PITCH PERFECT: Tips To Making Your TV Pitch Sing
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Webinar hosted by: Kat Walsh
Director of Development at Edyson Entertainment
Kat began working in film and television back in 2009 when she joined Creative Artists Agency. Working in the Motion Pictures Talent Department for three years, she was accepted into the CAA Agent Training Program after only a year and a half at the company. She was 1 of 4 people in MP Talent out of 1,200 that was accepted into CAA’s elite training program. Kat helped facilitate the casting of such projects as 12 Years A Slave starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender, The Great Gatsby with Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, Oldboy starring Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen, Unknown starring Liam Neeson and January Jones, among many others. After three years of agency life, Kat got the creative bug and wanted to jump into the development and producing side of the business. That’s when she met Ed Gernon and Alyson Richards, the principles of Edyson Entertainment, where it was love at first meet. Kat joined Edyson in August 2013 as the Director of Development where she brings both industry knowledge and creative input to both the conceptual and script stages. Today, Edyson Entertainment has sold three shows, two of which are currently in fully financed network development. Due to the nature of deals, Kat is not permitted to specify the networks and projects but she’s incredibly excited and hopes to be able to share Stage 32 soon. Hailing from a show business background, both Kat’s mother and father are feature screenwriters. Her father, Joseph Walsh is best known for writing and producing cult classic, California Split directed by Robert Altman. Kat graduated from Villanova University with a BA in Business Marketing and a minor in Communication. Full Bio »
Webinar Summary
Learn directly from Kat Walsh, Director of Development for Edyson Entertainment and former Agent Trainee at CAA where she worked on such films as 12 Years A Slave, Looper, Drive, The Great Gatsby and many others!
In this Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, host Kat Walsh will teach you tips, offer advice, and share the buzz around town on what makes a television pitch truly stand out amongst the crowd. She will primarily focus on both what producers are looking for when it comes to verbal and written pitches, as well as general industry insight. Although verbal pitches are incredibly powerful, following it up with a stellar pitch document is equally important in catching a producer’s eye. Kat will be focusing on pitch document formats, character development, world building and that extra little “something” that may just turn a “no” into a “yes.”
You will leave the webinar knowing:
- An understanding of the current television landscape.
- How to get to the “Do you have pitch pages” stage of your verbal pitch.
- Producer-friendly written pitch formats.
- How to make sure your pilot and pitch pages are a perfect complement to each other.
- What the various networks are looking for.
- How to best position yourself for producers and executives.
- Industry Buzz - what executives are talking about these days.
Your host Kat Walsh brings with her wisdom from both areas of the business – the selling side and the buying side. While Kat has worked alongside top agents in the entertainment business during her time at CAA, she has ultimately had the time of her life working with Edyson Entertainment in the producing and development game. Edyson is a new TV production company with offices based in LA, Toronto and London and holds a first-look deal with international distribution company, Content Media. Edyson currently has two fully-financed shows in network development and a third on its way.
What You'll Learn
- Overview of the television landscape.
- How television has changed.
- Where is it going?
- Why it is exciting for all us.
- Verbal Pitches.
- Tips on being clear, concise and engaging.
- Getting to the “do you have pitch pages” stage.
- Written Pitches.
- Understanding your own show. Sound simple? It’s not!
- Producer-friendly pitch formats.
- The importance of world building.
- Characters, characters, characters!
- Character arcs and why they’re important to your show.
- Tip: no matter how cool or high-concept your show idea is, don’t forget the basics!
- Plot vs. Character.
- Knowing your series arc.
- The difference between season arcs and series arc.
- The importance of themes.
- The “extra something”.
- Knowing your target market and where you want to sell.
- Pilots! Pilots! Pilots!
- How to make sure your pilot and pitch pages are a perfect complement to each other.
- Know your buyers.
- What are the various networks looking for?
- Should you be writing with the networks in mind?
- How to best position yourself for producers and executives.
- The role of the agent or manager.
- Industry Buzz – what’s everyone talking about these days?
- Why you need to be flexible!
- How being green can be helpful if you’re helpful.
- Recorded, in-depth Q&A with Kat!
About Your Instructor
Kat Walsh
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Reviews Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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Lanette Mastandrea Kat covered more than just the points needed in a pitch. She gave background and examples of the "why" behind the process of putting together a pitch. -
Aziz Kevin Lee Very helpful. You can rebrand this as Pitching 101. Not only covers the general stuff, but Kat also went into details with specific examples. Highly recommended class, especially for newcomers or even as a refresher course.
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