The Pitch. The throw. The curve ball. The dreaded walk in. The Meeting That Will Dictate The Rest of The Year. (TM)
I hyperbolize, perhaps, but for many writers/producers/actors the time spent in prepping for a pitch meeting is more than you ever spend in time in the pitch itself. For most people, the pitch is just a standard part of the year - a few weeks perhaps. But the prep for it - that's long and meandering.
An article from the LA Times, by TV writer Jesse Lasky hits on these issues. The pitch after all - is a moving target.
Needing advice on how to sell, I turned to my pal Scott, a car salesman. "Smile, make eye contact, and exude confidence," he said. "Make them want you more than you want them."
I then drove to my co-worker Frank's house, in my just-purchased only slightly used 1994 Chevy Silverado (what can I say? Scott's a good salesman). There, Frank said, "Just know what you're talking about." I thought it was sound advice, until I realized perhaps this was his way of telling me I usually don't know what I'm talking about.
Lastly, I was told to "practice over and over while looking in the mirror."
Advice in pitches, is much like that many fabled song that was an essay:
"Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth."
Which is to say - when you're pitching, a good bit of advice you'll receive from people won't work pants for you because that's not how you think.
A pitch is, in some ways, a personal thing. A piece of art. A many splendid thing, really. Partially explosive creative dialogue, partially powerpoint presentation minus the powerpoint, and, of course, all brilliance.
In this case, the pitch seems to go great:
I began the pitch. Their excitement built as I talked, in turn getting me excited. I fielded their questions. Made them laugh. My fly wasn't open. This was going well.
The issue with the fly isn't always a game killer, but it'll put you off your game. Simple solution - wear clothing that looks good without a fly. Or button.
Generally, looking TV-writer-hip - i.e. semi-washed in the last twelve hours, fun shirt, nice pants and you're set. A blazer never hurts - but always remember to check the zippers, buttons and etc.
Then came the waiting game. I was prepared for the worst. After all, most pitches don't get sold.
Five days later I got the call — they're buying it!
They asked if I'd be willing to write it as a multi-camera traditional sitcom as opposed to the single camera comedy I originally proposed. Are they kidding? I'd write it in German subtitles if they wanted me to. I was elated. I've made it! I'm going to start wearing expensive sunglasses indoors and eating caviar omelets at every meal.
Amazing pitch! Great job in - from pitch to presentation to buying your goddamned pilot in a week.
Or, in reality, seven years, a chance meeting with the right people and a week. But truly - the week was important. In Lasky's case it didn't turn out so well - a network exec change over meant that the pilot didn't go forward - but the points in place - going balls out and practicing, practicing, practicing before.
Those were in place. And those things did work.
Other than the tried-and-true pitch-yourself-then-your-mom-then-your-boss-then-that-homeless-guy-down-the-street formula, there are some other bits and pieces to the art that can help.
The five (or whatever) bullet point system is fairly simple - if you can distill your concept down to a small number - five points that can fully describe your show. Have these written legibly in a nice and small notebook and refer to them if you run into trouble. This is pretty much the same thing you did when you practiced to tell your parents your girlfriend was pregnant or that you were going to drop out of college - the pitch is more important than either of those things.
F*ck It: I.e. Go in and wing it. I know more people who can salvage this than I care to admit. That said - most of them have a background in improv.
Powerpoint: Business types (not industry specifically) and CEOs love powerpoint. There's a reason for this - it distills concepts down to their component bits - and then puts them into tiny little slides. Please don't actually use a powerpoint presentation to do this - even if your shiny ipad has the ability. That said...
The iPad Pitch: Producers and later stage development for shows with bibles - they often have a shiny pitch that fits snugly on an iPad. Shockingly similar to the powerpoint pitch - it has all the pretty and shiny bits you'd put in your Bible...and on said powerpoint... In pretty and shiny ways on the iPad. It's different. Trust me.
The One Page/Leave Behind: A one page pitch is pretty simple - it's a quick synopsis of your show, your main characters and your show engine. Yeah, okay a one page can be a delightfully difficult write. And leave behinds are great if you like to kill trees.
The Discussion Meeting: Execs ask writers/producers/directors/actors/their sister's brother's kid to come in to chat ideas sometimes. It's usually a good idea to take said meeting - and to come in with some pitches that make sense for the network/production company.
So to review, the handy little acronym:
Idea
Research
Practice
Alcohol*
*Please to keep in mind that not all stages should be followed. Ever. Especially during the pitch.
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