A trend worth paying attention to: TV pilots are increasingly arriving at networks and streamers already packaged. That means producers, talent, and sometimes financing are in place before the first real buyer conversation happens. The bar has moved. The good news? Writers who are proactive about building those relationships early, through pitch sessions, through community, through getting their work in front of the right people now are the ones positioned to compete.
So how does packaging actually work? It typically starts with a producer getting attached, someone with existing relationships at networks and studios who believes in the material and is willing to put their name behind it. From there, the producer works to bring in a showrunner, someone with a proven track record who can signal to buyers that this project has the leadership to actually get made. Then comes the lead actor: a name with enough heat to make a network feel confident the project can be marketed and sold. Once those pieces are in place, the package gets taken out to studios and streamers in a much more formal process. Instead of a writer walking in alone with a script, you have a team walking in with a vision, credibility, and momentum already behind it.
That's what buyers respond to right now. Not just a great script: a great script that's already moving. Because at the network and streamer level, greenlighting a pilot is a significant investment, and a packaged project lowers that risk (on paper). It tells the room that others have already vetted the material, committed to it, and are ready to build. It doesn't guarantee success, of course. And plenty of shows have recently broken that mold: HEATED RIVALRY being the perfect example.
For writers, this means the work doesn't stop at the script. Getting in front of the right producers early ( before your project is fully packaged) is where the process begins. A pitch session isn't just a shot at a script request. It's the beginning of the relationship that could eventually become your package. So with that in mind, who is your dream showrunner for your project?
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Always thoughtful!! Keep helping us stay relevant.
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Saying it like it is :)
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Really helpful perspective. The idea that the script is only the starting point and that relationships help build the package really resonates. Appreciate you sharing this breakdown of how projects actually move forward.
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Brett Wickman Absolutely. This is why it helps to write projects that could attract talent or a great director.
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Ron Howard's not a showrunner :) He's a director, filmmaker, producer, actor...the man wears many hats. But he's not a showrunner in the classical term. He's not writing, creating and running series.
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Can I be my own showrunner one day lol
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Geoffroy Faugerolas this is a wonderful question! In television the goal post is continuously moving. Interestingly enough, I am in the process of packaging a project that came in as a Stage 32 pitch! The creator is one of the many wonderful writers I’ve met on this platform. I have Geoff to thank for that! So our goal is to attach a big name production company that has a history of producing shows that are similar to this works (music / hip hop). Next, we’re targeting actors with deals who we cast and bring in as a producer. From there, between myself, the creator and reps, we have relationships with showrunners and talent that we can get the pitch, deck and script in front of. I am fairly confident that with our relationships and the strong material we’ll be pitching this show very soon. Sadly, it isn’t enough to have a great script alone but that’s what producers are for! Keep getting your projects in the right hands on Stage 32!
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Whitney Davis Thank you Whitney so much. Thankful to have you giving your sage advice and real experience no how. I think writing is a participatory event and one that thrives on relationships and constant networking. It isn't only the script by a whole system of packaging our work and ourselves to the other creatives, finances and talent to make any project work. Thanks again and looking forward when you can join us next time.
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Great advice on packaging Geoffroy Faugerolas. How does one begin to look at showrunners if new to the industry? I am connected to talent but not showrunners. Maybe this is the starting point?
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Mone't Weeks Absolutely :) This is why he owns one of the most prolific prod co/mini studio in town. He can produce, direct and be a great champion for the story you want to tell.
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Tari Matanga Starting with where you have an in is always a great way to start. Maybe some you know, knows someone who... you see where I'm going with this. But to Whitney's point, you don't necessarily need to target a showrunner at this stage. A studio or prod co could attach one. You can start by finding an exec, a producer or a rep who will champion your work.
Can't wait for AI that the writers will use to make their own stuff. We write. We create. It used to be that you needed a publisher to get your book out there. Not anymore. It used to be that you needed a record label and a producer to get your music out there. Not anymore. It'll be the same with film. We'll be able to get our stories out there without L.A. and the industries that go with it. Fine by me. And getting your stuff made by Hollywood is such a long shot that there will obviously be little to no money in that anyway. But with AI, we'll at least be able to bring our vision to life like an artist, a singer, a dancer, or a comic. No gatekeeper machine. Let the studios come up with some sort of new entertainment technology. Because cinema has been pretty much the same thing for over 100 years. Better tech, of course. So leave storytelling to writers who'll work with AI, and the studios can sink their money into some new entertainment experience.
Sometimes this process can even start with the query/pitch by including specific talent names for characters or roles such as: "The protagonist is a Jennifer Lawrence type," or "A David Fincher vibe," etc.
Kevin Birnbaum Everyone will be able to make their own stuff...but will it be good? Will it break through the noise with no promotional efforts? Can word of mouth suffice? For some, it will. But not for all. AI won't change distribution channels drastically. There will be new algorithm-driven platforms deciding who watches what. The game will change but the concept will remain the same: you can't create or write in a vacuum.
"You can't create or write in a vacuum." Really? You're not understanding what I'm saying, and I get that. I'm a creator. As a writer, I write what I want. Like any novelist, poet, or playwright. I've made a few indie features, and I've been asked how to become a film writer. And I respond, do you want to write for Hollywood or just make a movie? Does a trumpet player want to play for a symphony orchestra, in a jazz band, or just solo? The fact is, the trumpet player, like the painter, singer, or writer, has it in them to create. It's not really a choice. It's who we are. From your viewpoint, I understand that if you want to make it in the world of huge budgets and stars, you can't create in a vacuum. You have to work within a system. And it's that system that has seen to it that you have a better chance of becoming a successful blackjack player than of becoming part of Hollywood's chosen. The goal, for most creatives, is to share their work. Now your goal, in the business side of show business, is to make a lot of money. AI will allow writers to create their vision. That's all I'm saying.
Geoffroy Faugerolas I still favor the mulit-cam projects, so Chuck Lorre is my ideal showrunner. Still trying to figure out how to get on his mailing list.
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At the very likely risk that I will at least be thought of if not labeled a 'brown noser' haha (I've been called much worse TODAY) I am often surprised at the level of pushback articulated by Stage 32 members when presented with the realities of 'how the industry works', as if offense is taken by the reader at what is being told.
While not everyone on here has a dream that involves breaking into the industry and they just want to be creative, most of us all dream and that dream almost always involves figuring out a way to become PART OF the industry, not figuring out ways to exist outside of it. I get really frustrated daily that my projects haven't been 'greenlit' but my frustration is independent of thought leaders and industry professionals explaining how it usually works. I actually appreciate that message even as it deflates me just a little bit more.
So, thanks to all the contributors here explaining the difficulty we will face in realizing those dreams. it sure is a lot more helpful to have Stage 32 as a resource than not to have it.