Pitch Olivia M. (Sunday, October 15th 2023)

• About Olivia M.

Olivia M. is an agent at Verve Ventures, the independent film finance and sales team at Verve Talent and Literary Agency. Headed by former worldwide sales agent Amy Beecroft, and in collaboration with former award-winning independent producer Ross Putman, Verve Ventures provides full-service consulting from script to screen.

The Ventures group's main mission is to help take high-quality, creator-driven cinema from script to screen—and everywhere in between. Projects from the Ventures group include Steve Buscemi’s THE LISTENER starring Tessa Thompson, I LOVE MY DAD with Patton Oswalt, EMILY THE CRIMINAL starring Aubrey Plaza, ARI & DANTE starring Eugenio Derbez and Eva Longoria, Halston Sage-starring romantic comedy THE LIST, queer musical GLITTER & DOOM, contemporary romantic comedies MARY, MARY & SOME OTHER PEOPLE and PLUS ONE, Bryan Bertino’s supernatural horror film THE DARK AND THE WICKED, and Anthony Maras’s HOTEL MUMBAI.

Prior to Verve, Olivia was the Director of Development and Production at a prominent production banner where she brought in and co-produced COME AS YOU ARE, written by Erik Linthorst and directed by Richard Wong, which premiered at SXSW. She also co-produced BREAKING NEWS IN YUBA COUNTY, released by United Artists Releasing / MGM and BREAKING NEWS, directed by Tate Taylor, starring Allison Janney and Regina Hall.

Olivia was also the Executive of New Media at Blumhouse Productions. Some of Blumhouse's work includes GET OUT, SPLIT, HAPPY DEATH DAY, and THE PURGE franchise as well as Oscar-winning WHIPLASH and the highly acclaimed NORMAL HEART. She served in other roles, including Manager of Acquisitions at Blumhouse Tilt, a division that acquires content for specialized theatrical release, Chief of Staff for the company, and Creative Coordinator in the Feature Film Department. She joined Blumhouse from CAA, where she worked for two years in both the Television and Motion Picture Literary Departments.

Olivia loves to find up-and-coming voices in storytelling and looks to support them as they make their way through the industry.

 

Olivia specializes in Feature Film and TV scripts and is currently reading Comedy, Horror/Thriller, Action/Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Faith, True Story/Biopic, Animation and Holiday Genres.

 

Tips on pitching to Olivia M.

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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WriterHelp@Stage32.com

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!