HOW TO PITCH a TV SHOW: DEALING WITH FEEDBACK

If there’s one thing the creative world guarantees - besides caffeine dependency - it’s feedback. And sending a couple of ideas to a well established production company was a fresh reminder that feedback can swing anywhere between "ooh, interesting!" and "yup, that’ll never get made."

I pitched two concepts: a property reality show and a women-in-motorsports documentary. And honestly? The response was medium. Not soul-crushing, not champagne-popping. I'd sum it up as OK-ish wrapped in realism.

Some of the criticism was pretty blunt: too expensive to make, too big a sell, impossible to film, not what audiences are watching right now, not ratings-friendly, not repeatable (I'll come back to repeatability later).

And here’s the thing, I can actually take that on board. In fact, it’s useful. Hearing "this won’t work because" is a million times more helpful than hearing "interesting" in that tone that means please never email this again. Hard truths are part of the job and taking them with grace is actually a superpower.

What I did learn, though, is that I don’t need to write a whole novella when pitching. It’s better to keep things short, just a few sharp paragraphs to explain the idea, the hook, who would watch it and which channel it would suit. No need for a 12-page doc, mood board, character arcs and a hypothetical series finale where everyone learns a lesson (least not in unscripted ie telly). Short, punchy and to the point works best.

Another thing I’m taking away is the "channel fit" part. I used to think a good idea was a good idea, full stop. Turns out, a good idea pitched at the wrong channel is basically just a polite rejection waiting to happen. Knowing why your idea fits a specific broadcaster, the tone, audience, budget, makes the whole conversation smoother and shows you’ve actually thought about the real world.

At the end of the day, feedback isn’t personal, it’s strictly facts. Yes, making TV in itself a creative job, but selling and buying TV shows is a numbers business. So I’m learning not to cling to ideas like they’re my emotional support pets. If someone says "this won’t fly", that’s not a failure. It’s just a nudge to refine, rethink or put that idea back in my "maybe later" folder. The important part is to keep creating and keep pitching, plus keep taking feedback.

Oh, and one thing I’ve learned is that repeatability is king when it comes to developing a sbest selling TV series. A great idea isn’t enough, it needs to be something that can actually repeat, series by series, without running out of steam by week three. Commissioners want formats that can keep delivering numbers, while the format staying the same/similar in every episode, following a structure that audiences instantly recognise and want to come back to. If your brilliant concept only works once or feels like a one-off special in disguise, it’s a harder sell.