Learn How to Better Pitch Your Ideas: Go from Storyteller to Storyseller
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Webinar hosted by: Will McCance
Vice President of Production at Billion-Dollar Producer Ian Bryce Productions
Will McCance is the Vice President of Production for Ian Bryce, producer of blockbusters like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, ALMOST FAMOUS, the TRANSFORMERS franchise, and most recently Michael Bay's SIX UNDERGROUND for Netflix. At Ian Bryce Productions, Will oversees the company's entire development slate. Before working with Ian Bryce, Will worked in development at Original Film's TV department, working on hit shows such as THE BOYS (Amazon) and PREACHER (AMC), as well as on SWAT (CBS) and HAPPY! (Syfy). Independently, Will has produced films such as the upcoming LOLA JAMES, starring Nicola Peltz and Oscar-Nominee Virginia Madsen, BERNARD AND HUEY, starring Jim Rash, David Koechner, and Mae Whitman, as well as Belarus's 2018 Oscar selection for Best Foreign Film, CRYSTAL SWAN, along with Vice. Through his years working as an executive, Will has deep experience with working with writers and choosing to work with them or not based on their pitch, and is prepared to share what he’s learned with the Stage 32 community. Full Bio »
Webinar Summary
Learn how to pitch your work so you can build a profitable career in film and television with the Vice President of the company behind Finding Ohana (Netflix), Saving Private Ryan, Transformers: The Last Knight, Almost Famous, The Boys (Amazon), Preacher (AMC), and more!
Do you ever feel like your great ideas go unnoticed by producers, directors, agents, and managers alike, and that you don’t get the shot you're looking for as a result? This isn’t because these decision makers don’t care; it’s because you may not have pitched or sold your ideas the right way. The reality is, successful screenwriters are as much storysellers as they are storytellers. Whether you like it or not, your primary goal as a writer must be to stand out in a sea of competing projects.
The bottom line: Whether you're a screenwriter, filmmaker, producer, or any creative or industry professional looking to gain representation, sell their material, attract talent, raise financing, or simply looking to find work, you will have to pitch. Further, you will be in competition with others pitching as well. You've put so much time and effort into your work and building your reputation, you don't want to have it all undermined with a terrible pitch. And the truth of the matter is that most people that pitch make the same fatal mistakes over and over. They don't know how to tell a concise, riveting story. They don't know what to put in, what to leave out, and what elements really and truly sell someone on their story. This webinar will give you insight and tools to pitch better and get ahead of the pack.
Will McCance is the Vice President of Production for Ian Bryce, producer of blockbusters like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, ALMOST FAMOUS, the TRANSFORMERS franchise, and most recently Michael Bay's SIX UNDERGROUND for Netflix. At Ian Bryce Productions, Will oversees the company's entire development slate. Before working with Ian Bryce, Will worked in development at Original Film's TV department, working on hit shows such as THE BOYS (Amazon) and PREACHER (AMC), as well as on SWAT (CBS) and HAPPY! (Syfy). Independently, Will has produced films such as the upcoming LOLA JAMES, starring Nicola Peltz and Oscar-Nominee Virginia Madsen, BERNARD AND HUEY, starring Jim Rash, David Koechner, and Mae Whitman, as well as Belarus's 2018 Oscar selection for Best Foreign Film, CRYSTAL SWAN, along with Vice. Through his years working as an executive, Will has deep experience with working with writers and choosing to work with them or not based on their pitch, and is prepared to share what he’s learned with the Stage 32 community.
In this exclusive on-demand Stage 32 webinar, Will will equip you with all the tools you'll need to elevate your next script to the top of the reading stack. He will discuss the various techniques of pitching, from finding the right words and unique style, to understanding which type of pitch to use and when. He will also analyze sample TV and feature film pitches and break down the hidden power of the perfectly-worded logline. He will teach you tactics, strategies, and even books that will make you a stronger storyseller, and in turn, a stronger storyteller.
Will will even deliver a pitch of his own to use as an example and will share other film and TV pitches to analyze what works and what doesn’t.
Through Will’s presentation, you will not only learn how to better understand and explain your story, but to also instill a newfound sense of confidence that you can take with you to your next meeting or pitch session.
What You'll Learn
- Storyselling – What It Is and Why We Need It
- Who sells ideas and who is buying them?
- What ideas sell and what ideas don’t?
- When is the best time to pitch?
- Where do storyselling opportunities present themselves?
- Why is it important to learn how to sell your story?
- Types of Selling
- The concept pitch (AKA The Elevator)
- The 5-minute pitch
- The full pitch
- Crafting the Perfect Elevator
- How long should it be?
- Constructing a perfect logline
- What boxes do you need to check and how do you check them?
- Practicing elevator pitches
- How to tell when they’re successful or not
- The 5-Minute Pitch
- How this kind of pitch can be useful and why
- Pitfalls of the 5-minute pitch
- Anatomy of the 5-minute sale
- Live example of a 5-minute pitch
- Anatomy of a Full Pitch
- What is a “full pitch” and why is it useful to craft?
- Elements of a full pitch
- Tips from a Buyer
- Who is buying your ideas?
- What nearly all buyers are listening or
- Essential tips, tools, and strategies for crafting your own style
- Q&A with Will
About Your Instructor
Will McCance
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Reviews Average Rating: 5 out of 5
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Amazing Kacee Really great webinar. I put into place what I learned from this webinar, pitched the next day, and rocked the pitch. Very valuable information to use and learn when pitching your projects. Great Q & A as well at the end of the webinar! One of the best webinars on pitching I have watched! Kudos to Mr. McCance. Just watch it and learn from it so you can get your projects produced. Yes, it is that good!!!
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