¶ … 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...
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…
