How to Pitch Your Reality Show to Networks, Agents and Reality TV Production Companies

By now you should have a reality show pitch that is properly formatted and ready to submit. But first, you need to get that WGA registration number, which is your way of registering your original idea in order to protect it. After all, if you followed the advice in Part I, your idea should be really smoking. The other reason to do this is that production companies don't want to be accused of stealing. They won't even look at your submission without it, because in the end, it protects them too.

The easiest way to obtain this number is to go to the WGA registry page at http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/. For $20 you can register your pitch online. The information you need to enter there is very similar to what you already used for the pitch, so it should take no more than a few minutes. (Be forewarned that they will ask you for your social security number or driver's license number as identification.) There are also instructions on how to do this by mail or in person if you live in L.A. At the end of the process you'll be provided with a confirmation page with a unique WGA registration number. Paste it right into your reality show pitch and you're ready to submit.

The big question is who should you submit to? The networks directly? An agent? A reality TV production company? Most networks won't give you the time of day unless you're already attached to a successful project, but three that will are Comedy Central, Discovery and MTV:

Comedy Central

Coordinator of Development

1775 Broadway

New York, NY 10019

Discovery Communications

Development Liaison

7700 Wisconsin Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

MTV Networks

Series Pitch Line

2600 Colorado Avenue

Santa Monica, CA 90404

310-752-8000

If your concept doesn't fit the programming of any of these channels, try your luck with some agencies next. The WGA website has a comprehensive list, along with their contact information. The only problem is that it does not differentiate between agents for movies and those who represent television writers, so you will have to research each one before sending a query letter.