Producing : A question regarding pitching -- what has your experience been? by Randy Schein

I haven't pitched verbally here Randy Schein , only written. But I have pitched elsewhere so it varies by platform. I would suggest watching Pitch Tank in the Writer's Room to get a good grasp on what they look for here. You can ask for a free month by writing to WriterHelp@Stage32.com. All the best.

Hi, Randy Schein. I recommend the Pitch Sessions! www.stage32.com/scriptservices/pitch-sessions I've gotten a lot better at writing pitches from the notes.

The main purpose of the Pitch Sessions is to get feedback to improve your pitch, but sometimes the executives, managers, etc. will request scripts, sign writers, etc. (www.stage32.com/scriptservices/success-stories).

Stage 32 has two written pitch examples (one for a show and the other for a movie). Stage 32 also has a verbal TV pitch beat sheet and a verbal feature pitch beat sheet. You can get them by emailing success@stage32.com.

Here's three Lounge posts with pitch advice:

www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Pitch-Advice

www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Pitching-44

www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Why-Pitching-Matters-And-How-to-Mak...

The Pitch Practice is the best pitching resource in my opinion. Pitch Practice is every Thursday night at 5:30 P.M. PST/8:30 P.M. EST. You can sit in and listen to members practice their projects and give them feedback. You can pitch your project too, but you have to sign up. The hosts, Noel Thompson and John Mezes, take names during Pitch Practice for people to pitch the following week. You have to sit in and listen at the practice one or two times before you can pitch. The Pitch Practices are only open to Writers' Room members.

I suggest watching the Pitch Tank in the Writers' Room like Leonardo mentioned. It's an incredible pitching resource. The Pitch Tank is where you pitch your script to an executive and get feedback. The Pitch Tank is once a month.

Stage 32 has a free webinar called "How to Write a 2 Page Pitch for Your Television Series" (www.stage32.com/education/products/free-stage-32-webinar-how-to-write-at...).

Stage 32 has a free webinar called "How to Create a 2 Page Pitch For Your Feature Film" (www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-create-a-2-page-pitch-for-your...).

Stage 32 also has a free pitch webinar: www.stage32.com/education/products/pitching-tips-from-the-pros-your-blue...

You have 10 minutes per session but what people want from a pitch is not consistent. There is no magic bullet; some want more, some want less. There was one that timed for 6 minutes at the start so they can ask questions afterwards, which I found very helpful.

I have found the verbal pitch sessions very underwhelming, generally, and I've done about twenty. It's all over the board because you're not really pitching your movie, you're pitching your personality. You're pitching to many other personalities that all believe they're right about what makes a good movie and, some of them, you just won't match wavelengths with. It's been incredibly disheartening because the comments from pitches you don't succeed in, many will go into diatribes about your script off of what you can do within a few minutes, nevermind actually having read your script for themselves to judge. The ones that say I need to change the story off of a 3-6 minute pitch, I just outrightly ignore. The first few pitches I did, I wasn't very good, but I did get someone requesting my script based on conversation alone. One executive I pitched to gave me the exact structure to what most are looking for in a pitch and that's what I've been working off since. It netted me 3 more requests from following that pitch beat sheet. I've altered it by some common notes I received from some other pitches but, again, it doesn't work for everyone.

The worst thing I've taken away is the kind of people who are holding the keys to the company and whether or not you impress them with a good pitch is almost arbitrary. The people that you primarily pitch to are pencil-pushers and bean-counters. If you have something that's a bit dangerous, or something a little more nuanced, it's almost guaranteed they're not interested. They want a pitch that's as simple and binary as your story; something that sounds like a modest investment for a great ROI. They're looking for similar things to what's working currently. These people are some of the most banal, unimaginative, arrogant, and frustratingly thick people I've ever encountered. The worst are the heads who are looking for "strong franchise and IP potential." What they're really saying is that they want something that's an easy sell, but they really don't know what that is or what works so they're looking for buzzwords. The biggest cliche I've picked up on is that many are currently looking for things with a "sensational twist" because that's something they can frame selling the movie on. My worst pitch was my last one where I was pitching to what looked to be a 26 year old girl who had seen very little movies and did not understand my comps. She had a hard time following the pitch and I needed to reiterate points I just made a number of times. The whole affair was like talking to a petulant teenager. It. Was. Awful.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's been a mixed bag, where you're pulling at straws for most of the time. I have a good script that has market potential; I've been told as much from the consultations I've done. You don't need to impress them all, you can't and you're not going to, but if you can get the attention of that one--that right one--and you can impress them; that's the start everyone's looking for.

Oh, anyone telling you need to buy into more membership subscriptions throughout the site to get better; it's a con, man. If you're small beans and starting out, just jump into it and work your way through by just doing pitches. You'll learn as you go and refine what your pitch naturally. You may even snag a request for your script just by natural conversation. Again, it's all up in the air with who you pitch to and how they respond to you. You have no control over that. You're already spending money, why spend any more when the odds won't change?

Thanks so much -- all three of you! This is really good feedback and I will research everything that you are talking about. I am quite grateful for all of this.

I have been on the receiving end of pitches for another big company - and I will tell you that the ones that go over 5 minutes are usually too sprawling and unfocused - leaving no time for conversation/feedback. A tight 2-3 minutes is preferable in a room or on a Zoom.

You do want to save time to answer questions and exchange contact info.

You're welcome, Randy Schein.