Make Reality TV & Documentary Series | A Podcast & Blog from TV Producers & Filmmakers Joke and Biagio
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.
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.
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.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:59 — 18.7MB)
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Casting Agreements for reality TV and unscripted television — what are they, and do you need one? Do you need casting agreements for all reality TV projects, or just some? Will they cost you money? Should you get a lawyer? Could not getting those casting agreements come back to bite you? The answers are not easy to figure out, but we’re here to talk you through them.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:32 — 17.3MB)
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Whether you’re pitching unscripted television to us, or anyone else in Hollywood, there are certain mistakes you should never make. Many of you (hundreds) have recently submitted pitches that make the same three mistakes over and over again. Today, we tell you what they are and how to avoid them. Make sure you get these three things right and you’ll dramatically improve your odds of unscripted television success.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:54 — 14.9MB)
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Here’s a HUGE mistake aspiring producers make when pitching what they think are viable TV series: they pitch profile pieces instead. It’s something we’ve seen a rash of in the past few months, and we want to help you avoid this mistake immediately. Not kidding — we just passed on at least 40 or 50 projects that made the mistake we’ll help you remedy today. After today’s post, you will pitch TV series, and never, ever again accidentally pitch a profile piece disguised as unscripted television show.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:25 — 15.4MB)
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You’ve seen The Jinx on HBO. Enjoyed great crime recreation shows on Discovery ID. Laughed out loud at Drunk History on Comedy Central. Maybe even gasped at TLC’s Sex Sent Me to the ER. These are great, cinematic recreation shows. Today, we’re going to tell you how to create and pitch re-creation shows of your own. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even make one together.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:47 — 16.6MB)
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In past we’ve encouraged you to “soft pitch” ideas. Unfortunately, we’ve never actually told you how to do that. The result is that many of you are sending in submissions that are not soft pitches at all. Instead, they are broad ideas that hurt your chances of success. That ends today. You’re about to learn how to soft pitch the right way. This will help you focus your resources, decide which projects to spend time on, and impress the heck out of us.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:32 — 17.3MB)
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Just back from Real Screen 2015 (and both sides of the pitch table.) Having taken and overheard many “hollywood pitch meetings” gone wrong, we realized that most aspiring producers go wrong at the exact same point in their pitch meetings. Not you…not after today! Here’s the one thing you can do to guarantee you get something positive out of every single pitch meeting you take. It can be summed up in three words:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:17 — 11.6MB)
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Your reality TV pitch can be derailed early on by one giant POV mistake… and so many of you are making it! A huge percentage of the pitches we receive suffer from this misstep. But not your pitches…not after today. Because you are going to…
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You’re one of the smart ones. Instead of wasting time on larger-than life formats (which are all long shots) or magazine-style travel shows (which no one wants) you understand that the fastest way to break into unscripted television is to find great, real life characters and build a show around them. After all, you’ve read our in-depth guide to pitching reality shows. But there’s one rule you need to be aware of if you want to be seen as a pro, and perhaps more importantly, keep your sanity. What’s the rule?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:45 — 29.4MB)
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One of the best ways to succeed in our business? Learn from the mistakes of others. Today, we’ll give you the top ten mistakes we see again and again in pitches for reality TV and documentary series. Avoid these — whether pitching to us or anyone else — and you’ll be WAY ahead of the curve.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:39 — 9.2MB)
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You have an awesome idea for a TV show — but is it enough? What do you really need to sell reality TV? Can you vision alone carry you to a sale?