People's Pilot Update
TV Writer.Com
are now in, and half of them have been read by members
of the Brody Productions/Shapiro-Lichtman Agency staffs.
So far, the quality of the entries is much better than
expected. The ideas are good, and their expression is
clear and concise. Genres include family drama, more
sophisticated drama, science fiction, action, children's,
and sitcoms ranging from wry to slapstick.
Many people have inquired about the criteria being used
for this competition. In the biz itself, development
execs are always trying to second-guess the programmers
at the various networks and cable channels, and this often
leads to a watering down of quality and the look of
sameness that so many of us object to.
We at the People's Pilot are professionals primarily
interested in selling the winning series. However, we
refuse to lower our personal standards in order to do so.
That would defeat the whole point of the competition,
which is to present the grass roots ideas that the biz
so desperately needs if it is to survive amid all the
new entertainment competition.
Therefore, in addition to asking "Can we sell this?" we
have another criterion--our own taste. What do we like?
What do we want to see? What can we believe in enough to
go through the arduous development and placement process
with the necessary enthusiasm to see it through to the end?
At this point in the judging, fully half of the entries
that have been read have passed both tests, and our
excitement is mounting as we plunge back into the pile.
TV Writer.Com and the People's Pilot will keep you posted
as we proceed, and when we agree on a group of "semi-
finalists" we will publish it immediately.
Oh--for those who have wondered, here are the statistics.
The People's Pilot received 130 entries. This is an
easy to handle amount, large enough to give us plenty of
ideas to sort through, yet small enough so that nothing
will get lost in the shuffle.
TV Writer.Com thanks everyone who entered for all their hard
work, and wants to remind you that another People's Pilot
Competition will start February 1, 2001, to find material
for the summer 2001 selling season. For details, go to
http://www.tvwriter.com/peoplespilot
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