As a writer, there are several different ways you can get your work on television. The traditional model involves finding an agent who will represent you by going to networks and saying, “Hey, this is fantastic, and it fits with your programming.” If that happens to you, then that’s great—but it’s often tough to get that kind of break these days.
There are also some new approaches you should consider exploring. Right now, some people are finding seed money to produce a web series based on their work, and if the series gets enough fans and the right people see it, that can result in a show on a major network.
I personally was looking for a singing, dancing, performing group that I could base a story around. I pitched that to the networks and didn’t get much response. But I really loved the project, and when I had to put it on the shelf, the people who were involved said, “Hey, maybe if you write a pilot, we can make something happen,” and that’s exactly what we did. They found the money to produce it, and we took it to conferences and events, and the networks ate it up.
So if you have passion for a project and some people who will invest time and even money—money is always good—go out and shoot it. Hopefully a network will take notice. Of course, as with any kind of writing project, you need to know who your target audience is. If your idea is for a kids’ show, you need to go to the children’s networks.
It all starts with the writer. What do you want to write about? Who is the audience for it? In what way will it be palatable to the viewing audience? Is it something you’re enthusiastic about, something you’ll go out and tell everybody about? You have to have passion in order to translate your script into a pitch to get someone to put it on the air. If you have passion for something, you’ll be able to transfer that passion to the people you’re pitching to—they’ll get it. And that’s how you break into television.