TV pilot at DVinfo.net

Kevin McKendree · July 3rd, 2009, 06:34 PM

I am currently working on a pilot for a local TV show for NE Florida. The pilot will be shot in a garadge with two z1u's and a improvised lighting kit with a set of flats, cheap I know. Once we get a budget, we will move into a local studio with better equipment and a full crew.

Once the pilot is done, I plan on going to one of the broadcast stations since they are looking for quality local videos. I am not a writer of a sales man, but how will I sell my product to the station? If I cannot get it aired on the broadcast station, how could I find sponsors for the show to air it on another station?

Don Bloom · July 4th, 2009, 05:31 AM

if you have the money you can air your program on pretty much any station. Well not the majors but any local station. They don't care about sponsors, you give them the finished product and the money for the airtime and you're set.
As for finding sponsors, well, that's when you or someone needs to get out and sell the spots to those people. Be it a 10 second spot or a 60 second spot. You might need to include the shooting of the spot the fee or even use it as a giveaway and make the money on the sale of the spot.
Before you do anything you should contact the various stations, find out what slots they have to air the show, what the minimum buy is and how much it cost to buy that slot. Then you can figure out how many slots you need to sell at what price to pay for the show. Also when you contact the station, have them give you their tech specs so you know what they need.
That's it in a nutshell. At least that's enough to get you started, there's more but we'll get to it when/if you need it.

Adam Gold · July 4th, 2009, 11:03 AM

Wait, you mean you are doing this on spec, without a buyer, and no one has asked you to do this or is paying for it?

You need to read these threads. Bottom line is you can pay people to air your stuff, or you can get paid to make TV, but they are two different businesses.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/totem-pol...ing-pilot.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/taking-ca...s-network.html

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/taking-ca...roduction.html

Dean Sensui · July 4th, 2009, 02:29 PM

The biggest hurdle is finding sponsors. It's the source the funds you'll need to create the show and pay yourself. If you're not a salesman, become allied with a good one. It will make the difference between failure and success.

Tied into sponsorships is a quality program. If it's worth watching, it's more likely someone would want to buy time in it to promote their products or services. If potential sponsors don't think anyone's going to watch, they're not going to buy time in your show.

And keep in mind that all of this is a lot of hard work. It can be fun. But realistically it's hundreds of hours of tedious labor. Even at the low level I'm at I have seen several attempts bog down just out of the starting gate because a producer finally realizes it's nowhere as easy as expected.

Kevin McKendree · July 7th, 2009, 02:32 AM

thanks for your help, sponsorship is my biggest hurdle at the moment. I plan on using the pilot to gain sponsorships. I already have a couple of people in mind that I could use to help me sell the show already, the shoot is a couple of months away so it gives me some time. I cannot wait to get my hands on the ross system again. Thanks again for your help.

July 3rd, 2009, 06:34 PM	#1
Kevin McKendree New Boot Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 15	TV pilot I am currently working on a pilot for a local TV show for NE Florida. The pilot will be shot in a garadge with two z1u's and a improvised lighting kit with a set of flats, cheap I know. Once we get a budget, we will move into a local studio with better equipment and a full crew. Once the pilot is done, I plan on going to one of the broadcast stations since they are looking for quality local videos. I am not a writer of a sales man, but how will I sell my product to the station? If I cannot get it aired on the broadcast station, how could I find sponsors for the show to air it on another station?

July 4th, 2009, 05:31 AM	#2
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	if you have the money you can air your program on pretty much any station. Well not the majors but any local station. They don't care about sponsors, you give them the finished product and the money for the airtime and you're set. As for finding sponsors, well, that's when you or someone needs to get out and sell the spots to those people. Be it a 10 second spot or a 60 second spot. You might need to include the shooting of the spot the fee or even use it as a giveaway and make the money on the sale of the spot. Before you do anything you should contact the various stations, find out what slots they have to air the show, what the minimum buy is and how much it cost to buy that slot. Then you can figure out how many slots you need to sell at what price to pay for the show. Also when you contact the station, have them give you their tech specs so you know what they need. That's it in a nutshell. At least that's enough to get you started, there's more but we'll get to it when/if you need it. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

July 4th, 2009, 02:29 PM	#4
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	The biggest hurdle is finding sponsors. It's the source the funds you'll need to create the show and pay yourself. If you're not a salesman, become allied with a good one. It will make the difference between failure and success. Tied into sponsorships is a quality program. If it's worth watching, it's more likely someone would want to buy time in it to promote their products or services. If potential sponsors don't think anyone's going to watch, they're not going to buy time in your show. And keep in mind that all of this is a lot of hard work. It can be fun. But realistically it's hundreds of hours of tedious labor. Even at the low level I'm at I have seen several attempts bog down just out of the starting gate because a producer finally realizes it's nowhere as easy as expected. __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

July 4th, 2009, 11:03 AM	#3
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	Wait, you mean you are doing this on spec, without a buyer, and no one has asked you to do this or is paying for it? You need to read these threads. Bottom line is you can pay people to air your stuff, or you can get paid to make TV, but they are two different businesses. http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/totem-pol...ing-pilot.html http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/taking-ca...s-network.html http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/taking-ca...roduction.html

July 7th, 2009, 02:32 AM	#5
Kevin McKendree New Boot Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 15	thanks for your help, sponsorship is my biggest hurdle at the moment. I plan on using the pilot to gain sponsorships. I already have a couple of people in mind that I could use to help me sell the show already, the shoot is a couple of months away so it gives me some time. I cannot wait to get my hands on the ross system again. Thanks again for your help.