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Pitching Premium Shows to Streamers: How to Build a Commission-Friendly Proposal Inspired by Disney+ EMEA Moves

kkinds

2026-01-28

11 min read

Build a commission‑friendly pitch deck, show bible and programming calendar—plus outreach scripts inspired by Disney+ EMEA’s 2026 commissioning moves.

Beat the noise: Get a commission-friendly pitch that streaming VPs will actually read

Getting a streaming commissioner to greenlight a premium serialized or event-based live show in 2026 feels harder than ever. Platforms are leaner, commissioners like the ones recently promoted at Disney+ EMEA are juggling regional slates and global windows, and attention spans are short. If you want to break through, you must present a compact, data-led, production-savvy proposal that a VP can scan in five minutes—and a follow-up package they can hand to production or legal.

Why this matters now (2026 context)

In late 2025 and early 2026 the commissioning landscape shifted toward a few clear trends: tighter slates, appetite for live-event formats that drive repeat viewing and subscriptions, and a renewed focus on regional hits that can scale globally. Executives like Lee Mason (scripted) and Sean Doyle (unscripted)—recently promoted within Disney+ EMEA—signal the platform’s emphasis on senior commissioners who can shepherd tentpole local originals and event programming across territories.

Combine that with two production realities: streaming platforms now expect deliverables in 4K/HDR and IMF packages, and they increasingly rely on advanced audience modeling (often AI-driven) to predict acquisition ROI. Your pitch must bridge creative ambition with technical, legal and audience evidence.

What you’ll get from this article

A step-by-step commission-friendly pitch deck template tailored for serialized and event-based live concepts
A practical show bible and creative brief you can reuse
How to build a programming calendar and delivery timeline commissioners respect
Real-world outreach advice for VP contacts and commissioning teams (without cold-spam mistakes)

Top-level approach: Commission-friendly thinking

Before you build anything, align to this five-point checklist commissioners implicitly follow:

Clarity: Can someone summarize your show in one line and one sentence of why it matters?
Scalability: Is the concept repeatable or expandable across territories and seasons?
Commerciality: Will it drive new subscribers, reduce churn, or unlock ancillary revenue?
Deliverability: Do you understand the technical, rights and budget constraints?
Audience proof: Do you have data (or analogues) that show demand?

Quick primer: Serialized vs Event-Based Live — how to position each

Serialized (Scripted or Long-Form Unscripted)

Present serialized formats as audience-investment plays. Commissioners like Lee Mason want clear arcs, season 1 storylines, and modularity for future seasons and international remakes.

Event-Based Live (Unscripted Live TV, Reality Events, Countdown Shows)

Frame event-based live shows as subscription drivers that create calendar moments. Detail how they will drive live tune-in, social amplification, and sponsorship opportunities. For Disney+ EMEA-style teams overseeing live, emphasize scheduling windows, safety plans, and production scalability.

Step-by-step: Commission-Friendly Pitch Deck (ideal length: 8–12 slides)

Design your deck so a commissioner can read the first three slides and immediately know whether to ask for a meeting. Here’s a slide-by-slide template you can copy:

Slide 1 — One-Liner + One-Paragraph Hook
- One-line title: “The Hook: [Genre] + [Unique Twist]”
- One-paragraph value: “Why now? Why this platform? One KPI you’ll move.”
Slide 2 — 30-Second Sizzle (text + links)
- Embed link(s) to a 60–90 second sizzle or talent reel. If you don’t have video, include a short mood board image sequence and a cast wish-list.
Slide 3 — Format & Delivery
- Episode count, runtime, episode and season arcs, delivery specs (4K/HDR, IMF), and episode delivery cadence.
Slide 4 — Audience & Data
- Target demo, viewer personas, benchmark titles (with public viewing numbers if available), search and social demand signals, and any proprietary test data.
Slide 5 — Creative Team & Talent
- Showrunner, director, key talent attachments, and relevant credits. For Disney+ EMEA, name checks of similar hits help (e.g., include shows like Rivals or comparable franchises as analogues).
Slide 6 — Production Plan & Budget Bands
- Top-level budget bands (low/medium/high), production schedule, and key line items. Don’t include itemized budgets yet—commissioners want ranges.
Slide 7 — Commercial Strategy
- Subscriber lifetime value assumptions, sponsorship CPM assumptions, merchandising or live commerce tie-ins, and international windows.
Slide 8 — Risk & Mitigation
- Rights clearance, talent insurance, live broadcast backups, and contingency budgets.
Slide 9 — Programming Calendar (sample)
- Where the show sits in the platform slate, launch window suggestions, marketing pre-roll, and a 12–18 month timeline for season 1 to season 2 readiness.
Slide 10 — Ask & Next Steps
- Clear ask (development funding, pilot order, production greenlight), what you’ll deliver next (script, pilot, treatment), and a simple decision timeline.

Commission-Friendly Show Bible: Essentials (6–12 pages)

Your show bible should be concise and focused on utility. Commissioners use it to evaluate creative depth and production feasibility. Include:

Logline and a one-page synopsis of season 1
Episode breakdown—short beats for each episode (or for an event, the act structure)
Character guide with casting notes and arc trajectories
Tonal references (3–5 benchmark titles with explanation)
Production notes—locations, stunts, live production necessities, virtual production needs
Technical delivery—expected masters, subtitles, metadata, and IMF package timeline
Rights and clearances—music strategy, format rights and international adaptions

Creative Brief Template (one page — use at pitch and in pre-dev)

Paste this into your email or attach as a front sheet:

Project Title:

Genre & Format: (e.g., 6x45min serialized drama / 3x live competitive events)

Target Audience: (demo, psychographics, core regions)

Core Idea: One sentence

Unique Selling Points: (3 bullets — IP hooks, talent, live mechanics)

Deliverables: (pilot script, sizzle, pilot shoot dates)

Budget Band: Low / Mid / High

Key Risks & Mitigations:

Programming Calendar: How to present scheduling that wins

Streaming commissioners assess where your show slots into their annual slate. A crisp programming calendar makes you look like a partner, not a freelancer. Provide two scenarios: an ideal window and a fallback window.

Sample 12-month calendar for a serialized show

Months 0–3: Development (scripts, casting attachments, sizzle)
Months 4–7: Pre-production & pilot shoot
Months 8–11: Production (episodes 1–6)
Months 12: Post & marketing prep (trailer, press, talent press days)
Launch: Month 13 — suggested late-Q4 window for awards/holiday viewing

Sample calendar for event-based live (3-event series)

Months 0–2: Format finalization, sponsor pitch, safety & technical runbooks
Months 3–4: Rehearsals, dry runs, influencer seeding
Monthly window for each event with four weeks of pre-marketing
Post event: 2-week highlights and cross-platform clips to sustain subscription lift

Audience Data: What commissioners want to see in 2026

Don’t send raw social numbers. Send interpreted signals. Commissioners want three types of evidence:

Benchmark performance — analogous titles on the platform or competitors (e.g., average viewership or retention percent for a similar debut).
Demand signals — search volume trends, TikTok hashtag growth, and watchlist saves from test screenings or pilot placements.
Predictive ROI — a short model: new subscribers acquired per 1000 impressions, expected churn reduction, and sponsorship CPM assumptions (tie your assumptions to real benchmarks where possible).

Use visuals: a single page with three charts and a short paragraph that ties them to your ask. If you use AI tools to model demand, disclose your methodology briefly (transparency builds trust).

Budgets & Rights: Present ranges, not decimals

Commissioners expect budget bands. Offer Low / Mid / High scenarios with clear trade-offs:

Low: limited locations, smaller cast, tighter post schedule
Mid: festival-level directors, moderate VFX, full post schedule
High: star attachments, virtual production, international shoots

Also state your rights ask: exclusive first-window streaming rights by territory, non-exclusive clips for social, and merchandising splits. Be prepared to negotiate territory carve-outs for co-productions.

Outreach to VP contacts: How to email a commissioner like a peer

When you reach out to commissioners (the people in charge of greenlighting content, now frequently promoted to VP roles in 2025–26), do the work to be relevant:

Personalize the subject line: “For Lee Mason — Compact serial drama that maps to Rivals’ audience”
First sentence: 1 line summary + why you’re reaching them specifically (reference a recent slate move or a show they commissioned)
Attachment policy: Include a one-page creative brief and a link to a short sizzle. Avoid PDF decks over 12 slides unless requested.
Call to action: Ask for a 20-minute discovery call and provide three windows over the next two weeks.

Warm introductions (agents, producers, festival programmers) still outperform cold emails. If you must cold-email, follow up once — the right follow-up includes new context (e.g., new talent attached or fresh audience data).

Example outreach script (email opener)

Subject: For Sean Doyle — Live event format that converts viewers into subscribers

Hi Sean,

We developed a three-event live format that drove 18% watchlist saves in regional tests and maps to the appointment viewing Disney+ EMEA has pushed into unscripted event windows. I’ve attached a one-page brief and a 60-second sizzle link. Would you have 20 minutes next Tuesday or Thursday to talk about a pilot approach?

Common mistakes creators make (and how to avoid them)

Too much story, not enough feasibility. Commissioners want to know you can deliver.
No commercial hypothesis. Say how the show pays back—through subs, sponsorships, or IP extensions.
Sending oversized decks or raw footage. Keep it lean and curated.
Ignoring platform remit. Research the commissioner’s remit—scripted vs unscripted, regional priorities, and format appetites.

Advanced strategies for 2026 (what the smartest creators are doing)

Data-first sizzles: Combine clips with overlays of test metrics (retention heatmaps) to prove moments that hold attention.
Sponsor-ready packages: For live events, include a one-page sponsor deck to show immediate commercial upside.
Hybrid formats: Merge short-form serialized spin-offs for social to feed the long-form premiere—this works well for discovery algorithms in 2026.
Rights-light pilots: Offer proof-of-concept pilots with limited rights windows to reduce risk for commissioners.
AI-assisted creative testing: Use safe, ethical AI to create variant trailers that test tonal choices before committing to post.

Checklist before you pitch

One-page creative brief attached
60–90 second sizzle or mood reel
8–12 slide commission-friendly deck
Show bible (6–12 pages) ready for follow-up
Budget bands & delivery specs (4K/HDR, IMF) noted
Programming calendar and proposed launch windows
Short audience-driven ROI model

Real-world example: How to align to Disney+ EMEA commissioners

Use the promotions at Disney+ EMEA (e.g., Lee Mason in scripted, Sean Doyle in unscripted) as a live case study for alignment:

If your project is serialized drama, reference Lee Mason’s remit and choose local analogues in the UK or EMEA slates to show fit.
If you’re pitching event-based live formats, call out how your format builds appointment viewing and fan moments—this speaks directly to an unscripted VP’s KPIs.
Don’t name-drop indiscriminately; instead show you understand the commissioner’s priorities by tying your claims to shows or strategic shifts they’ve overseen.

Actionable takeaways (do these this week)

Write your one-line hook and one-paragraph value—boil your pitch down to two sentences.
Build the 8–12 slide deck using the template above—focus on slides 1–3 and 9 (calendar).
Create a 60-second sizzle using a test cut or animated mood board.
Prepare a one-page creative brief and one-page audience model.
Identify the right commissioner (scripted vs unscripted) and draft a 2-line personalized email.

Final note: Commissioning is a conversation, not a one-shot

Success in 2026 comes from iterative alignment. A commissioner will rarely greenlight on a first pass—your job is to make it easy for them to say yes at every gate. That means clear deliverables, realistic budgets, a short programming calendar, and evidence that your show moves audience needles.

Get the templates

If you want the editable deck, one-page creative brief and show bible template used for this article, download the free pack and a sample programming calendar at kinds.live/templates. Use them to craft a commission-friendly package you can send to VP contacts with confidence.

Call to action

Ready to move from idea to commissioner-ready pitch? Download the templates, adapt the deck to your concept, and book a 20-minute review session with our editorial team to get feedback before you send. Make your next pitch the one they can’t ignore.

kinds

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.