Lesson 1

[Nat Melvin]

Natalie’s Project and Market
WIL: Although I’m still working on my pilot, I am excited to start working on my marketing materials.

1. Title: STOLEN SENSES
Genre: One Hour Adventure Fantasy Show

Concept: In a world where gods clash and fate hangs in the balance, a Hawaiian orphan harnesses forbidden powers to navigate treacherous alliances, battling to avert the cataclysmic collision of divine and mortal realms.

2. The story’s appeal lies in its captivating blend of Hawaiian, Greek, and other Worldwide Mythologies, divine conflict, the power struggle, and a courageous orphan's quest to forge alliances across warring pantheons to save both divine and mortal realms from destruction.

3. Targeting PRODUCERS would be the priority. Producers have the power to green-light projects, secure financing, and oversee the creative and logistical aspects of production. By pitching the TV show directly to producers, there's a greater chance of getting the project off the ground and into production. Once a producer is on board, they can then collaborate with managers, actors, and production companies to further develop and cast the project. Therefore, focusing on producers initially can be the most effective strategy for advancing the TV show from concept to reality.

[Margaret]

Margaret’s Project & Market

What I learned: To think through what is the most attractive part of my project so I could plan the pitch.

Genre: Sci-Fi Drama
Title: Echoes of Masada
Concept: A man becomes a reluctant prophet on an alien planet, reliving the historic siege of Masada through mysterious echoes, tasked with altering its outcome to save a warring nation.
Who I will target first: Managers
What is most attractive about my project: It is a unique, faith-based, blend of history and Sci-Fi.

[Sunil Pappu]

Sunil Pappu’s Project and Market

“What I learned today is…to find the most attractive things about my story and define the market for my project.”

Title: Hawala Ledger
Format/Genre: One-Hour Heist Thriller Series
Concept: A math prodigy joins a heist to penetrate an underground banking system to steal an ancient ledger protected by a secret society that controls the financial world.

What’s most attractive about this story:
It’s a heist thriller that answers the question, what would happen if a math prodigy joins a heist to penetrate an underground banking system to steal an ancient ledger protected by a secret society that controls the financial world.

HOOK 1: How do you infiltrate a dangerous network that operates outside the regular financial system to find an ancient ledger that holds the secrets of the world’s economies?
HOOK 2: What will it take for a crew of international thieves to retrieve a coveted ledger which can topple governments and crash the financial world?
HOOK 3: How do you steal a mythical ledger from an organization that operates illegally outside the financial system without leaving paper trails?
HOOK 4: What if a rookie agent trying to bring down a powerful secret society is the prodigal daughter they have groomed to protect their ancient secrets to wealth and power?
HOOK 5: What if Money Heist meets Mr. Robot?

My market:

First Producers – who have credits on thriller series through IMDB/LinkedIn – an existing network of close to 4000 out of which 200 or so have responded to my previous projects.
Second Managers – my existing network of 200 out of which 10 or so have responded to previous projects – as I want to get repped to open doors to market the project to streamers and production companies and find a home for it.

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Sunil Pappu.

[Denice Lewis]

Denice’s Project and Market
What I learned doing this assignment is that it takes a different mindset to approach this business model and a disconnect from the emotional aspect of rejection.
Genre: Fantasy action
Title: Dreambound
Concept: An insecure teenager physically enters the dream world to find her kidnapped father
and discovers she’s the next Dreamweaver, the first female, and there are those who
want her dead.
What is most attractive about my story? A spoiled, insecure teen must control her emotions
and accept responsibility for balancing and saving the dream world and reality as the
first female Dreamweaver. She straddles two worlds with enemies tracking her in both.
Target: I will target managers first because they know more than I do about the players, and I
desire a partnership.

[Jeff Chase]

Jeffrey Alan Chase Project and Market
FORMAT: One-hour serialized TV show
GENRE: Christian Thriller
TITLE: The Backpack
CONCEPT: When he finds a battered backpack, a homeless veteran’s life takes a spiritual turn as the supernatural contents of it alter both his destiny and the lives of people in crisis he encounters.
I believe my script will appeal to both the Christian market and those viewers who like a great thriller. I don’t know that the genre has ever been attacked like I plan to attack it.
I will market to producers first. I’ve put together a powerful pitch and feel I can sell it.
What I learned doing this assignment is I’m ready and raring to make great connections with producers who can option and/or purchase and produce my script.

[Renee Miller]

Renee’s Project & Market

What I learned doing this assignment is what I need to do to receive the most script requests after presenting my projects to those in the industry.

Genre: 1-hour Horror
Title: Veil of Shadows
Concept: A relentless journalist's investigation into her mother’s death leads her into the dark heart of a malevolent cult, where she uncovers ancient horrors that threaten to blend her reality with terrifying supernatural realms.

What makes this concept most attractive is the protagonist's personal stakes and emotional engagement and the blurring of lines between reality and the paranormal with the intrigue of the cult and the unknown and hidden forces that control society.

Target Market: I usually target producers first, but I think I will target Managers first for this project.

[Lenore]

Lenore Bechtel’s Project and Market

Title: Hypnotized by Hope

Genre: Comedy

A Contained One-hour Comedy Series

Concept: Lilly Brandon wants national publicity for the book she’s ghostwriting for Hypnotist Joshua Hope, but not an exposé like scandal reporter Quinten Quebeck could possibly find.
She must keep Quinten at bay while navigating Joshua’s zany treatments for weird clients and coping with a task-challenged new hire.

The most attractive thing about my series is that it will bring something brand new to streaming platforms—the intriguing world of hypnosis which will draw viewers out of curiosity and captive them with the story’s comical charm. Even though the characters are as unique as the subject matter itself, audiences will identify with their problems and root for them to succeed.

I will target managers and agents first because I myself know I can never be good at pitching. The reason is because I have profound hearing loss that makes me unable to understand accents and to communicate well by telephone or in a noisy room. To find a management company that produces would be iideal for me.

What I learned from this assignment is that I need both a “writing hat” and a “business hat,” and I’m hoping my latter will lead to someone who’ll take over the business side, giving me more time to keep wearing my writing hat.

[Art Blum]

Art – Project and Market
What I learned today?
In thinking about the journey we’ve been on in this class I had this thought about my project. Through Ryan's journey of accepting his psychic abilities and his past, I learn to embrace my own unique qualities, talents, and experiences that set me apart. This can help me develop greater self-acceptance and confidence.

Log Line:
In a world where psychic abilities are exploited, a teenage outcast must confront his haunted past and embrace his power to channel spirits when a sinister government agency's experiment to merge alien consciousness with humans threatens the fate of humanity and the lives of those he holds dear.
Concept:
"'Go Your Way In Safety' is a sci-fi psychological drama that follows Ryan, a teenage outcast with the psychic ability to channel spirits. When a sinister government agency known as Hermes begins experimenting with merging alien consciousness into human hosts, Ryan must confront his haunted past and embrace his powers to protect humanity and those he loves.
As Ryan navigates the challenges of his newfound responsibilities, he faces personal struggles with identity, trust, and sacrifice. He forges deep bonds with his classmates and uncovers a web of conspiracies that threaten to unravel his world. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, Ryan must make difficult choices and confront the truth about his own existence to save those he holds dear and find his place in the world.
'Go Your Way In Safety' explores themes of belonging, the consequences of exploiting power, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming odds. It combines elements of science fiction, supernatural horror, and psychological drama to create a gripping and emotionally resonant story that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats."
The most attractive element:
The complex and relatable characters, particularly the protagonist's struggle with his identity and abilities, which can foster a strong emotional connection with viewers.
Who will I target first?
Producers and production companies who have a proven track record in science fiction, supernatural, or psychological drama. I feel this will increase the likelihood of finding the right champions for my project

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Art Blum.

[Eclipse Neilson]

Title: Eclipse Neilson Project and Market

1. Genre: Drama / Sci-Fi
Concept. A war orphan with mystical abilities and an autistic genius, is destined to help save humanity from destroying itself.
2..
TIS TIME weaves a mystical/sci-fi approach to saving humanity from destroying our planet and itself in a era where tragically youth has loss a sense of wonderment and any hope for a safe future as climate change and threats of a new world war emerges.
3.FIRST producers, they have the way to open doors first and have connections.
4. Answer the question “What I learned today is…?”
Make it strong – keep it simple.

[Phyllis Strong]

Phyllis’ Project and Market
What I learned from this assignment is that concise wording is best for my concept.
Genre: Grounded Sci-Fi
Title: The Price of Youth
Concept: What if the elderly could transfer consciousness to much younger, healthy bodies? Would it be a second chance at life, or would it be full of unexpected pitfalls?
I will target production companies first because I believe they will be most responsive to a high concept series like The Price of Youth.

[Patrick Malone]

Patrick’s Project and Market
This lesson made me consider what is most attractive about my story.
1. Genre: Mystery/Horror Title: The Dead Lakes
Concept: A group of local Floridians embark on a perilous journey into the mysterious
Dead Lakes region to uncover the secrets of a Confederate gold shipment lost during the Civil War. Not only are they threatened by rival treasure seekers, they encounter supernatural forces guarding the ancient fortune.
2. I think the what’s most attractive about this story is the mystery of what happened to the lost gold and whether there is actually a creature, a monster, protecting the gold. Also, the culture of the Gulf coast and the mysterious, dangerous environment of Dead Lakes.
3. I will target producers first. They have the most clout to advance a project. As well, I have a substantial contact list of producers.

[Jerry Robbins]

Jerry Robbins Project and Market
What I learned today is to aim at what is edge, unique, and timely about my story that will attract a manager, producer, or an agent.
1. Science Fiction, Robob Revolution, Concept: robots with biological brains
2. It presents robobs as real people, although with a somewhat different way of looking at the world. They are a literal cross between machine and human, thus solving the problem of man being made obsolete by artificial intelligence, through a symbiosis between human and machine intelligence. This idea is current and timely and something new, as most robot stories have been about clunky metal objects that no one could mistake for human. The robobs are relatable as characters in the story.
3. I will likely target managers, as I need one who has connections; But I will still market to producers as well as actors’ companies, as there are some really great roles to attract actors.