How To Sell A Television Show - Jim Agnew
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#TV #Television #Writing
Lots of people in the comments are asking for videos of actual pitches. Max Landis uploads a lot of video pitches to KZhead, and I found them very helpful for my own pitches. My own tip, which I learned the hard way, on pitching, is that: most people think that pitching is about having a great and slick "talk"--but they forget that a truly great pitch involves you, the writer, listening to what the producers are interested in. There's no point in launching into a finely honed pitch that is completely off-topic for what the producers are looking for. So for me, it's been about being flexible, and actually demonstrating my ability to be a collaborator, right in the room while I'm pitching, instead of acting like one of those writers who can't hear feedback.
I recently finished working on season 5 of a TV show as a script supervisor and asked the writers/producers if they had a Bible for that show to maintain continuity. The season 5 writers and execs came brand-new to this show, so did I... but to my surprise, they had no Series Bible; I was probably the only one who ever mentioned it. Luckily, I prepared myself by watching all the previous episodes before I stepped on set and asked for it, but still. What a risk!
Interesting commentary, thank you for posting Sarah!
This gets me excited and I'm not even close to that stage lol
Same!
What stage are you in? He's only asking for a short pitch and 30 page pilot
@@noteem5726 pretty sure 30 page pilot would be for a 30 min comedy type show. I'm writing a 50-60 min drama so it's gotta be longer than that. Anyway, I am almost done with the 2nd draft of the pilot and have some vague ideas for where I am going with this.
@@Thenoobestgirl That sounds good. Once you have the pilot down you should be able to tell where it's going after that. What type of drama is it?
@@noteem5726 fantasy drama
This changes everything for me, I've been so concerned about the rest of the season that I lost focus on the pilot. Now I'm going to focus on the pilot and then the pitch. Thanks
I pitched to an Animation company with the pitch deck, character descriptions, a short description of the mythology and civilizations my writers and I created. I was nervous in the beginning but now I feel like I can pitch anything lol They are very interested and should have a business meeting soon. This gentleman is very accurate with his advice. I hope to pitch my next Animation film to a company here in the states. Animation company I pitched to is in Asia who has relations with networks all over the globe.
How did this end up? Asking for reference.
how did you breakout into writing
Congratulations!! I hope you succeed!
@@elijahvazquez5176 I should be signing after the company finishes meeting at Kidscreen Summit in Miami in February.
@@user-jn5ik4qv9o I didn't write it. It was an idea of mine that I got three others to write for me. They saw my connection and didn't want to miss out.
I'm pitching a show in Croatia. I actually wrote a 50 page bible hah :'). They loved it though because they are all lazy and not involved so they wanted me to prove that i can do everything on my own. It worked well. Hope it gets made
Best of luck!
@@filmcourage Well thanks a bunch. Love the channel. Thank you for making it.
Hi neighbor👋 I'm from Bosnia and I have a great idea for a tv show sooo I'm currently learning how to make it and when I'm ready I'll start. It seems like It's gonna take so long but I think It's gonna be worth it.
Oh and good luck!
@@anastasija7184 Yea? Do you need any help with big picture stuff? Today we actually finished casting and budget allocation for our pilot. Stuff's happening :D. How about you
I always wanted to create something for TV because I have so many ideas with different genres. As an aspiring writer, I'm sort of a big TV fan. Some people are book fans, some people are movie fans (which I'm also a movie fan), but I'm a big TV fan. So, I'm gonna do all I can to make that all happen.
What are your favorite TV shows that's you're most into
Same
@@noteem5726 'Angel', 'The Rookie' and several others.
Ive just started writing a piece i think is really great and finally decided to challenge myself and leave my comfort zone but this interview gives me insight on the level of difficulty and makes me doubt myself, YET, i say to myself GOD didn't place these 2 shows in my mind for no reason. I will complete the stories and pitch to multiple networks, don't know how ill get in the room but i will - THANKS FILM COURAGE but this great content, appreciate u!
I am writing a pilot right now and it's been a labor of love for almost 3 years. When I feel it's ready, I will find an agent. 😊
HOW DO YOU PROTECT UR IDEA WHILE PITCHING? Thanks
Questions: How do you start with a tv agent? How do you do you find a quality agent? Thanks for your content.
Sooo good. This is what it's all about.💎
Thanks for watching Darvinique!
Thank you for the consistent informative videos. Got a Short Film and a Seasonal play under my belt and i’m looking to get better every day !
This showed up just in time. Thanks ❤
I spoke with an entertainment lawyer and he said the same thing. I already made a show bible in PowerPoint form. It covers everything about my show in a condensed version. I am writing the pilot but I am not a screenplay writer so it has been hard.
Valuable Information! It's great to know that writers don't need to bring in a huge 50 page Bible.
As always, these videos are very informative. Thank you for the insight.
We like this one a lot. Glad you found this one Thomas!
Great to know. I wrote a pilot and episode one. It's best to jump the gun....in case. I can always change it around and keep writing.
Great video, and great reality check. He's not blowing smoke, his testimonial comes from a real place and not some ploy to inspire you because its the cool thing to do or sell you on something. Bravo
I was excited to hear that "all you need is a pilot and an 8-10 minute pitch". But then at 3:40, he says "you usually have a Producer you're working with who's taking you into the networks or the company..." So that's a HUGE piece of it. So - for those of us who have our script and our pitch but don't have a producer or a track record - where do we find the producers? how and where do we meet them?
One place is IMDB Pro and here are a lot of helpful videos on how others have done it - bit.ly/3CxKkNu
More videos concerning Tv shows please! Thank you.
Hi Arthur, here is more on writing for television - bit.ly/3lBGjjw
@@filmcourage I am a big fan of this channel so I have watched all the videos so far. Thank you.
Great questions!!! Great answers!! Great video!
Thank you Film Courage for this episode with Mr. Agnew. There's much good information in this one and I'm going to watch it couple more times to absorb the tips. However, throughout the 15 minutes, I kept saying "We need Jim to make a segment with an entire eight-minute pitch, as if he's doing it in front of a studio executive." That would be quite helpful. If he agrees, then please let him do the entire pitch before asking him questions. Again, Film Courage rules!
Thanks Paul! We agree, so much great information in this one. We may experiment with some pitching stuff. Hopefully we get a chance sooner than later.
It's not Mr Agnew pitching, but earlier in my career I watched many videos of Max Landis pitching on KZhead, and I found it helpful.
My TV show was optioned based on the pilot script plus a 20 page story bible I had made. The bible was a PowerPoint presentation, with visuals and details on the characters, plot, themes, and the market possibilities.
Really hope I one day get noticed for my work. I honestly been writing as a kid and still love it until this day. Wish me luck 🍀.
This was great. That dude is cool. Thank you
I am actually excited and this is very helpfull, I recently signed a contract with producers and we're currently working on my Fantasy/Drama TV Series, just got the one sheet back from them and we're now working on the Pitch Deck. I'm looking forward to actually being able to pitch to the streaming platforms once it is ready to do so :)
Thank you so much. This was great, I learned a lot. Judy Prescott Marshall American Author.
Amazing! So Informative!
Thanks Malcolm, which part helps you the most?
@@filmcourage the raw facts 1 pilot 2 8-10 minute verbal pitch.
Nice, great to see this demystify the process.
How do I protect myself from networks rejecting my pitch, then turning around and green lighting my story without me? Do I need a notary to sign a copy of the script?
Smart executives? With what's going on with Star Trek? But I guess that's more brand management... but they still had to pitch those shows... This is a great informative video. So interesting to see the inner workings of TV.
If it's the same problems between 1 million and 100 million dollar movies, I think I'll just make my first film at 100M.
Good informative video. Though I'd say it's all about bait and switch now these days.
Great info. We're coming 💔🖤🥳🥳
Love ✊🏿🔥
Have been under the impression that a show bible and a lot more stuff was needed in order to pitch. Extremely informative.
Thank you
this was great. Any interviews like this but about pitching an unscripted show? Example like a travel show similer to Parts Unknown. Any direction and info would be appriciated thanks :D
Hi Joshua, this first one is maybe not quite what you are looking for but we believe helpful - kzhead.info/sun/e6uhiriwq4CcdKc/bejne.html In regards to unscripted, we'd recommend scrolling through our videos with Troy DeVolld - kzhead.info/channel/PLez8jOvskc-PZKzwAjqEN5ySu7d4CMmXQ.html
@@filmcourage thanks checked it out.
What did you learn from this video?
The proper process of introducing your project in hope of it getting sold, also corrected few misconceptions of the pitch phase. Thanks a lot for your continuous support. Absolute gem this channel ♥️
Great to see this video was helpful!
Finish my pilot, work on my pitch and ditch the story bible--for now.
These Rock!
Is it the same if you have a reality game show idea? How would that differ from a regular television show?
Would it still be an advantage to have a pitch bible tho? Or would it just be a bother for the executive or maybe a loss of time?
I'm not in any position to say anything since I haven't made anything. But I have this movie idea and planning on making a small pitch deck explaining the characters, atmosphere, town, and setting crucial to the movie. I'm planning on keeping it under 6 pages max. It's mainly a mood board. Another thing is to not be too concrete of a lot of stuff, keep yourself open to ideas they'll give you. So they'll see you as a collaborator and if you're not stubborn. In short, make a small pitch deck/bible to show you're not winging it at least. Also, small enough so their tiny brains won't melt at reading too many words. Which is ironic.
So did you copyright your pilot and pitch before talking to Lionsgate?
How long should the pilot be?
Thanks
Thank you so much again, this is the one I was looking for actually, prayers do get answered. Thank you
Great to hear! We think this one has a lot of great information. Hopefully it helps to demystify the process a little and helps writers plan out what they need to do. We appreciate your continued support of the channel.
How much you can get if you will sell?
What about if you currenty lack the writing ability but have a masterpiece of an idea? can you self publish a book and then just sell the rights to it and work as a consultant with the new writer? Appreciate any feedback. Thanks for the video!
One thing you should remember is nobody has a masterpiece of an idea. Because everyone has the same ideas and concepts. What matters is the execution. What YOU will be putting into that idea. Because an idea will only get you so far, but you, the writer, is what actually sells. How you write the action lines and the dialogue. Your own personal authenticity embedded in the script. The best thing you can do right now is ask someone to review your idea and they will press you on the idea itself. Don't be close-minded if they dismantle your idea. If they give the correct amount of criticism. They'll ask you the right questions and maybe uncover something wrong you never knew about. Either way, have someone challenge your idea. They won't steal it, because ideas can't be stolen. Only mimicked and bastardized if they did. Not the way you would've gone about it anyway.
Would be great to hear some of the questions your Lionsgate team prepped you with for your pitch week?
Is it even remotely possible to keep your creative control than if they just want to change everything
Hello , I'm writing a tv series called the coles it takes place in texas , it's about a middle classed white family and they are very country , Paul Cole who is the 2nd main character is obnoxious, close minded(like archie bunker from all in the family) and he is also lazy. my question is to how to get it published, i love tv and i'm serious about it before it would become a movie, i've been writing for a long time. i'm 33
👌🏾
What sort of things should I know before pitching my idea? What is this guy's name? Where would I even go to pitch my idea?
It seems like the new tv execs want their writ runs more on stories. That's probably why they do not want bibles before the sale.
Glad to know you only write the pilot and don't have to go to the terrible length of a bible which for some reason I thought was necessary but didn't make sense
Everything he said is pretty much common sense
IF he sold the SHOW to Lions Gate and they BOUGHT IT , then why does he need to PITCH IT ............... He said they BOUGHT IT , and now he has to sell it again.
Lions gate is the production company. They need to link up with a distributor. Once you sell one person, you have to sell everyone else.
Yello
to me it seems like a lot of luck involved
Definitely
How to sell a show to netflix: this transgender black apache wants to teach 5 year old how to twerk in Gordon Jump's bicycle shop
Hilarious!