Online PitchFest XVII: Screenwriters and Filmmakers

Pitchfest Schedule

24 MAY

Joe Wiggins - Co-Head of Development, Elevate Entertainment

24 MAY

Ran Aubrey Frazer - Manager, Authentic Talent & Literary Management

24 MAY

Kelly Hayes - Producer (Sundance Premiere)

25 MAY

Beth Bruckner O’Brien - Director of Development, Millennium Films

25 MAY

Jarrod Murray - Manager, Epicenter

Online PitchFest XVII: Screenwriters and Filmmakers

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

Online PitchFest XVII: Screenwriters and Filmmakers

Getting your script or reel in the right hands could often prove to be daunting. Most companies will deny writers the ability to submit their work. Frustrating? You betcha! We are excited to bring you yet another opportunity to showcase your hard work to executives that could either sign you or option your work. 

We have Millennium Films, Epicenter ManagementIntrigue, Walt Becker Company and Authentic Talent & Literary Management on tap. They are all looking for material, so now's a great time to get in front of them. From a production powerhouse that brought you THE EXPENDABLES to a boutique management company repping all types of writers, this is one of our more eclectic Online Pitchfests yet! Whether you are looking to get your script in front of a production company or if you're looking for representation, this Online Pitchfest has what you are looking for. These execs have been hand selected because of their genuine ability to help writers and the fact that they are currently looking for material. Stop blindly sending out query letters that probably don't even get read, and get your pitch in front of an executive that can actually help your career! 

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

Joe Wiggins

Joe Wiggins - Co-Head of Development, Elevate Entertainment

Recently announced in Deadline, Joe has joined Elevate Entertainment as the Co-Head of Development, where he specializes in television and feature film development. Some of his recent development includes EINSTEIN at CBS, ESCAPE at NBC, CONNECT at FOX as well as feature adaptations of a popular tabletop game series, a Dark Horse graphic novel, a NYT bestseller, and a Newbery Award winning novel.

With his Chilean background, Joe has been successful at adapting popular Spanish-speaking series such as the CW pilot, PLAYING DEAD, which was a remake of the Colombian telenovela, Lynch, as well as the more recent NBC pilot, DANGEROUS MOMS, based on the Spanish series, Senõras del h(Ampa). When not working on projects based on IP, Wiggins spearheads the development of high-concept specs and pitches that have landed at numerous studios, while also identifying new and diverse voices to introduce to the marketplace.

Raised by a Jewish Chilean immigrant, Joe is bicultural, fluent in Spanish, and attends several sales markets per year including MIPCOM to scout for new content. He has strong relationships with domestic and international executives, filmmakers, and their representatives. During the coronavirus pandemic, Joe played a key role in the development of a new AVOD platform called Globi TV which features premium international films and series. If applicable, from a business standpoint, Wiggins is familiar with general BA terms as he negotiates most of Intrigue's intellectual property acquisitions. Joe continues to develop elevated commercial projects with social relevance.

What They Are Looking For and How They Can Help You! Elevate is actively looking for comedy features and television series. With features specifically rom/com or action/com. For television- workplace or family comedy. We are also open to high-concept action films and series.

 

Joe Specializes in ALL genres of Feature Film and Television Scripts

 

Ran Aubrey Frazer

Ran Aubrey Frazer - Manager, Authentic Talent & Literary Management

An acting student in performing arts schools outside Baltimore, Ran Aubrey Frazier graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in Film Studies and Theater Studies, before matriculating at Harvard Law School, where he was the Coordinating Editor, Outreach Editor, and Diversity Chair of the Harvard Law Review.

After several years practicing as a corporate attorney in New York City, Ran ventured West to The Golden State, where he is a Steering Committee Member of UNICEF's Next Generation L.A., the Co-Chair of GLAAD's L.A. Leadership Council, and a freelance writer on Media Affairs for The Advocate. He is also a talent and literary manager, representing actors, writers, non-scripted personalities, and Millennial multi-hyphenates at Authentic, a singular management company committed to making the world a better place. Authentic reps high profile actors and filmmakers.

Kelly Hayes

Kelly Hayes - Producer (Sundance Premiere)

Kelly Hayes is a producer and development executive working in feature films and television. He recently produced Mope, starring David Arquette and Max Adler, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

He was instrumental in the development and sale of Boys Are Stupid Throw Rocks At Them at Universal. He developed the Blacklist script Doppelgängers, written by Evan and Shea Mirzai. Kelly is currently producing the feature film Spiral and developing numerous other projects.

In television, Kelly has led the sale of numerous projects such as "Thunderballs" at Spike, "Black Girls Are Easy" at VH1, and Glory Daze" at TBS. He produced the Fox Digital series "Bad Samaritans", which is streaming on Netflix.

Before becoming an independent producer, Kelly worked as the Director of  Development at Grace Hill Media and for The Walt Becker Company as the Director of Development and Production, where he was involved in the development and sale of projects to UniversalKelly was also an Associate Producer on the Walt Disney Studios film Old Dogs starring John Travolta and Robin Williams.

 
Kelly specializes in Dark Comedy, Indies, True-stories and Biopic features up to $5m, as well as unique Comedy TV. 

Credits include:

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Beth Bruckner O’Brien

Beth Bruckner O’Brien - Director of Development, Millennium Films

Beth is interested in action and thriller feature scripts of any budget range!

Millennium Films is one of the largest and longest running independent film companies and currently finances and produces up to 10 films a year.

Beth started her film career working at ICM, International Creative Management. After a year at the agency, Beth went on to work for a foreign sales company, Omega Entertainment. From there, she secured a position at Peter Block’s film production company, A Bigger Boat. At A Bigger Boat, Beth worked in development for 3 years, most notably on House at the End of the Street directed by Mark Tonderai and on projects such as John Carpenter’s The Ward and Adam Green’s Frozen.

Currently, Beth is serving as the Director of Development at Millennium Films where, under the tutelage of President of Millennium Films, Mark Gill, she has had the immense privilege of developing and packaging high profile projects such as Olympus Has Fallen, The Expendables franchise, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Homefront, Lovelace and Iceman.

During her tenure, Millennium Films has produced and financed 19 films and has over 30 projects in various stages of development. Millennium is currently developing the first female version of The Expendables tentatively titled The Expenda-Belles; and recently released the action thriller Criminal.

Company credits include:

Beth Bruckner

Tips on pitching to Beth:

  • Make sure it's clear what makes your story stand out.
  • No excuse for typos in written pitches.
  • When doing movie comps, do NOT use movies that share the same concept as yours. Only compare movies that share the same tone.
Jarrod Murray

Jarrod Murray - Manager, Epicenter

Jarrod Murray is a partner at Epicenter. His clients have sold pilots to Fox, CBS, CW, Spike, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Netflix. He also has clients staffed on Once Upon a Time, Nashville, and Rush Hour. Before opening up his own management company, Jarrod was the head of development at PCH Films, where he oversaw the production company's slate. He also served as the creative executive of Adelstein Productions where he set up spec script Hanna at Focus Features and The Necklace at Fox Searchlight.

Jarrod has clients staffed on:

  • Rush Hour (CBS)
  • Once Upon a Time (ABC)
  • Nashville (ABC)
  • Lab Rats (Disney XD)
  • Criminal Minds (CBS)
  • Crowded (NBC)

Jarrod is currently pitching a project with Amblin Entertainment, and they have a pending series pickup at Netflix. Director Jay Chandrasekhar (Super Troopers) is attached to direct an animated pilot of one of his clients. Rough House is attached to produce a feature from one of his clients as well. Their client Owen Egerton’s script The Boy was on this year’s Black List.

Here are some projects that Jarrod's clients are working on:

Jarrod MurrayJarrod MurrayJarrod Murray

Jarrod Murray

 

TIPS ON PITCHING TO JARROD:

  • Make sure your characterization is clear and layered. 
  • Highlight the distinctive quality of your story.
  • The hook must stand out. Spend a bit of time at the beginning succinctly clarifying what the hook of your story is. 
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