Online PitchFest XIX: WorldWide Online PitchFest

Pitchfest Schedule

24 JUL

Nate Matteson - Producer/Manager, Gotham Group

25 JUL

Conrad Sun - Manager, Meridian Artists

26 JUL

Jenny Halper - Director of Production and Development, Maven Pictures

27 JUL

Sheena Morjaria - Interim CFO, Through the Lens Entertainment

27 JUL

Jairo Alvarado - Literary Manager, Redifine Entertainment

27 JUL

Drew Smith - Creative Executive, Unique Features

28 JUL

Andrew Moncrief - Creative Executive, Morgan Creek

29 JUL

Afolabi Kuti - London-based Independent Producer

Online PitchFest XIX: WorldWide Online PitchFest

Entry Fee (Skype or Written): $45 per session

Online PitchFest XIX: WorldWide Online PitchFest

You can be anywhere in the world to be a filmmaker. That's the beauty of art. Filmmakers from all over the world use our services to connect with executives that can help bring their script to the screen. In addition to the US, we have writers from New Zealand, UK, Canada and Australia that have gotten signed through the Stage 32 Happy Writers. That's why we have decided to make our next Online PitchFest a global event! We are excited to bring you our first ever WorldWide Online PitchFest XIX with Hollywood, UK, Canada, New York and Dubai representing!

We have Circle of Confusion (Los Angeles), Flick the Switch (Dubai), Morgan Creek Productions (Los Angeles), Gotham Group (Los Angeles), Maven Pictures (New York), Producer/Manager Afolabi Kuti (London), Unique Features (Los Angeles), The Weinstein Company (New York) and Meridian Artists (Canada) on tap and we couldn't be more excited for you! You can be anywhere in the world to pitch to any of these executives. Stage32 Happy Writers thrives to bring our creatives a global reach and this WorldWide PitchFest is exactly what is needed to get you exposed to a variety of people and markets! 

We love being able to connect you into the heart of Hollywood and it's your success stories that keep us going every day. Please be sure to check out some of our recent successes from our online pitch fests below, and in our success stories section. Also, read what our executives and writers are saying about these groundbreaking Stage 32 Happy Writer Online Pitchfests here!

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Company Executives

Nate Matteson

Nate Matteson - Producer/Manager, Gotham Group

In his seventh year working in representation, Nate Matteson manages the careers of some of the most exciting emerging filmmakers and television creators at The Gotham Group, one of the top management and production firms in Los Angeles.

Named by Variety Magazine as one of their “Hollywood’s New Leaders” in 2010, he has found his calling discovering and cultivating young talent in a selection of storytelling mediums. Matteson recently wrapped production on his first feature as a producer, Stephanie, with Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman directing, Frank Grillo starring and Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, Insidious) attached to co-produce. He is also developing an UNT. DEEP WEB thriller TV series with Zach Helm at WGN with Legendary Television.

Matteson specializes in transitioning and supporting filmmakers from the independent, documentary, and short film worlds, and he counts amongst his clients:

  • Oscar nominee Henry Selick (Coroline, Nightmare Before Christmas)
  • two-time Oscar winner Angus Wall, who is making his directing debut this year with EMPIRE for New Regency, based on a script by Ben Ripley (Source Code);
  • Wentworth Miller who’s spec script Stoker was directed by Park Chan-Wook, starring Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Matthew Goode and was released by Fox Searchlight
  • David Gelb (Jiro Dreams Of Sushi) who recently released his narrative feature directing debut with LAZARUS for Lionsgate, starring Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, and Donald Glover and who created Chef's Table for Netflix
  • David Bruckner (V/H/S, The Signal) who is rebooting the Friday the 13th franchise for Paramount, and will be directing his first feature this fall titled Intrusion for David Linde’s Lava Bear Productions.
  • Phil Iscove, co-creator of the FOX series Sleepy Hollow, which with its premiere, provided the network’s highest ratings in 10 years
  • Jessica Postigo, who is creating an original series at MTV and wrote The Mortal Instruments, released in theaters last summer by Screengems
  • Molly Prather whose spec script FML is being produced by Will Gluck with Olivia Wilde and Jenny Slate attached to star
  • as well as writers on Vampire Diaries, Grimm, and Resurrection (ABC) amongst many others

Last year alone Matteson has sold projects to Paramount, Lionsgate, Disney, Netflix, Sony TV, Europacorp, FOX TV Studios, ABC Family, Relativity, CW, and Cartoon Network. After getting his professional start working for renowned television director David Nutter and creator Josh Friedman, Matteson cut his teeth in representation as an agent-trainee at Paradigm. He is a graduate of the University Of Wisconsin.

Here are just a few of the projects Nate's clients have worked on:

Tips on pitching to Nate Matteson:

  • Take the time to set up the characters. Set up your protagonist's flaw at the beginning of your pitch. 
  • Make sure everything you put in your pitch is relevant to your story. Do not put in extraneous details. 
  • Specify what the genre and format of your story is before going into your story pitch. 
Conrad Sun

Conrad Sun - Manager, Meridian Artists

Conrad is looking for scripted TV pilots of all genres and budget ranges.

 


"Silicon Valley", produced by Meridian Artists client Graham Wagner

 

Conrad Sun joined Meridian Artists in 2014 as an Associate. Based in Los Angeles, Conrad supports all of Meridian's LA based clients for staffing and development work.  Additionally Conrad works with the Toronto office to ensure all Meridian properties are available to buyers across North America.

 

Meridian Artists clients include:

  • Robert C Cooper ("Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency", the "Stargate" series, "Dark Matter")
  • Graham Wagner ("Silicon Valley", "Portlandia", "The Office")
  • Chris Pozzebon ("Blindspot", "Schitt's Creek")
  • Kate Spurgeon ("Fuller House")
  • Andrew De Angelis & Elize Morgan ("Orphan Black")
  • Allan Magee (FIDO, "Trailer Park Boys", "Paradise Falls")
  • James Hurst ("Wynonna Earp", "The Listener", "Being Erica")
  • Adam Frost ("Castle", "Are You Afraid of the Dark?")
  • Mark Blutman ("Girl Meets World", "The Closer", SPY SCHOOL)
  • Michael Gemballa ("NCIS: New Orleans", "Beauty and the Beast")
  • Larry Bambrick ("Shoot the Messenger", "Bitten", "Flashpoint")
  • Carmen Pilar Golden ("Hawaii Five-0", "Cold Case", "Eureka")
  • Amy Jo Johnson ("Felicity", "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers")
  • Sarah Jurgens ("iZombie", "Lost Girl")
  • Amber Goldfarb ("Helix", "Bellevue")
  • Sarah Glinski, Ian Malone, & Cole Bastedo ("Degrassi: The Next Generation")

 

Conrad started his entertainment career by founding a Calgary-based video production company in 2004 called Vigor Media. Since then, Conrad has gained experience working in content development at companies like Epix, Hasbro Studios, Gran Via Productions ("Breaking Bad"), New Wave Entertainment and Motion Theory Films.

Conrad's clients last year were staffed and working on shows like "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency", "Shoot the Messenger", "Bitten", "NCIS: New Orleans", "Girl Meets World", "Castle", and more! Conrad also just recently set up a drama series at ABC.

 

Conrad has signed a Stage 32 writer as a direct result of these pitch sessions!

 

Client credits include:

Silicon ValleyDirk gently'sCastleConrad Sun

Jenny Halper

Jenny Halper - Director of Production and Development, Maven Pictures

Jenny Halper is Director of Production and Development at Maven Pictures, Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray’s production company, and has worked in that capacity on films including The Kids are All Right, The Whistleblower, Bernie, Girl Most Likely, Filth, Ten Thousand Saints, and the forthcoming American Honey. Maven's development slate includes adaptations of Jennifer Gilmore's The Mothers and David Lozell Martin's Crying Heart Tattoo, which will star Rachel Weisz, Steve Martin’s Object of Beauty with Amy Adams, and Marisa Marchetto’s Cancer Vixen adapted by Julie Delpy for HBO, in addition to several TV series. They are currently in production on Wilding, directed by Fritz Bohm and starring Bel Powley and Liv Tyler, as well as an adaptation of James St. James' Freak Show adapted by PJ Clifton and Beth Rigazio, directed by Trudie Styler and starring Bette Midler, Abigail Breslin, AnnaSophia Robb, and Alex Lawther. Jenny's adaptation of Laura Van Den Berg's story What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us, titled The Burning Season, was a 2015 Athena list winner and she is producing it with Kate Sharp.

 

 

 

Sheena Morjaria

Sheena Morjaria - Interim CFO, Through the Lens Entertainment

Sheena is interested in hearing pitches for Romantic Comedies (think Richard Curtis films - LOVE ACTUALLY, NOTTING HILL, etc.) up to $20MM in budget.

 

 
THE MORTICIAN, produced by Full Circle Films

 

Sheena is an executive at Through the Lens Entertainment, a boutique IP development and production company that delivers genre-bending material and experiences for modern audiences. The company aims to look towards the future of film and television by developing new technology products and producing pioneering content for the industry to innovate the world of storytelling and push the boundaries of cinema.

Only a few years in, they are currently in development on a number of projects including an adaptation of Arthur C Clarke's sci-fi novel Islands in the Sky, Tabetha Xaviar's thriller HOLOCENE, an adaptation of Henry Hemming's book The Ingenious Mr. Pyke, and the sci-fi thriller MEMORIA.

 

Sheena is a seasoned international media and business professional having spent the last ten years as an entrepreneur, after building her foundations in the corporate world and launching the film finance boutique, Flick the Switch. Under that banner, she worked with Full Circle Films on THE MORTICIAN, with Lionsgate distributing, following the success of their first feature KILL KILL FASTER FASTER, which won Best International Feature at the London Independent Film Festival. She collaborated with producer/director Tom Donahue (THANKSGIVING, THE WAKE) on THE GUEST OF CINDY SHERMAN, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and the documentary CASTING BY in conjunction with the who’s who of Hollywood – including Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Glenn Close, Robert Redford and many more. She also worked with Donahue on the Waiting Room a high budget short film shot in New York, Milkman directed by James Rumsey, associate produced The Priest, and co-financed and produced Frankie Teardrop starring John Dagleish and Olivia Grant (both BBC’s "Lark Rise To Candleford").

 

Sheena is an expert in film finance – often invited to speak at conferences and participate as an expert at film festivals including SXSW in Austin, Texas and the Dubai International Film Festival among others.

 

Personal and Company credits include:

Sheena MorjariaSheena MorjariaSheena MorjariaSheena Morjaria

 

 

 

 

 

Jairo Alvarado

Jairo Alvarado - Literary Manager, Redifine Entertainment

Jairo Alvarado is a Literary Manager at Circle of a Confusion, a leading management and production company with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Circle and their clients have worked on some of the biggest releases in film, television and online including Oscar-winners and Nominees THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE OF EBBING, MISSOURI, THE FLORIDA PROJECT, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, THE MATRIX, COCO, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, MUDBOUND, and ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY; as well as commercial hits including BLACK PANTHER, "The Walking Dead", THE BOOK OF ELI"Alias Grace", THE SHALLOWS, "Sense8", V FOR VENDETTA, JOHN WICK, "Outcast", and THE CONJURING.

Jairo Alvarado's eye to develop high concepts and genre work is what led him to Circle of Confusion. As a manager, Jairo is responsible for discovering Amsterdam-based filmmaker Mischa Rozema and developing his short film Sundays which sparked a multi-studio bidding war and was eventually acquired by Warner Bros. for a 7-figure development deal.

 

Prior to joining Circle of Confusion, Jairo built a reputation for finding up and coming talent working as a Manager at 3 Arts Entertainment and as a Creative Executive at Warner Bros., where in 2009 he was credited for spotting Uruguayan director Fede Alvarez and his short Panic Attack! Alvarez would go on to direct EVIL DEAD and DON'T BREATHE.

 

Jairo Specializes in Big Action Features and High-Concept Horror/Suspense in the vein of THE OTHERS or LIGHTS OUT.

 

Company and client credits include:

Jairo AlvaradoJairo AlvaradoJairo AlvaradoJairo Alvarado

 

 


 Guidelines

  • You may only pitch ONE project per reservation. Execs are looking for projects they can develop, NOT portfolios.
  • You should have a completed script available upon request for the project you pitch.
  • Do not reach out to the executives unless directed by Stage 32. They do NOT accept unsolicited material or appreciate being cold-called/emailed by strangers.
  • Missed reservations are not refundable and will not be rescheduled.

Live Pitches

Within 15 minutes of your scheduled pitch, the exec will reach out by Skype or Phone. Your pitch session will last approximately 8 minutes.

Written Pitches

Written Pitches will be no more than 2 pages submitted as a PDF or WORD document. Any written pitch uploaded past the deadline will not be shown to the executive and will result in a non-refundable forfeiture of your pitch.

Scorecards

Within 3-4 weeks of your pitch session, you will receive a Pitch Scorecard on which the exec you pitched will provide pitch feedback and note if they are PASSing, or would like to REQUEST your material.

Drew Smith

Drew Smith - Creative Executive, Unique Features

Drew specializes in Horror, Action, Thriller, Sci-fi, and Comedy Features of all budget ranges. He is especially interested in Horror. NO DRAMA.

  

 
"Shadowhunters"
, produced by Unique Features

 

Drew Smith is the Creative Executive at Unique Features, the feature and television production company founded by veteran producers Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne. The duo have produced dozens of high profile films including THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, The A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films, HAIRSPRAYTHE GOLDEN COMPASSWHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS"Shadowhunters" (Freeform), THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES.

Unique features recently announced they will produced the contained, horror-thriller NIGHTLIGHT under Sony's Columbia Pictures. The original, spec script was penned by Tyler MacIntyre and Chris Hill, with MacIntyre also set to direct. Their action-fantasy TV series "Shadowhunter" is set to premiere it's 3rd season on Freeform in April, and has already been picked up for a 4th season!

At Unique, Drew is responsible for bringing in project ideas, exposing the company to new talent, and providing insight on current projects to better reach a worldwide audience. Prior to joining Unique, he was the manager of acquisitions at The Steel Company and brokered deals on behalf of some of the biggest international distributors at film markets included Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and the AFM.

 


STAGE 32 exclusive interview with Drew Smith

 

Company and Principle credits include:

Drew SmithDrew SmithDrew SmithDrew Smith

Andrew Moncrief

Andrew Moncrief - Creative Executive, Morgan Creek

Andrew has currently been in development for two years where he oversees all projects in development and is tasked with finding their next slate of movies. Recently, they launched a TV division, where they are repurposing some library titles as new TV series as well as developing a slate of original TV ideas. Morgan Creek is a financier and production company that is family-owned and operated. They are interested in developing for feature theatrical release as well as TV projects. With an eclectic film library, their taste include but not limited to action thrillers, conspiracy thrillers, comedies, period historical fiction, sci-fi, and dramas. All ranging in budget from $10mm to $40mm. Credits include The Thing, Dream House, Sydney White, Georgia Rule, The Good Shepard, Man of the Year, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Last of the Mohicans and Exorcist: The Beginning.

Afolabi Kuti

Afolabi Kuti - London-based Independent Producer

Afolabi (Afo) Kuti began his film career working in the film festival world at Sundance and BFI London Film Festivals. He then spent time across Film Sales and Acquisition with Salt, distribution with Revolver, publicity with DDA PR and Film Education with the FilmClub before dipping his toes in film production working for producers Elizabeth Karlsen & Stephen Woolley at Number 9 Films. While at Number 9, Afolabi was selected for the Skillset and National Film & TV school scholarship programme - Compass Point for writer/directors where he was mentored by Tony Grisoni. He then joined The Salt Company as the Acquisitions Manager in February 2011 before going independent in March 2013.

In May 2012 he was selected as one of Screen International 50 Future leaders in film. Now working as a producer, Afo has projects in development with BBC Films, Agile and Tea Shop and Film Co. Afo also recently started managing directors and writers helping them to develop their projects and careers.

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