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Subject: |
A Guerrilla Approach To Creating a Hit Television Show |
| Date: |
2009-03-16
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A Guerrilla Approach To
Creating a Hit Television Show
By Cliff Ennico
www.creators.com
"I have an idea for a terrific reality television show that would
target 'tweens — American boys and girls who are no longer children but
not quite teenagers yet. I have done some marketing research with my
own tween children and their friends, and they all seem to love the
idea. I haven't the foggiest idea how to start, though. I don't have a
big budget, I have zero Hollywood connections, and I don't think any
big corporation is going to want to sponsor an upstart TV show in the
current economy. Is there any way I can make this show a reality?"
Creating a hit TV show is extremely difficult, even in the best of
economic times — even if you have extensive contacts in Hollywood. But
there is always hope if you have a terrific idea, are extremely patient
and are not too fussy about generating big returns quickly.
Is
Your Show "Buzzworthy"? Just because your children like the idea
(or say they do — remember, they want you to pay for their college
education) doesn't mean all tweens will. Any show targeting this market
will have to be extremely fast paced (for short attention spans), fun,
"cool," hip and irreverent — the kind of show kids will tell their
friends about and generate "buzz marketing" (you will see why in the
next paragraph). If this is a serious educational show, you can forget
about it — the kids won't watch it.
Build a Crack (but Cheap) Production
Team. Each episode must be professionally produced; do not do
this yourself. If you live near New York, Los Angeles, Chicago or
another major media center, call some outplacement centers and find out
if they're working with any television producers who are "between jobs"
at the moment and might be willing to take on your project "pro bono"
to keep from going insane. If you don't, your local community college
probably has a film studies department, where at least one aspiring
Steven Spielberg may be willing to produce your show "pilot" as a
student assignment, at little or no cost to you.
Going the "Public Access" Route.
Now it's time to start shooting. Your local cable television station
operates a "public access" channel that it is required by law to make
accessible to all area residents. To produce your show there, you will
need to pay a small fee (usually in the $100 to $200 range for a one to
two hour block of time) for use of a studio, a producer and a camera
operator. Once the show is recorded, you are given a DVD, which you can
then have duplicated and distributed to all "public access" channels in
your state.
Make sure each episode is copyrighted, and register each episode with
the U.S. Copyright Office before it airs. Doing this establishes a
"date of first publication" in case a major TV network or Hollywood
studio tries to steal your idea once it becomes popular.
Blitz the Internet. Once your
show is airing regularly on your local "public access" channels:
- create a website for the
show (your URL should be "www.[name of show]theTVshow.com");
- create MySpace and Facebook
pages devoted to the show (select the "unrestricted view" options so
anyone can view these pages);
- post videos of each episode
on YouTube and other Internet television websites (such as
www.blip.tv), with links to the show's website and MySpace pages;
- create avatars for the
show's "characters," and have them act out each episode on
http://teen.secondlife.com; and
- get your children and their
friends involved in blogging the show on every tween-oriented website
they can find.
Find
a Good Lawyer/Agent. Since there will inevitably be legal issues
once your show starts building an audience on the Web, get a good
entertainment attorney. Not only can these folks help you negotiate
contracts with sponsors, networks and other industry "players," but
many will — for a percentage of the show's gross revenue — act as an
agent or representative to pitch the show to industry "players" if it
catches fire on the Web. For a list of entertainment attorneys in your
area, check out http://lawyers.uslegal.com/entertainment-law and other
lawyer referral websites.
Learn the Language. The
television industry has its own "lingo," which you will need to learn.
Here are three excellent books to get you started: "This Business of
Television" by Howard Blumenthal; "Film & Video Marketing" by
Michael Wiese; and "Dealmaking in the Film and Television Industry" by
Mark Litwak.
Think it can't be done? The hit comedy movie "305" — a spoof on the
movie "300" about ancient Greece — began as a series of short YouTube
videos and went viral from there (http://the305movie.com/site/main.html).
Hey, if these guys can do it . . .
Cliff Ennico (cennico@legalcareer.com)
is a syndicated columnist, author and former host of the PBS television
series 'Money Hunt'. This column is no substitute for legal, tax or
financial advice, which can be furnished only by a qualified
professional licensed in your state. To find out more about Cliff
Ennico and other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit our
Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2009 CLIFFORD R. ENNICO. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE,
INC. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
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