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One of the most important things you can learn to do when pitching your screenplay to a producer is to learn the art of the pitch.
You have two choice here, that is: either you (a) pitch verbally; or (b) pitch by email.
Now I used to work as an agent and I know how much screenwriters in general hate option A. I mean, seriously, how many people actually like to pitch their scripts verbally?
Pitching in person is a skill that must be learned and practiced and crafted. The verbal pitch must also be delivered with a certain amount of confidence and storytelling ability. Very few people can pull this off successfully.
That’s why one of my close screenwriter friend’s in Hollywood always used to say, “the pitch is a b*tch.”
The Pitch Is A B*tch
Yes, pitching verbally is frightening and terrifying. I completely understand. A great producer will do their best to look beyond a nervous pitch and focus on the story being told. But at the same it’s incredibly difficult to pitch a good story if you’re feeling anxious and scared. That’s why email pitching has become so popular these days.
A good email pitch is just as effective as a verbal pitch, without the associated anxiety.
I actually heard that many promising screenwriters (back in the 80s and 90s) abandoned their screenwriting careers when they realized that they had to continually pitch their material verbally.
They hated the process and rejection so much, that the stress didn’t seem to be worth it. I can’t say I blame them. This industry definitely isn’t for everyone.
However, I saw one anxious screenwriter pitch his script verbally in a very interesting and unique way that worked very well.
This particular screenwriter setup a simple one-page website that talked about his screenplay, and the screenwriter also had a verbal pitch recorded and put on his website.
It was pure genius. The screenwriter didn’t have to keep pitching people or contacting agents and producers in person. He could simply direct them to his website where they could listen to his pitch as many times as they wanted to (they could also see a written pitch of his story and even download the screenplay).
It’s an excellent idea and it worked! I’m still surprised that more screenwriters haven’t used the same technique to this day.
This also bypasses the real “pitch is a b*tch” problem because it doesn’t require you to keep contacting and pitching agents and producers in person.
The Key To A Great Pitch
So what’s the key to a great verbal or email pitch? One of the most important things you need to understand as a screenwriter is that producers are busy.
Producers don’t want to sit through a super long pitch where the screenwriter tells them every plot point and twist in the story.
The same techniques that make a screenplay great are the same techniques that get producers interested in buying into your pitch and screenplay.
What are these techniques?
Think tension, curiosity and a compelling desire to know how the story ends.
If you give everything away in your pitch, the producer will lose interest in reading your script, especially if you don’t nail your pitch and deliver it effectively.
That’s why I always recommend screenwriters submit a pitch that is intriguing and that piques a producer’s curiosity?
You want them to say, “sounds interesting, send me the script” or “what happens next? Send me the script.”
If you can craft an excellent pitch, then getting a producer to read and ultimately buy your screenplay shouldn’t be too difficult. You just need to remember to keep those pitches short and as intriguing as possible.
*Jennifer Sloane has worked as a screenplay agent in Los Angeles and Nashville for the last five years. Jennifer loves good movies, music and animals. A former television and movie executive, Jennifer currently heads business development at Script Mailer (a company that connects screenwriters with agents and producers in Hollywood).