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There really is a craft to oral storytelling (pitching), and Stephanie shares invaluable
advice for mastering this essential component of show business survival.
!
Stephanie Palmer has helped me get ready for meetings I aced, not only selling book
ideas to publishers and TV ideas to networks, but Broadway musicals to producers.
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-Iris Rainer Dart, bestselling author of Beaches, The People In The Picture
Stephanies insights and guidance are the most powerful and valuable pitching tools a
filmmaker can have.
!
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-Jonathan Wolf, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the American
Film Market, Independent Film & Television Alliance
Stephanie Palmer is extraordinarily good at conveying the concepts she teaches. I would
recommend Stephanie without reservation to anyone interested in learning how to pitch
their idea or project.
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This eBook helped me with organizing my ideas, culling the good ideas from the dross,
revealed my writing tastes and patterns, and helped me hone in on a direction. I feel I
have a MUCH better sense of what producers want from screenwriters.
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You want your cell phone to ring as you're driving home from the meeting and you want to
hear your agent gush, "They LOVED the pitch and are putting together an offer!" That's
why you should read this eBook. Stephanie has shown me how to do the crucial prep work
to make the most of every opportunity. Even if you consider yourself a masterful storyteller,
Stephanie can make you even better.
!
Table Of Contents
About The Author!
Disclaimer!
Welcome!!
10
11
Square One!
13
17
23
27
31
36
40
45
46
49
50
Master Checklist!
52
Final Thoughts!
53
Disclaimer
The information contained in this eBook is for educational purposes only. I am doing my
best to provide you with the most accurate information and to link to the most trustworthy
sources. However, I am not liable for any losses you may incur. You use the information I
provide or the information I link to at your own risk.
I do not receive money to positively review any products, services, or websites. I do
include affiliate links to products, services, and websites which I believe are the best and
most helpful.
By reading this eBook, you agree that you alone are responsible for your business
decisions as they relate to the content of this eBook. I do not guarantee that using the
material in this eBook will make you successful.
No part of this eBook may be reproduced, copied, sold in whole or part in any form,
without my prior written consent. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved.
Welcome!
What is a Hollywood meeting? Its when you are meeting with someone who could hire
you, buy something from you, invest in what youre doing, or otherwise help you succeed.
These meetings come in different shapes and sizes, but too often they are a waste of time,
dont result in getting hired or making a sale, and even worsethey can hurt your career if
you make a bad impression.
If you are having meetings that take too long, lack focus, give you anxiety, and produce no
concrete results, I understand. This is a common experience.
However, youve gotten to this eBook, and help is here. Im going to explain meeting
dynamics to you and teach you the strategies and tactics that will dramatically
increase your chances of getting what you want.
If youve never had a Hollywood meeting and are trying to: Thats actually a good
thingit means you have more control over your first impression. This eBook will
help you to succeed in meetings from the very beginning.
If youre a professional writer: I'm sure there are things I will cover that you will say,
yes I understand this part or I know this. However, I hope there are also
techniques I'll share that can help you raise your game.
I used Stephanies material for pitching brand-new online advertising trading models at
Google. Now I am the go-to person for online video auction, and have to hide because I
am getting more video trading projects than I can handle. So, if you think this material is
only for screenwriters, wrong. It is for people who work with intangible ideas that can
potentially bring in billions of dollars. - Sunyu von Conrady, Google
So, lets talk about why you should read this eBook: you want to be able to impress VIPs,
get referrals, get hired, sell your work, and secure financing.
In other words, you want to succeed in Hollywood meetings.
Does that sound good? Then lets get started.
Perspectives On Meetings
The proper note to strike in the audition meeting is a mixture of shy, self-deprecating
intelligence and wild, barely controllable enthusiasm.
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A pitch is a social interaction between two parties, the goal of which involves conveying
an artistic experience from one person to another. We suggest you create a bullet-point
outline for your pitch and then improvise based on that outline.
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-Douglas Eboch and Ken Aguado, The Hollywood Pitching Bible, 89, 93-94.
When formulating a pitch, try transitioning seamlessly from the introduction to your
logline. In other words, as soon as you hook your audience emotionally, hit them with a
tight, digestible version of [the core] concept.
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Its always good to use what we call a Gotcha line to begin a Gotcha line is a
marketing line, something you might see on a poster.
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-Rona Edwards & Monika Skerbelis, I Liked It, Didnt Love It, 131.
The object of this conversation is to make the producer remember the project so when he
picks the script up, he actually wants to read it, instead of just having to read it.
!
-Rima Greer, The Real, Low-Down, Dirty Truth About Hollywood Agenting, 17.
Remember that since this is your meeting, youre expected to be the most energetic and
enthusiastic person in the room. Start with the one-sentence high-concept, [then]
expand out to a three-minute fire drill, with main beats delivered in a staccato fashion.
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Dont try to be charming. Conventional wisdom suggests that working a room is a social
process where people need to demonstrate their charm. This is a myth. You dont need to
entertain or impress people. You dont even need to be interesting; what you do need to
be is interested.
!
Take control. Decisiveness is never seen as weakness, and your confidence in your story
comes through much more strongly if you boldly begin your pitch.
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Make your pitch a performance. Dont be afraid to actually play the characters. Its more
fun for you and themand its also the clearest way to tell the story. Dont be shy. Play
every character and moment to the hilt.
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-Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon, Writing Movies For Fun And Profit, 20.
Its important to know who your audience is when you are pitching, and to tailor your pitch
to his or her perception. [For example, a star] is interested in the emotions of the character
he or she is to play, [whereas an investor] wants to know how much profit the film is likely
to generate over what period of time.
!
Because the construction of stories is an imprecise art, each writer usually develops a
personal technique that works for him or her, but probably for no one else. No single
rule or principle can be appropriate for all writers.
!
Writers want to say whats never been said. Executives want what theyve already heard.
The majority of produced screenplays are the genetically impaired results of the crossbreeding of these two species.
!
Every room is different. And the secret to talking to people, and thats what pitching is,
is listening. And the first thing I do, just automatically when I go in to pitch something is I
just listen for a moment to what the room sounds like. Is it a quiet room? Is it an amped up
room? Is it a feminine room, a masculine room? Is it bored? Is it ready? Is it receptive? Is it
scared? Just read the room and adjust.
!
10
Stage 1: Rapport
Stage 2: Listening
Stage 4: Q & A
Now, you might be thinking, heydo meetings really have five stages? Really? Isnt
this an artificial structure youre superimposing on a highly complex social interaction?
Its a fair question, but in all seriousness, its not artificial. This is actually what happens,
and theres a logic to why it happens this way.
Meetings are complex, but once you understand whats going on, youll see the simplicity
of the five stages beneath the shifting social dynamics on the surface.
Knowing the five stages will help you to:
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What Is A Pitch?
The word "pitch" has several different meanings (some of which have nothing to do with
Hollywood). For our purposes in this eBook, the word "pitch" will primarily refer to:
1. Pitch meetings: where you present your idea "in the room, typically to VIPs or
decision-makers who have the power to hire you or buy your project.
2. Premise pitch (aka the short pitch): the VERBAL 1-2 sentence summary of the
core premise upon which your project is based.
3. Complete pitch: the 5-10 minute VERBAL summary where you explain what actually
happens in Acts I, II, and III.
That said, any time you are presenting your project or yourself as a writer, in writing
(e.g. logline, summary, treatment) or verbally, you are pitching.
12
The first impression you make when you walk in the door
After you enter the room, you need to maintain constant awareness of what warms the
room (and what cools it off) to be able to adjust your tactics during each of the five stages
of the meeting.
If you dont have this awareness already, this eBook will help you develop it. Youll get
good at meetings. You will easily make a positive impression. Youll feel confident in social
situations. And when you get a meeting with a high-level decision-maker, youll know
exactly what to do.
Youll start at Square One.
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Square One
Square One is a series of three very simple, very important questions. I refer to these
questions as Square One because they are the starting point for developing a strategy for
any situation.
What do I want?
What Do I Want?
What do I want? is about goals that can reasonably be achieved in the meeting.
Less experienced writers are the ones who think, Even though its a first meeting, my goal
is for the decision-maker to finance the entire project. Thats not likely. Professional
writers think, For this first meeting, my goal is to be asked back for another meeting.
Having said that, I believe that when you walk into the room, you have three goals:
1. To learn: Learning is a great goal because whether you learn something or not is
almost entirely within your control. Plus, having learning as a goal tends to reduce
anxiety because youre focused on the process of the conversation, not the
eventual outcome. Finally, if you learn from every meeting, your skills will continue
to increase and so will your chances of getting what you want.
2. To build rapport with the decision-maker: Rapport is the foundation for everything
that follows. If you find common ground and build rapport with the decision-maker,
even if they dont say Yes, their door will still be open to you down the road.
3. To get the decision-maker to agree to one (and only one) request: Of these three
goals, this is the toughest to achieve. Ironically, if this goal is not your only priority,
you are more likely to achieve it. That is to say, if you can leave a meeting feeling
good about what youve learned and the rapport youve built, you have a higher
probability of hearing Yes to your request.
The one request you make (and the exact language you use) is important and well
discuss this more in later chapters. However, its important to remember that getting the
decision-maker to say, Yes, may take more than one meeting.
14
This is why learning and rapport are so crucial. They are more easily achievable goals.
They are confidence builders. Most importantly, they greatly increase the probability that
your request will be granted.
Lets move on to the next question, What do they want? In many ways, this question is
the heart and soul of Square One. You can never be too good at figuring out whats going
on in the other persons head.
Google anyone with whom youll be meeting: Read anything theyve written
and anything thats been written about them.
Research the decision-makers company: What has been written about their
company? What position does it occupy in the industry? What are their
recent projects?
Understand the decision-makers role at the company: Has your decisionmaker ever been in the news? What do they do at the company? Where do
they fit in the organizational hierarchy?
15
As you get more and better information about the decision-maker, your answer to What
do they want? will be a work in progress.
For example, decision-makers are constantly asked What are you looking for? Most say
something generic like, good material, or stories with great characters. Theres an
attitude of, If I have a bunch of meetings, Ill know what I want when I see it. This is
unhelpful, but its normal in Hollywood and in other industries for decision-makers to be
unaware of exactly what they want.
Thats why you want to keep adjusting your answer to the question of What do they
want? as you learn more about what a particular decision-maker wants. Perhaps you
realize that every time they reference a movie in the meeting, its a comedy or action film.
You might revise your answer to, comedies and action movies.
After the meeting, you might research all of the movies the decision-maker referenced and
discover that the comedies tended to have female leads and the action movies were
made for less than forty million dollars. Thus, your revised answer would be, comedies
with female leads and action movies that can be made for less than forty million dollars.
Once you understand what the decision-maker wants, you can begin adapting your
pitch to meet their needs. However, for your pitch to achieve maximum impact, you must
consider the decision-makers expectations and adjust accordingly.
16
But if you opened a package that was red and pink (promising cinnamon gum), but
then it tasted like spearmint, youd spit it out.
Now, this may not be fair (and youre not a pack of gum), but this is how it works. The
decision-makers expectations for you will be based on:
Decision-makers make quick judgments based on your online profile, how you dress, and
how you speak. Thats the cover of your book. Theres no way to avoid that.
The trick is to position yourself relative to the expectations of your stereotype.
There, I said it. Stereotype. Its a bad word, I know. Obviously, the way you are
stereotyped is not who you are. At the same time, I hope you can admit that others will
stereotype you. Its so common that we have to factor it into how we position ourselves. My
advice is to consider carefully how others are likely to stereotype you and then plan how
youre going to play with and against that image.
One aspect of the stereotype for new writers is: youre probably unprepared.
For example, a year after Legally Blonde was released, a writing team came into my office
and pitched me, quite literally, another version of Legally Blonde. The ideas were the
same, beat for beat and character for character, save that instead of going to law school,
she went to medical school. It was called Blonde, M.D., I believe. I asked them if they
knew that MGM had made Legally Blonde. They did not. I asked them if they knew that I
had worked on the movie. They did not. I asked them if they had anything else to pitch.
They did. They had a version where she becomes a spy, titled James Blonde.
This is an extreme example, but I hope you take my point. Before you walk into the room,
you need to know as much as possible about the people involved. Every scrap of
information will help you figure out whats going on in their minds. This will make the
process of building rapport easier and increase your ability to pitch and sell them.
And if youre a new writer, a little research and preparation will go a long way to helping
you exceed expectations.
17
In Stage 5, you ask for one thing if necessary and leave on a good note.
Stage 1: Rapport
The goal: to connect in a personal way
Stage 1 is the small-talk phase that is the beginning of just about every meeting you will
ever have. Its important because decision-makers want to work with people they like and
trust. If youre prepared, the small-talk will hopefully turn into a deeper conversation about
your common perspectives and interests.
The trap: pitching too soon
If you get down to business and start pitching too early, the decision-maker wont feel
connected to you as a person and wont be listening to your pitch. You want to build
rapport so that when the time comes to pitch, you have the decision-makers attention.
18
Perhaps you know someone in common, and can design a question around
that, e.g.: How did you first meet (friend in common)?
Perhaps you have a hobby or interest in common. If so, you could design a
question around that, e.g.: I noticed from (print interview) that you like
(hobby). Whats your favorite (aspect of hobby)?
If you cant find anything out at all, you can use some of the tried and true
conversation starters, e.g.: How was your weekend?
The point is to get to know the decision-maker as a person. Thats why, in addition to
preparing rapport-building questions, you also want to prepare rapport-building answers.
During Stage 1, you are just as likely to be asked How was your weekend/holiday? as
you are to ask it yourself. Talking about those things comes really naturally to some
people, but for me, I always make sure that I have something interesting to say when that
inevitable question comes.
Bonus tactic: accept the water.
If youre asked at the beginning of the meeting (or by the decision-makers receptionist),
Can I get you a bottle of water? say, Yes. Thank you. Accept any gestures of
hospitalityit warms up the room and gets things off to a good start.
Stage 2: Listening
The goal: to show respect for the decision-maker
In Stage 2, your job is to ask good questions and listen. This shows respect for the
decision-maker and earns you more of their attention when the time comes to pitch.
The trap: showing off how smart you are
Superior intelligence can be your worst enemy at this stage of the meeting.
In the next stage, when the time comes to pitch, thats when you get to share your brilliant
ideas. At this stage, your job is to ask questions, listen, and show respect.
19
If you show off how smart you are in this stage, it may seem like you are in need of
attention and approval (the opposite of confidence). As well, if the decision-maker cant
understand what youre saying, you may make them feel awkward or threatened.
This isnt about being fake and hiding yourself. Its about understanding that before you
pitch, you want to build rapport (Stage 1) and show respect by listening (Stage 2).
Key tactic: prepare questions to gather information
Get the decision-maker talking about what they want from a business perspective, e.g.:
20
3. Call or meet with people one at a time. Pitch them, and try to get answers to the
following questions:
Stage 4: Q&A
The goal: to deliver great answers to questions
Many people would rather do a comprehensive pitch that answers questions in advance.
This is a big mistake. An extended pitch prevents the natural give-and-take characteristic
of successful meetings. Worse, it indicates that you may be scared of answering the
decision-makers questions.
When youre getting peppered with questions, even tough questions, thats a good thing.
It means theyre interested enough to spend more time with you. If they werent interested,
theyd just say, Thanks for coming in.
The Q&A is where the sale is made. To succeed in this stage, anticipate likely questions
and prepare answers in advance.
21
When you see one or more of these non-verbal cues, echo it back by gathering your
materials and preparing to leave. Then, you can engage in a little more rapport building
like a bookend to Stage 1.
The purpose of this isnt to reignite the conversation, its just to end on a personal, positive
note. It can be something simple, e.g.:
Thanks again for the tip about Orochon. Ill check it out!
22
Would you be willing to give me some advice for how to make this better?
When you understand meeting structure and have prepared tactics for each of the
five stages, it looks like youre poised and confident.
As you accumulate success over time, it doesnt just look that wayit feels that way, too.
Keep in mind, there is a wide variety in how the five stages can be handled. You may
spend more time in one stage than you expect. But when you know the goal of each
stage, the trap to avoid, and the key tactic to use, youll be able to confidently handle
whatever comes your way.
23
Pitch
General (aka the meet and greet or the get to know ya)
Creative
Notes
Every meeting, of any kind, goes through the five stages. Stage 1 (Rapport) is very
similar across meeting typesbecause youre almost always making small talk in the
beginning. However, stages 2-4 can vary depending on the type of meeting.
Pitch Meeting
A pitch meeting is arranged when you have a specific project to pitch. Sometimes,
established writers will have a pitch meeting with a producer or executive to pitch an
original idea for which they have not written the screenplay. They hope the decision-maker
will buy the pitch and then pay them to write the script. Typically, only established writers
with produced credits in the same genre as the project being pitched get the opportunity
to sell a pitch. It is very rare for a new writer to sell a pitch.
For example, lets say Warner Bros purchases the rights to a popular book. They want to
adapt it to a feature and need to hire a screenwriter. Executives will meet with 3-10
screenwriters individually to talk with them about how they would adapt the book. All of the
screenwriters would have read the book, prepared notes and ideas, and are not
compensated for working up a take. Only when a writer is chosen and hired are they
actually paid.
However, from a structural perspective, whether you are hoping to sell a pitch, a script, or
get hired to implement your take on an existing piece of material, pitch meetings go
through the five stages as explained in the previous chapter.
The pitch meeting structure is the foundation for all other meetings.
In a pitch meeting, the five stages are often very clear, and this is what helps you to
recognize variations on the five stages in other types of meetings. One of the harder types
of meetings to handle is the general meetingand if youre a new writer, typically youll be
having general meetings before you have any pitch meetings.
24
General Meeting
The general meeting is like a combination of a job interview (where you dont know the job
opening for which youre being considered) and a blind date. No wonder why this type of
meeting is so difficult!
Typically, a general meeting can happen for a variety of reasons.
An executive has heard good things about you and wants to meet because
knowing the up-and-coming writers is part of the job. Execs often look for
new (read: inexpensive) writers to fix projects they have in development.
Youve signed with a manager and they are introducing you to the town.
Most general meetings are treated as a weeding out process. Its unlikely that youll get
a paying job directly from a general. Either youll be taken off the consideration list, or if
youre successful, youll either get another meeting or some material to consider so you
can work up a take.
Therefore, in a general meeting you are being evaluated for hireability. This makes
stages 1 and 2 especially important. The general meeting is all about rapport.
If a pitch meeting is scheduled to last 30 minutes, you might spend 5-15 building rapport
(Stages 1-2), then the rest of the time pitching and answering questions (Stages 3-4). In a
general meeting scheduled for 30 minutes, you would ideally spend most of the time
building rapportthough its possible that youll be asked to pitch several of your ideas.
These kinds of questions are prompts for you to pitch:
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If you get one of these kinds of questions, and you may, heres how you handle it:
Focus on your priority projectsthe ones that have tested pitches, complete
scripts, and positive coverage.
You can give the short pitch for any project you have in development, but
only give more complete pitches for projects which are finished and ready.
If youre asked about something where youve pitched the premise but
which doesnt have a finished script, dont pitch the rest of the story. Just
say, Im still working on that one and as soon as its done Ill let you know.
Creative
The creative meeting is where you and the other person/people are meeting for the
purpose of generating or fixing material. When the writers get together in the writers
room on a TV show, thats a classic example of a creative meeting.
The creative meeting tends to focus on stages 3 and 4, only this time, everyone is
playing both roles: writer and decision-maker. Sometimes you pitch, sometimes you listen,
sometimes you ask questions.
The key in a creative meeting is to ascertain where you are in the pecking order. If youre
meeting with colleagues and everyone is at the same level, youre going to be
participating in a different way than if youre meeting with a producer or executive (where
your default position would be more deferential).
In general, the lower you are in the pecking order, the less you contribute your own ideas.
Beware of taking up too much air time. Instead, spend more time listening and asking
constructive questions. When you do speak, you want it to count.
Notes
The notes meeting can seem similar to the creative meeting because the idea is that
everyone in the room is there to improve the script. However, its quite different because it
takes place in a different stage of the meeting.
The notes meeting is really about stage 2. Youre gathering information from the
decision-maker about what they want.
You can expect to get some bad and/or unhelpful notes. This is frustrating, but dont let it
get to you. Instead, use the notes for the information they are conveying about the
decision-makers wants and needsand as an opportunity to make the work better.
26
Good point.
Interesting.
Ah. I see.
Tell me more.
27
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For example, I recently received an email from a writer (details changed to protect his
identity) who had a question, the gist of which was that he was getting meetings all over
town and everyone was passing (saying No to his project). He wanted to know how this
could be happening because, in his words, My script is amazing and my pitch will
blow your mind.
Now, without reading his material, its impossible to know why everyone is passing. But
right off the bat, I get the sense (and you probably do as well) that this writer isnt paying
attention to the negative feedback hes receiving. After all, if everyone in town is passing,
why would he represent to me that his pitch will blow my mind?
Typically, when someone hypes their idea before pitching it, it means that they are
only willing to hear positive feedback. They arent professionals who can adapt and
improve their work. Theyre rookies.
Lets get more specific. Here are some things you should not say in a pitch meeting.
Its commercial.
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On A First Date
You meet your date at cafe, and right after you sit down at a table together, he says:
Before we get to know each other, let me just tell you what a great conversationalist I am.
I have some excellent personal stories that will make you laugh. Im also terrific in bed and
Im confident that youll be in love with me by the end of the evening.
Or would you just rather go on the date and decide for yourself?
I hope you can understand that decision-makers want to decide for themselvesjust
as you do when youre the decision-maker.
30
You say: This will be a #1 hit movie. They think: Oh, goodyoure a
fortune teller now. Can I get some lottery numbers?
You say: Youre going to love this! They think: Really? Im so glad you
know how Im going to respond.
You say: I have an amazing idea for you. They think: Youve concluded
that your own idea is a winner? Im stunned.
Thats why when you hype yourself and your work in a pitch meeting, it doesnt
demonstrate confidence. It just annoys the decision-maker.
Heres what communicates confidence: just pitch your story. No pre-qualifications, no
pumping up or raving about how great your story is in advance. Simply tell the story.
Then, give the decision-maker the space to think, feel, and form opinions on their own.
Let them be the judge. After all, they are.
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Acknowledge Reality
When you deliver your complete pitch in a high-stakes meeting, youre expected to be
off-book. That means youll be pitching for 5-15 minutes without notes, notecards, or
anything written on your hand.
Additionally, you can expect to get interrupted during the pitch. Youll get asked tough
questions, the decision-maker may have to take a phone call, or someone important will
come into the room and youll have to start again.
Pitching is a hybrid performance of telling a story and being interviewed at the same time,
and its not easy to do well. So lets start by appreciating the seriousness of the challenge.
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Preparation doesnt make anxiety go away completely, but it does make the anxiety
manageable. For now, youre going to use the energy of your anxiety to prepare, rehearse,
and be as ready as you can possibly be.
Rehearse
In my experience, most people hate to rehearse. Rehearsal implies that soon youll be
revealing yourself and your ideas in public.
However, rehearsing will help you in three ways:
1. With the writing of your pitch: theres something about saying the words out loud
that helps you to notice problem areas, clarify sentence constructions, and more.
2. With interpreting feedback: if you dont pitch your ideas well, listeners may not hear
your content because theyll be too distracted by your performance. You could
present a great idea poorly and end up getting negative feedback on your idea
even though it wasnt the idea that was really the problem.
3. With anxiety: when youve rehearsed your pitch sufficiently, you know that even if
youre not on your game, the odds of you completely bonking are miniscule. You
may deliver the pitch on autopilot, but youll get it done.
Practice On Video
You can rehearse in front of the mirror and if thats all you can do, okay. But if theres one
thing you can do to improve your pitch, its to record yourself on video and watch it.
When you watch yourself pitch on video, your pitch will improve immensely.
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Youll see where you dont make eye contact. Youll be able to tell when youre talking too
fast. And when the pitch lags a bit, youll know.
8 Steps To Rehearse
Heres how Id like for you to rehearsethough if you have acting experience or a process
youve used before successfully, great. Do what feels right to you.
1. Start by reading the text out loud while youre looking at it on the computer.
Read it a few times, and time yourself. Youll know if youre running over the time
youll have, and youll be able to see sentences that need to be shortened. Youll
also find areas where it sounds more natural to use a sentence fragment instead of
a complete sentence. That sort of thing. Edit your script accordingly.
2. Write out the text on notecards. One paragraph to one side of a card. Then, on
the reverse side, you can write a header for the paragraph, or the first few words.
3. Memorize the text and continue to polish. Cross out words, underline for
emphasis, and add other markings.
4. Rewrite the text on new notecards so the copy is clean. The act of writing out
your script is a huge help in memorizing it.
5. Deliver your pitch to the mirror or record your pitch on video. Remember to
visualize the person you chose, the person to whom you can pitch casually and
comfortably.
6. Watch yourself. I know, I know. Its painful. But try to see where you talk too fast,
where you need to vary your tone, and where you need to give better eye contact.
7. Pitch (to camera, if youre recording yourself) ten times in a row. I know, that
might sound a little mind-numbing. But after the first five times, youll get so bored
that something magical starts to happenyoull know your script well enough that
your performance will get better without you having to do anything.
8. If you get anxious, do some relaxation and warm-up exercises:
Do some shoulder rolls. Roll your shoulders forward and back five times.
Stretch your head to one side and gently rest a hand on the top of your head,
then the other side. Deep breaths.
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Take a deep breath in for a four count, hold your breath for a four count,
release your breath out on a four count. Repeat, extending the count each
time.
Scrunch your whole face up as tightly as you can. Hold for two seconds.
Release. Repeat three times.
Shake out your whole body. Imagine you are like a dog shaking off after
getting out of the pool. Breathe out and imagine the tension being released.
Make a thumbs up gesture with both hands. Close your eyes. Take a deep
breath in and circle your thumbs out to the side of your body and raise your
arms over your head. See if you can make your thumbs meet each other above
your head. When your thumbs meet, take a deep breath and release your
arms.
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This works for pitching as well (and even if youre not pitching a comedy). The point is to
focus on communicating your ideas clearlynot being entertaining.
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If your script has been passed along (to a star, director, or producer), and
you havent heard back in a month.
If you pitch to a decision-maker and they want to be in business with you, they will get in
touch as soon as possible. If you havent heard back, the answer (almost always) is No.
This is hilarious
We love it
If youre getting compliments like this, they can be true, but dont take them at face value.
Most of the time, all of these compliments translate to: You seem like a nice person and I
dont see any reason to offend you.
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If youre hearing reasons like these, dont take them at face value. Most of the time, all of
the reasons translate to: but this isnt good enough (yet).
No = Compliment + Excuse
Most of the time when youre getting compliments on your writing followed by an excuse
about why youre not getting any money, the actual compliments and excuses are not the
truth. The truth is that they are saying:
You seem like a nice person and I dont see any reason to offend you, but this isnt good
enough (yet).
This is a hard thing to hear because we want to believe that the compliment is real
because thats something to feel good about. We want to believe that the excuse is real
because it lets us save face.
The thing to understand is that if your work was good enough, youd at least get a
Maybe.
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I like you personally and dont want to offend you, but I dont think this is
good enough yet, and I want you to send me your future projects.
My assistant will take a look at it and then tell me what he or she thinks and
if the feedback is extremely positive, then Ill take a look.
Unfortunately, its difficult to decipher the difference between a Maybe that means No
and a Maybe that means Maybe. The best thing to do is to follow up after an
appropriate amount of time, typically 1-2 weeks.
Maybe Flavor #3: Lets move this up the chain.
Examples:
This is a hopeful sign. It means that if the star, director, or higher-level executive is
interested, then this could quickly turn into a Yes.
Remember, a great piece of material, a great pitch, a great writerthese are all very rare
commodities. If a decision-maker believes that your work is that valuable, he or she is
going to move quickly to sign you, buy your material, or otherwise bring you on board.
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How To Follow Up
If you had a meeting, sent materials, shared a meal, or had any sort of meaningful
interaction with a decision-maker, the ball is in your court.
Its your job to follow up.
The purpose of following up is to remind the decision-maker politely that you (and possibly
your request) exist, and often this is done in an indirect way. If you handle the postmeeting interactions well, it will be easier for you to address the decision-makers notes,
answer his questions, and prove that he should hire you or buy your material.
This means:
Unless something higher priority comes up, Ill look at your materials.
Lets get together sometime, though I am booked for the next two years.
You get the idea. Decision-makers are busy and they can easily lose track. I know, youre
busy, toobut as the screenwriter, you cant afford to lose track. Decision-makers can.
There are plenty of screenwriters waiting.
Still, keep an eye on the bright side. Youve had a meeting with them. That means that for
a little while, youre in their memory and quite possibly, on their high priority list.
Following up is how you convert that meeting into concrete results.
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Direct: This is where the main focus of your email or phone call is when you say,
So, have you had a chance to (____)?
Indirect: Communication where you dont mention the (____), but you keep in
touch in a way that reminds the decision-maker that (____) is on their list of things
to do. Indirect follow-ups include saying thank-you and sharing new information.
Here are three email templates so you can decide what to do your particular situation.
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If the decision-maker responds and requests more time or asks you to follow up in the
future, you can continue. If you dont get a response, stop following up.
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______________________________
Secondary goal
______________________________
Research Decision-Maker(s)
You should know as much as possible about the decision-makers you intend to meet,
including their position at the company, past projects, and anything theyve published.
Every scrap of information can help you build rapport and pitch effectively.
Name
______________________________
Title
______________________________
Recent Projects
______________________________
Successes
______________________________
Areas of expertise
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Confirm Logistics
Forgive me if this seems too basic, but Ive had so many writers show up late for meetings
and it really gets things off on the wrong foot. Anyone with whom you really want to meet is
BUSY. If you waste their time, thats a strike against you.
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Therefore, if I have to drive to a meeting, Ill map the route, estimate how long it will take
me to get there, and put a departure time in my calendar so that I can arrive early enough
to have a coffee or something at a staging area (a place in walking distance to the
meeting). Then I can walk over and arrive right on time without being out of breath.
Meeting confirmed
______________________________
______________________________
Drive planned
______________________________
Staging area
______________________________
Departure time
______________________________
Prepare Questions
The beginning of just about every meeting you will ever have is where you make smalltalk. This is an important part of the meeting because decision-makers want to work with
people they like and trust. If youre prepared, the small-talk will hopefully turn into a
deeper conversation about your common perspectives and interests.
Therefore, before the meeting, design a couple rapport-building questions to encourage
the decision-maker to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences about things they
feel positively about.
Perhaps you know someone in common, and can design a social question
around that, e.g.: How did you first meet (friend in common)?
Perhaps you have a hobby or avocation in common. If so, you could design
an activity question around that, e.g.: I noticed from (print interview) that
you like (hobby). Whats your favorite (aspect of hobby)?
If you cant find anything out at all, you can use some of the tried and true
conversation starters, e.g.: How was your weekend?
Social question
______________________________
Activity question
______________________________
Conversation starter
______________________________
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Test Equipment
Your equipment includes what youre wearing, what you bring with you (in your bag,
purse, backpack, or briefcase), and any other materials or technology necessary for the
meeting.
1. Have special meeting clothes.
Im often asked what clothes should be worn to a pitch meeting, though Im not a fashion
expert. Does argyle make you look fat? I dont know. Maybe.
That said, my recommendation is to wear something that you have worn before, doesnt
show sweat, is comfortable enough to be worn all day, and is close to the decisionmakers level of formality. If you wear jeans and sneakers, let the jeans be dark and the
shoes new.
The key is to try your clothes on. We all gain or lose a few pounds from time to time, and
you want to make sure the clothes you intend to wear will fit properly.
2. Choose good waiting room materials.
The material you bring to the waiting room is not just to help you wait. It is to provide a
potential conversation starter, make a good impression, and put you into the right frame of
mind for the performance to come.
Good waiting room materials are magazines and non-fiction (not about religion or politics)
that are easy to pick up and put down.
Doing actual work on your phone, tablet, or laptop isnt ideal. This is because its easy to
get immersed in something that makes it hard for you to transition instantly into meeting
mode. Still, I understand youre going to be texting, tweeting, and checking email. Thats
okay so long as you can drop what youre doing at a moments notice.
3. Clean and restock your bag.
Our bags (purses, backpacks, briefcases) accumulate stuff (read: bits and pieces of
crap). You want to be okay if you drop your bag, everything spills out, and the decisionmaker sees all of the contents. You should have a good-looking notebook (I use this one),
pens that work, and a mini-toiletry kit that has floss, toothpaste, and a toothbrush.
Clothes tried on
Waiting room materials selected
Notebook and pens tested
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______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Hesitate To Act
A meeting can be a heady experience. You may be full of adrenaline. You may feel
compelled to take action immediately. However, it is a good idea to avoid making
decisions in such an emotional state. Even if you are in a time sensitive situation,
you would be well-served to take fifteen minutes to collect your thoughts and
refocus.
If you feel you must take action quickly, this is a good time to check in with one of
your advisors. Make sure you are on the right track and not making a rash decision.
Reward Yourself
Studies show that successful people give themselves a treat to reinforce good
behavior. Even if the meeting didnt go exactly as planned, even if there is a lot
youd like to change for the next time, the fact that you had the meeting is a
success in itself. Reward yourself.
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Master Checklist
Date, Time, and Location
______________________________
______________________________
Secondary goal
______________________________
Decision-maker Researched
Decision-makers name
______________________________
Title
______________________________
Recent Projects
______________________________
Successes
______________________________
Areas of expertise
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Questions Prepared
Social question
______________________________
Activity question
______________________________
Conversation starter
______________________________
Logistics Confirmed
Meeting confirmed
______________________________
______________________________
Drive planned
______________________________
Staging area
______________________________
Departure time
______________________________
Clothes tried on
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Details Recorded
Who was in the meeting?
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Performance Evaluated
What did you do well?
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
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Final Thoughts
I hope you are feeling more confident! Weve covered:
Over time, youll be able to walk into any room with confidence, and when the time
comes to express yourself, youll know just what to say and how to say it.
Stephanie
PS. For more information check out my websites Resources page.