UNSCRIPTED

My first entertainment job was as a development assistant at a reality TV production company. One of my responsibilities was to sift through our “unsolicited pitches” email account (essentially a virtual “slush pile”). I read a lot of things like, “There should be a reality show about carnivals.” I’d think, “Oh, fun idea,” but then click it closed and completely forget about it because, well, that’s all it was. 

Don’t get me wrong – ideas are great. I have them all the time. They get us excited, they get us going…but they aren’t pitches.

I’m not a poetry person but I’ve always loved William Carlos Williams’ line, “No ideas but in things”; it reminds me that concepts are born from details, not the other way around. An idea isn’t a pitch until it’s grounded in concrete, specific elements like characters, storyline(s), format, a compelling angle/point of view, and a cool world that viewers wouldn’t typically know about or have access to.