In addition to a tight, killer script, every TV project needs a strong series bible or deck to help convey sustainability and its role in the marketplace. And execs commonly ask for pitch decks for features as well! So submit your Series Bible, Pitch Deck (20 pages max each), or both, and the exec will conduct a 30-minute notes call (1-hour if submitting both documents) to help you clarify and sharpen the supplemental material to help your marketing efforts.
Questions? Email terra@roadmapwriters.com
A great Title will always catch my eye. Story, Story, Story. But also well defined characters that engage us in such a way that makes us want to follow them through their journey. Organic and Authentic storytelling. Being more grounded and relatable.
Rom/Com scripts (think Hallmark), Holiday (cable/streamers) Faith/Inspirational (no conversion themed stories please)/ Female Drive Suspense Thrillers (think Lifetime)
Broadcast comedies and dramas.
A member of the Producers Guild of America, Maura Dunbar launched MadDog Productions in 2020, after spending over 36 years working in entertainment as a highly successful senior-level broadcast/cable executive and producer of Emmy-nominated original programming. With 18 years working as a network executive, Dunbar’s rich and diverse experiences have made her a recognized expert in programming strategies, development, packaging, and production, which has enabled her to produce over 600 hours of television movies and mini-series and become an expert in building a community around programming and marketing platforms.
Dunbar most recently launched MadDog Productions in 2020 with the premieres of JINGLE BELL BRIDE and THE CHRISTMAS RING on the Hallmark Channel, Along with her 2021 slate DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF: THE KRISTINE CARLSON STORY, starring Heather Locklear, and NANTUCKET NOEL for
Hallmark Channel, Dunbar has Executive Produced 24 original telefilms to date. Before this, Dunbar served as EVP/Chief Content Officer of Odyssey Networks where she also headed up multiple subsidiary companies as President & CEO of Lightworks Pictures and Engage Entertainment.
Under Engage, she developed and produced over 21 films for the Hallmark Channel and UPtv, which have earned her multiple Telly, Camie, and Christopher Awards as well as recognition from the Dove Foundation. Some of her most notable projects include A DECEMBER BRIDE, CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY MANOR, ONCE UPON A PRICE, THE NOTE, and THE RECKONING.
At Lightworks, Dunbar oversaw THE AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE, which became one of the highest-rated shows in the history of the Game Show Network and earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination and Movie Guide Award for best game show. Additionally, she oversaw the company’s launch into non-scripted documentary programming with its first commission from Oprah Winfrey’s network, OWN, for SERVING LIFE, executive produced by Forest Whitaker and
Nick Stuart. To date, this project alone has won over 10 awards, including the CINE Masters Series Award and the Humanitas Prize.
While in her tenure at Odyssey Networks, Dunbar also helped develop and launch a digital mobile app, “Call on Faith,” that offered a selection of hundreds of videos featuring inspirational stories, prayers, meditations, and uplifting advice accessible to all and refreshed monthly. Additionally, she oversaw a team of producers who created over 300 short-form news videos for
“On Scripture,” widely distributed through Huffington Post and AOL.com.
Before her work with Odyssey through Engage Entertainment and Lightworks, Dunbar served as the Senior Vice President of Original Programming for Hallmark Channel. In her role, Dunbar launched the channel’s franchise of original two-hour movies with rating successes such as LOVE COMES SOFTLY and LOVE'S ENDURING PROMICE (starring Katherine Heigl), which have gone on to become the 2nd and 3rd highest selling home videos in the CBA market respectively. Subsequently, Dunbar was also responsible for shepherding ADOPTION, a limited one-hour reality series about the intense emotional journey of parents building families through adoption, which was a ratings success and received high-profile awards from the Congressional Coalition on
Adoption Institute and the Gladney Foundation.
In conjunction with the heads of distribution, marketing, and sales, Dunbar also helped grow the channel’s distribution from 32 to 57 million homes, which drove the channel to the distinction of being the #1 Basic Cable Network in HH% in 2002.
Preceding Hallmark Channel, Dunbar worked for 16 years as a creative executive for ABC Network, where she served as Vice President of Mini-Series and Special Projects. In this title, Dunbar distinguished herself for her ability to develop and produce content that achieved both ratings and critical success. She also garnered numerous Emmy nominations and awards for her work on projects with best-selling authors and acclaimed directors such as Stephen King (THE STAND, THE SHINING, STORM OF THE CENTURY), Larry McMurtry, Peter Benchley, John Jakes, Dean Koontz, John Saul, Sydney Sheldon, Chris Columbus, Diane Keaton, Robert Halmi Sr., Lorna Luft (JUDY GARLAND: ME AND MY SHADOW), and Christopher Reeves (REAR WINDOW). Additionally, Dunbar had oversight on highly-rated franchises such as ABC Saturday Mystery’s COLUMBO,
KOJACK, and B.L. STRYKER, along with the ABC Saturday Family Movies, which included the remakes of beloved Disney classics such as THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE, THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES, THE SHAGGY DOG, FREAKY FRIDAY, and THE LOVE BUG.
A testament to Dunbar’s value to ABC, the network assigned her to the prestigious and selective Corporate Mentor Program in 1999, where she was mentored by CapCities/ABC, Inc. Chairman Tom Murphy. In addition to her professional career, Dunbar has actively served the film and television
industry by making a positive impact through her professional outreach. During her four terms serving on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, she served as Chair of the prime-time show committee for the highly-rated 2008 Primetime Emmy Telecast, as well as the Chair for the Governor’s Award Committee, the ATAS Brand Strategy Committee, and
the Future Media Committee. Additionally, Dunbar previously served on the board of GLAAD as well as on the Entertainment Advisory Committee for the Salvation Army.
Reaching out to foster young talent, Dunbar has also sat on the Communication & Fine Arts Council at Loyola Marymount University, where she served as Chairman of the LMU School of Film and Television’s inaugural film festival. Richard Alatorre also honored her at City Hall for her active participation in the Boyle Heights Elementary Institute Student/Mentor Program.
Most recently, Dunbar was also awarded an appointment to “Kentucky Colonel” by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in recognition of her service and efforts to provide hope and improve the lives of others.
After registering, you will receive instructions on how to submit your material in your order confirmation email. After submitting your material, please allow 3-4 weeks to receive proposed times for scheduling your consult with the exec.
PITCH DECKS: These are visually-driven documents (20 pages max) that use images and short paragraphs of text to demonstrate the tone, world, character insight, key plot points, stakes, and theme of the series or feature. If the Pitch Deck is for a show, it will use some of the same sections of text as your Series Bible, but will be less extensive. When creating a pitch deck, always make sure that you are using images of a consistent size and quality, and that you use the same font, color code, margins, and other design specifications throughout. Click here for a Pitch Deck example! Want more insight? Consider signing up for our Creating Professional Level Pitch Decks webinar!
SERIES BIBLES: These supplemental documents are text-only (20 pages max), and can get requested when marketing any sort of TV show. Among other things, they should demonstrate what makes your characters unique and captivating, the focus and evolution of their arcs, the rules of the world, the hook of the story engine, the intended tone and theme, as well as why YOU are the best person to write this show from this perspective. Here's example #1 and example #2. Note: The formatting and organization of Series Bibles has changed since these examples were created, but addressing these sections in your own Series Bible will be a great starting point to make sure you're answering questions before they're asked.
**Please note series bibles and pitch decks are each limited to 20 pages maximum. Please contact terra@roadmapwriters.com for pricing on a consultation for material exceeding 20 pages.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with Roadmap's Code of Conduct.
Questions? Email terra@roadmapwriters.com
Cancellation Policy: You may cancel your registration for a refund or Roadmap gift card if you have not yet submitted your material for review. However, once your material has been received by Roadmap, your registration cannot be canceled. Having revised material or a desire to retroactively apply a discount or gift card code are not grounds for cancellation, refunds, or gift card credit. Once your material has been submitted, the only acceptable grounds for cancellation and a refund or gift card credit is an unforeseen, ongoing emergency on the part of either the writer or the exec resulting in more than 6 weeks without any scheduling update from the exec via direct contact or Roadmap, or a sudden change in the exec's ongoing availability. In the instance of an irreconcilable scheduling issue, the writer may still receive a written feedback report from the exec. In this case, the writer is not entitled to a refund or gift card credit as the exec has read the submitted material and provided written feedback in lieu of the call.