Pitch a Show question

Not really to pitch but from my limited contact with tv producers I know that it's all about the pilot. A great pilot script is a work of constructed art. It needs to lay out the general premise, the characters and the world they inhabit, the overall tone of the piece, the style of the writer etc and it needs to hint at a direction of where it may go in future.

Once you have that script and want to pitch it, I presume in a face-to-face? Then It's about lauding the praises of the piece. Don't worry about selling its market or audience, the producers will be keenly aware of who will watch it. I think the number one point they want to sure about is that it will have the staying power to last. Although many tv series do not make it into a sixth season, almost all of them are commissioned with that goal in mind. And understand, detailing how your show will last that long is not about story points or episode ideas. If it's commissioned then the producers will want to stamp their own fingerprints onto the project so don't get too attached to that season cliffhanger you have in mind. You need to talk about themes and issues you can explore as the seasons go on and how you see it growing and improving. They may ask obvious questions like, "Do you think there's enough material here for six seasons?" Your answer should be yes. They already know whether there's enough material or not, what they really want to know is how much you care about the project.

Ramble, ramble. Hope it helps.

Here's a great link on TV Writing in general:

http://www.craftyscreenwriting.com/TVFAQ.html

Unfortunately, there's not much there about reality TV. But, here's something to get you started - a good link on how to format a reality TV show proposal:

http://johnaugust.com/archives/2004/formatting-a-reality-show-proposal

^ Those two websites - not just the pages I singled out - have TONS of information on the entertainment industry.

Pitching a reality show is entirely different. Obviously there's no pilot script, it's more of an effort in clarity and hook. I've never done it myself but I should imagine you need the equivalent of a logline that sums up the idea in a sentence or two followed by an extensive breakdown on format and a greater sense of tone, audience and progression throughout the series.

C.bronco said:

Does anyone have a link or suggestion for info. on how to pitch a tv show?

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NATPE does an annual Pitch Camp where they give you tons of pointers, and also have about 40 network / production people that you can pitch to. If you're in LA, it might be worth the effort to take it in.

Jane Espenson just wrote about this in a roundabout way:
http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000220.php

Her blog is worth checking out if you're going to write TV.