---
title: "Pitching a show format"
description: "A one-line promise, a mechanic in numbers, a signature device, a season of topics and a budget at three scales."
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/playbooks/how-i-work/pitching-a-show-format/
updated: 2026-10-25
---

# Pitching a show format

> A one-line promise, a mechanic in numbers, a signature device, a season of topics and a budget at three scales.

Playbook 5, How I work. Animation: /playbooks/how-i-work/pitching-a-show-format.mp4

Every show I pitch starts with one line you could say in a lift. Then the rules of an episode in numbers, and one device that comes back every week until it becomes the brand. Then I map the season and price it three ways, with Base as the recommendation, so the client picks a shape.

## How do I use it?

1. Write down the client's brief, the constraints and what they asked for on the first call, word for word where you can.
2. Write the one-line promise in about ten words and three to five working titles under it.
3. Set the mechanic in numbers: topics per episode, people per episode, runtime and clips per episode.
4. Pick one signature device that repeats every episode, such as the knock at the door or the whispered Tube announcement.
5. Group the topics into named categories, or map a season of dated moments with recurring segments and one sport never used twice in a row.
6. Name the talent rules and the guardrails, including compliance for regulated categories and a line that named talent has not been approached.
7. Price the run at Lean, Base and Ambitious, list what the client provides in kind, and put contingency only on the lines a contract does not fix.
8. Record actionable questions first in the shoot, then flip the order in the edit so the story hooks.
9. Build a call sheet per episode with the spaces, the question bank, the clips and a guest brief.

## Questions

### What does "Pitching a show format" mean?

A format pitch sells a show that repeats. Tom writes the promise, the rules of an episode and the device that comes back every week, then backs it with a season plan, a call sheet and a budget the client can sign.

### How do I put "Pitching a show format" into practice?

Write down the client's brief, the constraints and what they asked for on the first call, word for word where you can. Write the one-line promise in about ten words and three to five working titles under it. Set the mechanic in numbers: topics per episode, people per episode, runtime and clips per episode.

### Why does "Pitching a show format" matter?

Every show I pitch starts with one line you could say in a lift. Then the rules of an episode in numbers, and one device that comes back every week until it becomes the brand.