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How old do I have to be to create a TV show?

To create and air a TV series, what are all the critical and the desireable skill sets required? Any additional skill sets required for a live TV show?

  • Additionally, what is the best way to categorize these skills (which may / may not be found in one person) for a wiki  - On set/ off set or Producing, show running, directing, acting, crew (technical / non-technical) ?

  • Answer:

    First, you need to be a great writer. All the creators/showrunners on air got there as writers first and while they may not write every episode, they are still responsible for all the scripts. Next, it helps if you have a handle on the directing process. Show runners generally don't direct, but they work closely with the director and are on set more than a typical film producer. A season may have many directors, but usually only one show runner so it's up to the show runner to provide overarching guidance to whoever's directing that week. Other helpful talents include being good with suits: you have to deal with the studio execs. Getting on well with actors and crew. And being able to translate you vision to other writers. More as I think of it.

James H. Kelly at Quora Visit the source

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Let me address the "live" part of the question. You will have some distinctly separate production issues when creating live broadcast television; and a little bit more staff. You'll need a Technical Director as well, who can operate the video switcher while the director directs cameras.  Sometimes on a small live shoot this can be the same person, but not usually. Also, you're going to be dealing with Network Standards & Practices lawyers on your set, they will be hovering over the "bleep" and maybe a "flash" button - in case something is uttered or shown they don't want heard or seen.  The live feed actually isn't "live" to everyone watching - it's delayed by usually 7-10 seconds just so the lawyers have time to catch things they don't like.  (wanna see 'em really sweat, argue for a 5 second delay... ha!). Lastly, you will also be dealing with a lot of redundancy planning - multiple links to network control (if it's a good size show, you'll have maybe two fiber links - that take physically different routes out of the building, in case one gets torn up by a backhoe somewhere, etc.. and/or one or two additional satellite uplinks "just in case."); and also fully redundant stage power - depending on if you want to keep "control" up - or everything including stage lighting up in case of a failure.  Redundancy gets very expensive in a hurry, so it's really important to iron out what level of backup the network is going to require *before* a budget is signed off on.

Jon Lawrence

I agree.  I will add, and not to rain on your parade becasue I also have been trying to do this for many years... albeit part time, you are embarking on a Herculean task.  An Executive Producer told me... "Jack, (because that's my name) A lot of writers could write a mediocre script about a group of people who hang out in a bar in Boston but unless you have a person(s) who can execute it (read show runner) it won't happen.

Jack A. Bennett

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