Creative Development
Who Are the Unsung Heroes of Advertising?
Creative Development & Treatment Writing for Production Companies
You’ve never heard of me, but I helped some of your most loved (or loathed) TV ads make it onto the screen. Who I am? A treatment writer, that’s who. Lurking in the shadows, turning dreams into reality.
If you’re a producer or director making adverts, music films, corporate videos or promos, you know what creative development is. So, in a second, you can skip to the examples of my work below. But first, here are two important lists:
- Production companies I work with: Another Film Company, Bare Films, Cadence Films (New York), Casual Films, Czar, Henry (Paris), Just So, Luti Media, La Cosa de las Películas (Madrid) and MerchantCantos.
- Brands I’ve written treatments for: Alibaba, Allianz, Asda, Cadbury, Crédit Agricole, Disney, Fairy, Garnier, GSK, L’Oréal, Marriott, Max Factor, Miller Brewing Company, Mini, Porsche, Samsung and Thomson Reuters.
Not familiar with what a creative does? Then this writing niche needs explanation.
What Is a Treatment Writer?
Treatment writers (also known as creatives) help production companies, agencies and directors put their ideas into words. They develop concepts and get them ready to pitch. Because even great ideas need polishing in order to be sold. Production companies present these pitches, known as treatments, to those who hold the purse strings, usually brands. Treatment writers are ghostwriters. You won’t find their names in the credits.
For me, the treatment writer, the process starts when a production company gets in touch with a brief. ‘We need this now/in two hours/yesterday!’ they cry. (I’ve never figured out why the process is so rushed. Perhaps everyone involved is drinking too much coffee). The production company is putting one of their directors forward for the job of shooting an ad. They need my help because the director is too busy to write their own treatment or because their talents lie on the screen and not on the page. Brands tend to approach several production companies and directors. They choose who to hire on the strength of the treatment, so it needs to be good.
Once I’ve digested the brief, I chat with the director. I use my patented shrinking ray to get inside their head. From there I can pinpoint the best way to communicate their ideas, experience and personality. Then I turn all my notes into beautiful flowing prose. A good treatment bounds off the page. It creates a clear picture of the not-yet-made film. It’s well-researched and speaks directly to the reader. That reader might be the creative director of an advertising agency, the CEO of a large company or the boss of a record label.
Turn Your Ideas Into Reality
Now you know more about what a treatment writer does, feel free to browse the samples of my work below. Treatments are often confidential so I can’t share that much on my website, but more samples are available on request. If you need a designer to help with the visual side of things, I can recommend people. Get in touch and let’s make some magic.
Send me an email or call 07909795182.
