TV Development Guide Read online

  TV Development Guide

  How an Idea becomes a TV Show

  By Stephanie Varella

  Copyright © 2019 Stephanie Varella

  Book Cover by: Victoria Case

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN:172624539X

  ISBN-13: 9781726245395

  DEDICATION

  T o my sweet, inspiring,

  beautiful and wise daughter,

  Sage.

  TV Development Guide

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ‘TEASER’*

  13

  What You Can Learn From This Book

  19

  Act 1 WHAT IS ‘TV DEVELOPMENT’?

  23

  History of the Television in a Nutshell

  25

  Who Invented the Television?

  26

  TV Development

  28

  The Players

  28

  The Process

  30

  The Biggest Misconception

  31

  Kids Programming

  31

  Reality Programming

  32

  What is a Reality Show?

  33

  How to Develop a Reality Show

  34

  The “Business” of TV

  35

  The FCC and its Impact on TV?

  36

  Developing a TV Series vs. a Movie

  37

  Questions to Consider

  39

  !5

  TV Development Guide

  Act 2 THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

  41

  The Idea

  41

  Where Do Ideas Come From?

  42

  How to ‘Reverse Engineer’ a Project

  44

  The Different Formats of TV Shows

  45

  Do You Have a Good Idea for a TV Show?

  47

  Should You Pursue a Particular Project?

  48

  How to Option an ‘Intellectual Property’ (IP)

  48

  and/or a ‘Spec Script’

  Have a Great Idea? Now What?

  50

  You Protected and/or Optioned a Project. Now

  51

  What?

  How to Put Together a ‘Writers List’

  51

  You Have a Writer. What’s the Next Step?

  53

  The ‘Pitch’

  54

  How to Get a Pitch Meeting with a Network

  54

  Goals of a Network Pitch

  55

  What is a ‘Bible’ for a TV series?

  55

  What is a ‘Pitch Document’?

  56

  A Good Pitch vs. a Not-So-Good Pitch

  59

  After the Pitch

  59

  The Standard vs. Newer Ways of Pitching

  60

  What is a 'Sizzle Reel’?

  61

  !6

  Table Of Contents

  How to Make a Sizzle Reel

  62

  You Have Pitched Your Show and it Didn’t Sell. 62

  Now What?

  You Have Pitched and Sold Your Idea. What’s

  63

  the Next Step?

  Script Development

  63

  What is a Spec Script?

  64

  What is ‘Coverage’ of a Script or Book?

  64

  How an Idea Becomes a Script

  65

  How Producers and Executives give ‘Notes’

  70

  Helpful vs. Harmful Notes

  71

  Assignments

  73

  Act 3 THE MARKET PLACE

  77

  The Networks

  77

  The Buyers

  77

  Know the Audience and the Network

  78

  What is a Buyers List?

  79

  Selling to Broadcast Networks, Streaming

  79

  Platforms, Premium Cables, and Basic Cable

  The Future of Broadcast and Basic Cable

  82

  Networks

  Do Networks Own the Shows (content) on their 83

  Channels?

  !7

  TV Development Guide

  Do All Networks Produce Original Content?

  83

  What is a ‘License Fee’?

  84

  How Do Studios Fit into the Picture?

  84

  “Let’s Make A Deal”

  85

  Types of Deals

  86

  Strategies for Selling a TV Show

  88

  What is a Transmedia Campaign?

  96

  What is a ‘Competitive Development Report’?

  97

  ‘Indie TV’

  98

  Assignments

  100

  Act 4 Q & A WITH INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

  103

  Ted Gold

  104

  Andrew Plotkin

  110

  Christina Davis

  117

  Adam Bonnett

  122

  Taylor Latham

  129

  Geoff Silverman

  134

  Marty Berneman

  139

  Advice from Top Network Executives

  143

  Advice from Top Literary Agents

  147

  !8

  Table Of Contents

  Act 5 FINAL THOUGHTS

  155

  Beyond the Pilot

  155

  Statistics on Television Viewing

  157

  What Some Actors Said About Working in TV

  161

  Take Note

  162

  Final Takes

  162

  What Do You Do Now?

  163

  Go Make Your TV Show!

  164

  Success

  164

  GLOSSARY

  167

  SPECIAL THANKS

  173

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  175

  *Words with single quotes denote TV industry terms, which are

  defined in the Glossary.

  !9

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  A SINCERE THANK YOU TO:

  Susan Musillo for all her help with this book. She inspired me to

  write it, edited it and encouraged me throughout the process.

  Lew Musillo for his steadfast support and all he did to advance

  the completion of this book.

  The industry professionals who generously contributed and

  shared their experiences.

  My students, the next generation of TV developers, who inspire

  me every day.

  TEASER

  Do you think your life would make a great TV show?

  Almost every person, after I’ve told them that I develop TV shows for a

  living, tells me about an idea, or that their life would make a great show.

  The truth is creating a TV series is not as easy as one might think.

  In the 1990s, when I started working in the entertainment business,

  there were certain do’s and don’ts about how to develop TV shows. To-

  day, however, A LOT has changed. Back then there were just a few net-

  works you could pitch to in order to sell your show. There were “rules”

  about what you could and could not develop. For example, shows had to

  have a specific structure to them. They had to have c
haracters who were

  likable and non-offensive. Overnight ratings were everything! Today

  the measure of success is so much more. It’s all about getting a second

  season, critical acclaim, awards, cutting through the clutter, ratings and

  getting subscribers!

  Also, since TV had been around for many decades, it was difficult to

  come up with an original idea because it seemed that everything had al-

  ready been done. On top of that, this was a huge challenge because the

  shows had to appeal to a mass audience. That is not at all the case today.

  !13

  TV Development Guide

  At the time, I was a young, eager, green (newbie) executive. All I knew

  was that I loved watching TV. I was the kid who couldn’t get enough of

  it. In college, we had parties centered around watching TV shows. It

  was a fun to get together each week to find out what was going to happen

  with our favorite shows.

  When I moved to Los Angeles from New York in 1993, one week after I

  graduated from college, I knew one thing. I wanted to work in enter-

  tainment. I had no idea what anyone did, other than the actors… and I

  knew I didn’t want to be an actor. I bought a one-way ticket, knew abso-

  lutely no one, sent my boxes to an address sight unseen and started my

  new life. Somehow, I knew I was meant to live in LA. It may not be for

  everyone, but for me I loved the weather... and it felt so clean, so open,

  and so full of possibilities.

  My first job was at a very big and famous talent agency, The William

  Morris Agency (WMA). Prior to this, I had several internships where I

  worked in casting and as a production assistant. But this was my first

  real, paying job and it was a great foray into the business. Initially I

  thought I wanted to learn about making movies (feature films), because I

  loved movies. However, the only desk that was available at that time was

  in ‘TV Talent.’ Of course, I took it. Getting this first TV job opened my

  eyes to a business that I had not considered at all up to this point and yet

  would find myself enjoying, thriving and spending the rest of my career

  pursuing.

  It didn’t take long for me to find out that TV Talent is the department

  that works with actors and fills all the acting jobs on TV. At that time

  the big stars didn’t want to act on TV shows…they wanted to be on the

  “big screen” vs. the “small screen.” They believed that TV was sort of a

  step down for them. Also, the independent (‘Indie’) movies were for up

  and coming actors, not big stars. But, over the course of my career, I

  have seen all of that change.

  When I think back about that first position at WMA, the only way I am

  able to describe it is that it was like being in a sorority or fraternity. The

  other assistants were my pledge brothers and sisters. We worked from

  8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day and on weekends. It was a whirlwind

  !14

  TV Development Guide

  of hard work, but we gained tons of knowledge and experience in a rela-

  tively short period of time. We were exhausted, but we loved it. To this

  day I am friends with many of those assistants. Some of them became top

  executives of their field. Some stayed in the agency/management world,

  some became development executives at networks and studios, and a few

  became producers and/or writers. Overall, I found it to be a fulfilling

  experience and very beneficial for networking in the business.

  After a year, I was ready to leave WMA because I knew I did not want to

  become an agent. The first non-agency job I heard about was in TV De-

  velopment. Since I had worked in ‘TV Talent,’ I didn’t know what it was

  development people did, but I was eager to find out.

  In the mid 1990s, I was lucky to be offered an assistant position at Spell-

  ing Entertainment. I remember AARON SPELLING (from whom I

  learned so much) used to say that “Stars make movies. Television makes

  stars.” So true! He was a legend in the TV business. He was a produc-

  er who re-invented TV shows every decade for 40-50 years. It isn’t likely

  there will be another like him, probably not in my lifetime.

  While at Spelling Entertainment, I went from being an assistant to a

  young development executive. It was there that I learned all about what

  TV development is, and now I am able to pass on that knowledge to you

  with this book. My mentor was JENNIFER NICHOLSON. During the

  six years I was there she taught me how TV shows were developed. She

  got married, became JENNIFER SALKE and had three babies during

  that time. She went on to become the head of 20th Century FOX Stu-

  dios, the number two executive at NBC, and is now the head of Amazon

  Studios. She is one of the top female executives in the TV business today.

  While working at Spelling Entertainment, I was very proud of the fact I

  was part of the team that helped AARON SPELLING become the record

  holder of the most scripted shows on TV at one time, which was nine.*

  Side note: *Months before going to print on this book, this

  record was broken by a writer/producer - GREG BERLANTI.

  He has fourteen shows in production (9/2018). It is important to

  remember that today there are over 50 places to sell to. When

  !15

  TV Development Guide

  AARON SPELLING was producing, there were only six. Hav-

  ing nine shows at six places is an amazing feat, and it took 18

  years for someone to break that record!

  When I started working as Vice President of Series Development and

  Production for JERRY BRUCKHEIMER in September of 2001, although

  he was very successful film producer, most people did not know who he

  was. Once CSI became a huge hit that next year, he became a household

  name. It was incredible to be there at that exact moment in time. CSI:

  Las Vegas and Amazing Race were just about to premiere and, during

  my tenure there, we grew to having seven shows (scripted and unscript-

  ed) on the air at one time! This is still his personal best.

  Today, there are more TV shows in production than ever before and over

  50 outlets to sell shows. Everything I learned and saw back when I start-

  ed has literally been turned on its head. There are no more rules, mean-

  ing you can pretty much develop any kind of show you want and you

  will probably find a home for it.

  It’s the Golden Age of the TV business and it’s also the Wild Wild West!

  *****

  !16

  To The Reader:

  My hope in writing this book is that people who are thinking about get-

  ting into the TV business will now have a foundation and better under-

  standing from which to build their journey.

  One of the things I’ve done in the past few years is to create and teach a

  course on TV Development at UCLA Extension, and to offer private con-

  sultations through TVDevelopmentcoach.com. To my surprise, I discov-

  ered that there were no other classes like it, and there is no book on the

  market today that explains how an idea becomes a TV show before it is

  produced. So here it is.

  Many people wouldn’t think there is a specific proces
s when developing a

  TV show and as a development executive, you normally do not get a

  “credit” on the show, but there is a team of people who truly contribute

  to the show beyond the credits.

  I hope you can see from this publication how much I enjoy developing

  TV shows. Being a part of a business that impacts people personally, and

  both influences and reflects world affairs, has always been fascinating

  and thrilling to me. I hope your journey brings you as much satisfac-

  tion.

  I am really proud of the projects I have personally been a part of develop-

  ing, whether they ended up getting on the air or not. When they are suc-

  cessful, wow! It’s awesome. There is truly nothing like it.

  So whether you want to write, direct, produce for television, or have a

  more secure position as a development executive, this book is a great way

  to start.

  With respect and gratitude,

  Stephanie

  !17

  WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM THIS BOOK

  • How to transform an idea into a TV series

  • To think about TV in a more comprehensive and expansive

  way

  • What TV Development is and how it works

  • What is and isn’t working on the TV landscape

  • How to move forward with your own project

  • How to build a career in TV Development

  • The dynamics between the writer and the producer

  • What goes into selling a TV show

  • What studios and networks are looking for in a TV series

  • Who the players are in TV Development

  • Where ideas come from for TV projects

  • A good idea vs. a not-so-good idea for a TV show

  • Whether or not you should pursue a particular project

  • How to copyright your idea

  • The different formats of episodic television

  • The tools to protect ideas and get options on intellectual prop-

  erties (IPs)

  • How to pitch your project

  !19

  WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM THIS BOOK

  • The best ways to present your project

  • The pitching process for the networks

  • What’s included in a pitch document

  • A good pitch vs. a not-so-good pitch

  • How to improve the quality of your pitch

  • How to get a pitch meeting with the network

  • The standard, older ways of pitching vs. the new ways

  • What a sizzle reel is?

  • Why you should or shouldn’t produce a sizzle reel

  • The process of developing original scripts with a studio and

  network

  • What a bible is for a TV series and how to put one together

  • How a script is developed with a writer and a producer

  • The importance of a script when developing a TV show