They have projects, instead. I just returned from a few days in Los Angeles. I had the chance to renew some contacts and speak with some of the top names in the entertainment industry. It has been rough out there in Hollywood over the last two years. Ad revenues are down, the big media companies are consolidating, and the number of movies in production is lower than it has been in years. On the other hand, there are over 90 television pilots in production, due in part to NBC's need to fill the five hours in prime recently filled by Jay Leno.
Most of the people I spoke with in the entertainment industry did not have a job in the conventional sense. They had "projects" that were either "developing," or were in various stages of "development" with a film company or television network. It seemed like they spent most of their time refining material to pitch to a media company or producer, or following up after a previous pitch. The selling of the project took up much more time than its creation. As a screenwriter friend of mine put it, "the writing is the easy part. Getting them to buy is hard."
Writers, directors, and executives who have made successful movies always have several projects they're working on. They have a sitcom to pitch to TBS and a drama ready for TNT. Or they have several sitcoms or reality shows handy, aimed at different networks. You never know which project will get a network or movie company to bite until you try. It may take many meetings before you get a green light.
What does this mean for you? If you only have one program idea, you're not really in the business. While you're refining your favorite idea, spend some time developing others. Even if you don't have buyers at present, at least you're in show business.
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