Another Great Idea for a TV Series

I got this email today:

I am just beginning my venture into the world of television.  More specifically, I am trying to find out how
to go about presenting my idea for a television series.  I think it’s a
terrific idea and have mentioned it to several friends, co-workers, and
family members for feedback.  They all agree it sounds like something
they would really be interested in watching.  My question is HOW do I
get started in something like this?
 
I’ve had this idea for a few years, and there is nothing on TV
similar to it.  I just have no idea how, where, and to whom to present
my ideas.  I am a good writer as well, but I have never written
anything "dialogue-related", such as a play or TV series.

I politely replied by directing her to two of my previous posts here on the same topic. But I could have answered her question by rewriting her note:

I am just beginning my venture into the world of automotive design.  More specifically, I am trying to find out how
to go about presenting my idea for a new car.  I think it’s a
terrific design and have shown it to several friends, co-workers, and
family members for feedback.  They all agree it looks like a car they’d be really interested in owning.  My question is HOW do I
get started in something like this?
 
I’ve had this idea for a few years, and there is nothing on the road that’s similar to it.  I just have no idea how, where, and to whom to present
my ideas.  I am a good artist as well, but I have never designed
anything "automotive-related", such as a motorcycle or truck.

No one in their right mind would ever write a note like that to a car designer. It would be insane. So why would you send it to a TV writer? Because TV isn’t car design. It doesn’t involve complex engineering and manufacturing.

Think again.

One season of an hour-long TV series costs $50 million to produce. It takes a crew of several hundred to make it happen…and the resources of a studio (aka a factory for producing TV shows and movies). No one is going to gamble that much money, or entrust that much responsibility, to someone who has never done anything "dialogue-related."

There’s no short-cut to creating a TV series, designing a car, becoming a doctor, or becoming a great chef. It takes knowledge. It takes skill. It takes work. It takes experience.  Simple as that. You start at the bottom, learn the basics, and work your way up.

8 thoughts on “Another Great Idea for a TV Series”

  1. Actually, there is a shortcut for becoming a doctor. If, like me, you choose pediatrics, you only need to know about three things: diapers, baby formulas, and how to write a prescription for that pink bubblegum medicine (I forget what it’s called).

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  2. This reminds me of a guy in my college english class who was outraged because, ahem, “Star Trek stole his script”. He’d sent them a script, and not a week later they ran an episode using “his idea”.

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  3. I don’t know anything about Phil Hawley’s skills as a doctor… But if the whole medicine thing doesn’t work out, I know he’s got a helluva career ahead of him as a thriller writer. (And once his book hits stores next year, you’ll see what I mean.)
    As for shortcuts… If anyone finds one, please share it with me. I’ve seen a lot of people searching for the magic bullet, but haven’t found one yet.

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  4. Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if there WAS a “magic bullet”? But then again, all these people who think they can write, who think they could do a series, who think they don’t need rewrites, would have shows going, and even with today’s glut of channels, there would be an overflow of product.

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  5. I am just beginning my venture into the world of explicit pornography. More specifically, I am trying to find out how to go about presenting my idea for a pornographic series. I think it’s a terrific idea and have mentioned it to several friends, co-workers, and family members for feedback. They all agree it sounds like something they would really be interested in watching. My question is HOW do I get started in something like this?
    I’ve had this idea for a few years, and there is nothing on the internet similar to it. I just have no idea how, where, and to whom to present my ideas. I am a good sexual athlete as well, but I have never written anything “penetration-related”, such as a sex manual or children’s book.

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  6. Did you tell him how that episode had been in production for about three weeks before he even sent his script in?
    I wish I had! At the time I was too boggled to say anything. He was a very Angry Young Man, exactly the sort to fall for “I’m too elite for the industry” flattery and end up in vanity press hell.

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