Workshop: How to develop and pitch a show with Emma Morgan and Anna Abenson

Creating a new TV format or coming up with the next big series is the holy grail of the TV industry. But, have you ever wondered what it takes to get your idea on to screen? This week we are focusing on development, going behind the scenes and getting the inside track on the world unscripted TV development from the people who know it best.

Who it's for

This workshop is aimed at TV freelancers who have an interest in development and keen to gain an insight into generating and pitching ideas.

What it covers

The session will cover:

• How to generate ideas: how do you go from a blank page to a pitchable idea and how do you take a thought and expand it into a television show?
• How to pitch ideas and how to prepare for the different stages of pitching
• How to win a commission and how to turn a funded development into a full commission, how to write a treatment and how to involve your commissioner in the process.

Speakers

Emma Morgan is Creative Director at Lion Television and has held key creative roles in both development and production at Twofour, Mentorn and most recently at Firecracker Films where she created Mums Make Porn (C4), Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over (W) and the award-winning Emma Willis: Delivering Babies (W). Other key credits include A Very British Hotel (C4), Gregg’s: More Than Meats the Pie (Sky1), The Fried Chicken Shop (C4), Young & Married (MTV), Hotel of Mum & Dad (BBC3), Angry White & Proud (C4) and Why Men Wear Frocks with Grayson Perry (C4). Emma has been a mentor for Channel 4’s diversity training scheme seven times and a member of the BAFTA TV committee for the last six years.

Anna Abenson works as an executive producer across both development and production at Lion with responsibility for increasing the popular factual and formats output. She is currently show running a new dating format (BBC Three), for which she devised and produced the high rating pilot. Prior to joining Lion, Anna held key development roles and won multiple commissions at Princess Productions, BBC Television, CBBC and Twofour. Across her twenty-year career as a programme maker Anna has produced many high-profile series including Inside SBTV: From Bedroom to Boardroom (C4), Smells Like Friday Night (C4), The Sex Education Show (C4), The F Word (C4), Single, Together, Whatever (BBC Two), The House of Tiny Tearaways (BBC Three), Rude Tube (C4), Soccer Aid (ITV), Frock Me (C4), Generation Sex (C5), Tonight’s The Night (BBC One).

This event is supported by the ScreenSkills Television Skills Fund which invests in training for the freelance television workforce thanks to contributions from the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

It is part of a ScreenSkills programme managed by the Indie Training Fund to support freelancers to upskill and stay connected, helping keep the industry resilient in these difficult times.

This session will take place online via Zoom. Click ‘get ticket’ to reserve your place: you must login or register before you are able to get a ticket for this event. A booking confirmation with a joining link to the session will be sent to you via email.

If you are no longer able to use your ticket, we ask you to please contact support@screenskills.com so that we can release your place. Our sessions are often oversubscribed, so we’d like to give other freelancers the opportunity to fill available spots. Thank you for your consideration.