Pitching 101

So you have come up with, found, or made a project that you really love? What do you do next? You find supporters. And the way to do this is by pitching your idea to people who will help you raise money, have the resources to help make it, or help you distribute it. Be it to financiers, studio executives, distributors, or other collaborators, you need to master your pitch. 

Different Pitching Situations

Not every pitching situation is the same. While you might be pitching the same story or concept, the general pitch will have to be tweaked depending on who you are on the creative team or who you are pitching to. 

If you are a writer, the first collaborator you typically want to pitch to is a producer who will help get your script made. This will differ if you have a script written because, with a script written, you already have the work done. Once the work is done, you have more options. You can have your agency send the script to production companies or studios for consideration or send it yourself to future collaborators that you think might be interested in working on it; this means that, rather than giving a traditional pitch, you can often just send the work. That said, being able to pitch and get people interested in your script, regardless of whether you have it done, may make a more powerful case for you to get someone to produce it. If you don’t already have a script written, you might want to try pitching your idea or concept to studio executives and producers. While it might seem unlikely that they would consider an idea that you have not even written, studio executives can fall in love with concepts and be willing to pay you to write your idea. In doing this, you as a writer can be paid to write a script and not wait until it is sold to someone who wants to make it. All this said some things that are unique to how a screenwriter can best pitch a movie include having a cover letter and registering your project with the Writers Guild of America to protect your idea. 

If you are a producer, you might be pitching an idea for a project to a studio or maybe you want to find a writer first so you pitch it to writers. Regardless, producers absolutely have the right to come up with story ideas. You will need to find a writer who can help you write your idea on paper if you are not a writer yourself. Otherwise, you can work with a production company or studio that has the resources to find you the perfect people to work on your project. 

Frequently, writers and producers will work together to “take out” a pitch. This means they work together to sell their script to studios or financiers so that it can be made. The idea can come from either the writer or producer or a little from both, but the key is that you work together to convince others to help you make or distribute the project. Agents and managers love when this happens because, when you pitch, the producer already has a writer picked out to write their project if it was their idea, or the writer already has a producer that will do all the work to make sure it gets made. This lessens the burden on other collaborators, financiers, and so on to find someone to work with either the writer or producer. 

Regardless of whether you are a writer, producer, or director, sometimes the most important people you will be pitching to are your financiers. It is important to know how to finance your film and have all the necessary information to prove to your financiers that your project is worth their investment. 

How to Prepare a Pitch

Here are three tips to prepare for your pitch: 

1. Research the person you are meeting with. You want to generally know who you are pitching to, what kinds of projects they like, and what is the best way to communicate with them. This will help you tailor your pitch so that it sticks in their memory and gives you the best chance at selling your pitch to them. 

2. Be prepared to defend your project and answer questions. When you are initially pitching an idea to someone who has never heard what your idea is, remember that they do not have all the information that you have. They do not know your story inside and out so they will have questions that you might think are obvious or have concerns that you might not have thought about. Make sure you stay calm and answer every question to the best of your ability. To practice, pitch to your friends and have them ask you questions. You want to try to be as prepared as possible for any question they might ask. 

3. Rehearse. Finally, you want to rehearse your pitch. Both on your own, with your collaborators, and in front of friends. This will help you give a smooth and professional presentation. 

Steps to Take in the Pitching Room 

These are the steps most commonly taken in a traditional pitching setting. That said, different situations may call for a different approach and you will have to use your own judgment to determine what is the best way for you to pitch your project. 

1. Warming Up the Room 

Warming up the room means using the first few minutes of meeting with the people you are pitching for to create an environment that will make them most receptive to your pitch. Often, you want to talk about something other than your project. You can mention how you got there, driving in traffic, the weather if it has been particularly different, or what you have seen recently. It might seem unnecessary but this step is really important to help you connect with the people you are pitching to on a more personal level. It does depend on the situation, though, so you will need to read the room and judge for yourself what conversations are appropriate or if it is a situation where everyone wants to get straight to the point.

1. Give Your Pitch 

When the room is adequately “warm,” or the people you are pitching to seem to want to start, begin your pitch. Typically, you want to have a compelling pitch deck. What you should include in your pitch deck are a logline, who the key creatives are, the feel of the project, comparisons, budget and financing plans, potential buyers, and potential actors who might fit the roles. Not everything needs to be figured out yet but you want to give as much information that might be important to make your case of why they should work with you. Show them that you are prepared and invested in getting this project made. Here is an example of the original pitch deck for Stranger Things, previously known as Montauk. 

1. Question & Answer

 Make sure you prepare for a Q&A portion after you give your pitch. The people that you are pitching to will most definitely have questions for you, whether it be on the story itself, what you imagine making it will entail, or any other specifics that might affect them supporting your project. 

Pitching Tips

Here are a few tips when pitching to keep in mind:

Don’t oversell yourself or explain why the studio or executive needs your project. This is often too direct and may rub them the wrong way. A studio probably doesn’t need your project so you don’t want to overdo your pitch. The business of selling stories is not the same as selling a product like a house or a car. 

Understand that often, the person you are pitching to has to pitch the project to their boss who gives the go-ahead. So go into a pitching session with the mindset that you are not only trying to get this person to like your idea but also give them everything they need to pitch it to their boss. 

If you have done other work, try to pitch in your genre. It is hard to do everything so if you know what sort of stories you gravitate towards or are good at telling, lean towards pitching those types of ideas. This will help give you more credibility in what you can accomplish. Do not let this limit you and your creativity but give yourself the best chance you have to get your stories made. 

Have patience. People may not get the vision right away. You are introducing a new story or project, and people may need some convincing. With that, some might not be looking for that kind of story or project at the moment; however, that doesn’t mean that they will not be in the future. There are a million factors why a specific person might say no to you, but if you are patient, keep working on your story, and finally pitch it to the right person, you might catch your next big break. 

Lean on your network to find the best person to pitch to. Who you pitch to is important. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the most powerful person working for the company. Sometimes the right person might be a friend or someone you meet at a film festival or event. Keep in mind that if you pitch to someone you already know, they will be more receptive to your pitch and give it more consideration. 

Not every pitch that you give will be successful, no matter how prepared you are. There are so many different factors that go into why a person or company may decide not to work with you but that said, the more prepared you are, the better you will communicate your idea. The better you communicate your idea, the better chance you are giving your project to finding collaborators who will help get it made. Keep working on your pitching skills and pitch your ideas– you might come up with the story for the next big show or movie! Now that you have sold your project, you better get to writing the script if you haven’t already. 

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