Tuesday, November 20, 2007

What do you do when you have a great idea for a tv show, based on a column you wrote for a NY alt weekly? I've sent a few e-mails to agents but have little faith in that approach. I've also got a friend at NBC who says they'll give it a read. Sent them a two page treatment, char descrips, and a summary of about 8 episodes, but now what the hell do I do?

Write the pilot.

Sometimes producers will buy a story or other underlying rights, but it's usually something they tripped over themselves. If you want to make a TV show out of your column, then do it. Write a spec pilot. Adaptation isn't easy. You may see the TV show in your own column, but asking other people to do so may be a bridge too far. You'll have to adapt it for them.

Ideas aren't cheap, but a TV idea isn't just a hook. It's the essence of the TV show. It's very hard to sell just a hook. You have to sell them something that embodies the essence of a TV show.

Labels: spec pilots

7:47 AM

4 Comments:

Alex,

how can one expect things to develop after gaining enthusiastic interest from a prodco (Canadian) based on a spec pilot submitted- coming from one who is still 'emerging,' and thus unproven in the industry?

By  Rusty James, at 12:35 PM  

Canadian nets will develop with an emerging writer. They'll give the show to a seasoned vet later on, but LITTLE MOSQUE's creator was not a heavyweight when she created it. And when I first optioned Naked Josh, I'd written exactly one TV ep.

By  Alex Epstein, at 1:05 PM  

This comment has been removed by the author.

By  Rusty James, at 1:53 PM  

That's swell Alex,

now let's talk about the MONEY.

By  Rusty James, at 1:55 PM  

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