New ways to do the damn thing.

There is a huge disconnect between the execs and those that have been in the industry versus the “new creators." With that, comes opportunities and new ways of entering the third door.

A week and a half later, and I wish we were still at SeriesFest: the being-removed-from-the-most-creative-experience back to real-life has hit the next phase: Depression hangover.

In case you missed it, I wrote the first post about our experience at SeriesFest and the biggest take-a-ways. If you haven’t yet, you can read it here.

I will say, surprisingly, no one brought up or asked about verticals. I found that especially interesting, since we watched the pilot episode of “Four Seasons’ before it was released to Netflix (who just announced their big change to vertical). And on side note, it is much more thrilling to watch a pilot in a theatre with 5-1 sound and the audience then back at home by myself on the flat screen. Four Seasons, especially with the comedy and the beautiful orchestral string music, was thrilling. I would DIE to watch Bridgerton in a theatre, or Game of Thrones, or even The Witcher.

Here were my main takeaways:

1. A.I. isn’t going anywhere.

2. There is a huge disconnect between the execs and those that have been in the industry versus the “new creators.”

3. Create your IP Universe

4. Audiences want vulnerability, no matter what medium or platform you are creating for (and many creators stories are based on their own lives)

5. Comedy is on the rise while we live in hell

6. Brands and companies are the new key to your financing

7. You cannot just be an actor anymore

   

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that SeriesFest makes every effort to connect creators with people who can push the needle on their pilot and series. We pitched to a panel and in a room with people that could (possibly) want to make our series or have connections to make introductions to. Many pilots that screened were connected at round tables or rooms with someone from a network, streamer, or production company that could be the right fit for the concept.

SeriesFest designs talk-backs and brings in panelists like showrunners, executives, and more to hopefully learn how to break into the industry. But in those panels, it was never more apparent how disconnected they are from the creator side to the “legacy” side and how to bridge that gap.

One director/writer, asked in the show runner panel, featuring 5 show runners of amazing shows, how can a director get their first directing gig on a show? The overall answer was: you can’t. They won’t take that chance, and even if they will, the network will never take that chance. You can come shadow, but make sure you do not stand out in the wrong way, and that does not mean getting an opportunity to direct.

In the same breath, another showrunner gave a director their first chance to direct on his show because that director had directed his wife’s independent pilot (which went to SeriesFest) so he got to come to set and see how that director lead a set. Carla Kettler has allowed people to come to set and shadow if she has seen an amazing short or feature that she loved from a director. Many show runners have given their assistants a shot at writing on an episode or season when they’ve consistently come with a good attitude, good work ethic, and enticing ideas.

Elaine Low

from The Ankler moderated the insightful panel with Universal Television’s Erin Underhill. She had advice for new creatives (while also admitting they don’t see nearly as many pitches as they did even ten years ago.)

When they do see pitches, they have a good sense in 10 minutes of whether or not they will move forward, and Erin begged us to PLEASE make your pitches shorter. (15-20 min tops)

Universal Television does not have any green light power - they take the pitches they resonate with or think they can sell to their buyers, and ultimately the buyer would “green light” the production. Her advice was to attach a seasoned showrunner to your show, as they are typically looking to proven showrunners to get a show greenlit by a buyer. She did mention that Universal Television has a list of writers who DO want to mentor, so it is worth reaching out.

In another panel with executives, Sony exec Chris King said that they prioritize IP, but still look for original ideas, and believe in original ideas.

Some other tidbits of advice form various showrunner & exec panels:

-I need you to learn how to pick up the phone and ask for what you want.

-Brian Baird’s biggest failure (When Calls the Heart the film) became his biggest success (14+ seasons of When Calls the Heart)

-Nepotism can open the door, but talent keeps it open

-Always make your films or TV look bigger than the budget

-Most places have a “no dickhead rule” sooooo don’t be a dickhead.

-No job is too small

-Impress people with your work ethic, humanness, and ability to connect

Jeff Conway, Christopher Rodriguez, Kit Williamson, Damian Pelliccione

In all of that, many admitted that they don’t understand or know the pathway of an independently shot pilot or what to do with it. Many of these showrunners and executives started in the industry 20-40 years ago when that was not even a possibility, but also pilots were being shot and tested at the studio level.

How can you move forward if the people we are trying to move forward with don’t even know?

That is where the other side of SeriesFest, and some of my favorite moments from other panels came into play. The old way no longer exists, and the attention economy and actual economy have shifted viewers habits, especially as we look at the average age of viewing across linear television, streaming platforms, and social media.

On the actor panel, Mayan Lopez shared her journey of how she went from TikToks in 2020 to her show on Netflix (yes, it helps to have a famous comedian as your dad that is also in the show), but I was so impressed by her tenacity in operating as an HBIC to get the show off the ground and keep going - producer, writer, creator, actress, etc. Lisa Ann Walter (this woman is legendary, please SeriesFest, give her a solo panel next year) has worn whatever hat necessary to continue to be a storyteller.

My favorite panel of SeriesFest was Kit Williamson (alumni of SeriesFest, sharing about his new show Unconventional on Revry) and Revry Platform founders, moderated by Jeff Conway. Kit Williamson’s first pilot and series, EastSiders, went from Youtube to Netflix after debuting at SeriesFest, and his most recent series, Unconventional financed and distributed by Revry (the LGBTQIA+ Tubi), was the most inspiring of how creators can potentially seek new ways for funding and storytelling.

This panel felt actionable and tangible. Find your audience. Know your audience. Find your advertisers. It’s POSSIBLE. It’s the intersection of Mark Duplassing it, and knowing how the industry is shifting and changing to directly reach audiences and bypass the traditional gatekeepers. Do NOT be afraid of brand partnerships and finding the right partners who believe in and want to elevate your story, and you can elevate their brand along the way.

We are in a bold new era. How can your project grow and audience NOW? I’ll get into some more ideas from SeriesFest in the next article: Create your IP Universe.

Until then, keep dreaming, writing, and doing.

Xo M

PS - You can read the novel version of “The Mercy Cage” right here on Substack! We’ve been releasing Chapter by Chapter, building out our IP Universe (wink wink nudge nudge).