Lost Exists Thanks To A Tom Hanks Blockbuster And A Reality TV Show

There is perhaps no simpler path to getting your television show greenlit by the network than reducing it down to a simple “It’s like X meets Y” in your pitch. “Lost” is the quintessential example of why it can be incredibly helpful in boiling a complex story down into an easily digestible package. It all started in Hawaii, where ABC Chairman Lloyd Braun was on vacation with his family. Ever the company man, Braun turned his hotel TV to ABC and caught an airing of the Tom Hanks film “Cast Away.” Afterward, he went down to the beach with his family,…