Should You Film Your Own TV Pilot? Pros & Cons

Should you shoot your own TV pilot? It’s not a simple yes or no question…but there are some simple guidelines to help you decide what your next move should be. Whether you’re just starting out, or negotiating your next reality TV series, we give you the scoop (plus, some candidly honest stories from our most recent TV series!)   To Pilot, or Not To Pilot…Is It Even A Question? Your Own TV Pilot…   Awhile back, we wrote an intro series to filming pilots, called Should I Produce My Own Reality TV Pilot? The advice we give there still holds up, and you should give it a read, but we wanted to expand our advice a little bit. You see, even when you’re an established production company like us, questions about pilots pop up. Today we touch on a lot: * Best reasons to shoot your own TV pilot. * Best reasons NOT to shoot your own TV pilot. * What you learn from filming a TV pilot * What happens when a network wants to buy your series without a pilot? * How to sell a pilot you already shot (HINT: Don’t show it to anyone!) * Where the heck the two of us disappeared to two weeks ago And so much more! Press that giant red “PLAY” button above and learn the ins and outs of filming TV pilots. Transcript Coming Soon! Helpful and Related Links Here are 3 Reasons You Should Not Film Your Own TV Pilot. And here are 3 Reasons You Should Film Your Own TV Pilot. And here are 5 Rules For the Hands-On Producer Filming Their Own TV Pilot. Don’t Miss What Goes in a Pitch Tape? Should You Make One? and Sizzle Reels: Budgets, Investors, and More. Okay, you’ve decided whether or not you’re going to shoot your own TV pilot. Your next step? Pitch to us, of course! Let’s make some TV together. Here’s how:

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*Named "New and Noteworthy" across all podcasts, as well as TV & Film, Arts, and Education. Subscribe now. Ready to create, pitch, and sell documentary series, unscripted TV shows or reality series and specials? From creating pitch tapes to meeting with TV networks, developing your ideas to discovering reality TV stars, this podcast features tips on working in unscripted film and television that you won't find anywhere else. Get top-industry secrets and even pitch your shows to Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers and Unscripted Television Producers Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina. Recently, the duo have helped both new and experienced producers bring projects to television on MTV, BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL, INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY, A&E, and CNN/HLN. Your show could be next. Subscribe now. ABOUT JOKE AND BIAGIO: With over a decade of experience in unscripted film and television, this married couple has made TV shows, specials, and pilots for CNN, HLN, A&E, The CW, Biography Channel, NBC, CBS, Discovery, Investigation Discovery, Discovery+, E!, IFC, Logo, Oxygen, Style Network, VH1 and MTV. Their feature length documentary DYING TO DO LETTERMAN played in theaters across America, was invited by the International Documentary Association to qualify for Academy Award® consideration, and named “New and Noteworthy” on iTunes alongside The Dark Knight Rises, Brave, and Beasts of the Southern Wild. Subscribers to this podcast will learn the secrets of the Unscripted TV and Film worlds, and how to apply them toward career success. Subscribe today.