Pilot Season - A Cast of Characters

Behind the Scenes of a Pilot

When Catherine* came to L.A. she was close to twenty. Now, closer to thirty, with five pilot seasons behind her and one looming, she looks at me and says, "This conversation is going to depress me."

Pilot season is that time of year when the networks commission a sample, a pilot, of a proposed television show that will give the networks a better idea if they should order up a whole bunch of them - a series. And, if the old adage is true that working in Hollywood is like going to war, then pilot season is Hollywood's biggest battle.

If pilot season were a pilot, the pitch might go like this - "Okay, so once a year there are all these jobs that could lead to fame and fortune - producers are down to the wire, willing to see anyone - the film actress, the no one, the comeback, their nephew. These plucky kids come from all over, traipsing across the country, sleeping on couches, leaving their lives for a few months every year. It'll be great, see, because there's always a story to tell and everyone's story is different!"

Catherine's story is simple. She arrived in L.A. only a few days before pilot season was to begin. Committed to her craft, she was wise enough to do her homework. She made calls. She took some meetings. But "it's great to meet you, call again after pilot season" is mostly what she got. Aware that plopping down blindly might not get her any auditions, she was still hopeful that something magical might happen. It didn't.

Unfazed, she did what she was supposed to do. She worked hard. Met people. Made sure that whatever the coming year brought it would propel her to a better position for the next year's pilot season. Having done well during the episodic season, she now had a manager and had signed with a small agency. She felt like she was in a good place. But it turned out the agent wasn't - personal problems that led to a downsizing of the client list, that included her, and a manger who was now unwilling to develop her alone. Another pilot season came and went. As did a few more.