Factual Television Producing

This book is an unvarnished look at how to originate, pitch, sell, and produce factual television programming for global broadcast television networks and streaming services.

Grounded in firsthand experience, this essential "how to guide" walks readers through the crucial steps in the factual television process while unpacking valuable insights to successfully producing and delivering projects on time and on budget. With over 20 years of experience in the TV documentary arena, Executive Producer Dylan Weiss shares how to break into the industry, originate your own documentary ideas, forge a path forward through the creative process, prepare your concepts for commissioners, and then pitch them to networks, broadcasters, streamers, and distributors around the world. Industry voices are layered throughout sharing their experiences from each stage of the process. These interviews include top executives from Disney, Investigation Discovery, National Geographic, and many more.

This is an ideal resource for independent documentary producers looking to create and pitch their work to top television networks and streaming services.

Dylan Weiss is a documentary filmmaker and President of Cry Havoc Productions, where he has overseen over 100 hours of factual programming for a wide range of pan-regional and global networks, including the National Geographic Channel, National Geographic International, Discovery Networks International, Smithsonian Channel, Science Channel, and Animal Planet.