Pitch Reality TV Shows

Pitch reality TV shows? Well, we’ve been doing it for well over a decade, pitch reality tv shows weekly, and have made over 100 hours of reality television. And, we’ve shared the ultimate guide on how to pitch a reality show. It’s our great privilege to work in the reality TV industry, and these podcasts episodes are one way we can give back. So in these eps, you’ll learn various aspects of how to pitch a reality show.

What You Need to Know First

When you pitch reality tv shows, there isn’t one “path” or “style” that’s correct. If you’re pitching a competition elimination show your pitch will be completely different than if you’re pitching a follow-doc about an interesting personality. And if you don’t know what any of that means, you’re in the right place! All that and more will be covered in these posts and episodes.

What You’ll Find Here…

The blog posts and podcast episodes in this category all address different aspects of how to pitch reality tv shows, from writing paper pitches to understanding what kind of shows NOT to pitch, and pitfalls you should avoid when you pitch reality tv shows.

3 Worst Kinds of Shows for New Producers to Pitch…Unless

April 30, 2019 by Biagio

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:46 — 27.1MB)

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We remember when we were just starting out in the industry. Didn’t know anyone. Couldn’t get a meeting. But…we thought we knew everything! Turns out, like a lot of new producers, we were pitching the worst kinds of projects to launch our careers. Now, years later, receiving hundreds of unscripted television pitches ourselves, we see the same mistakes we made way back when. So today our goal is to save you a ton of time, headaches, and heartaches. We’re telling you the three worst kinds of shows for new producers to pitch. But…we also tell you when you might want to ignore this advice, and offer tips for what you should spend your time on, so you don‘t waste it.

Deadly Recall – Pitch Detective Based True Crime – 5 Tips

February 28, 2019 by Biagio

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:18 — 20.8MB)

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If you’ve ever wondered about building a true crime series around a real police detective, today’s episode is for you. We’re sharing everything you need to know, broken down in five easily-digestible tips. What kind of detectives? Which cases to pitch? How do you know if your detective can sustain a series? We’re giving away everything we know. Plus, what you can learn from the behind the scenes of our new Investigation Discovery series Deadly Recall.

Spooky: Pitching Paranormal Shows – 4 Tips & Happy Halloween!

October 30, 2018October 30, 2018 by Biagio

Pitching Paranormal Shows - 4 Tips and Happy Halloween!

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It’s Halloween…and do we have a treat for you. A spooky treat that is! This week we cover all things paranormal. Ghost shows, alien shows, psychic shows…they’ve been a staple of television for years. But how can you make your paranormal pitch stand out? What are the pitfalls to avoid, and the mistakes we see most often when people pitch this genre? Which missteps scare network execs off? How to do make a network scream (with excitement) for your pitch? Get ready for some scary facts about pitching paranormal projects!

Pitching Family-Based Docuseries – A Kardashians Study

February 1, 2024July 31, 2018 by Biagio

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It’s time for Episode 107! And to celebrate, we’re taking you all the way back to Episode 6 (ah, so long ago.) Pitches come in every day framed as family-centered docuseries. How can you make yours stand out? We checked our own advice, looking back at the six traits that Reality TV characters must have to be pitch-ready. How do these traits translate to the real world when pitching family-based shows? Well, to help answer that, we’re taking a look at one of the most successful family-based TV shows of all time. Today, we explore how the cast of Keeping Up with the Kardashians exemplifies each trait. But we also explain that a family doesn’t need to be rich and famous to carry at TV Show. Everything you want to know about pitching the family-based docuseries is here…including where you can see the ORIGINAL pitch tape that sold Keeping Up with the Kardashians!

Top 3 Pitch Cover Letter Mistakes

February 1, 2024June 29, 2018 by Biagio

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When you’re pitching a project, whether to us or anyone else, you’ll be sending a cover letter (or providing information) to briefly explain what the project is about. Unfortunately, this is where many newcomers go wrong. There are certain statements that both we and our network executive friends have read from numerous people on multiple occasions – and none of them help the pitch. In most cases, they hurt it. So today we’re going to share the three most prevalent mistakes we see on a regular basis. By not making these mistakes, you’ll give yourself a better shot at success, no matter who you’re pitching to or what kind of project you’re presenting.

The Journey from Seed Idea to Pitching TV Networks with Abra Chouinard

February 1, 2024January 23, 2018 by Biagio

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Many people visit this site to learn how to pitch their own TV shows. Today, we give you an inside look at what happens when our production company teams up with an aspiring producer. We met Abra Chouinard through this very podcast and our newsletter. We did not know her before she submitted her concept and package to us. Now, she’s joining us for pitch meetings at major TV networks (and getting great response!) Abra shares the whole process, from pitching to us, to teaming up, making a tape, and meeting network execs. Plus, she shares actionable tips to help you stand out when pitching your first concepts…whether to us or anyone else.

TV Network Executives – What You Need to Know from Paul Croce

March 21, 2017March 21, 2017 by Biagio

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TV Network Executives: the elite group that filmmakers and producers wish to meet, hope to pitch, and pray will fund their projects. For some, they seem to be mysterious, god-like figures who can make dreams come true. To others, they seem a closed-door group impossible to access. Today, Paul Croce is here to shed light on this seemingly all-powerful profession, and give you real tips and truths about TV network executives. We wish someone had told us these secrets fifteen years ago. It’s awesome to have Paul share them with you today.

Shopping Agreements for Reality TV Concepts

April 19, 2016 by Biagio

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A production company (maybe ours) wants to team up with you on your reality TV concept. The idea of “shopping agreements” comes up. But what does that mean? How long should you agree to let someone pitch your idea? What will that process be like? Let us answer all these questions…and more. If you have EVER thought you might want to pitch your unscripted TV idea to a production company, this episode is a MUST LISTEN.

7 Must-Know Tips for Pitching Reality TV

February 23, 2016 by Biagio

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It’s episode 70, and we’re sharing 7 Must-Know Tips for Pitching Reality TV. These are hand-picked to help you avoid the mistakes we see new producers make over and over again. Whether you’re pitching to us or anyone else, by using these 7 tips you’ll look like a pro and drastically increase your chances of moving your project forward.

Casting Tapes: Show, Tell, or Both?

November 24, 2015 by Biagio

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As you already know from reading our in-depth guide on creating and pitching reality shows, there is no better way to quickly break into the business than building your show around a great, real life character. But when you’re putting together very basic casting tapes to test whether or not someone might be great TV, there’s a HUGE mistake you need to avoid.