Pitch Jeff Portnoy (Tuesday, July 14th 2015)

• About Jeff Portnoy

Jeff Portnoy is a literary manager at Bellevue Productions. He was named as one of Variety's New Leading Managers.

Prior to joining Bellevue, Jeff worked at Creative Artists Agency, The Gotham Group, Resolution talent agency and Heretic Literary Management.

Jeff’s clients include Samuel Franco & Evan Kilgore who wrote KEEPER OF THE DIARY, which is set up at Fox Searchlight with Weimeraner Republic Pictures producing, as well as MAYDAY 109, which is set up at Thunder Road Pictures with Flynn Picture Company producing; Ben Bolea, who wrote THE MISERABLE ADEVNTURES OF BURT SQUIRE ABOARD THE HORN HIGH YO!, which is set up at LD Entertainment with Kim Zubick producing; Josh Golden, who wrote ROAD TO OZ, which is set up at New Line Cinema with Flynn Picture Company producing; Mark Townend, who wrote CONTINGENCY PROTOCOL, which is set up at Broad Green Pictures with Bellevue Productions, Storyscape Entertainment and Weed Road Pictures producing; Michael Schatz, who wrote THE WOMAN WITH RED HAIR, a Black List script which is currently being packaged by Berlanti Productions; Mark Mavrothalasitis, who wrote VERTICAL for Alcon Entertainment, as well as WOLF IN THE WILD, which is set up at Awesomeness Film; Jorge Rivera, a staff writer on the Fox series A.P.B.; Matt Saracusa, who wrote CIRCLEVILLE, which is set up at Endgame Entertainment; Matt Leslie & Stephen Smith, who wrote THE HARROWING, which is set up at Cinelou Pictures with Jeffrey Reddick (FINAL DESTINATION) producing, as well as SUMMER OF ‘84, which appeared on the Blood List; Michael Salomon, who wrote SURVEILLANCERS, a half-hour comedy pilot set up at Warner Bros. TV Studios with Intrigue Entertainment and Quadrant Pictures producing; Chris Devlin, who wrote THE WRETCHED EMILY DERRINGER, a 2015 Black List script which is being directed by Adria Petty; and Andrew Zilch, who wrote A CROOKED SOMEBODY, which was directed by Trevor White and starred Rich Sommer, Clifton Collins Jr., Ed Harris, Amy Madigan and Joanne Froggatt.

 

Tips on pitching to Jeff Portnoy

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 Zoom 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.

If you are requested, you will be notified via email with further instructions. The execs will have 2-3 months to review your material and note if they are PASSing, or would like a MEETING. If a meeting is requested, we will introduce you via email.

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Please understand that these are working executives, and their schedules are subject to change at a moment's notice. We always strive to give you at least 24 hours of notice if a session has been cancelled, and we will recommend another executive for you to pitch your material to.

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What Can Stage 32 Pitch Sessions Do For You?

Whether you're preparing to find (or switch) representation, go out with a feature or TV script to production companies, studios, streamers, networks, investors or buyers, Stage 32 Pitch Sessions are a great first step to make sure you are on the right track.

Stage 32 has cultivated professional relationships with over 3,000 industry professionals including managers, agents, development executives, producers, investors and other executives and professionals across the industry who listen to pitches from the Stage 32 community. For these executives and pros, Stage 32 has become the place to discover new talent and material.

How it Works

It’s simple. You simply pick the executive you’d like to pitch to. You can choose to pitch either via Zoom or through a written pitch.

Your executive will give you feedback on the pitch and ask and answer questions in real time. You will learn what works and doesn't work with your material and you can continue to hone your script and pitch as you prepare to go to market.

Then, within 3 weeks, you will receive a scorecard outlining various aspects of your pitch including Pitch Delivery/Format, Clarity of Pitch, Set Up of Protagonist(s) & World, Obstacles & Conflict, Clarity of Tone, Originality of Concept and Strength of Voice.

Further, you will receive an industry standard PASS or REQUEST for your project. If you receive a request for your script OR if the executive requests a meeting (or both!), we will facilitate the arrangement!

For over a decade, Stage 32 writers have secured tens of thousands of script requests and thousands of meetings with industry professionals as a result of pitching through Stage 32. These requests and meetings have led to thousands of success stories including writers securing representation, sales, paid options, produced films, open writing assignments, writers room jobs and much more. You can check out our success stories here!

Your Zoom Pitch Format

In our Zoom or Phone pitches, you will pitch directly with the executive through Zoom or via telephone. Your pitch will be 8 minutes in total. It is up to you on how you want to use your time, but we recommend you spend 5-6 minutes to pitch your project, which will allow for 2-3 minutes of executive questions and feedback.

Your Written Pitch Format

Written Pitches must be no longer than 2 pages submitted as a PDF or WORD document. Your written pitch should include the name of the script, logline, format (feature film or TV pilot) and genre. From there, you’ll want to lay out the main points of your story and character arcs to create and present a clear, concise narrative.

Stage 32 Pitching Tips

Both live and written pitch sessions follow industry standards and are designed to present your pitch to working executives. They will provide you with meaningful, actionable guidance to not only improve the work and the pitch, but to help you best position your work for the marketplace. So please come fully prepared.

Once you sign up for your pitch session you will be given educational resources to help you best prepare your pitch which include example pitch beat sheets for both feature film & TV verbal pitches, examples of both written and feature film written pitches, as well as an example video Zoom pitch.

Code of Conduct

This is a professional environment and you are pitching to seasoned executives. Decorum is important. Please adhere to the guidelines below.

1. Do not ask the executive if they want to read your script during the pitch.
2. Do not reach out to an executive outside of the Stage 32 platform. This is highly unprofessional and will result in being disqualified from pitching again.
3. Stage 32 works directly with our executives. If there is interest in your script or a meeting request, we will facilitate the request.

You’ve worked so hard on your material, we couldn’t be more excited for you to present the work to your executive. We have no doubt that by following the guidelines above, you’re going to do fantastic!

Best wishes with your pitch.

And remember, if you ever have any questions from choosing an executive to which of our services may be right for you, never hesitate to reach out to the Success Team at success@stage32.com - We’re here to help…always!