OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

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North America

Looking For

  • OWN develops content in the Relationship Reality genre, with a focus on couples, family dynamics, sisterhood, mother/daughter, entrepreneurship, girlfriends, multi-generational and ensembles. The network is looking for women from the Southern region of the United States who may or may not know each other but have a common philosophy, hobby, business, relation or organizing principle. It is open to soft formats, verité style shooting and ensemble docuseries, which include healthy doses of emotion and comedy.

    OWN is not currently looking for shiny floor formats, game shows, or quirky formats with constructed/artificial settings or activities.

    What's working for the network:
    • Love – Concepts in the relationship reality space w/ensemble casts.
    • Situations where the audience would get to see the highs and lows of relationships, sisterhood, and friendship.
    • Themes around singles, dating, falling in love, proposals, engagement, families, couples, raising children, infidelity and divorce, as well as any area that can foster telling these stories, but not specifically lifestyle wedding shows.
    • The network likes dynamic personalities and conflict, coupled with a healthy dose of hope for reconciliation, resolution and healing.


    What's not working for the network:
    • Single topic docu-follow programs (one family, one workplace, etc.).
    • Shows without conflict.
    • Shows with conflict-only (“ratchetness”) but no intentional resolution or healing.
    • Inauthentic characters, storylines and situations.
    • Shows that are “too produced”, or have scripted beats.
    • Shiny floor game shows.


    Other notes for producers:
    • Submit series concepts only (no specials or one-offs).
    • The network is open to both evergreen concepts with stand-alone soft formatted episodes, as well as serialized narratives.
    • Big personalities are welcome!
    • The network typically doesn’t fund original documentaries.

Countries

  • United States

Demographic

  • African American women, 35-65 years old, heavily concentrated in the Southern region of the United States.

Format

  • One-hour programs are preferred.

Genres

  • Crime/Investigation 
  • Docureality
  • Docusoap
  • Food
  • Home (Renovation, Design)
  • Social Issues/Current Affairs 

How to pitch

  • Pitches for OWN must have:
    • Intention – why are you making this for OWN’s audience? In addition to being entertaining, why will "she" want to watch it and what will she take away?
    • An authentic point of view that is relatable to its demographic.
    • A pitch deck.
    • Tape (where talent is involved).

Team

  • Drew Tappon – Head of Unscripted Development, Programming & Specials
    Havva Eisenbaum – VP, Unscripted Development

Contact

  • Pitches to OWN must be formally submitted via the Discovery (parent company) portal. Please register yourself/company if you’re not already in the system and then input your pitches here: https://producers.discovery.com.

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