Discovery Channel’s Producers Portal…. Any experience?

[Richard Cooper]

When I read the “terms” of submitting show “ideas” through the Discovery Producers Portal, it read to me (but I am not a layer) that you had to basically agree to give up your rights to your idea for them to even look at it. So essentially, they “could” take your idea and run with it and bypass you as the owner/producer completely. Didn’t sound like a good deal to me. But others may have more “hands on” experience with the Producers Portal.

Good luck!

Richard Cooper
FrostLine Productions, LLC
Anchorage, Alaska
http://www.frostlineproductions.com

[Mark Suszko]

You can’t copyright the idea, just the specific execution of it. Console yourself that you are getting hired for the mind that comes up with the ideas, rather than the specific ideas themselves.

Because your stuff WILL get stolen some day, and more than once. I had a client I negotiated with for a package deal turn my creative pitch down and then try to execute one of my ideas a month later, on their own, no attribution or consideration for me, but the cheaper guy they used for the spots hadn’t done any of the background legwork I had, so his take on my concept was pretty weak, and it didn’t work out. Had they not gone out of biz shortly thereafter, and had they come back to me to make it work, I would have had words about it with them.

Yes, you’re taking a huge chance when you sign off on one of these. One of many reasons the system is kind of set up in such a way that everybody is driven to work thru a small handful of pre-approved “inside track” production organizations to get access to the big time; you want to be taken under the wing of an established partner who will maybe not steal from you too badly, on the assumption that a fractional ownership of *something* is worth more than complete ownership of *nothing*.

[Gav Bott]

BBC and just about all other UK channels have had this system for years.

Sign the form 1st, then they will open the envelope containing your proposal.

At the time the waiver forms were introduced the explanation I remember was “we get so many ideas sent to us, of course there will be lots just like your already on our desk – because we make a show/series very like yours doesn’t mean we stole your idea – just that we have lots of ideas sent to us and one is bound to be just like yours.”

A flawless argument………….But if you want to play with them you have to play by their rules.

The Brit in Brisbane
The Pomme in Production – Brisbane Australia.

[Grinner Hester]

I don’t suggest the portal. I’ve heard no horror stories but you’ll obviously be better represented.
I imagine they get a lot of show ideas through the portal.

[Christine Dimiceli]

Have you submitted your idea via the writers guild in the form of a treatment? It’s cheap, provides proof of creative ownership and is time-date stamped. Always do this first.

[Tami Lynn]

I submitted my Treatment that is registered and copyright, to the Discovery’s Animal Planet Producers Portal in early April 2010. I never heard back from them and contacted them 11 weeks later. I left messages and 2 days later I received a ‘pass’ on the Producers Portal, along with an ANIMAL PLANET email stating…”Animal Planet is really looking for human stories rather than animal ones.” Six weeks later, I was contacted by one of my personal contacts highlighted in my Treatment telling me…they were contacted by a producer from ANIMAL PLANET. ANIMAL PLANET WAS DEVELOPING MY EXACT TREATMENT SUBMISSION. I immediately contacted my attorney.

[Mark Suszko]

[Tim Frechette]

Hi Tami,
Sorry to hear that. Your situation is the what I wanted to try and avoid and still produce a show but I can see there is no future in that. I see people on craigslist in my area looking for freelancers for work that they are doing for the Discovery channel. A local event had 2 shooters from Discovery here and they just go around shooting footage for them. Apparently Discovery is doing their own editing, etc.

One way or another someone with a creative idea will be screwed out of their creativity with this portal process. It is sad and poisons many people in the process.

[Tami Lynn]

Thanks Tim for your response. I wish everyone going through this type of ordeal would contact each other and stand strong together, it just might help us all.

[Mary Gerber]

Hi, could you instruct on how to make that happen? Thanks so much