Let’s say you get into an elevator, and there he is; the Executive you want to pitch your show to. You decide to go for it. You turn to him and…. wait a minute… what the hell are going to say? You’re not going to wing it are you? You have 30 seconds to impress this guy and you’re going to wing it?

The Elevator Pitch is an important tool in your sales arsenal and if used properly can do wonders for getting meetings booked with the people who can get your show made. But you must treat it like the fine tool that it is; a scalpel, not a machete. The words you use to craft the 30 second story must be chosen carefully and delivered precisely. …readmore

Wow.

I just watched four (4!!!!) outstanding demos for four different shows. They were incredible. What was so fantastic about them? I’ll tell ya…

Each demo covered four vital subjects: Characters, Settings, Stakes, and Stories, and showed me how they could sustain the subject matter (inclusive of the four points above) for a season or more. …readmore

If you’re keeping your eye on upcoming TV Festivals you know Real Screen Summit in Washington, DC is a big one. It’s also nearly $1900 US. Plus of course, your cost of travel and hotels.

If you’re ready to pitch this is definitely a great place to meet Execs as it is chock full of them. However, if you’re not quite ready to pitch yet there is another small Summit in Los Angeles. The TV Writers’ Summit is only a couple weeks after the Real Screen Summit and looks to be a great value (and it’s warmer there). …readmore

“Have I got a story for you!”

Story story story. Development Executives will tell you a good show is all about the story. “Story is everything. If you do not have a story, you do not have a show.”

And they’re right. However, you need a vessel to convey these stories to your audience. And those vessels are your characters. …readmore

With holiday season parties upon us you’re going to run into old friends and friends of friends. And if you’ve been working on your show for awhile you’re going to find something interesting starting to happen.

People are going to start pitching you their show ideas.

As people around you learn more and more about you writing your own show they are going to come to think of you as an expert. And why shouldn’t they? Out of most people they know you are probably the only person they know writing a TV show. And they’ve probable even told their friends about you. …readmore

A friend of mine pitched me a show idea the other day. It’s a great idea with strong talent attached. He told me he’s planning to pitch it to the Director of Development (DOD) he knows at a local production company. The problem is he hasn’t developed it past the One Sheet stage. His response to me telling him that he needs to do more work was,“Oh it’s fine. I know him.” …readmore