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Pitch Session

General meetings don’t have to be general

August 21, 2020 Film Industry, Pitch Session, Producers, Psych 101

I like this advice from Jeff Nathanson:

It took me well over a decade to realize that general meetings are only general if I allowed them to be. And so, I changed my approach. I figured as long as I’m putting on a clean shirt and meeting with people who have the ability to hire me, I might as well try like hell to get a job.

I started to prepare for every general as if it would be my last. I would tailor a short pitch for specific executives (even when I was told not to pitch an idea). I would do my research, find out what movies they had in production, what scripts they were struggling with.

I asked questions, tried to cut through the general conversation and discuss passion projects. I asked studio executives about obscure titles they had in their library. And suddenly I started walking out with scripts under my arms, books to read, magazine articles they had optioned.

This approach makes even more sense in the age of Zoom. You need to be able to move pretty quickly from chit-chat to what you’d like to write, be it a property they control or something of your own.

This isn’t the time for a full pitch, but rather to frame an idea. “I really love heist movies. I’m working on one set on a super tanker. I’ve gone deep down the rabbit hole of research on it.”

You Got Verve

Episode - 401

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May 21, 2019 Pitch Session, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig introduce a new segment: The Scriptnotes Pitch Session! They listen to five listeners’ 90-second pitches and share their feedback on substance and style.

We also discuss the implications of Verve signing the WGA agreement and get special insight on an important creative decision in Chernobyl.

Join us for our live show in Los Angeles on June 13th with special guests including Alec Berg (Barry, Silicon Valley) and Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Tickets are going fast!

Links:

  • Scriptnotes LIVE on June 13th at the Ace Hotel with Alec Berg, Rob McElhenney, buy your tickets here!
  • Order your Scriptnotes 400 shirts, sweatshirts, and tanks (Light) and (Dark)!
  • WGA Start Button Video
  • John August and Michele Mulroney discussing Issues Affecting Screenwriters
  • Verve Signs WGA’s Code of Conduct, Citing ‘Meaningful Dialogue’ With Clients
  • WGA-Verve Code of Conduct Agreement
  • Pitch Session selections: Karen Welsh You’re What?!, Hayley Grgurich Uncertain Texas, Jake Arky How to Make a Man, Guy Patton Sinnerweb, Laura Beck Hardcore Vegans
  • Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society by Nikolas Christakis
  • Donate to Chernobyl Children International
  • Watch Chernobyl on HBO and listen to The Chernobyl Podcast with Craig and Peter Sagal
  • Find past episodes here, Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are also now available!
  • Thank you to everyone who submitted to the pitch session! If you’d like to be considered in the next Pitch Session, submit your entry here.
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Outro by Jonathan Mann (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-30-19: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

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