Selling a pilot script on spec?

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  • Selling a pilot script on spec?

    Anybody on here ever sold a pilot script? Or know of someone who has? Not an option but a sale. I’ve had a fair few pilots optioned but never had an actual sale. Always wondered about this, if it’s common or not.

    I appreciate that most pilot specs are used as samples for staffing etc but I’m curious if/when a sale does happen (for emerging writers or those with only a few credits) if it tends to be bought for scale or like with features can go crazy on the purchase price. And yep, I’m aware it’s a “how long’s a piece of string?” Kinda question, just intrigued to know if anyone has had any experiences or has heard of other writers who’ve been in a bidding situation on a pilot spec. Doesn’t seem to be something you come across in the trades much. And nope I’m not talking about if/come deals where a prod co options the script and tells you if it gets sold to this tier of premium cable buyer these are your numbers, if it goes to a second tier then it’s this etc. An actual sale that you’ve known of or been involved in. Anyone?

  • #2
    Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

    Mickey Fisher's "Extant" is the only real spec sale pilot in recent memory.

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    • #3
      Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

      All good questions -- yes I think the unrepped not in TV world right now -- who sold a spec is crazy rare. And I'm out with one now and expect nothing to come from it. In fact, I have zero idea why I don't just make my own web series instead.

      But obviously they make new TV Pilots ever year -- I just thought of this now -- I wonder how often these pilots are ideas from producers or studios. I always assumed most of them were the sole idea of the writers, but I bet it's a mixed bag where they go to certain showrunners to get their ideas off the ground. I need a real TV writer like Jeff Lowell to answer that.

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      • #4
        Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

        Yeah, let's hear Jeff's story of how he sold his seeing as it JUST happened. If he's open to laying it out...

        I'm curious if KJ was attached pre or post sale. My guess would be pre. Any other attachments that helped the sale along?

        Btw - Swear to god, I'ma watch that show. Super sounds up my alley. I write dark fukked up sh!t, but I prefer to watch comedy.
        Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

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        • #5
          Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

          I sold, as in SOLD, a pilot script 3 years ago, some amazing producers and talent attached and it went..... nowhere. The production company still tells me it's not dead, but I know better. Have two more out there gathering interest, but it's a crapshoot at best.

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          • #6
            Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

            Originally posted by EdFury View Post
            I sold, as in SOLD, a pilot script 3 years ago, some amazing producers and talent attached and it went..... nowhere. The production company still tells me it's not dead, but I know better. Have two more out there gathering interest, but it's a crapshoot at best.
            Shameless lurker here. Congrats on selling your pilot. If I may ask, was the selling price similar to that of your feature-length scripts?

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            • #7
              Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

              Originally posted by EdFury View Post
              I sold, as in SOLD, a pilot script 3 years ago, some amazing producers and talent attached and it went..... nowhere. The production company still tells me it's not dead, but I know better. Have two more out there gathering interest, but it's a crapshoot at best.
              Congrats, EdFury, and fingers crossed for it to rise once again and surprise you.
              "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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              • #8
                Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

                Originally posted by EdFury View Post
                I sold, as in SOLD, a pilot script 3 years ago, some amazing producers and talent attached and it went..... nowhere. The production company still tells me it's not dead, but I know better. Have two more out there gathering interest, but it's a crapshoot at best.
                Ha right? This fukkin industry...

                Curious what genre it was and if it was network or cable/streaming. Also if you had showrunners aide in the sale (Although, Idk what phase your in, maybe they trusted you to run it). With mine, the deal was held up for 4-5 months over exclusivity, when the showrunners attached, no lie, the deal was done in a WEEK! Suspicious...

                I've never been in the network arena save for being up for staffing. Thus, I don't know much about that world. But, it seems harder, as someone who's only written premium cable type stuff. But maybe I'm wrong. Just seems like all those shows are people who've already showrun other shows.

                And, yeah, congrats on the sale. So hard!
                Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

                  Originally posted by EdFury View Post
                  I sold, as in SOLD, a pilot script 3 years ago, some amazing producers and talent attached and it went..... nowhere. The production company still tells me it's not dead, but I know better. Have two more out there gathering interest, but it's a crapshoot at best.
                  Congrats on the 'success'. What was the genre?

                  Should have scrolled down further .... what Gucci asked...
                  I heard the starting gun


                  sigpic

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                  • #10
                    Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

                    Originally posted by horik View Post
                    Shameless lurker here. Congrats on selling your pilot. If I may ask, was the selling price similar to that of your feature-length scripts?
                    It was a much more complicated contract, took over a month for my reps to negotiate, and would be more than any of my film sales if it went. But it didn't. I did make some good initial money, but the payday is in it getting made.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

                      Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
                      Ha right? This fukkin industry...

                      Curious what genre it was and if it was network or cable/streaming. Also if you had showrunners aide in the sale (Although, Idk what phase your in, maybe they trusted you to run it). With mine, the deal was held up for 4-5 months over exclusivity, when the showrunners attached, no lie, the deal was done in a WEEK! Suspicious...

                      I've never been in the network arena save for being up for staffing. Thus, I don't know much about that world. But, it seems harder, as someone who's only written premium cable type stuff. But maybe I'm wrong. Just seems like all those shows are people who've already showrun other shows.

                      And, yeah, congrats on the sale. So hard!
                      I'll give you the first bit of my pitch.... "It's the anti-True Detective. Light, bone dry, funny, just as violent." It's a very weird very funny pilot. People seemed to love it. Huge talent attached. Great Showrunner (I don't have that skill set yet) and definitely a streaming service show / premium cable show.

                      I loved it and know it's just off the wall enough to do well. But c'est la vie.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

                        Originally posted by EdFury View Post
                        It was a much more complicated contract, took over a month for my reps to negotiate, and would be more than any of my film sales if it went. But it didn't. I did make some good initial money, but the payday is in it getting made.
                        Agreed!

                        Let's talk numbers (Bet Jeff is 100% out now. LOL.) But, with my show my deal was worth... I think $633,000 year one if it got made and I wrote every episode. I got a created by credit, written by credit, and producer credit. Is that good? No idea.

                        I forget the exact math but it was something like 38k per episode. 16k for created by credit, and 12k for producing credit per episode.

                        Sure would have liked to collect that money.

                        God it sucks to be a loser...
                        Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

                          Originally posted by EdFury View Post
                          I'll give you the first bit of my pitch.... "It's the anti-True Detective. Light, bone dry, funny, just as violent." It's a very weird very funny pilot. People seemed to love it. Huge talent attached. Great Showrunner (I don't have that skill set yet) and definitely a streaming service show / premium cable show.

                          I loved it and know it's just off the wall enough to do well. But c'est la vie.

                          Sounds cool! Bummer it fell apart. Hard to walk away from shows you know could work. Especially if you have a huge talent attached... it's like "Dude... it's RIGHT THERE... I can see this totally working." Oh well, nope...
                          Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

                            Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
                            Agreed!

                            Let's talk numbers (Bet Jeff is 100% out now. LOL.) But, with my show my deal was worth... I think $633,000 year one if it got made and I wrote every episode. I got a created by credit, written by credit, and producer credit. Is that good? No idea.

                            I forget the exact math but it was something like 38k per episode. 16k for created by credit, and 12k for producing credit per episode.

                            Sure would have liked to collect that money.

                            God it sucks to be a loser...
                            Was this an option deal with your if/come terms should it progress with the studio & Network? Or did you have a pilot script sale? I’ve had a fair few of the former with the initial outlay being just an option. Lots of fanciful numbers put into contracts should it get made. Personally I’m curious about actual pilot sales and if they’re as common & lucrative as years gone by in the feature market. Lots of threads on here over the years covering feature deals but very little on pilot sales. If there are any dd’ers who’ve experienced it I think it would be a great addition to the forums, sharing how the deal went down and the ballpark figures received for the sale etc.
                            Last edited by Mintclub; 09-23-2019, 12:48 AM.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Selling a pilot script on spec?

                              Originally posted by EdFury View Post
                              I'll give you the first bit of my pitch.... "It's the anti-True Detective. Light, bone dry, funny, just as violent." It's a very weird very funny pilot. People seemed to love it. Huge talent attached. Great Showrunner (I don't have that skill set yet) and definitely a streaming service show / premium cable show.

                              I loved it and know it's just off the wall enough to do well. But c'est la vie.
                              If you're not the showrunner, and it were to get made, would it still be "created by EdFury?"

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