Television Show Onto the Air in America

¶ … television show onto the air in America is a difficult task. It requires a great investment of time and effort, and is often discouraging and disheartening. To get an idea to air, the an idea must be carefully nurtured through the complex processes of creating a script, getting the script read by someone in Hollywood, getting the script to pilot, and finally getting the pilot to air.

There are many important steps that must be undertaken to get an idea for a television show onto the air in America. The first and most important of these steps is to get a pilot episode made to show to networks that might pick up the show. A pilot episode is simply the first episode of your television show, and should showcase the show in the best possible light. Getting an idea to the stage of a pilot show is a difficult undertaking, and involves many steps, that each require a different set of skills. For example, a script must be written, the script must be given to a person in Hollywood for consideration, and the script must be "picked up" or made into a pilot episode.

While this process may sound simple in the abstract, it is actually considerably difficult and tedious in reality. A significant amount of time and effort must be invested in getting a television show onto the air in America. Therefore, some of the most important skills in making a television show a reality are hard work and persistence, in addition to an ability to overcome rejection (Stuart).

Likely the single most important step in getting an idea for a television show to air is creating a script for a pilot episode. This script is an essential step in making an idea for a television pilot seem professional and well thought out. Ideas for television shows are abundant, but a person who has taken the time to write a script will be taken much more seriously than a person with only an idea for a television show. A good script will also allow the idea to be showcased in its best light. Further, it allows people in Hollywood a chance to take a close look at the idea.

Creating a good script can be significant challenge in and of itself. Writing a good script requires creativity in developing ideas for the scripts plot and format, and considerable writing talent to convert these ideas into an entertaining and cohesive script. While a "treatment" or summary of a script is sometimes used in Hollywood, Lynn Barker recommends creating a full script first (Glatzer).

A script must be meticulously edited and reviewed. Even the smallest error in grammar, style, or content may be enough to cause your script to be rejected. People in Hollywood read a large number of scripts each year, and most are rejected. There are many companies on the Internet that will help you review a script (Adventures in Hollywood). It is up to you to decide if their services are worthwhile.

Once the script is complete, it must be shown to someone in Hollywood who has the all0-important resources and contacts that are needed to get the script to a pilot episode. One of the major obstacles in getting a television show to pilot is the difficulty in accessing individuals within Hollywood.

Lynn Barker, a successful television scriptwriter for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and other television shows notes that it is notoriously difficult to break into television. She says it is "almost impossible for a writer to sell a pilot script." She suggests working in the television business in any possible capacity to meet people before submitting scripts to executives (Glatzer).

Getting a pilot script to air may involve getting a producer with a solid track record to take interest in your script. For there, a relationship must also be built with a network to allow the script to be produced (Glatzer).

In many ways, Hollywood is an exclusive society that is almost completely closed to outsiders. Hollywood insiders already have an abundance of television show scripts and ideas, and they are not especially interested in receiving yet another unsolicited script. Therefore, getting a television script or idea to someone in Hollywood is an extremely difficult task.

There are many potential ways to get an idea or script for a pilot to someone within Hollywood. Of these, likely the most effective is using personal contacts to get a script to someone in a position of power. In many ways, this is the oldest approach in the book, but it is also likely the most effective way to get your idea or script to someone of influence.

It may sound corny, but it is important to use personal contacts like a gym trainer, babysitter, supermarket cashier, friends and family to try to access someone inside Hollywood. The easiest way to do this is to simply tell everyone that you meet that you are looking for someone in Hollywood to read your script. It is important to make the script sound interesting, and to be friendly and likeable in order to make people want to help you get your script across to someone in Hollywood. Persistence is the key in this approach, as you will likely have to speak to hundreds of people before you find someone with a contact inside Hollywood.

There are also many agencies that can help to get a script to someone in Hollywood. While some of these may be legitimate businesses, it is important to know that many are simply con artists that take advantage of scriptwriters desperate to break into Hollywood. A quick search of the Internet reveals a number of these companies, including The Players Marketplace and So You Wanna Sell A Script (The Players Marketplace; So You Wanna Sell A Script).

In addition, an agent can be crucial in getting a script to someone in Hollywood. While it is often difficult to get an agent, this person can be crucial in getting the script into the right hands (Glatzer).

Once someone in Hollywood accepts a script, it is not guaranteed that it will ever make it to the pilot stage. Many scripts languish for years at this stage before ever making it to the pilot stage. In many ways this reticence is understandable from the point-of-view of the people putting the money up to make your pilot. A pilot is an expensive undertaking, and the backers stand to lose money if the pilot is unsuccessful. As such, their decisions are often guided by financial concerns.