The Film Panel Notetaker

Understand The Audience! Then Develop The Programs: An “Insider’s Guide” To How Factual Television Channels Develop And Commission Programs

Silverdocs

June 23 & 24, 2010

By Erin Essenmacher

The panel, featuring A & E’s Director of Development Stephen Harris and moderated by documentarytelevision.com founder and industry veteran Peter Hamilton, gave a behind-the-scenes peek into the development and commissioning process at a major cable network (in this case, A & E.)  While some of the information is specific to pitching and working with A & E,  the presentation gave an overall insight into the world of pitching and commissioning television series that can apply across the dial.

Harris and Hamilton originally gave the presentation as part of the Silverdocs conference on June 23.  They did a reprise of the same information the following day as part of a special event for the DC chapter of Women in Film and Video.  The following is a synopsis taken from content presented and answers to spontaneous questions from the audience at both events.

Stephen Harris framed the discussion by saying, “we’re going to change the name of this presentation to How to Pitch and Sell Your Project to the Network – because that’s what you’ll be able to do with the information we’re giving you.”

Peter Hamilton offered an initial overview and some industry context: “I don’t think most producers really understand the relationship between the network and the production company.  I have this image of producers down on their knees as if praying to the network gods just hoping they’ll reward them with a deal and a bunch of money.  The model is not vertical – it’s circular. Producers are part of larger process, but it’s a vicious cycle. Networks commission programs with the goal of gaining the number and type of viewers that will generate revenues so they can invest that money back into commissioning or buying more programming.”

A typical day for Harris starts with a read of several newsstand publications, perusing for stories, personalities or issues that catch his attention. “Because I work in development, part of my job is keeping pipeline filled with new ideas,” Harris explained, “these can come from or be inspired by stories in People magazine, Page Six of the New York Post, gossip and entertainment blogs, competing networks – just about anywhere. I try to write down three things every day that pop out at me. They don’t necessarily have to be whole show ideas, but something interesting I can share with my colleagues. It’s sort of like reading the tea leaves and trying to divine what the next hot series might be.”

He then reads the trades for a pulse check on industry news and information on who’s doing what. “I’m in contact with folks at other networks, but I still don’t usually know what they’re doing until I read a blurb about it somewhere.   It’s my responsibility to figure what will keep us one and a half to two steps ahead of what other people are doing. I’m kind of like an odds maker.”

After catching up on the latest news, Harris takes phone calls and meetings with agents, production companies and independent producers, all with ideas for the next big series. “I take about four or five pitch meetings a day, usually about 20 per week,” Harris explained, “Some have no chance, other have elements but need to fix certain elements and a few have real potential. From those 20, I’ll pick the strongest to present at my pitch meeting. I end up pitching about three projects per week to my group.”

Some networks like Discovery and TLC – where Harris used to work – have separate development and production teams, which means the first couple of weeks after green light, the development executive moves onto to other projects and the programming department takes over. A & E has the same executive stay on from pitch through production through air.  “I have projects at all various stages,” Harris explains, “so I’m taking new pitches, staying on top of shows I have in production and in development and overseeing shows in post.”

Harris emphasized that the best ideas aren’t necessarily the most controversial. “We’re looking for programs that aren’t just topical but sustainable, so series that are ‘ripped from the headlines’ don’t always work.  I’m always looking at – will it still be relevant 12-18 months from now?”

Harris then went on to outline the “Four Filters” the network uses to determine if a show would be a good fit for them:

1. “Big Characters” – Do the main characters register? Do you remember them? “Any of our characters, if they walked into a room you’d remember them, even if they weren’t celebrities. They just stick with you,” Harris explained.
2. High Stakes –  “What’s the ultimate in high stakes?” Harris asked, “Death?”  So programs that feature characters defying death (Criss Angel Mindfreak), tracking toward death (Intervention), or risking death (Dog the Bounty Hunter) as well as those overcoming obstacles (Kirstie Alley’s Big Life).
3. Unique Access – Does the program off something you wouldn’t be able to other wise see or experience.  Harris used several of the programs from A & E’s existing and upcoming schedule as examples: “You can see Steven Segal play a copy in the movies, but here’s a show where he is a cop, or you see Tony Danza being a real teacher. Gene Simmons this guy who was spitting fire and gargling fake blood on stage but you get to see this other side of him.  If we had been pitched a show about following Kiss on the road, we probably would have passed. But seeing Gene at home, telling his son to take out the trash, now that’s different.
4. Resolution – They’re looking for a close-ended story arc with resolution within each episode.  “Every show we green light, we want to see go to multiple seasons,” Harris explained, “But we also like to have the flexibility to air the latest episode from season 4 but then be able to program an episode from season 1 right after and have it feel seamless.”

Harris also emphasized that for him to even consider a pitch, a show idea must have all four of these elements: “It’s like in Vegas where you need all cherries to hit the jackpot. Don’t come to me with a three out of four,” he stressed.

Hamilton explained that all networks have a “sweet spot” or ideal budget range, which varies by channel. This number is based on things like the scale/success of network, program genre, and whether or not the producer is a “known” name.  According the Harris, A & E’s “sweet spot” looks something like this: “If we have a reality show, we want to know what other networks are doing at what price, so if another network has a successful show at $300,000 – $400,000, we’ll want to do something similar, but hopefully better in the same range.”

Also key to your research:  know what your kinds of shows your target channel is already programming.  Here’s how A & E’s schedule is currently structured:

Sunday: Celebrity DocuSoap (Kirstie Alley’s Big Life, Gene Simmon’s Family Jewels)

Monday: Hope & Redemption (Intervention, Hoarders, Obsessed)

Tuesday: (Paranormal Activity, Psychic Kids)

Wednesday: Big Characters on the Job (Dog the Bounty Hunter, Billy the Exterminator)

Thursday: Crime and Justice (The First 48)

Friday: Off Net Scripted Drama (The Glades)

Harris also discussed the slate of eight newly-green lit series that A & E will feature next season including:

• I’m Heavy (“about people losing an extreme amount of weight”)
• The Squad (“The First 48 inside a prison”)
• Strange Days with Bob Saget (“a 30 Days-esque show where Bob serves as a sort of human guinea pig, living different lives including with a motorcycle gang, in fraternity house, and living off the grid)

• Growing Up Twisted (“at home with Dee Snyder of the 80’s rock band Twisted Sister”)
• Teach (“follows Tony Danza as he spends a year teaching English inside a high school”)

Some networks may prefer 30-minute episodes over hour-long episodes, but as Harris explained for A & E, “let the subject matter define the length and number of episodes.  All of our contracts already have dollar figures for both 30’s and 60’s built in.  Sometimes we might greenlight an hour long pilot and then when we see it, all agree it work better as a 30.”

One audience member questioned the nature of conflict in reality programming cable television and if every show needed to have “catfights or backstabbing.”  Harris framed it this way:  “You must have drama and conflict. That doesn’t have to be ‘backstabbing’  – it can be the struggle to lose weight or kick an addiction and the obstacles folks overcome in doing that. Bottom line for the success of the show is a storyline and characters that makes a viewer want to keep watching.”

Key Take-Aways

-Be prepared to provide a “sizzle reel” – a short segment that gives a sense for your story and main characters.  Sizzle reels should run about 3 minutes to no more than 8 minutes – not a pilot, just proof of content.

-Keys elements an A&E  show must have: Big Characters, High Stakes, Unique Access and Resolution.  If your project doesn’t fit all of these criteria, don’t pitch it. If it *does* have these criteria and your proposal and sizzle reel don’t show these elements, re-work them until they do.

-A hot/compelling title is crucial.  It needs to grab audience attention and make them want to see the show.

- Do your research before you pitch a network: determine their “sweet spot” or ideal budget, determine their core audience and look at what kinds of shows they’re already doing.

-A& E’s network demographics: 50/50 audience of men and women. “Anything that feels too male, isn’t for us, we might send it off to our sister network, The History Channel,” Harris noted, “We want diversity and that means topics or subject matter that have a universal feel.”

-Business model is 100% commission. We only want series and prefer shows that can go into multiple seasons,” Harris explained, “ and we will want to own all rights, in all territories, including DVD sales.”

-Average timeline for a show from pitch to screen is 12 to 18 months. For “fast tracked” shows it’s 8 to 10 months.

-A& E’s content is all US-based, not interested in international topics.