Idea vs. Concept

When I was Director of Prime Time Development, East Coast for NBC, people came up to me all the time and said things like, “I have a great idea for a sitcom. It takes place in a hair salon.” When I didn’t respond, they asked, “What do you think? Wouldn’t that make a terrific series?”

They might as well have walked into a restaurant and asked the waiter for “a fish for dinner.” The waiter would have been as silent as I was, unable to respond without hearing the specifics. What kind of fish? How should it be cooked? What should be served with it?

In the same way, before you pitch your project to any producer, agent or development executive, you better know the specifics. In order to present the specifics, you must understand the difference between an idea and a concept.

Deciding you want to create a TV series based in a hair salon is an idea. An idea is a starting point. It doesn’t tell you what you’ll see on the screen every week.

The next step is developing the concept. The concept gives the specifics of character, setting and story in conflict.

Think TV Guide blurb. “I’ve created a sitcom about a divorced couple, who hate each other, but love the hair salon they own together in Aspen. Neither the cheating husband, nor the resentful wife, will sell their share to the other. They’re forced to work together until one or the other gives up.”

Your “blurb” is the first thing you say about your project in a pitch meeting. It’s your only opportunity to get their attention and seduce them into wanting to hear more. It must be concise and compelling.

At the My TV Treatment six week workshop, we’ll cover the do’s and don’ts of how to present your concepts to TV executives and get the impact you want. If you’re serious about success in the TV business, learn how it works from an experienced insider.