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Mediabistro.com Presents Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer's Guide to the TV Business
Take On Hollywood and Make It as a Television Writer.
From mediabistro.com, the media industry’s most well-respected source for jobs, professional development, and community, this inside-the-business guide gives you the knowledge and tools you need to infiltrate Hollywood and land a job as a TV writer. That’s right— Small Screen, Big Picture gives you a competitive edge over millions of other aspiring writers who share your talent, creativity, and determination . . . because after reading these pages, you’ll have the one thing they an understanding of the business of television.
This journey into Hollywood’s inner workings not only details how networks, studios, and production companies work together, it teaches you how the process affects the creation and writing of TV series, how shows make money, and—ultimately—how you can use this information to break into the industry.
You’ll
• What really goes on in the inner sanctum of the writers’ room—and how to be a part of it
• How today’s TV business model works—and how rapidly it’s changing
• Who has the power to buy a show idea—and how to pitch your own
• How new media formats are changing television—and how to use them to your advantage
• Which jobs will kick-start your TV writing career—and how to get hired
• And much more . . .
Armed with this solid foundation of knowledge, you’ll be ready to plan your entry into the industry and begin your successful TV writing career.
From mediabistro.com, the media industry’s most well-respected source for jobs, professional development, and community, this inside-the-business guide gives you the knowledge and tools you need to infiltrate Hollywood and land a job as a TV writer. That’s right— Small Screen, Big Picture gives you a competitive edge over millions of other aspiring writers who share your talent, creativity, and determination . . . because after reading these pages, you’ll have the one thing they an understanding of the business of television.
This journey into Hollywood’s inner workings not only details how networks, studios, and production companies work together, it teaches you how the process affects the creation and writing of TV series, how shows make money, and—ultimately—how you can use this information to break into the industry.
You’ll
• What really goes on in the inner sanctum of the writers’ room—and how to be a part of it
• How today’s TV business model works—and how rapidly it’s changing
• Who has the power to buy a show idea—and how to pitch your own
• How new media formats are changing television—and how to use them to your advantage
• Which jobs will kick-start your TV writing career—and how to get hired
• And much more . . .
Armed with this solid foundation of knowledge, you’ll be ready to plan your entry into the industry and begin your successful TV writing career.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
431 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 2, 2010
If you want to be a TV writer, order this book immediately and start reading it. If you want to be a writer, but you’re not sure what kind, check out this book. If you don’t care about writing, but you love TV, you’ll love this book, too.
For the TV fan, this book is full of fascinating information about life behind the scenes, including how the TV industry is structured, how pilots work, how series are staffed, and a whole lot more. It includes entertaining trivia about the history of television, as well as surprising facts about past and current shows. Ever wonder how TV ratings work? It’s in there. Ever wonder how much it costs to produce a pilot or a single episode of a TV show? Check out this book. You won’t be disappointed. It’s written in an easy to ready style, and is appealing to the general reader, who hasn’t already spent years working in the entertainment business.
For the aspiring writer, this book gives you a full view of what it’s like to get into the TV industry and what life is like as a TV writer. If you’re not sure whether you want to be a TV writer, a screenplay writer, or a novel writer, this can help give you an idea of whether television is for you, or whether you’re better off focusing your writing efforts elsewhere. It can even give you ideas on how to develop other kinds of writing: character development, point of view, and the premise are present in many other types of writing as well. Personally, reading this book gave me a lot of ideas for non-TV writing.
And, of course, if you’re looking to break into the industry as a TV writer, this book is the bible you need to get started. Don’t make another move until you’ve read this book. If you think you need to wait tables in LA for years until you get your writing break, you’re dead wrong. There are a lot of things you can (and should) actively do to jumpstart your TV writing career, and this book lays it all out on the line. Step by step, it tells you exactly what you need to do go get started. The rest is up to you.
This book first explains how to get started in the TV industry (it’s not easy, but there are several paths to take and each one is explained here), and then takes an aspiring TV writer through the long process of getting a script onto the air, step by step, with all the details. The author tells exactly what to expect along the way, including pitching a pilot, developing a pilot, the process of pilot pickup, and the development of a series. He also explains the importance of the syndication process (with rare exceptions, a show doesn’t generate profit until it’s been sold into syndication) and how to write a series so that it’s easy to syndicate (this is very important).
There’s also a full glossary of industry terms, as well as a huge appendix of additional reading, including sources for industry news, TV organizations and associations, writing programs and classes, and podcasts on the industry.
I can’t imagine there’s a more informative book about the television industry out there. This book tells it all, in an engaging, easy to understand style. I highly recommend it, for either the aspiring writer or for any TV fan. Enjoy!
For the TV fan, this book is full of fascinating information about life behind the scenes, including how the TV industry is structured, how pilots work, how series are staffed, and a whole lot more. It includes entertaining trivia about the history of television, as well as surprising facts about past and current shows. Ever wonder how TV ratings work? It’s in there. Ever wonder how much it costs to produce a pilot or a single episode of a TV show? Check out this book. You won’t be disappointed. It’s written in an easy to ready style, and is appealing to the general reader, who hasn’t already spent years working in the entertainment business.
For the aspiring writer, this book gives you a full view of what it’s like to get into the TV industry and what life is like as a TV writer. If you’re not sure whether you want to be a TV writer, a screenplay writer, or a novel writer, this can help give you an idea of whether television is for you, or whether you’re better off focusing your writing efforts elsewhere. It can even give you ideas on how to develop other kinds of writing: character development, point of view, and the premise are present in many other types of writing as well. Personally, reading this book gave me a lot of ideas for non-TV writing.
And, of course, if you’re looking to break into the industry as a TV writer, this book is the bible you need to get started. Don’t make another move until you’ve read this book. If you think you need to wait tables in LA for years until you get your writing break, you’re dead wrong. There are a lot of things you can (and should) actively do to jumpstart your TV writing career, and this book lays it all out on the line. Step by step, it tells you exactly what you need to do go get started. The rest is up to you.
This book first explains how to get started in the TV industry (it’s not easy, but there are several paths to take and each one is explained here), and then takes an aspiring TV writer through the long process of getting a script onto the air, step by step, with all the details. The author tells exactly what to expect along the way, including pitching a pilot, developing a pilot, the process of pilot pickup, and the development of a series. He also explains the importance of the syndication process (with rare exceptions, a show doesn’t generate profit until it’s been sold into syndication) and how to write a series so that it’s easy to syndicate (this is very important).
There’s also a full glossary of industry terms, as well as a huge appendix of additional reading, including sources for industry news, TV organizations and associations, writing programs and classes, and podcasts on the industry.
I can’t imagine there’s a more informative book about the television industry out there. This book tells it all, in an engaging, easy to understand style. I highly recommend it, for either the aspiring writer or for any TV fan. Enjoy!
August 1, 2012
Este no es tan manual como puede aparentar. De hecho, a modo del mundillo general de la televisión, este es más interesante que otro que tengo añadido (Crafty TV writing) para aquellos que simplemente sean seguidores y amantes de la televisión.
Este libro abarca todos los aspectos del negocio televisivo, desde el contenido hasta las estrategias de programación. Es de un nivel bastante medio, no es para aquellos que ya estén muy puestos en el mundillo porque les aportará poco, aunque sí hay cosillas interesantes.
Yo eché de menos precisamente eso, que fuese un poquito más allá y se quedase menos en "conoce el mundo de la tele".
Este libro abarca todos los aspectos del negocio televisivo, desde el contenido hasta las estrategias de programación. Es de un nivel bastante medio, no es para aquellos que ya estén muy puestos en el mundillo porque les aportará poco, aunque sí hay cosillas interesantes.
Yo eché de menos precisamente eso, que fuese un poquito más allá y se quedase menos en "conoce el mundo de la tele".
December 31, 2010
Stellar info dump. The business of television is structured so differently from that of features that a person could say earn a prestigious degree in Film & TV and still be clueless. I'd puzzled a lot of it out from dozens of hours of DVD commentaries anyway, but I predict this will soon be a Required Text.
I would also recommend it to anyone who wants to understand why good TV often dies while bad TV often thrives. Once I actually understood the pull between network and studio, and the numbers involved in syndication vs. the numbers in DVD sales, I kind of went, "holy shit".
I would also recommend it to anyone who wants to understand why good TV often dies while bad TV often thrives. Once I actually understood the pull between network and studio, and the numbers involved in syndication vs. the numbers in DVD sales, I kind of went, "holy shit".
August 22, 2009
I hoped to find some clue about WHY tv bosses cancel shows I like and substitute junk. The only clue I got from the book on this is that they regard a show as a commodity to be sold, not particularly whether the quality of the content is pleasing to the viewers. Thus a reality show is interchangeable with Buffy IF they can sell the same.
A good book to study if you want to WORK in the tv industry, I'd guess.
A good book to study if you want to WORK in the tv industry, I'd guess.
September 12, 2010
This guy nails it. Read this book in three sittings and was blown away by the clarity of explanation and the tone which is pitched just right, never pretentious. I think a good read for any level of player in this town, or someone that really wants to understand the process. I really appreciated how he framed his explanation by starting with dollars and sense. I'll take a single camera reverse comp lead in please...
December 29, 2013
Amazing textbook for how the TV side of the entertainment industry works. Written by a true expert!
May 21, 2011
An incredibly insightful and useful guide for decoding the mystery surrounding the television industry. So much information pours from the pages that it's just as useful as a desktop reference.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews