Help Pitching to Networks

[STravis]

HELP! I have completed a TV Pilot, which includes four episodes and I am about to send it out to get it copyrighted. I want to pitch it to some networks but I do not know exactly what to say. I do not want to sell my script or to give up any creative control. My daughter is an aspiring actress and I have created one of the main characters for her to play. I do not know any colleagues in the industry to show it to for feedback…any advice?

 

[GuerrillaAngel]

Should I wait until my scripts are copyrighted before . . .

Your script is legally yours the moment you put word to paper. While you may want to 'register" the work, your material is already copyright protected. Make sure you put enough identification (your name!) on your material as you write stuff.

"Registering" a copyright won't prevent a thief from stealing your work, but it does help if you have to go to court to get damages.

 

[STravis]

Glad to help.

Lesson One: do not use the very rare exceptions as examples of
what you can accomplish. But if you do want to play the
“exception” game you need to understand what those people did and
how they did it. Yes, there are exceptions and you may be that
very rare exception.

Stallone was not trying to have full creative control over a TV
series and hire is aspiring actress daughter as a main character.
He was an actor with a few minor credits who wrote a part for
himself. He did not have any creative control over “Rocky”. And
the total budget was under a million.

By the time Perry got a TV series with full creative control he
was a very successful writer and director and actor with a hit
movie (he did not direct) under his belt. His company financed the
first 10 episodes along with Turner Broadcasting. When it did well
in limited distribution TBS and Debmar-Mercury put up the money
and it went to series and national distribution.

Not what you are hoping to do. You want to jump right in an have
full creative control of a multimillion dollar project with no
previous track record. There is no previous precedent for that and
is going to be extremely difficult.

So what can you do? You need to look at this long term. You are
going to need to write a lot of TV scripts that you are willing to
sell and build a reputation as a good writer. You are going to
have to play the TV writers game.

Think you’re up to it?

Yes, I am definitely up to the task. I understand it is very rare that an unknown writer becomes a show runner and have full creative control. So, if I will write a bunch of scripts in specific genre (comedy, action, drama, and kids, a few specs, get with a management company to represent me, and they can send my work to producers of existing shows to try to get me on staff. Do you believe that once I am working as a writer and earning money, I could start going out with my own stuff?

Again, thank you for your response!

Stacey

 

[directorik]

Do you believe that once I am working as a writer and earning money, I could start going out with my own stuff?

That happens all the time. Almost every show you see on TV was
started that way. Look at the "Created By" credit of five TV shows
and then look the background of that person. Each of them will
have credits on several other TV shows.

So get those spec scripts written. Three - one for each of your
favorite shows.