If you’ve hung around the business long enough, chances are you’ve heard the terms. ‘Pilot season is coming, it’s time to get your work out there!’ Or maybe you’ve been advised not to pitch outside of ‘pitching season’. Is this open industry secret something you really need to consider, or has the globalization of the modern industry diminished the importance of ‘pilot season’ for the aspiring producer? Blake and Wang P.A take a closer look.
Does ‘pilot season’ even matter anymore?
The short answer for this one is ‘Yes’. ‘Pilot season’ and ‘pitching season’ are both critical times of the year. Even more so if you’re interested in scripted network TV. That’s not to say there hasn’t been industry changes-reality TV tends to accept year-round pitches. Netflix and Amazon are also more open to starting programs year-round instead of in a fixed season. It even seems that Peacock, Disney + and HBO Max will follow suit in order to stay competitive.
If your eye is on major networks, however, and even (though to a lesser extent) cable networks, there’s still a program schedule for scripted programs you’ll need to fit. If you want to make the very best possible pitch with the greatest chance of success, you need to work with this. Making a successful pitch will roll you into pilot season, after which the execs will make the decision on what gets fully developed.
What about pitching season?
No matter how major the network, they’ll start hearing pitches from January on down. Late May to early June, however, is undoubtedly the most hectic time of year for pitches. It’s all tied to Up fronts, which are held in the 3rd week of May annually.
Series, both scripts and concepts, are traditionally pitched from June until the December Holidays. During the Holiday season proper, execs will sort the short-listed concepts to see what gets a pilot order. Come January, we will roll back into pilot season and start the cycle again. A good pitch will get your pilot green lighted.
What if I’ve already produced content?
You may be wondering what to do now if you already have content in the bag. Sizzle reels will be considered overall as part of your series concept, so they don’t change anything at all. You can continue to plan around the dates we outlined up above. If you’ve already shot your pilot independently, it’s a little different. We’ll also look at this in further detail in a separate article. It’s important to realise independently shot pilots, while still unusual, are no longer seen as the remarkable risk they once were. With a great producer, a smart concept could easily take this route to skip much of the traditional process and give Network eyes a finished pilot to consider. One they didn’t have to bankroll, which is always attractive.
Despite the changes made to the industry by streaming services and their non-stop need for new content, pitching season and pilot season are still key milestones the independent TV producer needs to consider. As entertainment lawyers based in New York and Los Angeles both, we’ve represented many successful series concepts and pilots to the networks. Whether you’re aiming for major networks, cable or streaming platforms, the Blake and Wang P.A team have the expertise and experience you need for a successful pitch and pilot season. Why not consider letting the team help you to succeed?
As always, we’ve provided this information to help keep you informed on the state of the industry. It shouldn’t be confused with legal counsel, tax advice, or accounting advice, and we always advise that you hire legal representation to assist you.
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