CASE STUDY: A Look at Some of TV's Most Successful PODs

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With news that Neal Baer (showrunner of Under the Dome, Law & Order: SVU, ER) just signed a POD deal with 20th Century Fox, I thought it was worth looking at the holy grail for television writers/producers: the POD deal aka the production overall deal. 

 Now we don't often talk about television productions but with the quality of television productions meeting and oftentimes exceeding the quality of films, it's time to reconsider. I'm a big believer in aiming high and learning from successful people so the article below will give you something to aim for (POD deals) and give you examples of people with POD deals to learn from.
A Look at Some of TV’s Most Successful PODs 
Originally published by Film Escape April 5, 2015 and written by Charlie Sierra
It’s every TV writer/producer’s dream to get a POD deal at a studio. To be paid handsomely and respected for the work that you create is something that everyone strives for.  A POD (production overall deal is basically a first look deal except anything that the producer develops while under this agreement must stay within the studio and cannot be taken elsewhere even if the studio passes. In return, the studio will pay an annual fee to the producer and cover all of his/her overhead costs. Both TV and film studios make overall deals with production companies and writers. In the TV world, these production companies are known as PODs which are responsible for some of today’s most successful series. This system allows for studios to pay for exclusivity to the content from talented creators. For example, if someone like Shonda Rhimes creates a hit like GREY’S ANATOMY for ABC Studios, they’d want to make sure that they have access to her next projects so that they can have more hit shows like SCANDAL and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER. After the success of BREAKING BAD, Sony Pictures (the studio that financed the show) made sure that the creator Vince Gilligan wasn’t going to take his next projects elsewhere. So they signed an undisclosed 8 figure POD deal with him and his company High Bridge.  Here is a list of a few other notable PODs for each of the major TV studios.
20th Century Fox TV
Production CompanyPrincipal(s)Credits
Bays & ThomasCarter Bays Craig ThomasHow I Met Your Mother
Liz MeriwetherLiz MeriwetherNew Girl
Party Over HereAndy SambergBrooklyn Nine Nine
Steve LevitanSteve LevitanModern Family
Flying Glass Of MilkMatt NixBurn Notice
Teakwood Lane ProductionsHoward Gordon24, 
Homeland, 
Tyrant
Chernin ProductionsPeter Chernin Katherine PopeNew Girl
Imagine TelevisionBrian Grazer Ron Howard24, Parenthood, 
Friday Night Lights, 
Empire
Lorde MillerChris Miller Phil LordLast Man On Earth, 
Lego Movie, 
21 Jump St
Ryan Murphy TVRyan MurphyGlee, 
American Horror Story, 
Nip Tuck
Sutter InkKurt SutterSons of Anarchy

ABC Studios
Production CompanyPrincipal(s)Credits
CoquetteCourteney Cox David ArquetteCougar Town
Dark ToyTodd HollandRed Band Society, 
About a Boy, 
Shameless
Fake EmpireJason Schwartz Stephanie SavageHart of Dixie, 
Carrie Diaries, 
Gossip Girl, 
Chuck, 
The OC
Michael SeitzmanMichael SeitzmanIntelligence, 
Code Black
Mark Gordon CoMark GordonGrey’s Anatomy, 
Criminal Minds, 
Private Practice
ShondalandShonda RhimesScandal, 
How To Get Away 
With Murder, 
Grey’s Anatomy

CBS Studios
Production CompanyPrincipal(s)Credits
Robert DohertyRobert DohertyElementary
When Pigs FlyGary GalsbergNCIS
606 FilmsHalle BerryExtant
Fly The CoopDoug EllinEntourage
K/O Paper ProductsAlex Kurtzman Roberto OrciScorpion, 
Sleep Hollow, 
Hawaii Five O, 
Fringe
Original FilmNeal MoritzThe Big C, 
Prison Break, 
Fast and Furious
Ryan SeacrestRyan Seacrest
Timberman/BeverlyCarl Beverly Sarah TimbermanJustified, 
Unforgettable, 
Elementary, 
Masters of Sex, 
The Odd Couple

Sony Pictures Televisions
Production CompanyPrincipal(s)Credits
Davis EntertainmentJohn DavisThe Blacklist
Farm KidDarlene HuntThe Big C
FedoraMichael Wimmer Peter TolanRescue Me, 
Rake
Nemo FilmsGraham YostJustified, 
Boomtown
Midd KiddShawn Ryan Marney HochmanThe Shield, 
Chicago Code, 
Last Resort, 
Lie to Me, 
The Unit
Happy MadisonAdam Sandler Doug RobinsonThe Goldbergs
High BridgeVince GilliganBreaking Bad, 
Better Call Saul, 
Battle Creek
Shore ZDavid ShoreHouse MD, 
Battle Creek
SmokehouseGeorge Clooney Grant Heslov

Universal Television
Production CompanyPrincipal(s)Credits
Broadway VideoLorne MichaelsSaturday Night Live, 
Man Seeking Woman, 
Mulaney
Deedle-DeeGreg DanielsThe Office, 
Parks and Recreation, 
King of the Hill
Etre FilmsAnne HecheBad Judge
PaperKiteAmy Poehler
Little StrangerTina Fey30 Rock
Parkes MacDonaldWalter F Parkes Laurie MacDonaldThe Slap, 
Warrior, 
Crossbones
UnbeliEVAble EntertainmentEva LongoriaDevious Maids
Wolf FilmsDick WolfLaw and Order, 
Chicago PD, 
Nightwatch
The Bedbug LetterMatt OlmsteadChicago Fire

Warner Bros TV
Production CompanyPrincipal(s)Credits
Berlanti TVGreg BerlantiThe Flash, 
Arrow, 
Mysteries of Laura, 
Brothers and Sisters
Bad RobotJJ Abrams Bryan BurkPerson of Interest, 
Believe, 
Almost Human, 
Lost, 
Fringe
Chuck LorreChuck LorreBig Bang Theory, 
Mom, 
Two and a Half Men
DoozerBill Lawrence Jeff IngoldCougar Town, 
Scrubs, 
Undateable
Jerry Bruckheimer TVJerry BruckheimerCSI Franchise,
My So-Called CompanyJulie PlecVampire Diaries, 
The Originals, 
The Tomorrow People

For help with your filmmaking career and your television projects, contact me at danny@djimlaw.com or 929.322.3546.

Matter included here or in linked websites may not be current. It is advisable to consult with a competent professional (hint, hint, me) before relying on any written commentary. No attorney client relationship is established by the viewing, use, or communication in any manner through this web site. Nothing on this blog or blog posting is official legal advice; it is just information and opinion. But if you want to, you can visit my professional website and hire me.

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