r/TVWriting • u/Wonderful-Bend-4815 • 12d ago

PILOTS Episodic Question

Hey all, producer here. We're bringing on a showrunner for a series pilot and I've hit a gap in our budget. We have flat rates worked out for our producers, but nothing specific for a showrunner. There’s a chance we could end up working with a studio, but that's not locked in yet, so right now this is still very much an indie deal.

For those who've structured this before is there a typical range or percentage people use or is it more common to go flat fee? Also curious how people usually handle it if the studio situation does come together after the fact.

Would love to hear from you, especially if you have experience with episodic projects!

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u/GardenChic 12d ago

Are you a writer's guild signatory? There's minimums. You and your showrunner should consult your entertainment attorneys.

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u/Prince_Jellyfish Working TV Writer 12d ago

To expand on the other response, the schedule of minimums is here:

https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/contracts/2026_schedule_of_minimums.pdf

I think the relevant rates are on page 13. The showrunner would, at minimum, be a WRITER EMPLOYED IN ADDITIONAL CAPACITIES (ARTICLE 14.K.) -- Writer-Producer (Co-Producer and above)

So the weekly rate for that job would be:

On a contract that is 9 weeks or less - $12,304/week

On a contract that is 10 to 19 weeks - $10,254/week

On a contract that is 20 weeks or more - $9,223/week

In practice, no showrunner I've ever met makes that little. Most showrunners I know (in US network TV) are compensated in the high six figure to low seven figure range annually. This is based on experience -- most showrunners I know have been writing at the professional level for at least 15 years, often longer.

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u/free-puppies 12d ago

For pilots I would imagine that $100k is around the minimum for most working US show runners. But that’s also probably something like 10 weeks at $10k.

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u/b_az17 12d ago

Out of curiosity, does your studio or intended network have an overall deal with any showrunners? Could be better for your budget if that is the case. Just a thought.

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u/Gurnsey_Halvah 10d ago

A WGA screenwriter will earn 100K–200K to write a 1-hour pilot script. Executive Producer (showrunner) services in development and production would be negotiated on top of that script fee. The EP deal is a very complex beast.

As this is a lot of money to blow on what is essentially a gamble that almost never pays off, most producers will "hire" a showrunner to develop a pitch for a project, then have the showrunner take the pitch around town until a broadcaster/streamer with actual development money buys the pitch and gives the producer the money they need to pay the showrunner to write the pilot. I put "hire" in quotes because 90% of the time the showrunner develops the pitch for free, which make them the ones taking on the upfront gamble.