"How to Pitch your Project" - An Expert Panel Talk

I attended this talk during The OWL Screenwriting Workshop in Athens this past weekend. And what a pile of gems I received! Sharing them with you now...

Pitch, please!

This past week, I attended The OWL Screenwriting Workshop. 17 writers from all around the world were invited to workshop their scripts with expert mentors, listen to panel talks, masterclasses, attend networking events…

Notice how dog-eared my program is! What an amazing event for screenwriters!

It was all set at the Electra Rhythm Athens, an exceptionally swanky hotel. I was fed like a queen and treated like a celebrity for 4 days straight (a girl can get used to that kind of lifestyle!) The connections I’ve made have been truly career-altering. This is your reminder to APPLY NEXT YEAR!

The OWL Workshop actually lasts a year. We writers take the notes our experts gave us and rewrite our scripts. In March, we meet online again to discuss our next drafts and in July we receive personalized pitch coaching.

Next October, we’re back to Athens to pitch our projects to hundreds of producers from across Europe. NO PRESSURE.

Speaking of pitching, we had an excellent panel talk on just this topic which included speakers Brenden Foley, Andreas Gutzeit, Aurélie Iniesta (one of my mentors!), Gustavo Gontijo and moderated by Julia Berg.

Here is a completely unorganized list of what I made note of during the talk.

“How to Pitch your Project” - Major Takeaways

• A good pitch gets people asking questions.

• The buyer WANTS your pitch to be good. They WANT to fall in love with it. In the same vein, they take no joy in NOT loving it and saying NO.

• Tell the buyer why this is the project FOR THEM.

• Practice different versions of your pitch (1 min, 7 mins, 30 mins, etc.)

• Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” during your pitch, if you must!

• Be open to criticism / changes.

• Research the person you’re pitching to… what will fit nicely with their last great hit? Watch what they’ve made, see what they’ve been talking about.

• Pitching is kind of like dating: You’re looking for good chemistry! Especially since you could be working with this person for years.

• “Yeses come quickly and noes never come”.

• The title of your project needs to grab the audience! The title is hugely important.

• Some buyers don’t know what they want until they see it.

• For a series: The pilot and bible is important, but don’t waste your time on a “dream cast” page.

• What are the five moments from your story that people are going to talk about for months? Include those in your pitch.

• Practice your pitch with everyone! Are they understanding what you’re trying to say? If not, tweak until they do.

• The pitch needs to inhabit your body so that you can adapt in the moment, if necessary.

• People only hear 70% of what you’re saying, so keep it clear and make sure you’re communicating the whole story without bogging it down with too many details.

• On the flip side: Beware of knowing it so well that you gloss over important information!

• Create a “pitch persona” and “perform” the pitch as that person. This takes the nerves of pitching it as yourself away!

• The more you pitch, the less scary it becomes.

• Sell your PASSION as well as your idea.

• Leave “no drops left”… Give them the best juice in the pitch!

• Only give your full 30 minute pitch to someone who has the power to say YES. Otherwise, use your shorter version, since they’ll be pitching your pitch to their bosses (think of a game of broken telephone here!)

• The story needs to grab the listener.

• Tell them: “Why now?”, “Why you?”, but also “Why THEM?”

• The visuals you use shouldn’t overshadow the idea or the story

• Don’t bring the deck with you, send it AFTER the pitch. This allows you to adjust anything that was discussed in the room before sending.

• Your deck should scream attention to detail and quality. Take your time with it!

• Most of all: ENCHANT

These were amazing reminders for me. I hope you can use these points to assist in your next pitch (let me know how it goes)!

GOOD LUCK, PITCHES!