Producing for PBS

U

Ulysses27

Member
So I'm pitching something to PBS. A nationally broadcast show. I don't have a lot of experience, but have a persuasive documentary story and the skills to do it. (but no money yet)

I'm curious to know what experiences other people have had with this process. Budgeting. Finding more experienced people to make the production look saleable. Looking for other producers to collaborate with. etc. etc.

Thoughts?
 
You will have to find your own "underwriters" or sponsors to pay for it. PBS doesn't pay for programs. It is a process.
 
you will also wanna protect your work before pitching to them. They like to sample from ideas presented to them.
 
protecting work

protecting work

Great point. How does one go about protecting their work? They have a general synopsis right now, but I'm about to lay out everything in a long form proposal. How do I prevent them from picking up these ideas and using them as their own?
 
underwriters and sponsors

underwriters and sponsors

This whole process is maddening. It seems hard to get money from people when you can't be assured broadcast. But then it seems broadcast is not as likely unless you have funders on board already. Is this a Catch-22?
 
Check their website for the Red Book standards, I hear their requirements are insanely long and complicated.
 
Ulysses27 said:
This whole process is maddening. It seems hard to get money from people when you can't be assured broadcast. But then it seems broadcast is not as likely unless you have funders on board already. Is this a Catch-22?
Click to expand...

I read an account a couple of years ago of the long process a producer went through to get his series of shows on travel and regional cooking in Tuscany to air on PBS. Among them was self-funding the first pilot episode, including a year of no income plus travel and living expenses while making it - savings, maxed out credit cards, 2nd mortgage, etc - in order to have a completed ready-to-air epsiode to show to potential underwriters to get the rest of the series funded.
 
ReneH said:
Check their website for the Red Book standards, I hear their requirements are insanely long and complicated.
Click to expand...

The Red Book is highly detailed but I don't think it is any more 'insane' than any other major network or distributor's standards. It's really just a synopsis of the technical standards that define the current norm for professional level work destined for broadcast.
 
The standard way is partner up with a presenting PBS affiliate (the biggies for example are WGBH - Boston, WETA etc) to be your fiscal sponsor so you can use their non-profit status to help raise money ... the affiliates don't have money, but can help point you in the right direction. If the station has the resources, they could help securing underwriters. But's it's really up to the producer to secure production funding. The PBS affiliate will aid in presenting it to PBS National.

there are books on funding for PBS productions ... Morrie Warshawski's Shaking the Money Tree is one that I have. (focal press ?)

You should meet with a local PBS affiliate's Program Director for guidance and advice too.

Good luck
 
Having freelanced for a top 20 market PBS station for the first few years of my career, I have reached some conclusions on locally produced PBS programming and, frankly, all of PBS television programming in general.

THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT LOCAL PROGRAMMING, SORRY.

PBS affiliates, as local organizations, exist to support the salaries, of 8 key "executive directors" who collectively earn 1.4 million dollars a year (including "fringe benefits") according to the annual report. And, a whole bunch of other people (50+ staff members) who have absolutely nothing to do with the production of television programs. The actual production department? Four people and about a dozen freelancers, who were all paid the smallest of wages and expected to give all their loyalty to local PBS first, even though they paid the least. I could go on and on.. The bottom line is that local PBS only cares about local programming in the sense that they can say, "hey look we just made this documentary" now, don't cut our 2-3 million a year in public funding, OR ELSE, "we" won't be able to "afford" to make any more local documentaries.. Truth be told, local documentary budgets rarely exceeded $30,000 at this station, and could have easily been funded entirely with aluminum can recycling or cereal box top donations. The truth is that without "people like you" they wouldn't be able to have incredibly overpaid lame duck executives who work 40 hours a week for over 100 Grand a year. Bottom line? If you want to produce for PBS:

1) Be independently wealthy

2) Pay for the entire thing yourself. Invest your own time, energy, and money.

3) Be willing to be local PBS' whore when they take all the credit for your work to pay their salaries.

4) Realize that there is nothing good about PBS and realign your career goals to do the same work, for better pay, in the advertising industry.
 
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Ulysses27 said:
I'm curious to know what experiences other people have had with this process. Budgeting. Finding more experienced people to make the production look saleable. Looking for other producers to collaborate with. etc. etc.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...


Let us know how this goes, I think a lot of people would be interested in knowing more about this process.

Who knows, maybe you can shoot a docudrama about a filmmaker who goes insane trying to figure out how PBS works.:violent5:
 
ReneH said:
Check their website for the Red Book standards, I hear their requirements are insanely long and complicated.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Like 186,000 miles per second, it's more than a good idea, it's the law. :)

PBS is the first and last and best place to find legal NTSC signals broadcast in the US. Of the zillion stations across the country, PBS stations consistently broadcast perfect NTSC signals. The standards within their Red Book is rigid based upon FCC guidelines.

PBS doesn't make it easy to get a show on air, but as long as you're technically competent, it isn't impossible either.

We produce a series for PBS called Painting Wild Places with Gary Spetz which is shown in every market. Getting that show on PBS was a bit of a challenge and it's wholly due to Gary's tenacity and tremendous talent that it is working. We did it in HD starting last season, where available.

Getting funding from PBS for a single show is done through a grant process that is extremely competitive, and I can't be very hopeful for anyone in that process. Drumming up your own money through sponsorship is likely going to be more productive.

You'll have to work with your local PBS station as a 'sponsor station'. They will work with you on details on taking your show or series to the network. The work is up to you.

If you're not prepared to fail, I wouldn't go down this path. Rewards are small for success.

I'm just pleased that we're celebrating our 6th season.
 
IMHO, with a few exceptions, producing PBS programming is for starving artists or the independently wealthy.

If you fit into either slot, go for it. If not, it is nearly impossible to make a living producing programming for PBS.

Dan
 
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