How TV Is Made

Industry professionals give insight into the making of television

Story by Kalyn Norwood

Photos by Maria Iacobo

A TV show isn’t created overnight. In order for it to come together there needs to be a creative and legal union.

Recently, USC Gould students had the opportunity to listen to several invited guests, who work in the TV industry, share their experiences at “From Inception to Exhibition: How TV Is Made,” sponsored by the Entertainment Law Society.

Brian Maggiotto, Evan Paley and Tanya Cohen

Each panelist serves a different, yet integral role in the development and exhibition of a TV show: talent agent, producer, planner and legal counsel.

In general, the role of a talent agent is to find actors, directors or writers work and promote their client’s ideas and/or interests. As an agent at Verve Talent Agency, Tanya Cohen does just that.

“Our job is to help package [the ideas of our clients], help guide it, add certain elements – a producer, a writer, a director – and package it in a way to make their idea real,” Cohen said. “From the idea to the stage, it’s about navigating [around] how to bring it to life.”

Once an idea has been pitched, one of the next steps is to find a producer, whose job is to oversee the overall scope of the show and make sure everything runs smoothly. For recent USC Annenberg alum Evan Paley, it’s about getting one’s project to the silver or big screen, which is an effort he is personally taking as host and producer for the web series Electronic Spotlight.

“The hustle and the grind of getting a project made is incredibly strenuous, but it’s an amazing process,” Paley said. “So as a producer, I’m just little by little trying to piece together a team to make the project happen. And, having a great lawyer is huge!”

One of the most important times to have a lawyer is during the pilot stage, when people are negotiating contracts, to help “get every penny you deserve,” Paley added.

As a lawyer in the TV business, there is a plethora of things to do, from handling and managing on-going litigation to distribution agreements, all of which can be done outside of a traditional entertainment law firm. A prime example of this is Nicole Harris Johnson, who is V.P. of the Legal & Business Affairs Division for CBS Television Distribution. She handles the legal affairs for the show, “The Doctors,” and, she noted, wears both a legal and business hat.

“Lawyers are in every element of television.” Harris Johnson said. “There are lawyers like me who make sure things get on air and [work] side by side with the business unit.”

After the show is set, there is a planner who focuses on the purchase of advertising. Brian Maggiotto is the planner for Bravo Media & Esquire Network at NBC Universal.

“Everybody believes their movie is number one, that they shouldn’t have to pay this, that they shouldn’t have to pay that,” Maggiotto said. “We are the ones that try to make TV profitable.”

From being an agent to working in the legal & business affairs department of a TV network, each person plays an integral role in bringing shows and ideas to life. And, ultimately, as Cohen mentioned, “It’s all about getting compelling content that resonates with people,” which is what every position aims to do.