Pitching Hollywood : How to Sell Your TV Show and Movie Ideas

Foreword xi Chapter 1: Who We Are 1(8) Photocopying 4(5) Chapter 2: Who You Are 9(4) Idea People 10(1) Selling Your Ideas as Property 11(2) Chapter 3: How We Created Our Positions 13(4) Chapter 4: What Is "High Concept"? 17(8) Low Concept 19(1) What if It's Neither-Nor? 19(1) Back to High Concept 19(1) Sample High Concept Pitch 20(5) Chapter 5: Start With a Good Idea 25(18) Freshness 25(3) Commercial Viability 28(1) Marketability 28(1) Timeliness 29(1) Demographics 30(2) Other Factors to Consider 32(1) Finding those Great Ideas 33(6) Ideas from Articles, Radio, TV 39(1) Ideas from Books 40(1) Public Domain 41(1) When Looking for and Generating Ideas, Keep in Mind 41(2) Chapter 6: All-Time Worst Pitches 43(10) Good Examples of Bad Ideas 43(7) So, Did This Help? 50(1) Here's a List of Elements that Will Most Likely Make Your Idea Dead on Arrival 50(3) Chapter 7: How Much Is My Idea Worth? 53(8) A Very Tough Question 53(1) Forms of Payment 54(7) Chapter 8: Protecting Your Idea 61(6) Register Your Treatment 62(1) Mail It to Yourself 63(1) Be Mindful 64(1) Be Concise and Specific 64(1) Pitch It Everywhere 65(2) Chapter 9: Preparing Your Pitch 67(14) Titles 68(1) Anatomy of a Pitch 68(2) Film Treatments 70(2) Reality Show Treatments 72(2) Treatments for Game Shows 74(1) Treatments for Hybrid Shows: Competitive Reality Shows 75(1) Treatments for Documentary/Biography Shows 75(1) Treatments for Soap Operas 76(1) Treatments for News Magazines and Talkshows 76(1) Treatments for Dramas and Sitcoms: "Bibles" 76(2) Refining the Pitch 78(3) Chapter 10: Getting into the Room 81(8) Where to Begin? 82(2) So You've Got a Good Idea, a Pitch, and the Numbers to Call: Now What? 84(2) If You Don't Live in L.A 86(3) Chapter 11: Once You Are In the Room 89(12) The Do's: 89(7) The Don'ts 96(5) Chapter 12: Staying Cool In Development Hell 101(6) What Is Development? 101(1) Why Does It Take So Long? 102(3) What's the Point? 105(2) Chapter 13: Sample High Concepts, Synopses, and Treatments 107(30) Game Shows 108(7) Reality Shows 115(4) Reality-Game Show Hybrid 119(7) Movies 126(11) Glossary of Terms 137(8) References & Resources 145(5) Additional Reading 150(3) Index 153(10) About the Authors 163