The Written Materials

 

1) Do you have a comprehensive show bible and a pilot written to completion? 

 

2) In your show bible do you have all of the following chapters? 

 

2A) If it is episodic have you created five entire season story arcs?

 

2B) If it re-starts every episode do you have eight solid episode concepts written out?

 

2C) Do you have a brilliant one-page tool you can hand to executives so that they can pitch it to higher level executives that may not be in the initial meeting?

 

2D) Have you thought out each of your major characters so comprehensively that you have an entire page dedicated to each one of them for executives to read?

 

2E) Have you written three to four pages just about the special hook(s) in your show concept that make it different from the other shows in its genre?

 

3) Does your pilot have all of the following attributes? 

 

3A)  Can it be used as a marketing tool that demonstrates your high level of skill as a writer and guarantees you an eventual place on the team once the network orders a season?

 

3B) Is it vague or does it answer the question: What is the premise of this show? 

 

3C) Does it follow the direction that you wrote about in your show bible or are you incorrectly creating the pilot before you write the show bible? 

 

4C) Do you understand that you are writing the show bible and pilot for the eyes of team members such as the show runner and producer, and that they will likely be re-written before you go to a network by the show runner? 

 

The Verbal Pitch

 

1) Have you practiced pitching your show to every piece of furniture in your living room so you can snap into your pitch without nervousness or sloppiness even if caught by surprise?

 

2) Have you reduced your concept so you can pitch your "logline" in ten seconds or less?

 

3) Can you discuss all of the major elements of your show in under two minutes?

 

4) Do you have realistic expectations of what kind of offers will come back at you or do you falsely believe that a network will pay you a million dollars for your concept?

 

5) Do you know the ten phases of the negotiation process with a television network?  

 

The Team

 

1) Do you have the all-important Show Runner attached to your team yet?

 

2) Do you need major talent to make your show concept work and if so, have you attached them? 

 

3) Do you have help at the negotiating table such as a manager or agent?

 

4) If you have created a reality show concept, have you attached a producer who can get you all of the assets such as show prize money, celebrities who may appear on the show, or prime locations? 

 

 

If after taking this quiz you have more questions than answers, then give my book The Show Bible for Television Pitching a try. In it I detail my entire experiences from the first day to the last at the time I wrote the book in my dealings with the television show that just got picked up by HBO! I also detail step-by-step how to craft a show bible with my unique system which has worked for me time and time again. 

 

Click below for more information about The Show Bible for Television Pitching