Why is it that some shows become a rage and others simply sink into the abyss of nothingness?

Here’s what I think contributes to a 99% chance of a show delivering on its promise.

Authenticity – Is this show true to it’s original idea? Is it still the same show that was picked out of hundreds because of that elevator pitch? Is it the same show that remained in the marathon run where only the best were greenlit? Or did it end up being transformed into an indecent mix of everyone’s ideologies?

Conviction – The team that created the original idea and built the show on their conviction … how passionately convinced were they? How willing were they to change it into something unrecognisable? How stubborn were they about refusing to change what they believed in? How resolute were the teams about staying true to the idea and making the idea better while giving egos a vacation?

Planning – How well did you plan in the time you got to plan? Did you fight for the time you genuinely needed? Did you recognise the difference it would make to plan well vs go with the flow? Was planning the creative more important than planning the execution? Or was planning a cost effective shoot more important than planning the creative aspects? Did you plan creatively, effectively and efficiently?

Attention to detail – From the time the idea took birth to the time it took form; from the time it was scheduled for release to the time it was packaged and marketed and priced … did you pay attention to the details every step of the way?

A team bound by a unified vision – What was the vision? Passion for a great idea and seeing that vision take form? Making money? Getting a foot in the door for future large scale projects? Adding another show to the production roster? Meeting sales targets? Very often, the show is the sum of our reasons for it being born. Like babies, shows can be neglected, orphaned, loved, intelligent, beautiful, celebrated …. that vision is important.

The ‘X’ Factor – The relevance and timeliness of the idea, the team and its dynamics, the belief of the decision makers … in retrospect, a successful show will invariably have all of the above factors as well as that teaspoon of indefinable magic, coalescing and creating something extraordinary.

In a frenzied churn of content creation there are some pieces of content that add to the beauty of the world or raise the right questions or hit the right notes. They connect. They speak. They touch.

What do you want to create?