Reader Question: What to do with treatments for reality TV series?
Tweet from @Sunnylarue17:
I wrote 2 treatments 4 reality tv & a comedy script how do I get them n2 the right hands
Re treatments for reality / non-scripted TV series, your best bet is to approach an established production company and try to partner with them. As a rule, networks do not accept unsolicited submissions. Going in with an established prod co overcomes that hurdle. Moreover networks prefer considering projects which have been developed and are associated with a production company with whom they are familiar and preferably worked with.
Be advised: If you are an outsider to the entertainment business and you think you can waltz into a production company, pitch them your idea, and set yourself up for a zillion dollar deal, think again. In most cases, the prod co will offer either a straight buy-out of your treatment and the underlying concept, no more than $25K, often less. Or some sort of participation deal, but that is rare for someone who is not already established as a TV producer.
If you have several treatments for non-scripted TV series and in general you are an idea / format machine, you can try approaching agencies. All the major and mid-level agencies cover reality TV. But again this is a challenge because if you do not have a track record, it will be difficult for you to get a hearing. If you are persistent, you should be able to find at least a few agencies who will consider your treatments.
Re “comedy script,” I assume you mean a scripted original pilot. Here, too, you are looking to get agents or managers to consider your material because — again — networks do not accept unsolicited material. In some ways, this is probably more difficult than getting a rep to read a feature length screenplay because it’s easier to sell a spec feature than a spec TV pilot, the latter requiring established show runners attached before the project can get pitched to a network. Whereas a screenplay represents, more or less, what a movie will look like, a TV pilot script is only one episode of 7, 13, 22 or whatever the potential order is. The show runner is a critical component to guarantee to the network the series is in good, trustworthy hands.
Much of this boils down to query letters. I will be posting something on that in the next couple of days.