Distribution : Ask Me Anything (AMA) 11/29 to 11/30 by Ewan Dunbar

Hi Ewan, thanks for your AMA! How have you seen the landscape evolve over the last couple of years between European streamers and global streamers for creators?

Hi Amanda Toney ! The last couple of years have seen the streamers grow, but now there are fewer covid restrictions in most countries, the portion of household budgets going towards streaming services has decreased. It has also seen more established broadcasters in some countries in Europe wanting to keep control over their titles and not hand them over to a third party. This has seen the birth of companies like BritBox (from BBC & ITV in the UK). Regional companies like Viaplay have also kept hold of their territories, where their great knowledge of their viewership's tastes has been a crucial advantage. The plus side of this for creatives and producers is that there is a wide variety of companies to work with who's tastes are always changing. What may not work for one streamer may be something another is actively seeking out.

Thanks for taking the time to have an AMA, Ewan Dunbar. Do you think a writer should have a budget range in mind when they pitch their script or project?

Hi Maurice Vaughan. Great question. It will depend on who you are pitching to. If a company likes you and your project, they may say they'reinterested but have a certain budget range in mind. This is because they will have run a basic cost/profit analysis as part of their assessment of your material. When some people pitch they set a budget for their project, but unless this has been properly broken down by a line producer or otherwise properly accounted for, this is sometimes just a figure that has been pulled out of the air and won't stand up to the question "how did you arrive at this number"? If you include a figure, make sure you can back it up.

Ok, thanks, Ewan Dunbar! Great advice! When I pitch a script, I like to include a budget range. For example, I'll put "Low-budget ($3MM-$5MM)" in a pitch deck or treatment. I come up with the "($3MM-$5MM)" based on things in the script like location count, character count, whether there are fight scenes, etc. I wasn't sure if including budget ranges in pitch decks and treatments was helping or hurting my scripts.

Hi Maurice Vaughan. As long as you can answer why its at that budget range thats fine.

Ok, thanks, Ewan Dunbar. I'm not an expert at budget, but I know things like a script with fight scenes costs more to make than a Drama that takes place in a house. :)

Hi Ewan! I know you have an intensive pitch deck lab coming up. When it comes to selling a project, how important is having a deck? Shouldnt I just be able to sell a project with a script?

https://www.stage32.com/classes/TV-Series-Pitch-Document-Writing-Lab

Hi Ewan Dunbar - thank you for doing this AMA - it's so great for the community to be able to ask someone with your experience and perspective questions and for those who have worked with you here on the site to have continued access to you. My question is about packaging. When you make decisions on a project in your current role do you like creatives to bring in projects that have talent already attached or is that something Disrupting Influence handles so you are more focused on the idea/script?

Thanks, again - and I am also looking forward to your upcoming pitch deck writing lab!

Hi Emily J. I am indeed running my pitch deck lab again! It will be starting in early January and will run for 8 sessions.

Pitch decks are a great selling tool to have for your TV show along with your pilot and are now a requirement for most companies. Its a way for you as a creative to demonstrate to a reader where your show can go after the pilot, how your characters will keep engaging audiences as the show develops and what will keep audiences hooked. With executives now being submitted so many projects, a strong pitch deck can make the difference between an exec thinking "maybe I'll finish reading it later", to them being hooked and going into their next team meeting saying "you've got to read this" and pitching it for you!

To find out more about the lab click here: https://www.stage32.com/classes/TV-Series-Pitch-Document-Writing-Lab

Hi Sam Sokolow. Thank you for the kind words. If a project is already packaged/partially packaged thats always a strong start. We have helped on projects that have been out to cast in a variety of ways to help complete the packaging stage. We have also boarded projects with no attachments at all for development and have seen these go on to development at broadcasting partners and streamers, but these tend to be more high-concept projects.

Ewan, Thank you so much for doing this AMA! Do you deal and meet with writers directly for pitches, or do you meet with representation? Is there a standard for this in the industry or does it depend on the person/company?

Hi Ewan!! Thanks for your AMA. My question for you is: How can I offer the industry a whole universe like Game of Thrones and associated satellite products?

I read, for example, that Netflix needs a saga like this to fight against Amazon and HBO.

Hey Ewan - thanks so much for doing this AMA! Would love to know which project you've worked on has been your favorite and why.

Hi Ewan and thanks for doing an AMA for the community. Are there some typical missteps that many newer creators make when pitching?

Hi Ewan Dunbar. My name is Josiah and my question is that I’m struggling to make it as a screenwriter. I’ve been networking and speaking to other writers, while trying to keep writing my scripts and yet I haven’t had much luck. I really want to learn more and study from great writers and work with other writers so I can be a better writer. Any tips?

Hi Niki H. We meet with both representatives and writers. It depends on who is the main point of contact for the project and who is pitching it to us.

Hi Louis. Its good having a project that has room to grow beyond its first season. Its worth remembering that shows are usually commissioned for their first season and then only commissioned for more if it is a success. So with this in mind, making sure that you have an amazing first season that will get audiences hooked to your show and wanting more is key. Shows like Game of Thrones, The Witcher and Rings of Power are also based on pre-existing IPs with large audience bases already, which is also an advantage.

Hi Sam. Tough question!!! My favourite projects to work on are always ones that make audiences think about their views on things. We've had projects that have dealt with looking at romance, societal conventions, family, coming of age and even mental health in new ways. Storytelling is a powerful tool for letting people walk in a character's shoes for a while and see the world from their perspective, but connecting with something in themselves and looking at it in a new light. These stories haven't been restricted to drama projects either. We've read sci-fi, comedy, romance, fantasy and crime projects that deal with these in their own unique way.

Hi Rosemond. The most common misstep creatives make is not practicing or refining the pitch. It is difficult when a creative has created a world and characters with their own quirks, history and desires, to take a step back and consider how to concisely convey this to someone that is hearing/reading it for the first time. Delivering your pitch as a detailed encyclopedia is going to make your project seem inaccessible to an audience. Starting from your logline and building the information as you go will help someone to clearly understand the story you are trying to tell. If its a verbal pitch, allow plenty of time for the person you are pitching to to ask questions so you can engage with them in a conversation.

Another piece of advice I give to first time pitchers is to remember that audiences connect with characters and not events. The question "whats the project about" can often lead to the story being told as a "sequence of events", but re-framing this telling so that its told from, or is closely tied to, the perspective and experiences of your lead character(s) will demonstrate why the audience will care about what is going on. "Its about a girl/guy who..." is one of the best starting points. The person you are pitching to is your first audience member, so tell them a good story in the way your show would.

Hi Josiah. Its great that you are already networking as this is one of the best ways of getting your work out there. Getting feedback on your work and constantly educating yourself in your craft will also help. Competitions are also a good way of getting your work out there in front of other professionals. Sites like Stage 32 are a fantastic platform to do all these things.

Hi Maurice Vaughan. If you look at the original ending for Back to the Future, this was waaaay too expensive for the production, but it didn't stop the project from getting greenlit. They just said that they needed to figure out a different ending (which is much better in my opinion). If an executive likes your project enough but thinks some things need to be done differently to make a justifiable budget, in a lot of cases they will have this conversation with you.

Ok, thanks for the tip, Ewan Dunbar. There's so much great advice at this AMA! :)

Ewan Dunbar, so much great questions and answers at this AMA, is abviously in keeping with standards on this platform, I was drawn into the subject (basically), of characters and walking in their shoes. My film(s) will involve the subjects and how facinating it can be with the use of talents or "Creativity", by film or filmmaking, other forms of course includes writing, acting, etc. Any further, general comments? Thanks!!

Thanks Ewan Dunbar!! I agree with your comments.

Thank you Ewan Dunbar. I tried competitions and will again. I also am reworking on an older script I wrote years ago. I just want to be taken seriously as a writer.

Ewan Dunbar thanks for the input and advice on pitching.

Thanks Ewan! Appreciate your thoughtful response!

Hello Ewan Dunbar

I'm a animator at Iran.

I have a studio.

we developed a 3d animation series.

I'm looking to find a way to sell this product. we created demo reel and documentation.

Can you help me?

thank so much.

Hi Mohsen. Finding companies that distribute similar titles is a good place to start (IMDb.com under a film's Company Credits page). There are also a lot of executives on Stage 32 looking for new projects. Do you have a link to a trailer?

Ewan Dunbar you did not answer me and I delete the like, If you want to see that please text me.