Tax credits. Hiring the right Producer and Director. Cameras. Reserved parking.
These are all things you do NOT need to worry about when pitching your show. Why? Because they have nothing to do with selling the content or vision of your show.
When you sit down with an Executive they are not going to ask you about the business of the biz, they are going to ask you how your show works.
“What does that character do? How does this story line relate to the rest of the show? What’s the target demographic?”
They are not going to ask you whom you think the best Director or Producer is for the show. Why? Because you won’t get a say in that anyways.
When you sell your first show, you can pretty much bet on not being involved in the creative process. If you sell it directly to a Broadcaster they will choose what production company produces it, and from there will have final approval on things such as who is directing and where it is going to be shot.
Tax credits in different states and provinces seem to change almost daily, so including that in your pitch is wasting valuable time and space. However, if you’re going to shoot it in Alberta or New Mexico because they have the perfect landscape, that’s different, because you are discussing what is happening in front of the camera.
A lot of people trying to sell their first show get bogged down in the business when what they really need to be doing is working harder on the ins and outs of their show; ensuring there’s no gaps in the story or logic of it.
“What is happening in front of the camera? How does one character’s actions affect the others? How does it compare to other shows, both past and present? What are the stakes?”
THOSE are the questions you need to be able to answer, not which camera you think is best.
Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t learn things about how the business operates; not at all. The more you can learn about how this business works the better for you in the long run.
What I AM saying is, you don’t need to know these business details to pitch your show, and even if you do know it, when you’re pitching is not the time to talk about it.
You may as well talk about lighting, or what kind of parking spot you’re going to get at the studio if you get greenlit, because none of them have anything to do with communicating the vision of your show to the Executives.
And that is all that pitching is supposed to be; selling the vision of your show.