Create Reality TV Shows

Create reality TV shows? What does that mean? How do you create reality tv shows? They are based on real people, places, and things, so can you really even create a reality show?

These were the kinds of questions we constantly asked ourselves when we were trying to break into reality TV (and no one was running a site like this to give us the secrets!)

Here’s What You Need to Know First

The truth is, before you can create reality tv shows, you really need to understand the different kinds of reality TV that are being made, and how the show you want to give life to fits in to what’s already on television…and what networks are looking to buy right now.

What You’ll Find Here…

The blog posts and podcast episodes in this category all address different aspects of how to create reality tv shows, what that really means, and pitfalls you should avoid on your quest to create reality tv shows — all while keeping your shows authentic and not contrived.

Create Great Titles for Your Projects: Tons of Tips…

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Great titles…Survivor. Big Brother. The Curse of Oak Island. Say Yes to the Dress. Unmasking a Killer. These shows have catchy titles to help viewers… and network execs…understand what the show is all about. Today’s episode of Producing Unscripted is a deep-dive into choosing titles that help you, rather than hurt you, when developing your films, shows, or videos. We’ve got lots of practical advice and tips on thinking about, creating, and presenting titles that get attention. You’ll learn how to create titles for different kinds of buyers. We reveal the process we use to research and learn about appropriate titles for our own projects, so you can do the same. We give you four goals for every title you ever create. And finally, we share ten…count them ten…common title templates you can use to jumpstart your brainstorming process. While most of the examples we use are from unscripted television (no surprise if you’ve been around this site) these same concepts apply to creating titles for your film, novel, YouTube video…you name it. Listen now, and give yourself a giant head start when creating titles for your projects.

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3 Tips from RealScreen 2019

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Today’s episode is coming to you straight from the waiting area of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport! Why? Because we just attended RealScreen 2019, and we’ve got some stuff to share. What is the RealScreen Summit? Well, according to their site: The Realscreen Summit is the definitive global market and conference for the business of unscripted and non-fiction entertainment. That’s a fancy way of saying a lot of big players in the unscripted industry are there. As well as lots of new and aspiring producers hoping to connect with working professionals. There are panels with industry experts, great speakers, and lots to learn. Plus, tons of networking and parties. Since we know many of you couldn’t make it, we’ve pulled together our top three takeaways from RealScreen 2019, plus some totally honest observations and a little emotional support for all you creatives.

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Develop Ideas Wisely: Your How-To Guide

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Do you develop ideas wisely? You already know (from many episodes here at Producing Unscripted) how we feel about ideas. TV show and movie ideas, in and of themselves, are not worth much. It’s how you package up those ideas that makes the difference. But how do you decide which initial ideas to build out into amazing pitches? Today, you’ll learn four useful considerations to develop ideas wisely. (In an interesting twist, inspired by two iPhone app developers!) Plus, how to decide what you really want to get out of any project you develop.

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Style Guides for Reality TV: A How To

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When you start talking to a network, studio, or even a production company, one piece of creative material becomes crucial… your style guide. But what is a style guide? What goes in it? And why do politics and psychology play a huge role in how you put it together? Today, we’ll answer all those questions, plus give you real world examples of how we created style guides for three of our own television shows.

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How To Reverse Engineer Your Reality TV Pitch

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We had a meeting last week. Like many meetings we take, someone had a great idea for a reality TV show or documentary series. It was set in an interesting world, but this person wasn’t sure if the idea would work best as a Follow-Doc, Format, or Hybrid (and you already know what those industry terms mean, right?.) Luckily, there’s a simple way to answer this question every time…

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How to Turn a Book – Or Any Property – Into a TV Show with Chad Gervich

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In what may be our most fun and useful episode yet, our guest Chad Gervich (author, executive producer, TV writer and reality producer) shares invaluable tips, explaining how to turn a book into a TV show. This advice will work for any attaching any property, from business to podcast. Most importantly, you don’t have to be rich or have Hollywood clout to do it.

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