We had a meeting last week. Like many meetings we take, someone had a great idea for a reality TV show or documentary series. It was set in an interesting world, but this person wasn’t sure if the idea would work best as a Follow-Doc, Format, or Hybrid (and you already know what those industry ... Read more

The post How To Reverse Engineer Your Reality TV Pitch appeared first on Producing Unscripted.

Cast relationships — how you communicate with and prepare your cast — is key to making a great reality TV show or documentary series. Making sure those cast relationships stay strong both during and long after a show is done is not only crucial to your success in this industry, but it’s the right thing ... Read more

The post Make Reality TV: 5 Steps to Great Cast Relationships appeared first on Producing Unscripted.

Should You Get Investors For Your Sizzle Reel? We’ve finally received this question enough times that we realize you want the answer. Forgive us for being slow! Today we spell out our thoughts and give you a bunch of tips to help you decide how much time and money to budget for your sizzle reel ... Read more

The post Sizzle Reel: Budgets, Investors, and More… appeared first on Producing Unscripted.

With Halloween just around the corner, and lots of “scare” in the air, we thought we’d share five little known, horrifying things about producing TV shows. If you’re an aspiring producer, you’ve probably never even considered these terrifying treats that come along with every new show you sell… MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Just a few nightmares we terrify ... Read more

The post 5 Scary Things About Producing TV Shows appeared first on Producing Unscripted.

Whether you’re doing a TV show for a network, writing a screenplay for a studio, or creating a web series with friends, there is no getting around the notes process. Everyone has an opinion on where your project should go next. Believe it or not, the notes phase is a make it or break it ... Read more

The post Make TV Networks and Studios Happy – Dealing With Network Notes appeared first on Producing Unscripted.

You’re one of the smart ones. Instead of wasting time on larger-than life formats (which are all long shots) or magazine-style travel shows (which no one wants) you understand that the fastest way to break into unscripted television is to find great, real life characters and build a show around them. After all, you’ve read ... Read more

The post Pitching Reality TV? Know This Rule for Success… appeared first on Producing Unscripted.

One way to break into Hollywood? Get a job on a real production. While not the simplest route, you’d be amazed to learn how many people shoot themselves in the foot by making easy-to-avoid mistakes. Seriously! Fresh off a recent hiring spree, we tell you exactly why we automatically considered some applicants, and instantly rejected ... Read more

The post Landing Jobs in Hollywood – Insider Tips appeared first on Producing Unscripted.

You’ve discovered an amazing, real life person that you are sure could be a reality TV show…now what? Today, we give you 3 concrete steps to greatly increase your odds of selling a character-centered show. One Awesome Character = Not Enough… But worry not, oh faithful listeners! We’re going to give you the tools to ... Read more

The post 3 Steps: Turn a Character into a TV Show appeared first on Producing Unscripted.

You’ve seen them: spooky ghost shows, high-steaks crime-retellings, beautifully-shot historical docs — all using a cinematically photographed re-creation style to bring these “reality shows” or unscripted television series to life. Yes, they are incredibly fun and fulfilling to make. Today, we’ll give you the blueprint to how we make one such show, step-by-step. Big Looks ... Read more

The post How To Make Re-Creation Reality: A Case Study appeared first on Producing Unscripted.

One of the best ways to succeed in our business? Learn from the mistakes of others. Today, we’ll give you the top ten mistakes we see again and again in pitches for reality TV and documentary series. Avoid these — whether pitching to us or anyone else — and you’ll be WAY ahead of the ... Read more

The post 10 Mistakes That Wreck Your Pitches appeared first on Producing Unscripted.