Getting Your Work Noticed: Part I Literary Agents

This month, the course that I am taking is Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution. So far, I have learned a plethora of information such as the importance of a literary agent. Around 2008, my husband and I created a treatment for a television show. Once our treatment was completed, we did not know what to do with it. After years of sitting on our creation, and meeting with several likeminded people, we were told that we should try and pitch it to a television network. Even though we live in Atlanta, GA we did not know where to even begin looking, because the city is full of major television studios. Without knowing the proper protocol, my husband decided that he was going to give Tyler Perry Studios a call. Well, he did not get very far because the lady that answered the phone told him that what he needed was a literary agent!

The importance of literary agent

It was great that we had a completed treatment for a television show, but the only thing that we were lacking was a literary agent. Literary agents are important because they can do things that those who are not, cannot do. For instance, what if we would have sent our treatment over to Tyler Perry Studios? It would have been thrown in the trash, because it would be considered unsolicited.  Having a literary agent will guarantee that what you have written will get into the hands of the correct people.

Getting a literary agent

So you may be asking the question “How do I get a literary agent?”

·      The first step is to make sure that what you have written is completed, and free of any grammatical errors.

·      Secondly, you can see if anyone you know can refer you to a literary agent. If that does not work, you can go to your local library or do a search online to find literary guides.

·      Make sure that literary agent represents works that is within your specific genre. If you are a screenwriter, you want to make sure that the specific literary agent represents those who write for television and films.

One website that I would recommend is the Writers Guild of America. You can either go to the Writers Guild of America East, or West. Once you find a literary agent that fits your specific genre, then you will want to write a query letter to request their services to represent you as a screenwriter. After you send a literary agent your query letter, it will hopefully spark an interest.  They may even consider you to be one of the clients that they represent.

Good luck!

Getting Your Work Noticed: Part II Writing a Television Show Treatment

Gaining knowledge in the entertainment industry can be very challenging. Sometimes, people will even go as far as to keep their knowledge to themselves. Ever since I began my journey to obtain my masters of science degree in entertainment business, I have vowed not to be stingy with the knowledge that I have gained. A few years ago, my husband and I had a concept for a television show. Since we lived in Atlanta, there are a plethora of major television studios. We decided that we wanted to pitch our concept.  All we knew to do was to write a treatment for our television show. Just like many of you who may be reading this blog post, might not have a clue as to what a treatment is or what it entails.  When submitting a television treatment, there is no correct way to write one, because different companies may have different ways that you should submit one.  In this blog post, I will give some tips on how to write a treatment for television.

Steps to writing a successful treatment for television

·      You first want to include who the author of your television show is, or you can include “available by request.”

·      Secondly, you want to include the title of your show.

·      Thirdly, include a logline, for your television treatment. A logline is a summary of what your show will be about, and should be able to “hook” your readers in. Without a logline, your readers will not have an idea what your television show is about.

·      Next, you will want to include your Writers Guild of America (East or West) registration number. Including your registration number in your treatment allows you to appear to be more of a legitimate writer.

·      Finally, when you write a treatment for television you will want to include the synopsis of your show. The synopsis is a brief summary of what each episode of your show will entail. To be considered a full season, it is customary to include between 11-13 episodes.

You can also check out this website, for sample templates of what a television show treatment should look like. Good luck!