Developing Your Binge Worthy Unscripted Television Series
Webinar hosted by: Bobby Gomez
Former VP and Head of Development of Unscripted Television at Westbrook Studios, the studio arm of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s media company, Westbrook, Inc.
Bobby Gomez is currently a Development Consultant who most recently served as the Vice President and Head of Development of Unscripted Television at Westbrook Studios, the studio arm of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s media company, Westbrook, Inc., where he oversaw the development of original unscripted content and sold projects to Amazon, Roku, Meta, National Geographic/Disney+, Freeform and CNN ranging in genre from documentaries to docuseries to competition formats to game shows. Prior to Westbrook Studios, Gomez was a longtime executive at Critical Content formerly Relativity Television, most recently serving as its VP of Strategic Development overseeing 15 production overall deals and worked on projects such as Celebrity Game Face (E!), Catfish (MTV), Get Organized with the Home Edit (Hello Sunshine/Netflix), The Mysterious Death of Eazy-E (WeTV), Instant Dream Home (Netflix), Buy My House (Netflix), and The Great Food Truck Race (Food Network). Gomez graduated from the University of California – Riverside with a major in Sociology and a focus on Communications with the goal of telling important stories that impact the world. Full Bio »
Webinar Summary
An Exclusive Stage 32 Webinar
Learn How To Develop Your Unscripted TV Show From A Former Head of Development Of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Media Company Westbrook, Inc.
PLUS! You'll receive an example pitch deck for an unscripted series!
In today’s global content landscape, the demand for unscripted television shows is more robust than ever.
Netflix's QUEER EYE, NBC's THE VOICE, Amazon's LIZZO'S WATCH OUT FOR THE BIG GRRRLS, Hulu's THE KARDASHIANS, ABC's SHARK TANK, Netflix's TOO HOT TO HANDLE, Paramount+'s RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE...the list goes on and on and the profits keep rolling in. Unscripted series are huge business and there is no end in sight!
This exclusive Stage 32 webinar is hosted by Bobby Gomez, a Development Consultant who most recently served as the Vice President and Head of Development of Unscripted Television at Westbrook Studios, the studio arm of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s media company, Westbrook, Inc., where he oversaw the development of original unscripted content. Bobby sold projects to Amazon, Roku, Meta, National Geographic/Disney+, Freeform and CNN ranging in genre from documentaries and docuseries to competition formats and game shows.
Prior to Westbrook Studios, Gomez was a longtime executive at Critical Content formerly Relativity Television, most recently serving as its VP of Strategic Development overseeing 15 production overall deals and worked on projects such as Celebrity Game Face (E!), Catfish (MTV), Get Organized with the Home Edit (Hello Sunshine/Netflix), The Mysterious Death of Eazy-E (WeTV), Instant Dream Home (Netflix), Buy My House (Netflix), and The Great Food Truck Race (Food Network).
In this webinar, you will learn how to develop your unscripted series to become the next global phenomenon and how to best position your project in today's unscripted television marketplace.
Unscripted shows can be made quicker, and at a lower price point, than scripted programming. With network and platform budgets getting ever squeezed, unscripted content is filling streaming libraries and network programming schedules. Developing successful unscripted shows is not an exact science, of course, but there are helpful tools and techniques to deploy as you develop your show and get it sold!
By learning some of the processes and tricks used to develop unscripted shows of different genres, this webinar will give you valuable insight into creating shows to feed the demand for fresh and innovative ideas, tap into a growing market, and create the next big hit.
This webinar will introduce aspiring unscripted creators and producers to the development process for unscripted TV series. From identifying compelling stories and finding interesting characters for a docuseries to how to begin creating and structuring the next great unscripted format or game show, you will learn how to successfully bring your unscripted TV shows to the marketplace.
What You'll Learn
- The Spark of an Idea
- Where do I find inspiration for a new show idea?
- Following the trends
- Forced Relationships - a tool for ideation
- What Type of Show Should This Be?
- Is this idea best served as a docuseries? A competition or game show? A competition format?
- What is the difference between arced series, repeatable formats, and anthologies?
- Do Your Research
- What has been made in this space?
- What has been successful? What hasn’t? Why?
- Identifying key elements that make similar shows engaging and popular
- Which networks/platforms am I targeting?
- Creating Your Logline
- Your logline is your first impression
- How long should your logline be?
- Keys to a good logline
- Example loglines
- Developing a Talent Led Docuseries
- How to approach and get access to top talent
- Characters and casting
- What are we going to see?
- Developing a Structured Repeatable Format
- What’s the best structure for your idea?
- Creating your format - what are we seeing every episode?
- Finding your hook. What’s this show’s “red chair?”
- Poking holes in your concept to make sure it is air tight
- Creating Your Pitch Deck
- Tips to tackling the creating your unscripted pitch deck
- Sample structures for pitch decks for docuseries and formats
- Sizzles and Casting Tapes
- Do I need a sizzle or casting tape?
- Original shooting vs rip reel sizzle
- Tips for creating a sizzle that will have an impact
- I Have My Pitch Ready…Now What?
- Packaging your idea
- Who should you be pitching?
- Tips for getting a coveted pitch meeting
- Tips for pitching your show
- Q&A with Bobby
About Your Instructor
Bobby Gomez
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Testimonials
QUOTE – Ashley Hoff (Senior Vice President of Development, Center Drive Media)
"I've worked with many talented developers over the years, but Bobby truly stands out. He’s one of the best at identifying compelling stories and interesting characters, as well as crafting unique formats, and developing ideas into successful unscripted television shows. Bobby's passion for this industry is infectious, and his attention to detail and creative vision have made him a valuable asset to many projects. When it comes to developing unscripted television shows, Bobby is simply one of the best."
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