The series began development in the summer of 2003, when ABC senior vice president Thom Sherman decided to order from Spelling Television a script based on an idea of network president Lloyd Braun, who envisioned a series that was a cross between the novel Lord of the Flies, the movie Cast Away, the television series Gilligan's Island, and the popular reality show Survivor.[4] Braun had titled his concept Lost after a failed reality show that had broadcast in 2001.[5] Writer Jeffrey Lieber was contacted by Spelling's vice president of series development Ted Gold, and in September 2003 pitched to ABC the concepts for what he called Nowhere.