Michelle Lipton
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I’m still pretty new to this TV development lark so I’m no expert, but in the last couple of years I’ve developed seven projects for television. Some were original projects that I came up with, and some were ideas the production company were already working on and I was brought onto the project to work up treatments or episode outlines or write scripts. Some are still in the early stages, some are in full swing, and some are dead in the water – at least for now.
When I had my first series optioned, I had no idea what to expect or how the development process would work so the last couple of years have been a steep learning curve. I thought it might be useful, or at least maybe interesting, to write a bit about it here.
Great information for anyone attempting to break into the TV business. I’ve pitched several shows to VH1 a few years ago and found it totally exciting. What I’m learning is there doesn’t seem to be any real straight path from idea to on air. Some properties want to see a produced pilot, others just want a treatment and some will not even accept unsolicited concepts.
Hi Michelle,
First of all as a new writer starting out I find your blog so useful and really appreciate your taking the time to share your progress and advice! Please accept my apologies for commenting on here, I tried to send you email you via this page but it all got a bit confusing for a techno-phobe such as myself!
I just was interested to hear about your journey to where you are now. How you started out in the industry and what your bath was from starting out to where you are now?
Keep blogging!! Dan
Hi Dan, I’m still very much just starting out on my career but I began with writing stage plays for a youth theatre company, and going on a very good course (this one) off the back of which I got an agent. I was lucky to get an original series optioned quite early on which opened a lot of doors in terms of development work. I also worked as a scriptreader for a couple of years which led to a job writing a feature adaptation. Then I managed to get a radio series commissioned which led to more radio work and from that, more TV development work. I’m just starting to get my first commissions on the soaps – it took four years of nagging to get the commission I’m working on at the moment! It’s been a meandering sort of route but I don’t think any two paths are the same. Thanks for your kind words about the blog!
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