Why You? You Must Be Prepared to Answer This Question

Now that upfronts (the week in New York where networks announce the new shows to advertisers) are almost upon us it’s time to get back into tv development/pitching season.  And as my clients start taking their meetings, I thought it would be good time to relay a question that is constantly being brought up by television executives.

That question is: Why you? Or, for example, why you are writing this pilot?

Let’s say you are writing a cop show.  Why should the networks buy a cop show from you — an unknown writer — as opposed to buying a cop show from John Wells who is a huge TV brand name and constantly delivers hit shows for
networks?

Or why should they buy a legal show from you and not David E. Kelley?

This same question holds true for any feature scripts as well. Why are you writing this? What are you bringing to the table that no other writer could?

For example, if you are writing a buddy comedy, why should they buy this from you and not from Judd Apatow?

Now this might sound similar to the saying “write what you know,” but it’s actually broader than that.

Write what you know usually refers to writing what you have experienced but sometimes you can’t do that.

For example, if you are writing about 18th-Century shipbuilding, you don’t have to have experienced it (because how could you).  But there should be a reason you are writing about it and not any other subject you could have chosen.  (Perhaps you’re a huge fan of shipbuilding through the ages and can talk about the subject based on an extensive personal library on the subject.)

Bottom line:  You can write about anything as long as you are prepared to talk about why you are so passionate about the subject and why you are the only one who can and should write it.

One last note, whatever subject you are writing about — there should always be a connection to your brand and your voice.  In fact, that is a very good way to explain why you are writing about the subject.

For example, if you are known as a character-driven drama writer and you now what to write a family dramedy:

You can say you want to explore the dynamics of a family by probing the characters in a thoughtful and intelligent way (this is what you are known for) as well as pushing yourself into new territory rich in character analysis.

And even more importantly, if you are known as a drama writer and want to write a comedy, then you especially have to make sure you can articulate what the attraction is to the new genre and what you can bring to the table.  At the same time you must be able to articulate how this is an extension of who you are as a writer and what you have written previously.

If you can answer the question of why you with an authentic and well-reasoned answer, you have a much better chance of getting that writing assignment or selling that pilot or feature.