episode.)

You haven't provided enough info for any of us to gauge whether or not it's a smart move for you to partner with this person. 99% of everything in this business is wheel spinning so, most of the time, partnerships with no-name producers or big producers get you nowhere. Obviously, a well-known TV producer is going to have easier access. An unknown TV producer is going to have a much more difficult time breaking through. Most "real" TV producers have either risen through the ranks of television or have had a successful feature career.

If you want him to run with it, give him a very short leash. Maybe six months - and no more - to see what he can make happen. I don't know who you are or your experiences, but if you're a new writer, moving a treatment through the Hollywood maze is tantamount to pushing a boulder up a mountainside. So, the grass might not be greener in the other yard.

It's not realistic to think that a producer will preserve your "vision" against the TV corporate machine. And your vision is meaningless if the guy dooesn't have the juice to get the project on its feet.

As an aside, if your treatment is for a sit-com or an hour long (not a reality show), you're not the creator unless you've written the script - treatments don't count. In general, the writer who pens the actual pilot script is the creator of the show - regardless of who came up with the idea. So, if it's a treatment for a scripted show, you haven't quite protected yourself. Plus, agents and managers will have no interest in treatments. A writer always has the upper hand with a complete script in it.

Good luck.

I guess I'm not clear why this is an either/or proposition. Why not have your proverbial cake and eat it up? If your friend has great ideas, excitement and connections to help you get your show rolling along, make a simple agreement to share some portion of the revenue should the show ever become anything. If it goes south, do a quit claim and be on your way.

Meanwhile, pursue any and all other options on your own as you're doing now.

It's a rookie move to think one's ideas should be encrusted in gold, or that the show is all yours. It takes a LOT of people to bring a TV show to air. Which means, one must play well with others. And like it. Otherwise, there are many other ways a writer can scratch out a living as the lone wolf.

I'm not saying give away your show to any tosser who comes along and wants to work on it. I'm saying, as a rookie with no track record, it's folly to be stingy about sharing the wealth, should any ever come of it. What you hopefully want more than anything is a show credit so that you're in the game. Maybe your show will be a smasharoo and you'll have work for awhile, but unless you've created The Simpsons, it's best to have other ideas that are just as good and ready to rip.

Happy show selling!

Your friend might be able to produce the show, but it sounds like he isn't the right person to market it to the tv channels buying the shows. If you want the show out there, I would pick a big studio with connections.

Is your friend a verified showrunner? Getting stuff on TV, be it cable, broadcast, or specialty markets requires more than a guy who's shot some film for an indie prod.