My team and I are hoping to connect with a literary agent or producer knowledgeable about streaming platforms to discuss our show that had previously been green lit by a major Canadian network. However, we feel that a streaming platform would be better suited for our program than television. As such, we are hoping to present our show to a literary agent to gain some expertise in the area.
My apologies for the vagueness of this post as I am under an NDA. I would be happy to answer any questions that I am legally allowed to.
If you just want mentoring advice and to get a rough idea of the terms of certain deals and contracts there are webinars on the site you can buy and download or there are a few execs on the sight that might be able to do a one on one mentoring session for a few hundred bucks. That might get you up to speed on the information you're looking for.
Sadly there aren't that many agents or producers who answer questions from site members posting. Most hold all the important information you need behind a paywall of some kind.
Thank you for the feedback. We are hoping to pitch the show to them to bring us to the table with a streaming platform. The terms for their services can be negotiated privately once mutual interest is established but I do not think mentorship is what we are looking for. We would just continue with our original plans with the network if we are not able to find anyone but we didn't want to leave any stones unturned to make our project the best that it can be.
If you want an introduction to a streaming platform to be able to actually pitch your story, your best option is to hire an entertainment attorney. https://www.loeb.com/en to help you package the property with the right elements, Or, you could try to hire a development company https://buffalo8.com/freewater/ to work on your behalf to get your pitch materials in order and to tighten up your presentation and package.
Either way it's going to cost you a LOT of money upfront and they can't guarantee results because "results" depend greatly on the I.P. and the timing and the consideration given by the decision makers and no amount of money will secure a positive result. But to even have a shot at this, put away about $30-$50k. Sorry. Not the answer you're probably looking for.
This is the exact kind answer I was looking for. Thank you so much. Do you know if we pay this sum then we can guarantee at least a pitch meeting? Also, are these methods typically for shows that are done production and just want to sell to the platform or is it also for shows looking for backings from the platform as well?
Development is a little different than distribution but the methods are similar and when done right, both happen together. A distributor can take a show that's already done and try to sell it to a platform. You can contact Filmrise or any number of them. That's typically a lot easier than going straight to Amazon. However, given the current state of things. Many, many distributors are going under and a lot of producers who can go right to platforms, are doing just that.
Packaging is the process of attaching talent to the TV or film property and getting distribution deals in place before production. This can be done with producers, agents or attorneys or any combination.The advantage with attorneys over agents is that if you have the money, you can hire them outright. Agents typically won't respond to inquiries from unknown people. You have to be a known industry professional and that's why using an attorney can give you legitimacy. For a price. They have the connections to get responses. Not all of them have this though. So do your due diligence on vetting people.
Most attorneys offer up at least some short telephone consultation to answer what you can reasonably expect for the retainer. I would attempt to get details of the fee agreement ahead of time to know what will be attempted on your behalf.
Thank you again for such a detailed response. My team does consist of some very well known names in our industry. This was likely the biggest contributor on why we managed to be green lit by a network despite this being our first attempt at creating our own show. I'm hoping this is enough to get at least a conversation with some packaging agents. Your insights definitely offered us some great direction on what to look for. We will likely start trying to reach out to a few agents before consulting an attorney and depending on the fees, we will either continue with the current network or pursue it with the attorney.
You can consider ondemand.global, launching end of May. I am EIC there. There is a submission form on the website for contact.
Thanks for reaching out Shadow. I have looked through your site and your profile. I would love to learn more about what ODG does and have filled out the online contact form. Looking forward to connecting with you!
Hey John W Great question! I am the Director of Script Services at Stage 32. You can reach out to me directly at j.mirch@stage32.com - We have several managers and literary agents who have sold projects to Netflix and have overall deals with Amazon. I would be happy to discuss ways in which you can connect directly with them to discuss your project and get their thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Jason, that is amazing to hear. Thank you for reaching out. I will email you at the provided address for discussion!