3 TV Writing Tips from Crackle GM Eric Berger

Eric Berger is in charge of Crackle, Sony’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform. Eric arrived at Crackle after years of working at Time Warner Cable. The man knows a thing or two about how TV works.

And how does it work? A direct-to-consumer model. 80–90% of content is produced by the Big 4 networks (ABC, NBC, CBS & Fox) while the rest is produced by companies like Sony, which doesn’t have a large network in the US.

That’s where Crackle comes in: a way for Sony to produce AND distribute.

Eric came to Writers Blok and shared three tips for writers hoping to navigate the world of streaming television.

It’s all about pace

Whether or not a show is successful doesn’t hinge on if it’s a comedy or drama, if it’s set in space, or set in an office building. Eric says it is “sensibility and tempo” that brings audience back, episode after episode. At Crackle, they specifically look for shows with a quicker tempo. While slower-paced shows on other platforms may be great shows, they wouldn’t work at Crackle because the pace doesn’t fit the rest of their content.

Know your audience (and your network)

When picking shows for Crackle, Eric is looking for something that will succeed with the specific audience that their platform attracts. The majority of Crackle viewers are watching on a game console in a living room environment. The shows that do well tend to have characters that would exist in game play which is tying in the interests of the viewers. Success comes to “networks that know their voice and their audience.”

Write something that the audience hasn’t already seen

Finally, it is the thing we’ve all heard a million times. Eric laughed while saying that while every network says this — it really does make a difference. Introduce characters in an environment that is unique. Create original characters that viewers can relate to. Take your spin on the story in a way that only you can.

Writers Blok is a co-writing space in Los Angeles. We specialize in structure, support, and community for writers.

Upcoming events include Q&As with Ozark writer Paul Kolsby, screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians, Adele Lim, and Scrubs and Grace & Frankie Executive Producer Randall Winston.