Seeing a lot of young artists pitching their original show ideas on twitter in the wake of this RenStimpy news and if I could offer an advice: please don’t. 1) ideas get pinched. 2) investing your hopes into a new idea becoming greenlit only leads to absolute desolation.

Most of the original ideas I pitched to tv and was lucky enough to get signed got changed beyond recognition. With no audience ready built for that idea, no weight of content, I wasn’t confident enough in what the idea WAS and so it all gets pulled apart. And then it dies anyway.

(I should stress I got to work with some amazing and talented people, who I love, but my point is as a new, kinda naive artist, suddenly being told your show idea has been optioned is a huge height for what is 99% of the time then a long, drawn out fall)

If you have an amazing new idea, make the thing before you go to telly with it. Flesh it out and get to know what it is for yourself. Set its roots down properly, firmly, so any changes for tv will be minimal. Search out publishers or build its audience yourself. Make the thing.

There are so many avenues for artists to make the thing before they pitch it for TV. It serves you, it serves the idea, it makes for a better TV show if that ever happens (and if it doesn’t, you’ve still brought the idea to life by yourself).
Make the t h i n g

addendum: I’ve seen threads from others about how young artists should pitch pitch pitch their shows and I dunno, I guess do what you gotta do. I’m just saying that being so laser focussed on getting a tv show isn’t always the best end result for your art, and it’s exhausting