The offer

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  • The offer

    Last week, my writing partner and I pitched a series to a network and was told they wanted to take it into development. They said the next step was having legal reach out to our reps with the offer.

    How long does this normally take? Do the networks have cookie cutter offers that they can just enter the specific details or are they draft documents.

    Will my reps contact me as soon as the offer comes in or will there be a level of negotiations before they bring anything to me?

    What do I need to watch out for? This is my first rodeo, and I don't want to be caught unaware.

    I do have a full team: manager, agent, and lawyer. But I was wondering how all this looked from the writers point of view.

  • #2
    Re: The offer

    Is this the pitch you were having trouble with that you posted about?

    Don't have any answers to your questions but wanted to say congrats!

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    • #3
      Re: The offer

      Negotiations can take months. But you can certainly ask your reps to notify you when the first contact is made just so you know the process has begun.
      Write, rite, wright... until you get it RIGHT.

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      • #4
        Re: The offer

        Originally posted by slupo View Post
        Is this the pitch you were having trouble with that you posted about?

        Don't have any answers to your questions but wanted to say congrats!
        Heh, no. It's the second pitch I mentioned at the end of the trouble pitch thread. The one that didn't go through my reps.

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        • #5
          Re: The offer

          Originally posted by asteven50 View Post
          Negotiations can take months. But you can certainly ask your reps to notify you when the first contact is made just so you know the process has begun.
          Yeah. I naturally assumed my reps would reach out to me as soon as the network's legal department made first contact. I've heard from other places, too, that this might not be the case, which I find shocking.

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          • #6
            Re: The offer

            Originally posted by UnequalProductions View Post
            Last week, my writing partner and I pitched a series to a network and was told they wanted to take it into development. They said the next step was having legal reach out to our reps with the offer.
            Was it a network or studio?

            If it's a network, you'll get a script guarantee deal. Fees will be based on your quote. Most likely they'll put their own studio on the project down the road.

            If it's a studio, you'll either get an "if come" or a script guarantee.

            An "if come" deal is fully negotiated before taking the project to networks and it basically says, in the event a network wants to partner on the project - we'll pay you X. All of the other language, points, fees, etc are worked out as well.


            Originally posted by UnequalProductions View Post
            How long does this normally take? Do the networks have cookie cutter offers that they can just enter the specific details or are they draft documents.
            Getting the offer could take a few days up to a month. TV moves much faster than features. Once the deal is negotiated the long form contract can take a couple of months up to 6 months. (It can be much longer in features.) The contracts are standard, but your lawyer will hate a lot of the language so the contract goes back and forth until both parties are satisfied.

            Originally posted by UnequalProductions View Post
            Will my reps contact me as soon as the offer comes in or will there be a level of negotiations before they bring anything to me?
            They should contact you when they get the initial offer so they can discuss a counter.

            Originally posted by UnequalProductions View Post
            What do I need to watch out for? This is my first rodeo, and I don't want to be caught unaware.
            For TV, if you created the show - it's all about the points, your credit, role on the show and weekly fees. But of course, you want to get as much as you can for your script fees to write the pilot as well.

            Good luck.
            https://twitter.com/#!/moviewriterJeff

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            • #7
              Re: The offer

              Originally posted by mrjonesprods View Post
              Was it a network or studio?

              If it's a network, you'll get a script guarantee deal. Fees will be based on your quote. Most likely they'll put their own studio on the project down the road.

              Getting the offer could take a few days up to a month. TV moves much faster than features. Once the deal is negotiated the long form contract can take a couple of months up to 6 months. (It can be much longer in features.) The contracts are standard, but your lawyer will hate a lot of the language so the contract goes back and forth until both parties are satisfied.

              For TV, if you created the show - it's all about the points, your credit, role on the show and weekly fees. But of course, you want to get as much as you can for your script fees to write the pilot as well.

              Good luck.
              Thanks. This was extremely helpful. Had a conversation last night with my agent, and he said mostly the same things. We're in the waiting game for the network's offer. No real telling when that will be. For the time being, I'm just going to distract myself with other projects, so I don't go crazy thinking about it.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: The offer

                Originally posted by UnequalProductions View Post
                Thanks. This was extremely helpful. Had a conversation last night with my agent, and he said mostly the same things. We're in the waiting game for the network's offer. No real telling when that will be. For the time being, I'm just going to distract myself with other projects, so I don't go crazy thinking about it.
                I've been waiting on a feature offer for two months. I feel your pain.

                The only thing that works for me is putting my head down and focusing really hard on another project.

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