Reality Television in the Digital Age : Self Publishing on Blip.tv

It’s no secret in this day and age that the digital landscape has taken over pretty much every area of life. From online shopping to reading your favorite magazine, the Internet and now smart phones and/or other handheld technological devices, life has drastically changed. The way we consume media has especially changed. Brick and mortar buildings in some cases are becoming a thing of the past, especially regarding music and video stores. Another area of media that is also changing due to the digital revolution is reality television.

Reality television is one of the fastest growing genres of television and shows no sign of stopping. It seems every one and their brother has a great idea for reality television, the trick is how to get your show produced and distributed amongst all of the competition. If you or someone you know has tried to create a reality program you are probably aware that the odds are against you in succeeding. Chances are someone else has already taken your idea and it’s on a major network, or no one cares to listen to your awesome pitch. What now?

That’s where the digital age has changed the game for many aspiring reality show producers. I have recently learned about a website titled, blip.tv that is host for dozens of original web series including reality programming. If you have an idea, a video camera, and a tripod, says COO Dina Kaplan you can host a web series on blip.tv (click to see a video with more from Dina). It’s that easy. Instead of waiting for the big dogs (producers and networks) to come to you, why not get your show out there in cyber world on a new and growing in popularity medium.

Though blip seems to still be a little bit of a niche market and not quite as mainstream as Youtube, it’s growing and gaining a bit of a following. From Google Ad Sense, they report that every month blip.tv receives over 3.2 millions users, of which, close to 30% are men between the ages of 24-34 with some college education and an average annual household income of $25,000-$49,999.

Another great aspect of blip.tv is that you receive revenue every time your shows are viewed due to advertisement you can allow at a few different times during your show. Blip.tv offers a 50/50 compensation plan with it’s show creators(click here for more details). In order to get the most “bang for your buck” blip would recommend opting for pre-roll, overlay, post-roll and mid-roll ads. To learn more about how to earn revenue with blip click here for a video explanation from Steve Woolf, the West Coast Director of Content for blip.tv.

Good luck, self-producers! 

From Pitch, to Pilot, to Millions…or at least enough to pay your studio apartment rent.

With my last post focusing on landing an agent and having that unique proprietary element to get you ahead in the rat race that is reality television, I thought I would point in the direction of some tools I have found helpful in getting one step further to producing great reality television. An interesting website I came across last year is videojug.com. Videojug.com is an assorted jungle of wonderful information whether you’re learning how to cook, date, or most importantly ;-), learn how to produce reality television.  

Here you’ll find some great videos featuring interviews with some very successful reality television executives, giving their inside scoop on how to “make it happen”. Mark Cronin, a reality television executive producer and owner of 51 Minds, takes some time and explains what happens after the pitch and a network actually does like your idea. If a network does indeed bite on your idea they may give you a small amount of money for a treatment, which is usually about a 1-5 page outline of what the show will be. It includes a short logline, a several paragraph synopsis, and then a short breakdown of each episode. From there they may give you money to shoot a pilot, and if they like what they see from there, they may fork out some additional cash to produce the entire series to hopefully air in the “big leagues”.

Cronin gives some simple advice for those looking to pitch. First and foremost, be entertaining. Whatever your show is, make it that way in the pitch. If it’s incredible high energy, make it high energy. If it’s thought provoking and serious, make it just that. Either way, leave your audience looking wanting to know more.

Hopefully this brief post will be at least a little helpful for those who are in the beginning stages of getting their show produced and distributed. Though it may take quite a few years to have the clout to pitch to executives, the time in between is incredibly valuable. Make the most of whatever opportunities come your way, no matter how big or small. Don’t despise the small beginnings; they could one day lead to a big wide open door.

Takes One to Know One: Finding An Agent to Represent Your Work in Reality Television… and THEN what?

Greetings, to the blogosphere world-

I’ve been on a somewhat of a five-month hiatus from my program at Full Sail University, and this is my first month back in the saddle again. It feels great to be immersed in learning about the industry once again, and even being able to immediately apply the knowledge. The class that I’m picking up with is Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution. It’s an incredibly practical class offering up invaluable tips and tools in order to get one’s creative worked published or in distribution.

I thought I’d write about some of the things I have been learning in regards to one of my main areas of interest in the industry, which is reality television. One of the first areas we have covered in the class is the topic of agents, and whether or not they are necessary. What I have learned, is in order to get your reality television show pitched, you’ll more than likely need an agent; and in order to get an agent, you’re going to have to prove that you’re experienced and very good at what you do, otherwise an agent won’t give you the time of day. They are only interested in pitching projects to the networks they know will more than likely be a success. So, it sounds to me like it’s almost near impossible to find an agent, which means it might be near impossible to pitch your idea you’ve been dying to share with the world. Incredibly encouraging, huh? ;-)

Well, what if you are indeed one of the lucky that break through and find an agent who is willing to risk their career for a rookie, wet behind the ears, who they see a great deal of promise in? How likely will it be to have your pitch picked up by a network? This week, on Full Sail’s campus, they’ve been hosting a number of industry professional workshops as a part of Hall of Fame week. I sat in on a seminar very creatively titled, “The Reality of Reality Television”, with several seasoned reality professionals including Full Sail 2010 Hall of Famer, Troy Devolld, most well-known for his success with VH1’s number one hit, “Basketball Wives”.

While speaking to the audience, these professionals gave us students some great advice in pursuing our dreams, especially in relation to reality television. One take away I picked up in response to the question I just posed about the likelihood of your pitched being picked up even if you do have a rock solid agent is the importance of having a unique proprietary element, or a unique set of rights you control. An example of this would be pitching a competition reality show centered on a specific well-known host, and having proof that you already have an exclusive contract with that person. Having this sort of proprietary element could make you stand out among the clamoring crowd with the same idea. Be sure that your idea is most likely not new, you’ll just have a key element that gives you clout over the next guy with the identical pitch.

So, with that, my take away from the week is to get out there, network like crazy with people in your field, which could lead to snagging the ever-elusive agent; find your unique proprietary element; be willing to start at the bottom, and you just may find yourself in that boardroom of executives ready to pitch the new best reality series of the season…or at least one step out 472 more, closer. :-)