Choosing a Concept for Your Show
Make a show about someone or something you have access to. Find someone interesting you know and ask them to be the subject of your reality show. You could also find a group of people or a business in your town to focus on. Avoid pitching a show that’s about celebrities or exotic, far off places; you probably won’t have access to them when you’re just starting out.
Choose a structure for your show. Up front you’ll need to decide how your show will be structured. There are two main structures for reality shows: Self-contained. Self-contained reality shows contain episodes that stand on their own. There’s no storyline that connects all of the episodes together. Viewers can watch the episodes out of order and it won’t make a difference. Think: Extreme Home Makeover, Fear Factor, and Hoarders. Self-contained shows are generally easier to sell because networks like that viewers can join in at any time in the season. Arced. Arced reality shows have an overarching storyline that connects every episode. Viewers need to watch the episodes in order to understand what’s going on. Examples of arced reality shows are The Real World, Survivor, and The Bachelorette. Arced reality shows are harder to sell to networks because they're riskier; if audiences don't tune in for episode one, the rest of the season could be a bust.
Give your show a format style if you want audiences to know what to expect. Format style reality shows have a similar format they return to each episode. Dancing with the Stars is an example of a format reality show; every episode features the dancers performing a new routine. The audience expects that tuning in. A format reality show is a good choice if your show will feature different characters or storylines each episode. If your reality show is about parents moving into their kid's college dorm for a week, you could have a different family in each episode. The parents moving into the dorm each episode would be the format people would come to expect.
Make your show docu-style if you want it to feel like a documentary. Docu-style reality shows don't have a format; they just follow the main characters around as they go about their lives. Keeping Up with the Kardashians is an example of a docu-style reality show. A docu-style reality show is a good option if the premise of your show is examining an interesting person or group of people as they navigate their world. If you're making a show about a retired pilot, filming like a documentary will be easier than trying to come up with a format for your character to repeat every episode.
Putting Together a Pitch
Make a 2-5 minute tape featuring the main elements of your show. Film the star of your show in their natural environment. Try to capture what makes them special or unique. If you’re making a show about a group of people, film them all interacting. Make sure you include the main characters or locations of the show. For example, if your show is going to be about a group of employees at a barber shop, go to the barber shop and film them as they work and joke around with each other. Don’t worry about using special camera equipment at this stage. You can film with a regular digital video camera, your phone, or a computer.
Craft a 1-2 page write up about your show. Make the write up short and simple. Tell production companies what format and style your show is and briefly mention the characters and what the storyline will be like. Give them a sense of what a typical episode will be like. For example, you could introduce your write up with something like “I’m envisioning a self-contained format series featuring a psychic couple that travels the country, helping people redecorate their homes along the way. Not only will the couple give their own interior decorating opinions, but also those of the deceased former inhabitants of the home. Each episode will feature a different family and their home.”
Take headshots of the main characters. They don’t need to be fancy; just clear, straight-on photos that you can attach to your pitch. Production companies will want to know what the characters in your show look like. Write the name of each character on their headshot. You want executives looking at the pitch package to be able to match up their faces with the character descriptions you provide in the write up.
Pitching the Show
Get an agent if you’re new to the industry. An agent can help you connect with potential buyers and make it easier to get your pitch package in front of the right people. Look for agents in your area that specialize in reality television and see if you can get someone to represent you.
Team up with an established reality show producer. Look for a producer who’s already produced reality shows similar to the one you’re pitching. If you’re new to the industry and you don’t know any producers, pay to attend a conference like the National Association of Television Program Executives that takes place annually in Miami, Florida, or the annual RealScreen Summit in Washington, DC. Attending a conference with high-level TV executives can cost over $1,000 (€843), so you'll want to make sure you're prepared if you decide to take this route. Make sure your pitch package is all put together and consider having multiple ideas to pitch. At the conference, attend sessions hosted by network executives you're interested in networking with, and introduce yourself after the session. Have cards with your contact information on them that you can hand out to prospective buyers.
Pitch directly to the networks. If you have an agent, have them arrange a meeting between you and some network executives. Choose a network you could see your show airing on; if your show is about CEOs renovating their own penthouses, look for a network that airs home-improvement-style shows. Come to the meeting prepared with your pitch package (short tape, write up, headshots) and convince the network execs that your show would be a hit. If your show centers around the bold personality of a particular character, consider bringing them along to the meeting to help woo the network. EXPERT TIP Melessa Sargent Melessa Sargent Professional Writer Melessa Sargent is the President of Scriptwriters Network, a non-profit organization that brings in entertainment professionals to teach the art and business of script writing for TV, features and new media. The Network serves its members by providing educational programming, developing access and opportunity through alliances with industry professionals, and furthering the cause and quality of writing in the entertainment industry. Under Melessa's leadership, SWN has won numbers awards including the Los Angeles Award from 2014 through 2021, and the Innovation & Excellence award in 2020. Melessa Sargent Melessa Sargent Professional Writer When you're pitching, it pays to be polite to everyone you meet. Any time you contact someone, be friendly with them, from the boss to the receptionist. Everyone in a production company wants to be the one to bring in the next big thing, so if you can get in good with someone, they might give you a shot.
Keep shopping around your idea until you get a buyer. If one network isn’t interested in your idea, that doesn’t mean other networks won’t be. Keep attending meetings and pitching your show. Take the feedback you get from network executives and TV producers and use it to make your pitch package better. If you’re not having any luck, consider changing the premise or structure of your show so it’s more marketable.
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