Knowing exactly how to develop your series is the first hurdle you’ll experience as a budding producer. Today, Brandon Blake of BLAKE & WANG P.A takes a closer look at the matter from his experience gained over decades as a (highly successful) pitch-focused entertainment lawyer. Los Angeles development companies can seem like an intimidating first milestone to conquer, and you may feel that the ‘surety’ of having a developed web series to present would be an easier bet, but it can also be a painful way to sell your idea short. The smart producer develops for the format they want the project to finish in first and foremost-but how do you even select that? Let’s take a look.
The current state of the TV industry
The last decade has seen an exponential boom in the television industry. The ‘web series’ has also moved from the fringes of the entertainment industry to something altogether more mainstream. Indeed, we could probably consider a bunch of high budget series as ‘webseries’ under some key criteria!
SVOD, TVOD , and AVOD platforms (think Amazon, Netflix, Disney Plus, and Hulu) have conquered the TV industry. Netflix alone has 50 million subscribers, more than the top 5cable-TV companies can come up with altogether. With this growth has come a demand for original content smart producers want to fill.
This means that, no matter if a streaming platform is the ultimate destination you envision for your series, there remains a few finer distinctions to consider. Did you independently produce a series? Or did you co-partner with a major network, streaming partner, or TVproduction company? Is it worth pitching to an established group in the hopes of development money, or should you try to produce your TV series independently? Let’s take a closer look at the key factors in deciding how to develop your for-TV or for-streaming project.
Format should help determine your best development route
Scripted 1-hour dramas or 30-minute sitcoms will fare better developed in a traditional television development model. Why? Having one or two recognizable faces among your cast members is a shortcut to larger audiences. There’s more content out there right now than people to view it. A recognized (or even beloved) face can give you a chance at developing an audience you’d never have otherwise. Obviously, this talent comes at a price-and a steep one, if we’re talking A-list talent. It may well be better to develop for a network or platform, rather than trying to raise that money independently, if you wish to capitalize on this draw card.
If this seems like a route that you would prefer to take, consider using entertainment law firms. San Francisco, LA, or NYC-it doesn’t matter. You’re going to need help getting your foot in the pitch door, and will need someone with the contact sand experience to help make it happen. Development is not free, of course, but it can save money through having other financial partners covering production costs. You will need to do a lot of work on pitch materials, ensuring that you will stand out from the crowd and impress (sometimes jaded) development execs who see multitudes of his sort of material daily. Selling your idea will be key in seeing it taken to the next phase.
Are there niches worth developing independent pilots for?
In opposition to these dramas or sitcoms, reality TV and children’s television has a wide-open market for independent production. Costs for pilot production are often manage able, and will give development execs validation the concept can succeed. Strong pilots are an excellent way to get attention, in fact. Yet there are network execs that have picked up strong reality pitches without even an attached sizzle reel. It will come down, in the end, to the novelty and pull of what you’re selling. And remember-if you need the exec to‘ use their imagination’ to see what you could do, it’s often better to rely on that same imagination then present low-budget versions of your final vision.
What about web series?
We’ve looked at the web series in greater depth before, but in short-this is an ideal format for developing a directional or writing portfolio. In itself, it’s unlikely to become revenue-generating due to platform limitations, however. To generate revenue from a series, experienced producers will typically work with a network/platform, or even major production company, to allow bills to be picked up and ensure better marketing and distribution. Additionally, networks generally seek ‘fresh’ content, not things that have already appeared elsewhere. It would take multiple millions of views per episode to sway a production company differently.
If you feel you’d like to see a series ultimately end up on TV or a streaming service, or you wish to push for a surer form of revenue generation from your work, it’s better to decide on developing as a television project and not a web series.
BLAKE & WANG P.A have almost 2 decades of experience in supporting pitches and getting your project in front of the right eyes to help make your dreams a reality. Why not get in touch with us to discuss your project today?
As always, we offer this article for informational purposes only. Complex matters of entertainment law should always be discussed with your own legal counsel before you make a decision.
Film and Television 