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Pitching: The Steps

ScreenplayLab Pitch and Story Clinic
by Robin Rowe

1. Introductions, mention any mutual connections, and offer your business card. When you receive their card hold it respectfully with both hands. Take the time to read the name and title carefully. Make sure you can pronounce the name correctly. Say their names frequently during the meeting.
2. Ask about them. Be friendly but not overly familiar. How are you? What's new? Ask "yes" questions. You worked on…didn't you? Talk to their assistant ahead of time to verify background. Don't rely on IMDB. Look for something in common. Are you from the same city, school, favorite sports team, charity, social cause, love animals?
3. Share something interesting about you. After you ask about them, the protocol is they will ask about you. What's new with me? What's new is not that you just finished writing a screenplay. They already know that, and it will sound like a sales pitch. What's new would be something like you just won an award or had some other personal success. Look for a conversation starter. For instance, I'm taking a course in musical improv at ComedySportz. Oh, you know the director? Oh, you like musicals? Look for a topic outside yourself that shows you work well with others. If you have nothing like that in your life, get something, such as helping at a charity.
4. Get down to business. Describe the current status of your project, whether treatment, screenplay, or acquisition. I'm glad to be meeting with you because.... Say what you want. To buy it for development? To co-produce it with them? For them to acquire your finished show? Describe what provenance you bring, such as you optioned a popular book or licensed someone's life rights. If it's a book, bring the book. If it's life rights, bring a scrapbook of newspaper clippings to show that the person is famous. If the story is about your life that's a problem. It's very hard to pitch yourself without sounding like an egomaniac. Many performer-producers have producer partners. Your advocate can say flattering stuff about you that you can't.
5. Give the genre and the logline. Maybe perform the best scene. If it's comedy, be funny in the pitch. If it's not comedy, still be funny. You are there to entertain them.
6. Connect emotionally to the project. This project is important to me personally because.... What inspired me about this project is... Find what resonates personally for them about the project, a cause they already care about that this project touches.
7. Say yes a lot. Be open to suggestions.Get them involved in suggesting ideas and starting to take ownership. Don't talk too much. Do not try to give a book report. Explain the characters and themes, the overall concept of project, and additional story ideas in response to their questions.
8. Repeat what you want from them. Be concise and clear.
9. Ask when you can follow up. Two weeks or two months are reasonable suggestions depending on how busy they are. Unless you have a fancy leave-behind, it's better to follow up by sending any leave behind within 24 hours. That way, if it's a treatment, you can adjust it to incorporate the direction discussed in the meeting.
10. Say thank you and go. Don't linger. A player has other appointments. Leave them on a high note wanting more.