Pitching

So what’s the connection? Why, if I’m writing about writing, am I writing about pitching? Aren’t they two quite separate things?

Sure. They absolutely are. Writing is done in a room alone, or sometimes with a partner, but it’s a small, often solitary pursuit that you do pretty much without talking. But pitching is talking to someone, or a group of someones, about your ideas and your writing. One is writing and one is talking—two different things, yes?

They are, of course, but you can’t just do one… you can’t be a writer in the entertainment field without being able to pitch. I guess you could get extremely lucky and have someone buy the first script you ever write and then just keep writing scripts as specs that people keep making, but wait a minute: I’ve never heard of a writer like that. Even if you do have the astounding luck of selling a script that gets made, your next script will be one you write for actual money. But to get a studio to let you write it for them, you have to have a pitch meeting.

But writing and pitching really are such different skills. Writing requires you to be able to tell a compelling story in words and pitching requires you to summarize a compelling story in words… but you have to say them out loud to people who could give you LOTS of money to write up your ideas. Plus, when you write you can go over and over and over your work until you get it just perfect. But when you pitch, you have one shot to summarize your story for the people in the room. One shot. And that one shot can make you or break you.

Sounds a bit harsh, doesn’t it? But it’s true. So let’s break it down.

In order to get into the room with that important executive, you have to have written something the executive likes. Your script probably got to them via your agent or manager, occasionally your attorney. It’s extremely rare that an executive would read work other than scripts submitted through an agent/manager/attorney. There are liability concerns that force them to accept scripts only through authorized representatives.

Sometimes these meetings are just generals, which is just short for a general meeting. In other words, they don’t have a book or video game or short story they need written into a film at the moment, but they liked your work and wanted to meet you so that, down the road, if they do get something that’s right for you, they’ll have already meant you.

So in a general meeting, what are you pitching? Yourself.

Boy. If you think pitching an idea or story is tough, wait till you have to try and pitch yourself! More of that next week.

But do realize how VERY important pitching is… so let’s deconstruct it this month, from pitching yourself, to pitching your ideas, to pitching something the studio owns, we’ll cover the bases of this thing called pitching.

Copyright © Diane Lake

06May18

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com