Sandi Jerome got a manager through Stage 32, got over twenty script requests, one of her scripts is in production, and another script has been optioned. All of that in under six months! Check out today’s blog to find out the steps she used to find a manager through Stage 32.
www.stage32.com/blog/stage-32-success-story-zero-to-zealful-in-under-six...
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Thank you so much, Maurice (https://www.stage32.com/MauriceVScreenwriter) for posting this! My pitch decks are on my website at SandraJerome.com which I created with SquareSpace and my artistic person at BetterEarthProductions made it nicer along with my pitch decks (created with Canva) which is pretty easy to use.
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You're welcome, Sandi Jerome. You and Annalisa did great jobs your pitch decks! Looking forward to watching your movies and shows!
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How much did all this cost?
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This give me hope Maurice Vaughan Sandi Jerome and congrats to you Sandi!
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Hi Richard, the pitch decks were $105 - $122.50 and the posters $35-52 - my website touchup was $87.50. Annalisa is very reasonable and I think because I had already created in Canva, there were all touch ups. I've seen estimates of creating from scratch of $600-$700 because if you don't have one already done, the person would have to read your script, get your bio, etc. I have Canva pro which gives you access to more features/photos and it is $90 a year and bought teams for $119, but didn't need that because BetterEarthProductions already has Canva, so you don't need teams to have them Edit your pitch deck, you merely Share with them.
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Inspiring, Sandi Jerome! Congratulations!
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Sandi - Thanks for your response. Were there some other costs as well, pitching, coverage, etc?
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Yes, coverage was $150-$250 per script. Pitching was $35 per pitch.
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Sandi - What would you estimate this campaign to get a manager cost you in total?
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Hi Sandi, holy cow congratulations! I'm inspired after reading your story in that article. Thank you so much for your candor and honesty about the different paths within Stage 32 to find opportunity, as well as the adversity you've faced both personal and professional (by the way selling your software company is a fascinating detail to include)!
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Love your point about "honest feedback" even when you think your script is perfect. Has anyone else here faced that same situation with a script you felt couldn't get any better, but in fact did after an honest review?
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Hi Sandi, thank you, you are inspiring. Question: I believe you said you have a pitch deck for each screenplay. Even Features? My understand is that Pitch Desks are seldom if ever asked for Features, but Series TV, often. Is that your experience? Or am I miss informed?
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I've experienced that, Wilkinson Rogers. Sometimes the reader sees something that I didn't think about, or something I wrote (like an action line) isn't clear to the reader even through it's clear to me.
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I pitch on Stage 32 both Features and TV Series. At the bottom of the two-page pitch, I put a link to my pitch deck. Yes, for TV - it is a "must" and if you look at the pilot pitch decks, there are more slides compared to Features, but the advantage of my Feature pitch decks is that I'm VERY uncomfortable pitching, so playing a deck on my iPad keeps the eyes off of me and on the pitch deck and I don't have to memorize the pitch. Just a glance at the slide is all I need to spit out that stuff!
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I make pitch decks for features and series too, Jason Lawrence Bell. It's becoming more common for producers and directors to ask for pitch decks (features and series) when writers pitch their scripts and submit to script leads.
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Richard Buzzell - I did a total of 50 pitches on Stage 32 at $35 - or $1750 to get my manager, but I wasted a lot. I don't count any of my contest costs because if I had merely copied the format of the Star Wars example from Stage 32 and only pitched to managers, I would have spent a fraction of this $1750. A smarter person would have been more focused - I used a shotgun method and if you use a rifle, you'll hit your target faster.
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WONDERFUL TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD with me and have "discovered" you. You work hard, and understand the value of getting the right help to move things along! And you are a fabulous writer.
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Most important takeaway, Sandi Jerome, is that you made a bet on yourself, invested in yourself and it paid off. You controlled what you could control. Should serve as an inspiration to all here, even the most cynical of voices.
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And working with the fabulous Alexia Melocchi to boot.
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How excellent is that. Nice one, Sandi! Love seeing this because we all know the sheer work it took to get there. Seeing it pay off for any writer or creative just makes your day. Bloody-well bravo!
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Thank you, Alexia Melocchi -I didn't want to mention who was the amazing manager who took in the lost soul and send another thousand emails to your "in" box! But if you ever see Alexia Melocchi taking pitches or doing Executive script consulting - jump at the chance, or read her book on Amazon or watch her YouTube, the Heart of Show Business. I did all this before I sent a pitch to her and found that she "the one!"
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Highly recommend Alexia Melocchi's Heart of Show Business pod as well.
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Thanks for the info!
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You're welcome, Marc Galmoud.