How to handle a phone meeting
I’m a 23-year-old aspiring screenwriter who recently placed in the Nicholl fellowship competition. I’ve heard from others who made the cut some years back to begin preparing for phone calls from managers, agents and producers who may be interested in my script — which is both exciting and terrifying.
I was wondering if you could share some insight/commentary about pitching over the phone for people like me who do not (yet) live in Los Angeles. I’d hate to squander an opportunity like this because of bad phone etiquette.
- Alexander
Worcester, MA
The life of a screenwriter, both employed and aspiring, involves a fair number of phone calls. Most are short “just-checking-in” calls. But at least twice a week I find myself in your situation, having to handle something on the phone that would ideally be done face-to-face. I can offer a few suggestions for making the best of it.
1. Put yourself in the room.
Imagine that you’re sitting in the guy’s office, having a face-to-face meeting. Obviously, you have no idea what that office looks like, but you’re a screenwriter, so you should be able to conjure something up. More importantly, imagine whom you’re speaking with. You need a face in order to make eye contact.1
I know this sounds goofy, but I think it makes a huge difference. You’re much more engaged when you’re looking someone in the eye — even if it’s all make-believe. It changes your voice, your pace, your word selection. It really helps.
2. Don’t multi-task.
If a phone call is important, dedicate every available brain cell to it. Turn off your computer and any other distraction. If possible, schedule the call. (Even then, there’s a high possibility that an assistant will call at the last minute to push it back 15 minutes. Don’t take any offense.)
3. Rehearse key points.
Since you’re going to be talking with possible producers, agents and managers, you can anticipate the kinds of things that will come up.
- Do you see yourself as mostly writing TV or film?
- What are you working on now?
- What’s happening with that script from the Nicholl?
You want answers to those questions, ideally phrased in ways that make you sound confident, flexible and funny. For example, if they ask if you’re living in Los Angeles, a good answer is, “Almost. I’m packing as we speak.” That may not be entirely accurate, but the person on the other end needs to hear that you’re serious about getting to Hollywood.
4. Ask and listen.
Don’t spend every brain cycle formulating the next clever thing to say. Ask questions and engage. If you’re speaking with someone for the first time, make sure you’re learning something about them as well.
Pitching on the phone is largely the same as pitching in person, with the added challenge of not being able to read body language. So keep it really short — like four sentences — unless they ask for more detail.
- One downside of this technique: there are executives whom I’ve had long relationships with strictly on the phone and by email. By the time I meet them in person, my brain is locked into one image of them, and the actual person seems like an impostor. ↩
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September 10th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Just say, “Haven’t you heard? Worcester’s the new L.A.” That gets ‘em every time!
September 10th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Good advice. I also like to pour myself a glass of water to sip on if necessary while I’m on the phone, just in case it turns into a long call.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I do film editing, not screenwriting, but I often have to have “job interviews” over the phone with producers and directors who are thinking of hiring me. One thing I try very hard to do is to have the call at home on my landline, not my cell phone. I always feel a landline is more “solid,” less prone to interference and dropped calls. (And I don’t own a cordless, so I never have to worry about the handset’s battery going dead.) Given the schedules of both yourself and the person calling you, this isn’t always possible (heck, I once had to have a phone interview on my cell in the middle of the San Diego Comic-Con), but I try to do it when I can.
September 11th, 2008 at 3:03 am
A friend of mine once compared the job interview to college classes. The student who spends the whole class talking and giving his opinion invariably walks out saying “what a great class that was.” So, one great goal for any interview (mentioned by John) is to get the other person talking. Think of three areas you can ask about, and structure them so you will remember them easily. E.g. Industry trends, trend at your studio, and your personal experience. And then have three questions for each. E.g. What was the industry focusing on 10 years ago, what is the current focus and what do you anticipate the focus to be in the coming years. Then you can ask the same three questions about three different areas and keep your interviewer talking forever. You will learn about the person on the other end, s/he will think you are really interesting because you listen well, and they will be late for their next meeting. The late for the next meeting can be really important because s/he has to explain to the next person what made them late, and wouldn’t you like your name to be the subject of conversation of the next meeting (or every meeting that day) with the explanation that s/he was talking with a really interesting hot new writer? And, I’m not in the industry. This trick can be used in any job interview.
September 11th, 2008 at 5:43 am
The question that gets me stammering EVERYTIME – and I really don’t know why I don’t have a rehearsed answer for it, because it seems to be the opening question of every developement person who has ever called me – is: I just wanted to check how busy you are for the next couple of months?
I never know what to say to this. I don’t wanna seem too busy if they’re about to offer something great, and I don’t wanna seem too available if they’re about to offer crap. And the truth of the matter is most of the time I just don’t know how busy I will be for the next couple of months as that depends on a million different factors. I tend to ramble on forever about every single project I have in developement and exactly where that project is at the moment.
What would be the best response to this question?
September 11th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Instead of just imagining what someone looks like, you can sometimes find a picture of them on IMDB or Google images.
September 11th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Thanks John!
September 11th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Alex (#5) The shorter the better. Say exactly what you just said… “that depends on a million different factors” and turn it back to them with, “why, what do YOU have in mind for my next couple of months?”
September 11th, 2008 at 10:01 am
LOL I love comments #1 and 2.
Thanks for the post, John. I think, taken generally, this is good advice for any kind of phone interview.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:53 am
It sounds so simple when you say it, Scott! The problem is they always call so early in the morning – I’m still sleaping. I’ll have to write that down and hide the note in my pillow case:)
Seriously though, I think it talks to the point that is being made over and over again in this thread: don’t be afraid to ask questions. It makes you seem more interested AND more interesting.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Haha, I don’t know why, but when you said imagine who you’re talking to, I couldn’t get the image of Larry David out of my head. Now if I’m ever in this position I’m just gonna be thinking of Larry David, I hope I don’t crack up!
September 11th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Wooooosta screenwriters represent.
I <3 Main South.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:29 am
ME: You’re not Mr. Weinstein!!! Mr. Weinstein wears a top-hat and carries a magical lollipop! I been talkin to im for months!
September 12th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Pick up Stephanie Palmer’s book GOOD IN A ROOM. A former MGM exec, now consultant, tells how to succeed in a meeting, on the phone, how to prepare… pretty much everything. It’s absolutely brilliant.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:31 am
I agree about switching off the computer monitor for a phone interview to avoid distraction, but I’m also amazed at how often the act of looking something up online comes up during a phone conversation. So staying close to a computer may be a good idea. That said, I’m not in the industry, and maybe industry phone calls don’t have people asking for people to look at things on their websites and what-not.
-nm
September 12th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Congrats, Alexander. If I remember the Nicholls schedule right, you’ll be hearing about whether you made the semifinalist cut soon.
One point someone wiser than I made: Rather than wait for reps/producers to call you, call the ones you think are a good match and pitch your Nicholl script now, while it’s still a contender (if indeed you get that happy news).
Because the Nicholl-generated phone calls won’t start until the winners (and all the also-rans) are announced (in Oct.?). If your script is still alive now, you can dangle its potential finalist-ness and maybe catch some reads at places you’ve picked.
Just a thought. Good luck!
September 13th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
And for goodness sake, have the logline for your story down pat as well as those of any other projects fit to discuss. To gratuitously plug some useful info, get your logline in shape here:
http://www.the-story-spot.com/2008/09/logline-your-new-best-friend.html
(OR http://www.tinyurl.com/logline if that’s easier to remember)
Good luck with those meetings. And, as someone once uttered at our first, nerve-wracking major festival, “Whatever you do, don’t take that 3-picture deal.” On those particular 2-cents, I may beg to differ. /diane
September 15th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Some advice I got (I believe from Max Adams) was to type out all your loglines and brief pitches and tape them up near the phone. It’s a crutch in case your brain goes completely blank. Just make sure you sound natural when you refer to them. No one wants to rep a robot.