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Oct 25, 2024 · It's very hard to protect your ideas for a reality show. But one thing that you can do is register your summary with the Writers Guild of America. You can find them easily with an internet search and register online for a modest fee of about $20. This at least establishes that you did create this idea and when.
Selling a reality show is never about the idea itself…it’s about the execution of the idea — and whether you can get it done. Being able to “make it happen” is FAR more important than any elaborate write-up you can put together. Reality TV: Ideas vs Execution Example: You’ve got a music show concept you think is on par with The Voice.
- The Reality of What They Are
- Conceiving & Creating
- Make It Marketable
- Pitching Your Reality TV Show
- Sample Pitch Treatments
- Examples of Reality TV Shows, and Why They Work
Formatted reality shows are essentially game shows, because there is a specific structure, set rules, and a clear winner. What makes them exciting to watch is the fact that they are often clever dramatic social experiments. To truly connect with an audience and have entertainment value in a show, the idea needs to be as fun to watch as it is to par...
Be Specific in your idea, and try several approaches. Here’s a typical scenario that will give you an idea of why being specific and unique is important: “Ms. Network Executive” gives a production company executive the inside scoop that they would love to find a show that places contestants in some sort of "fish-out-of-water scenario" and would lik...
Titles are very important. They should roll off the tongue easily, provoke conversations, and simply tell you exactly what you’re going to be watching. The Bachelor, The Apprentice, Gold Rush, Wife Swap, The Biggest Loser, America's Got Talent, InkMasters, Flipping Out, Blind Date, Little People-Big World, Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Pawn Stars...
Docuseries:
When pitching a docuseries it’s all about the characters and the world they live in. Having video on the persons involved is great, but you’ll want to clarify their roles and relationship to one another. Explain how experiencing their world is unique and compelling. Describe their plight in life, and how they handle adversity. Check out our article on creating docuseriesfor some deeper insight.
Formatted:
Formatted reality series have a very clear structure, rules, and a progression to a winner. When pitching these types of shows, keep in mind that everything needs to feed and build drama. Be it a relationship series, or competition series, it's all about creating the right components that deliver key dramatic moments. The logline will describe the unique premise and agenda for the series, and the synopsis will take us through the specific steps detailing how the show unfolds. The most importa...
Sizzle Reels
Having a "proof of concept" reel is great, but it's critical to understand that it can both help and hinder. If you're pitching a docuseries, then having video that allows the producers to see who and how the people are, their personalities, their perspectives, their world, is great. BUT if you try to have produced a "professional" reel it can quickly become overproduced and more of a turn off. Why? Because what a network or production company will fall in love with are the people, the subjec...
In formatted and docuseries reality TV, a written pitch treatment is the roadmap that describes to producers what we’re potentially watching in the produced series. In a formatted reality series, it's all about the structure and escalation of drama leading to an end-game. Further below in article we give a very basic outline which includes Title, L...
Unique Professions or Lifestyles: One of the simplest and most successful sub-genre of reality show is the documentary style series covering unique professions or lifestyles. These stories serve the insatiable curiosity viewers have to gain insight into other peoples lives and jobs. Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County is a guilty-pleasure ...
When you do have the sizzle, it will be very easy to go to any production company with it. Look up the reality shows you like or that are similar to yours. Email the production company and someone will get back to you. A lot of these reality shows are produced by smaller production companies. Hope that helps.
Jun 7, 2022 · Now you've got the basics for pitching and financing your reality show idea. For an even deeper dive into the world of unscripted television, and how producers find success with their projects, read our recent interview with Kimberly Goodman, producer of popular shows, ‘Selling Sunset’ and ‘Married at First Sight.’
Pitching a reality TV idea starts with communicating a Title, Logline, and Synopsis. This applies to all formats of reality-based ideas. The title should hit on what we're seeing, but may be a play on words. It can be as simple as "The Restaurant", or clever as "Around The World In Eighty Dates".
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Jun 1, 2018 · With almost every channel running their own reality TV shows, pitching your idea for the next big reality show will be increasingly difficult. This is especially so when faced with competitors who have already successfully pitched previous shows. Here are a few tips to help you pitch and sell your idea. The Challenges of Pitching a Reality TV Show
