Nicola Lees – författare

"Blows the lid on so many TV secrets" Tom Archer, Controller Factual, BBC "If every first-time producer read this before pitching a program, I guarantee a greater success rate" Gary Lico, President/CEO, CABLEready, USA In recent years there has been an explosion of broadcast and cable channels with a desperate need for original factual/reality programming to fill their schedules: documentaries, observational series, makeover formats, reality competitions. Yet television executives receive a daily avalanche of inappropriate pitches from pushy, badly prepared producers. Only 1 in 100 proposals are considered worth a second look, and most commissioners never read past the first paragraph. Greenlit explains how to develop, research, pitch and sell your idea for any type of factual or reality television show.It gives the inside track on: * What channel executives are really looking for in a pitch * The life stories of hit factual shows such as The Apprentice, Deadliest Catch and Strictly Come Dancing * Advice from channel commissioners, development producers and on-screen talent on both sides of the Atlantic * Eleven steps that will increase your chance of winning a commission In a rapidly expanding TV market, Greenlit is packed with resource lists, sample proposals, case studies and exercises designed to boost your skills and develop commission-winning proposals.

The must-have guide to traditional, emerging and creative TV funding models that are being developed and exploited by social media-savvy documentary filmmakers. Each chapter covers a different form of funding and combines advice from industry insiders - producers, buyers, specialist media agencies and corporate funding bodies - and entertaining case studies that illustrate the benefits and pitfalls of each method. With practical tips, case studies and advice it reveals what grantors, brands and NGOs are looking for in a pitch (they all have different needs and expectations), and the cultural differences that can trip up the unwary producer.Funding examples range from blue-chip TV documentaries, such as Planet Earth, which was co-funded by the BBC, Discovery NHK and CBC to The TV Book Club (More 4), which is funded by Specsavers opticians; to Lemonade Movie, which harnessed the power of Twitter to source free equipment and post-production resources.Readers will discover: the difference between co-productions, pre-sales and acquisitions; how to develop and pitch advertiser funded programming; the new rules on product placement; where to hunt for foundation and grant funding and how to fill in those fiendish application forms; the power of crowd-funding and how to harness the internet; how to sniff out grants and funds held in non-film focused organisations such as the Wellcome Trust; why corporations are keen to fund your documentary and how to get them to part with their money without giving up your editorial control.