Who Owns a TV Show? Can it be You?

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Who owns a TV show in the land of unscripted television? Like it or not, when it comes to documentary series, reality TV, true crime, and anything else that is considered “unscripted” — the owner is not usually the producer (not in America, anyway. Europe is different.) Just like us, you may spend months or years developing a project. But when it finally gets to air, someone else (the network, a studio, or a combination of both) will more than likely take all or most of the ownership. They’ll profit from selling the show around the world, merchandising, and more. You’ll be hired to work on the show, receive on-screen credit, but likely share in no profits, or none worth speaking of. To many (including us when we first started) this is hard to swallow. So why does it work this way? Should you allow someone else to own the show you develop? And what options do you have if you absolutely want to be the one who owns a TV show? We’ve got your answers…

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How We Sold Our New TV Show: Step by Step

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Ever wonder how to go from idea to green-lit series? In today’s in-depth episode, we take you step by step through the process of starting with a title and ending up with a TV show that premieres September 9th on Oxygen! It’s called Snapped: She Made Me Do It. We’re going to tell you how we did it (and why Oxygen is such a terrific network to work with.)

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Should You Film Your Own TV Pilot? Pros & Cons

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Should you shoot your own TV pilot? It’s not a simple yes or no question…but there are some simple guidelines to help you decide what your next move should be. Whether you’re just starting out, or negotiating your next reality TV series, we give you the scoop (plus, some candidly honest stories from our most recent TV series!)

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Selling Reality TV: Your Questions Answered.

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It’s episode 50! 50 episodes? We can hardly believe it ourselves. Thanks to all of you who’ve tuned in, written to us, sent in submissions, and encouraged us to get this far. Today, to celebrate, we turned the content over to you. We’re answering questions directly from listeners. We bet at least one of these questions (if not more) have been on your mind. Today, we answer them.

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3 Steps to Win the Hollywood Numbers Game

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Hollywood is a numbers game. And it will drive you crazy. Today’s episode is about far more than simply selling a lot of projects. It’s about keeping your sanity and your happiness while pursuing a dream. Whether you’re pitching a reality TV show, writing screenplays, selling yourself as a director, or trying to work in any other area of showbusiness, today’s advice will help you get there in one piece.

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Step By Step: TV Idea to TV Show

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We just teamed up with two more of YOU to get a show in development at a major cable network. Today, we’ll share how you can achieve that kind of success all while saving time and money. You’ll also learn what happens AFTER we say, “yes, we love your show.”

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