 | I'll never forget this. When Chelsea and I first got to LA, we lucked into a pitch meeting with a big producer. We went to his office in Beverly Hills and he said, "What have you got?" |
We proceeded to list our movie titles and log lines from memory. Ouch.
The producer thanked us for coming, got called away for a meeting and we never heard back.
It took us a while to learn from that mistake.
But over time we figured out how to pitch more effectively, thanks in large part to the lessons we learned watching ABC's "Shark Tank."
The producer thanked us for coming, got called away for a meeting and we never heard back.
It took us a while to learn from that mistake.
But over time we figured out how to pitch more effectively, thanks in large part to the lessons we learned watching ABC's "Shark Tank."
make it personal
When you're pitching anything to anyone, you need to get them personally involved in your story before you launch into the specifics.
On Shark Tank, the successful entrepeneurs always begin their pitch with a story about how they came up with the idea for their product.
Watch this clip to see exactly what I mean...
On Shark Tank, the successful entrepeneurs always begin their pitch with a story about how they came up with the idea for their product.
Watch this clip to see exactly what I mean...
The entrepeneur above leads her pitch by describing how she came up with the idea for this particular item.
For the past 2.5 years I've worked with a little boy named Gibby. I'm his nanny. He has Down Syndrome. And because of that, he gets ear infections a lot. When it came time to take out the medicine dropper, Gibby would go from angel to pro wrestler... He just did not like the process. I thought to myself, "There must be a better way to do this."
Here's why that kind of a lead in is so important in any pitch...
1) It relaxes you. Before the woman in the clip starts talking about Gibby, she's really stiff and strange. But once she goes into her memory, she loosens up, she becomes a little more animated and a little more fun to watch. This is a very important step because it shakes off your jitters before the important stuff.
2) It engages your audience. Just like a good story relaxes the storyteller, it also relaxes the audience. You can see the investors lean in when the woman starts talking about Gibby. They get personally invested, and that's a very important step if you want to strike a deal.
3) It demonstrates your character. No one wants to work with someone who sucks. A story like this can endear your audience to you, and make them want to work with you in the future. That's a huge boon in a business as competitive as screenwriting.
I really wish Chelsea and I knew about this technique before we had our first pitch meeting. It's BORING to lead with a title and log line. Log lines aren't meant to be memorized and pitched by themselves and titles mean nothing to someone who doesn't already have a good idea of your movie, no matter how clever you think it is.
1) It relaxes you. Before the woman in the clip starts talking about Gibby, she's really stiff and strange. But once she goes into her memory, she loosens up, she becomes a little more animated and a little more fun to watch. This is a very important step because it shakes off your jitters before the important stuff.
2) It engages your audience. Just like a good story relaxes the storyteller, it also relaxes the audience. You can see the investors lean in when the woman starts talking about Gibby. They get personally invested, and that's a very important step if you want to strike a deal.
3) It demonstrates your character. No one wants to work with someone who sucks. A story like this can endear your audience to you, and make them want to work with you in the future. That's a huge boon in a business as competitive as screenwriting.
I really wish Chelsea and I knew about this technique before we had our first pitch meeting. It's BORING to lead with a title and log line. Log lines aren't meant to be memorized and pitched by themselves and titles mean nothing to someone who doesn't already have a good idea of your movie, no matter how clever you think it is.
Know your project inside and out
If the entrepreneurs on Shark Tank can't competently discuss their numbers, projections and business plans, it doesn't matter if their product is a cancer-curing space ship... The sharks will lose interest.
The same applies to you. If you're going into a pitch meeting, you need to know your project inside and out.
Know your genre.
Know your audience.
Know what bankable stars can fill your lead roles.
Know why those roles are castable.
Know the other movies in your genre that yours is similar to.
Don't worry too much about studying the person or the company you're pitching to. Obviously be familiar with their work and be able to have a conversation about it, but spend most of your time focusing on yourself and your project.
Decision makers in Hollywood want to know that you're confident, and that you know yourself and your script like the back of your hand.
Do the work for them. Be prepared to prove that your concept is marketable and new, and don't rely on them to make connections for you. *
* Don't go in there like a weird nerd talking about box office returns etc. like you can predict the future. Just be able to casually discuss the marketability of your movie by answering the questions above.
The same applies to you. If you're going into a pitch meeting, you need to know your project inside and out.
Know your genre.
Know your audience.
Know what bankable stars can fill your lead roles.
Know why those roles are castable.
Know the other movies in your genre that yours is similar to.
Don't worry too much about studying the person or the company you're pitching to. Obviously be familiar with their work and be able to have a conversation about it, but spend most of your time focusing on yourself and your project.
Decision makers in Hollywood want to know that you're confident, and that you know yourself and your script like the back of your hand.
Do the work for them. Be prepared to prove that your concept is marketable and new, and don't rely on them to make connections for you. *
* Don't go in there like a weird nerd talking about box office returns etc. like you can predict the future. Just be able to casually discuss the marketability of your movie by answering the questions above.
Be Ready to Capitalize
Not every entrepreneur that gets on Shark Tank walks away with a deal. But what they all do get is 15 minutes of advertising on TV, along with the opportunity to learn from some of the most successful business people on the planet.
The smart ones will remember the advice they got on the show. They'll learn from their Tank experience and tweak their pitch for the next investor they find, whether Shark Tank works out or not. And they'll make sure they have a ton of inventory and a fast, efficient website, because chances are the viewing public might want to buy their product.
As a screenwriter, you should be similarly prepared to make the most of every pitching opportunity. After each session, think about what you did well and what you failed at. Make adjustments before your next meeting.
Sometimes Chelsea and I even sneak a little tape recorder in our pockets so we can listen back to the meeting later. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this technique, but you've gotta be ready to learn if you want to improve enough to succeed in screenwriting.
Beyond that, make sure you're familiar with who you are as a writer and what other projects you have to pitch. Because even if you're not right for the job you're pitching for, you might be right for something else, and the only way a potential producer would know is if you're ready to sell yourself as well as whatever script you're in there for.
The smart ones will remember the advice they got on the show. They'll learn from their Tank experience and tweak their pitch for the next investor they find, whether Shark Tank works out or not. And they'll make sure they have a ton of inventory and a fast, efficient website, because chances are the viewing public might want to buy their product.
As a screenwriter, you should be similarly prepared to make the most of every pitching opportunity. After each session, think about what you did well and what you failed at. Make adjustments before your next meeting.
Sometimes Chelsea and I even sneak a little tape recorder in our pockets so we can listen back to the meeting later. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this technique, but you've gotta be ready to learn if you want to improve enough to succeed in screenwriting.
Beyond that, make sure you're familiar with who you are as a writer and what other projects you have to pitch. Because even if you're not right for the job you're pitching for, you might be right for something else, and the only way a potential producer would know is if you're ready to sell yourself as well as whatever script you're in there for.
don't be this guy
"Shark Tank" is just as valuable for what not to do. The guy in this clip was clearly relying on a word for word script for his pitch. And when he froze up and forgot the script, he was screwed.
Good pitches are fluid and conversational. It's okay to start from a script, but you need to be off book when it comes time to pitch, otherwise this could happen to you.
Good pitches are fluid and conversational. It's okay to start from a script, but you need to be off book when it comes time to pitch, otherwise this could happen to you.
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What does your favorite reality show teach you about screenwriting? Share in the comments.
What does your favorite reality show teach you about screenwriting? Share in the comments.