Every week, I probably field about a dozen queries from people all over the world who ask these general questions:

• How do I own my show?
• How do I keep the rights to my show?
• How do I produce my own show?
• How do I syndicate my own show?

Without fail, after we’ve talked, the real question underneath those original ones is: “How do I make as much money as possible for as little effort as possible in reality TV?”

If you already have read my book (it’s been called the “bible” of the biz!), this won’t be news, but if not, know this: Reality TV is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s not even a get-rich-SLOW scheme. The phrase “as little effort as possible” is not in the game plan. As guilds battle over how to organize and represent reality staffers, keep an eye on these telltale complaints: “Seven-day work weeks,” “Eighteen-hour days,” etc. Reality was the first career I had where the higher I rose the crazier I had to work. From PAs to show runners, reality professionals lead very intense lives.

To better grasp this, I encourage you to settle in and read all of my posts from year one. Until then, let me walk you through the business model briefly.

WHO MAKES THE MONEY
Advertisers, networks, production companies, staff. See how “show creator” is not on the list? That’s not part of our model typically. Even development dollars are slim in non-fiction. If you’re planning on cashing in by selling an idea to a show for big bucks (which honestly is a lot of people’s plan, based on my email), buy a lottery scratcher and up your odds. Not to be harsh! Just to really drive home that it is not the way we work.

HOW THEY MAKE MONEY
Advertisers sell products. Networks make ad income and licensing and DVD income from re-distributing your show. Production companies get a fee for making the show. Staffers make weekly paychecks (they’re the only ones pretty much guaranteed to be paid, no matter what).

WHY THEY MAKE MONEY
These institutions make all the money because they take all of the risk and do all of the work. They already have lots of ideas, including a few dozen that are pretty darn similar to yours. Move past having an idea as the money-maker and focus on executing it into a sellable pitch. Come to my seminars (they’re usually free) or read the book! There is a way to navigate this, and it’s not impossible. It’s just a lot of work - and shouldn’t it be for all of the reward?

All right, I’ve laid the groundwork and can answer those questions now:

• How do I own my show?
  • Produce, distribute and market it yourself. That’s even more work and more money than the network route, but if you’ve got a ton of reality experience and an existing audience, it’s not a bad plan. If you’ve never made a reality show in your life before, reconsider this option. The time and money you spend trying to start at the top might be better invested in taking seminars and actually earning money working on someone else’s show to learn the ropes.
• How do I keep the rights to my show?
  • Same as the above. As soon as someone invests the time, money and risk to distribute and market your product, they are going to want the rights so they can make their money back.
• How do I produce my own show?
  • Usually, you work for a few years on other people’s shows, learn the biz, form a production company or partner with a more experienced company and produce a couple of shows to get some traction, rep and connections before launching your own projects independently. If reality is entirely new to you, at the very least you want to invest in an experienced show runner to build the production out and oversee it. Show runners aren’t cheap, but they’re less expensive than shows that you scrap due to poor production value, blown clearances, lack of story development, etc.
• How do I syndicate my own show?
  • That requires some strong tentacles in that world or an excellent showing at a product conference, like NATPE’s annual gathering in Vegas.

The big tip I always open with when I talk to reality enthusiasts is: in each of these questions, replace the word “how” with the word “why”? That’s when we usually get to the “instant money” plan. Instead, imagine what the most is you will get for the MOST amount of effort you put into this business. That attitude shift alone will open far more doors.

I have twice gotten a note that my advice is “discouraging” to newcomers. That may be true. It is not my intention to discourage anyone from succeeding in this very amazing industry. But if the tough truth about how to get the job done does anything other than motivate you to get the job done right the first time out with someone’s generous free advice, believe me, your first day on a reality staff is going to be brutal. So I hope you decide to process the information, apply it, and send me links to your show credits as you advance.

All the best with your projects!

If you’re excited about your latest TV or film project and are hitting a pitching wall, you may be tempted to grab a camera, call in some favors and shoot the whole thing yourself! Is there ever a right time to do that? Well, yes. And there also are right times to not even consider it. Let’s talk about the truth and consequences behind shooting your own reels.

Presentation Reels
For filmmakers, you’ll often want to shoot a presentation reel to convince funders to come aboard. That actually is a terrific idea. But not always a necessary one. Start with a solid screenplay first. Shopping a screenplay is far easier and certainly wholly acceptable as a means to get financiers, key team members and even vendors on board. If you’re not getting any action from the script, put your next budget dollars towards a professional script analysis. Make sure your script is truly shootable and worth shooting. It costs only a few hundred dollars for detailed development notes from The 1-3-5 System, for example. It will cost you a few thousand, at the least, to shoot a reel and hope you can do with pictures what you haven’t yet done with words.

EXCEPTIONS: The big exception here is when you have a challenging, non-CGI visual, setting or performance that repeatedly is questioned by script readers. If you keep hearing “Can that be done?,” it might be time for a presentation reel.

RULE: Once you commit to doing a reel, hire a professional staff and crew. A shoddy-looking reel may cost you credibility, while excellent production value can really boost it.

Sizzle Reels
For reality producers, your show’s demo tape is called a “sizzle reel.” And your battle cry is all too often, “I’ll just produce the show myself!” Slow down. I had an interesting discussion last weekend with two major reality production and network execs, both of whom were happy to get sizzle reels since they feel reels help them sell an idea to others on their team. But I have often heard exactly the opposite from execs: “Sizzle reels can kill a deal.” One concern is that reels often don’t match the vision your pitch was building in an exec’s mind. Bye-bye sale. Another concern is that a good producer conforms a pitch to work with the brand of each partner s/he meets with. So a sizzle reel you shoot that satisfies one prod co’s brand may completely violate the mission of another company, etc. How many reels do you plan to shoot?

For more detailed dissection of when to sizzle or not, read The Show Starter Reality TV Made Simple System, Vol. 1: How to Create and Pitch a Sellable Reality Show.

FYI, the general consensus at the end of last weekend’s debate was, if at all possible, be sure to ask the exec you plan to pitch how they feel about sizzle reels.

EXCEPTIONS: If something in your show is visually electrifying or conceptually challenging in words, a demo reel of just that portion of your show is a big help.

RULE: Don’t cheap out on the shoot! Make it look great; it’s also your calling card to show what you can do if they keep you attached to the show.

Performer Reels
No disagreement here. Any time you are presenting unknown talent to an executive, a reel that showcases their ability and brand is a winner. For fiction, that’s a casting tape; for non-fiction, that’s a talent reel. For a casting tape, invest in real audio, and choose sides that sell your talent in his or her strongest part of the script. For a talent reel, you can include a brief personal introduction (interview set-up is fine), the talent in action in their natural environment and even testimonials. Whatever project you’re doing, light this reel beautifully and edit it professionally - this is the face of your project!

Professional Reel
If you are a director, producer, DP, editor or other B-T-S professional, you often will be asked for a demo reel of your work. Note that there is a huge difference between a professional reel…and a professional anthology. You don’t/shouldn’t/can’t put absolutely everything you’ve ever done onto a tape. Take the following advice - even though it challenges everything you believe in. Make a branding statement with your demo reel. Choose shows and selects that all accent your point-of-view as a content creator. Or that highlight your particular visual style. Or that showcase your big league clientele. Decide what impression you want your reel to leave, what makes you special as a project hire, then play the rough cut for people and ask them to share their gut reaction. If their feedback doesn’t match the kind of projects you most want to get - get back in there and re-cut that reel.

All Reels
You have 5 minutes at the most for a reel, but know that an exec really will only look at the first 2-3 minutes. Don’t get carried away! If studios can get you to pay $14.00 for a film by showing only a 30-second trailer…well, you get the picture. Now go get that deal!

One of my most popular posts to date has been “#16: Do I need to read the trades?” In that post, I outlined the minimum types of information you should scan the trades for and also suggested key trades to read. Thanks to the strong response I received, in this post, I’m going to follow up with specific examples of what you might find in the trades – and how you can translate that information into selling your own projects.

Whether you work in film or TV, you can put these tips to use, even if the specific example is not from your industry.

Let me start by recommending you immediately ditch any hard copies you receive of the trades and sign up for the electronic versions instead. That way, you can easily copy and paste information straight into your databases or share it with partners and reps. Remember, always show copyright love whenever it bears stating!

Now, here are six ways to “trade up” your daily reading into a focused, project-selling process:

Trade-Up Tip #1: Track the Trends
As you prepare to pitch various projects, the trades tell you what’s hot and what’s not. Guess which trend you want to be riding? For example, for reality TV professionals, over the past two weeks, we’ve learned that:

• My Network TV is about to replace 33% of its programming with reality TV AND 180 from telenovelas to targeting male viewers (reality producers, take note);
• Court TV’s first scripted project is a hit with viewers (fiction producers, here’s a new potential buyer!);
• NBC, the CW and Bochco himself all are about to launch original Web-based programs (everyone, are you still ignoring new media?); and
• Networks in general are looking for cheap ratings bonanzas in brand-friendly game shows (got a talent option you don’t know yet how to capitalize on?)

All of that info ought to help show creators decide which ideas they are going to prioritize developing to maximize sales possibilities. Database these updates in a simple table or spreadsheet, and you’ll always be timely in your pitch meetings. And remember, the execs you’re pitching expect you to know this info if it was in the trades!

ACTION PLAN: In Word or Excel, build a simple table with columns for network/studio name, programming announcement(s) and announcement date(s). If you’re a member of the Show Starter Online Group, we’ve started you off with a file of over a dozen network programming announcements from this year’s upfronts! If you’re not a group member yet, be sure to sign up when you buy the book (or join if you already have the book) by clicking here. Group membership is for book purchasers only.

BONUS ROUND: If you don’t have any pitches that ride the trends, rework existing projects to stay current. Is there a cooking pitch you love that also might make a terrific game show? For helpful process tips, read “Show Starter, Vol. 1,” pp 25-27.

Trade-Up Tip #2: Run “Comps” on Projects that are Similar to Yours
TV producers, before any pitch meeting you ever take, be absolutely sure to check the overnight ratings for the current shows at that network AND any shows anywhere else that are similar to yours. Filmmakers, regularly track the weekend box office for any studios or companies you hope to meet with or any films in your genre.

Now for the example: remember the hot new – and now former – ABC show “The Great American Dream”? At the end of March ’07, if you were about to pitch any dream fulfillment shows anywhere, or any show AT ALL to ABC, a quick glance at one day’s trades would have shown that “Dream” utterly tanked episode one (ratings report - 3/28/07)…and was cancelled after episode two (cancellation article - 3/29/07 - as in the NEXT DAY’s trades).

Translation: this might be a pretty bad time to pitch a new dreams-come-true project anywhere, and ABC execs might be particularly cautious about new genre projects in general. Isn’t that something you’d like to know before entering the room? You BET. At least so you can explain why your project isn’t vulnerable to the same ratings risks? And don’t be blinded even if you see high ratings. Just because the trades report “Fox Picks Up 13 More Episodes of 5th Grader,” it might mean Fox wants to do another deal with Mark Burnett rather than buy your equally biting game show.

ACTION PLAN: Do a quick ratings review in the daily trades to compare your pitch list to current shows. Push danger zone shows to the bottom of your list, if you pitch them at all over the next few weeks. Then shift at least one brand-appropriate trend-winner into your top three opening pitches.

BONUS ROUND: Brainstorm alternative versions of your danger zone pitches (Show Starter, Vol. 1, pp 25-27) so they no longer heavily rely on now-risky elements. Then if an exec challenges them, you can come right back with a well-thought-out twist on your pitch.

Trade-Up Tip #3: Dissect Deal Points
If you’re not sure what to expect and request in your own deals, read the trades to keep up with what everyone else is offering or receiving! For example, for all you filmmakers who are fighting mainly to get a piece of DVD rentals in your deals, shouldn’t you know that the “Netflix Founder Predicts End Of DVD Rental Business” and now is investing millions in digital film downloading? Meanwhile, reality newcomers and pitch partners can set some basic contract expectations by reading news like “Hedda Muskat has been named Consulting Producer on WE’s new show, ‘Wife, Mom, Bounty Hunter’ debuting on April 20. Hedda brought the show to World of Wonder who sold it to WE.” (© 2007 Cynopsis).

ACTION PLAN: Scan for any deal discussions regarding professional peers or potential buyers. The Cynopsis example above lets you know right away what you might expect to be offered by WE and/or World of Wonder as a new show creator.

BONUS ROUND: Oh, you know what I’m going to say: add this info to a database – and review it before you actually pitch any partners!

Trade-Up Tip #4: Improve Your Project Development Process
Seeking “the right” talent to attach to a project? You can test the industry’s temperature for star “heat” by reading that “Kid, Not Play, May Get Talk Show.” Or get a great lesson in built-in conflict for reality pitches when you read that “Season three of Run’s House on MTV begins April 9 at 10p. Rev. Run and the Simmons family return to face new crisis and growth situations such as the two oldest daughters, Angela and Vanessa living on their own in Manhattan.” (© 2007 Cynopsis). Whenever you read about greenlit projects in your industry, consider it powerful development guidance for your own projects.

ACTION PLAN: Scan the trades for talent and story success stories and see what equally compelling “headlines” you could write to promote your own projects. Do you have more work to do to develop the project?

BONUS ROUND: Write the headlines – and send them to your focus group to see if they want to see that show!

Trade-Up Tip #5: Gather Insider Information
I call this “Room Wisdom.” These are articles that give you explanations of how our business works that help you get inside the minds of the studio, network and production execs you are pitching. For example, the Hollywood Reporter recently ran an article called “Ad Ratings To Gain At Upfront,” explaining that advertisers increasingly want to base the ad dollars they commit to a network on ratings for the actual commercials that run during programs, rather than ratings for the shows themselves. Is that a big shift? Of course! Is that something you can talk about intelligently in the room when possible ratings enter the discussion? Sure – if you’ve read the article.

ACTION PLAN: Read insider information articles and make sure you can summarize the general idea into a straightforward sentence (like I just did above).

BONUS ROUND: Learn the article’s new buzzwords and do additional research on them. For my example article, you would research “ad ratings” (aka “commercial ratings”) and the new Nielsen measurements they represent.

Trade-Up Tip #6: Scan for Who | What | Where
I’ll say it again – success in isn’t just about know-how; it’s about know-WHO. You absolutely must know who the players are that can buy your projects or otherwise assist their sale. All the trades announce executive hiring, firings and job-swappings. Many also feature producers who have just sold new projects. You must know these names to learn whom you already know and whom you need to meet with – not just in the room, but also at panels, seminars and conferences you see advertised.

For example: got contacts at “The Amazing Race”? Guess what? Now you might have contacts at Oprah’s new wish fulfillment show – the trades just announced “‘Race’ duo to oversee Harpo reality series.” But before you send an e-mail blast to everyone you know who works anywhere, please read Post #12: Do you know anyone who’s hiring?” Please don’t ever let the first thing you say to someone – a stranger OR a friend – be “What can you do for me?” Make sure your energy in this industry is balanced between advancing your own dreams and sincerely investing in your core circle’s dreams at the same time. Those contacts are the ones who’ll call YOU to yell, “Hey, I just got the new Oprah show – send me your rez!”

ACTION PLAN: Database the names of studio execs, network execs, production execs, financiers and show runners and keep it updated through your daily trade reads. Start with the network and prod co dbs we give you at our online group (book purchasers, click here to join!), and keep it up-to-date. Those names are the key to your selling a project.

BONUS ROUND: Today, right now, send an e-mail to the five people who have helped you most in your career. Offer something specific to help them back – even if its updating one of THEIR databases. Get balance back in your professional relationships – and watch the immediate shift in your professional progress.

BONUS, BONUS ROUND – Stop typing your latest email blast asking people you otherwise never check in on to find you work. Now re-read “Bonus Round” and give that approach a try instead. Please trust me on this. And remember, send thank you truffles or coffee cards to everyone who ever gets you in front of anyone else for a meeting - whether you close a deal or not.

NOW GO SELL THOSE PASSION PROJECTS!

For more in-depth process and resources, buy:

• “The 1-3-5 Story Structure Made Simple System: The Nine Essential Elements of a Sellable Screenplay“; and
• “The Show Starter Reality TV Made Simple System, Vol. 1: How to Create and Pitch a Sellable Reality Show”

now from Movie in a Box Books!

I get this question a lot, so I now have published a definitive book on the process. It’s called “The Show Starter Reality TV Made Simple System, Vol. 1 - Ten Steps to Creating and Pitching a Sellable Reality Show.” It’s only $29.95 (including tax and U.S. shipping) at the Show Starter Web site - and it comes with FREE STUFF. Until your order arrives in the mail, here’s a very clean and concise explanation of what to expect from the process.

Let’s start with the “gut” answer. If you’re like most people who work in reality TV, you sell a show by working for some years in reality television, amassing good credits and production experience, building strong relationships with production companies, networks and vendors, running someone else’s shows for trench education, then pitching your concepts and your solid reputation to make your first sale(s). If that doesn’t sound like you, or even if it does, please read on.

If you’re like most people who don’t work in reality TV, you sell a show by coming up with an entertaining concept and find a personal “in” to a network exec or a production company where you can pitch. If a network exec likes the idea, s/he will partner you with a production company or show runner s/he already knows and trusts, and they will execute your concept. You will turn all of the control of your show, as well as most of whatever initial fees come in, over to the show runner or production company.

The same process happens if you approach a production company yourself to bring your idea to a network for you. Your attorney will work with the production companies to hammer out a “deal memo” that spells out what involvement, if any, you will have in the show. The company will do their best to remove you from any control over the process…because you have no idea how to run a television show. They also will take most of the money involved…because you are bringing nothing to the table but an idea that they will have to do all of the work to develop then execute, as well as use their hard-earned contacts to sell. In their eyes, you are bringing nothing to the table.

If you are still reading this blog after that stunning statement, you are ready for the road ahead as you try to pitch a show. You understand now how the industry will perceive you, and you accept your own limitations as someone who knows nothing about making a show but has an entertaining spin on a popular concept. You also understand, because I’m about to tell you, that you are not going to become rich when the show is sold.

Don’t confuse non-fiction TV with selling a movie or a sit-com or drama. “Back-end” and “created-by” fees and “residuals” are rare in this world. On your very first sale, be ready for some serious compromise if all you have is an idea. Your attorney is going to work hard enough just to keep you from being removed from the show entirely.

I’m going to write that again. YOUR ATTORNEY IS GOING TO WORK HARD ENOUGH JUST TO KEEP YOU FROM BEING REMOVED FROM THE SHOW ENTIRELY.

So how exactly do you sell your own show?

The smart way is to work in the biz and know that you are selling yourself and your experience and your reputation and your contacts far more than any concept itself. In fact, networks who have come to know you will call you and ask you to do a show for them! And you will be able control the production process and make the fees from it, because you’ve learned and earned you way into that position. Your agent is your best friend here because s/he is pitching you non-stop to the nets, setting up meet-and-greets with execs and keeping you up-to-date on how the net calls for content are shifting (and they always are shifting).

The fast way is to have a terrific concept and partner with someone else who can get it executed. You will have researched similar shows, checked out imdb.com for company and network information and approached the right people to match your genre and audience. If all goes well, you, indeed, will have sold a show, but often with limited involvement or reward! Your attorney will be your best friend here because s/he will need to be determined and creative to keep you a part of the process after the sale.

The back-door way is to know a person or property (like a popular book) that people want a piece of, develop a show with them attached to it, and have a written “option” that binds them to any sale. This is where having Paris Hilton as a close friend actually is a good thing. A hypothetical: Yes, she stole your boyfriend, but she felt so bad that she signed an option agreement allowing you to shop a makeover show with her as the host. Pretty much anyone will talk to you now, and you’ll have a lot more power keeping yourself attached since you are, at last, bringing something bankable to the table!

Whatever way you try to sell your show, remember, as always, to do an “entitlement” check before you start the process. If you are not Tyra Banks, do not expect to get a deal like Tyra Banks. If your talent is not Donald Trump, don’t expect to get a budget like Donald Trump’s. And if you have never run a television show (I didn’t say never written, produced, edited or shot, I said RUN), then don’t expect to run even your own. Not the first season, at least.

And please don’t go into reality TV to get rich. (Where are all of these Discovery Health- and Food Network-producing millionaires people think they’re joining the ranks of?) If you want to get rich, please go back for your MBA and head to Wall Street and build and protect your stock options like everyone else does. There’s way more chance you’ll get a return on your investment - and in a far shorter period of time! If you want to get rich quickly, with minimal effort, keep buying scratchers and hope for the best. But if you really want to make reality TV, while there’s no money at the start in this world, like almost everything else, working hard in this business ultimately has its own personal, professional and, yes, financial rewards. Plus sometimes, you get to make people eat bugs.