Screenwriting : To pitch, or not to pitch... that is the question! by Mark Giacomin

Congratulations on stepping out your comfort zone, Mark Giacomin! Hope the pitches go great! It sounds like you're prepared (pitching guide, webinars, articles, etc.). Are you a Stage 32 Writers' Room member?

Hi Mark! Nice to meet you! As pitching is a MUST for any screenwriter's success, and If you are a writers room member here on Stage 32, there is a terrific tool at your disposal to help you with your pitching technique. Every Thursday (5:30 pm PST/8:30 EST) I co-host the Pitch Practice Tank Session with the incredible Brooklynn Fields. We conduct a safe but honest and supportive space for you to attend, either to listen to other attendees pitch their scripts and eventually pitch your own, or jump right in and pitch. Brooklynn and I take volunteers at the beginning of each session for the following week, and during the session, we give notes on the pitches we hear. Usually we take 5-6 volunteers. I hope you can attend our sessions, as I feel our pitch tank could really help you.

Monday morning greetings to Maurice Vaughan and John Mezes! Thanks for taking time out to comment. I am aware of pitching sessions within the Writers' Room, which I am sure are massively beneficial to those who participate and watch. I have been a member of the WR in the past, so thanks for the reminder.

I've e-mailed the S32 Writer's help just to see if I can have a 10 second test call to make sure someone from the US can get through to me (and of course, I've read the S32 pitch FAQs generated in relation to my e-mail). I will also re-watch Jason Mirch's webinar on pitching.

I'm not expecting to go in swinging like Rocky, probably more like Harry Potter on his first day at Hogwarts. :-)

pitching is a learning curve and it also means pitiching it to the right producer, of course. Good luck with your pitches. let us know how you get on.

You're welcome, Mark Giacomin. Jason Mirch's webinar on pitching is great. Let us know how the pitches go. You got it! :D

Great advice, M LaVoie!

Hi Geoff Hall! Hope the sun is shining in Bristol today! Yes, quite, I did scrutinise the producers and only choose ones if they state the genre of the scripts I'll be pitching. Will be treating this an educational experience.

That is a very simple yet clever tip to approach pitching, M LaVoie. Much appreciated.

Dont sweat it, it's practice. GL

Noted M LaVoie. Thank you once more.

Ha ha, thanks Dan MaxXx, I will attempt mind control.

Mark Giacomin I tape cheat sheets around my laptop screen. :)

Knowing my luck Anthony Murphy the tape will peel off mid-pitch! ;)

Ah, different strategy, Thesy Surface. Midway through the pitch, I'll ask if they like Phil Collins. ;)

Mark Giacomin Stage 32 Pitch Sessions often include the option of submitting a written pitch. It might help practice in a safer mode first. I'm told by a script doc that a first pitch can be 1/2 page with the following:

Compliment and why him/her

Your bio

Thank you

Mark Giacomin Don't think the tape hasn't slipped during one of my pitches, Mark. LOL.

Good luck with your pitches, Mark Giacomin - it's awesome that you are stepping out and making it happen. There are great resources, as you've mentioned and can see from the comments, here at Stage 32 to help you develop your pitching skills and muscles.

I also recommend taking a look at Robin Galloway's upcoming pitching course where you will workshop your pitches in 3 different formats to be ready for any opportunity. Robin is a top literary manager and a really generous educator. Here's a link so yo can check it out: https://www.stage32.com/classes/Stage-32-8-Part-Pitching-Lab-Create-Your...

This is how-you get to the 'ONE' yes needed; which is to definitely' PITCH!'

Lots of good advice to sift through, guys. Have only attempted written pitches so far.

I have done 3 verbal pitches and had them all requested. Yet my script is changing a little this week after industry feedback. I probably should have done more industry feedback before but I am really liking the combination and the feedback is such a huge help and letting me see where I fizzled at the end so now I am on the quest again.

Adriana J. Lopez Wow! Congrats!

Thanks, Robin Gregory. I noticed there were written pitches, but decided to go 'verbal'. Not that I have any practical experience in the industry, but everywhere it states to build connections (which we can do on here in S32 in threads like these), and from a psychological point of view I think a live pitch can convey more of someone's personality (well, that's the theory). I am definitely going to practice though!!

Thanks for the good luck wishes Sam Sokolow, and the link.

Pitch for the 'yes', too right Kenneth Adrian Ellis!

That's more pitches than me, Michael Anthony Yates, I hope you've had feedback that has helped.

Good luck with your quest, Adriana J. Lopez!

You'll get better with time and practice.

That's great that you even had the heart to pitch to 80 people. I've done a few pitches and I can tell you each time is nerve wrecking no matter who it is. In my head I'm always wondering what the individual listening to me is thinking. So I'm always paying attention to their body language and eyes to see if I have their attention- with that being said my wife and kids have short attention spans. LOL...

Thanks Vikki Harris, I hope so! :)

That made me laugh Antonio M.! Sounds like you have tough pitches in your own home.

thanks Mark Giacomin , you too!

Remember that you are not going in to hostile territory. The producer want you to give them the best idea they have ever heard. That can help you relax.

Antonio M. My wife, kids, and cat identify.

Take it from a novice screenwriter: be CONCISE! That's the most important rule I can give you for a pitch session. Go straight to the story. Forget the worldbuilding, the themes, etc. The producers want to hear your story, period.

Thanks Bill Albert. The only time I am in hostile territory is when I go back to an edit a first draft ;)

Hi Dan Guardino, I'm totally treating it as an educational experience, I am a realist, writing is me taking time out from reality. Funnily enough, I was watching 'Wolf of Wall Street', about halfway through I think but I did laugh to myself when Belfort made his first penny stock sale, I thought to myself, "That's how to make a pitch." Sounds like your MO paid off one way or the other. Reality is, that is the sort of dedication and discipline required if someone genuinely wants to break into the business.

Exactly Marcel Nault Jr. and as a fellow novice screenwriter, that is what I'm intending to do, trying to pare a script down to circa a 3 minute overview is an interesting challenge.

Thesy Surface, as it happens, I'm a non-driver, so I guess that evens it out?

M LaVoie We do our best to keep up with all of the executives and their role changes! As you know people are constantly moving roles and companies in this industry. With the number of executives we have, sometimes we miss an update. I ask that anyone who comes across this let us know! We'll get the updated info and correct it on the site ASAP.

Mark Giacomin, You're doing all the right homework! I find that the things on the top of most executives' lists are story, why you, and why now.

Thanks, Niki H!

First pitch was 12/8 - the feedback was helpful (given it was my first pitch), particularly one comment about bringing something in earlier in the script, which had never occurred to me but it made perfect sense, so a rewrite will be looming. I read the feedback 10 minutes before going to bed, and it took a real effort to shut my mind down to not think about how I was going to change/improve the script. Happy I was able to convey enough of the story to get the advice.

Second pitch was 16/8 - trainwreck! Which was all on me, not the poor guy who had to listen. My first take: probably it's not best to have a pitch just after 10pm (USA UK time difference). I know the mantra is 'Be ready to pitch anywhere!' (not just in elevators), but I was tired, felt a bit out of it, which impacted on my attempt to pitch and my nerves. I don't have the feedback yet, but I suspect the score card will be so low it will fall off the bottom! That aside, I think my main challenge was, for whatever reason, I could not convey the essence of the story, so the pitch was very disjointed. If the guy was able to extract anything cohesive about the story from those painful minutes then I'll tip my hat to him. However, I am still glad I did it (learning curve), and in reviewing the script for the pitch, I had made notes for a few tweaks, silver lining etc.

Thankfully, the final pitch is next week (and at 8pm), so hopefully I'll get back on point.

Glad the first pitch was helpful, @Mark Giacomin. Even though the second pitch was a trainwreck, you saw areas that need improvement. And thanks for sharing the tip about not pitching after 10pm. Hope the final pitch goes great!