If you're fed up of practising your award-acceptance speech in the bathroom mirror and are ready to hit the red carpet and do it for real, then you're going to need an award nomination aren't you? It may seem like an unachievable goal but a quick Google-search proves that it's really not.
All you need is a brilliant idea and an eye-catching pitch. If you think you've got what it takes to be the next big thing in screenwriting, then all the major networks have a comprehensive process for sending in your ideas.
You never know, this time next year you could be up there holding that golden trophy. And if you are, don't forget to thank us in your speech, OK?
How to pitch to Channel 4
Channel 4 has a vast and comprehensive section on its website dedicated entirely to new submissions, broken down by category and with contact details for all the right people. They welcome new, creative ideas for content in: comedy, creative diversity, daytime and features, documentaries, drama, entertainment, factual entertainment, film, news and current affairs, sport, digital and more.
Check out the Random Acts Brief : "We would like you to come up with an idea inspired by the 1980s. It could be inspired by the amazing culture of the time – the movies , the music (from new wave to hiphop) - or the politics, not least the extraordinary Thatcher years; it could be anything from the time that you use as a jumping off point. It doesn’t need to be an analysis of some aspect of the 80s – it could just be taking a visual cue from something that excites you from that era. Or is could be a question that comes into your mind from looking back at that time – its values, its aesthetics.."
For information relating to all types of submissions, here's the best place to start: channel4.com/commissioning.
How to pitch to Netflix
Pitching to Netflix is trickier. But not impossible. Netflix doesn't accept pitches directly from the screenwriter so you'll need to do it through a licensed agent, producer, manager or industry executive. Netflix has a team of people employed solely to look for new talent so if you can convince a reputable third-party agent to represent you, then you're in with a shot.
For more information, visit help.netlflix.com.
How to pitch to the BBC
Pitching to the BBC varies depending on what genre you're in. For children's TV pitches the BBC accepts submissions only through production companies and there's strict criteria to meet. Whereas some genres, like comedy, have resources dedicated to new talent trying to break into the industry. To figure out where your pitch would best fit on the BBC, start here.
How to pitch to ITV
ITV welcomes comedy pitches directly by email. It has a list of key people here. Send to your hilarious ideas to: Comedy.Commissioning@ITV.com. ITV has this to say about what it's looking out for in your pitch: "We are looking for pre and post watershed half-hour comedies driven by multi-layered characters in recognisable settings. We like jokes and lots of them and can accommodate single camera or studio sitcoms. The key to comedies for the main channel is accessibility - they need to have wide appeal to a mainstream audience. Funny, contemporary and high production values are vital. We are also looking for hour-long comedy dramas. We are not looking for hour-long sitcoms, rather a robust story with great characters that we want to spend time with. The series must be driven by character & stories, with plenty of jokes."
And for drama ideas it's: drama.commissioning@itv.com with the notes offering a few pointers: "We are looking for clear ideas that can deliver the highest quality popular mainstream drama to the largest audience. No subject is off limits - we can rise to celebratory, hilarious highs or plunge to very dark areas of human behaviour. But we will always look for mainstream appeal and an accessible way in for our audience. This might be the kind of story, type of character, or a piece of clever casting. We can take our audience to places they have never been as long as we don't alienate them. An ITV drama is never cynical or niche and is always entertaining. We are looking for ideas of all shapes and sizes. While finding returnable series is a priority, we also need two, three and four partners, ideally with the potential to return though not exclusively."
Visit itv.com/commissioning.
How to pitch to Sky
Sky has "high standards" but fortunately your idea is brilliant. Head to skygroup.sky/skystudios/comissioning for all the information you need. Here's a flavour of Sky's vibe: "Sky is different to other broadcasters because we are a subscription business – we create television that is worth paying for. The biggest difference is that, because we are all about quality and providing something that Free-To-Air TV doesn't, we commission fewer projects, and have a much leaner team than other broadcasters. In turn, this means we only arrange meetings to discuss ideas we love, that have the potential to be developed and made for our channels.
"Simply email the relevant genre teams with your initial ideas, contact details can be found below. We don’t accept scripts or ideas from the general public. For members of the general public with good ideas, we suggest you contact an agent or production company about it so that they can help you develop it for us."
A bit of extra trivia, if you've got an idea for Sky Arts ideas you need to contact Phil Edgar-Jones (Daisy's Dad) on philip.edgar-jones@sky.uk.
Break a leg and we'll see you on the red carpet!
