What's Up with Expo Pitches?

[scrpts]

My writing partner and I were at the Expo in October and pitched to a number of companies. Several of them said they would be interested in reading our script. We left behind business cards and/or synopses with out email address on them. We haven't heard a word. What's the procedure? Do we call them and explain the situation, or are they planning to contact us?

[SBScript]

My writing partner and I were at the Expo in October and pitched to a number of companies. Several of them said they would be interested in reading our script. We left behind business cards and/or synopses with out email address on them. We haven't heard a word. What's the procedure? Do we call them and explain the situation, or are they planning to contact us?

That's like seeing a beautiful girl on the street and convincing her to take *your* number. Dude. You get *her* number. If she doesn't want to give it to you then she's not interested. If the people you pitched to didn't give you their info then they're not interested, they were just looking for a polite out.

[GreatOz]

Yeah, you should have pinned down where and how to send the script before you got up from the table.

Do an internet search of their names. Try to find some contact info and get hold of them. There's a chance they just forgot after hearing twenty other mind-numbing pitches.

[Jim Mercurio]

I thought the point of the pitches were to close the deal in the room and give them your script.

If they said they wanted to read it and you didn't have your script with you, I would say definitely follow up and follow through....like last week. ;-)

Jim

[GreatOz]

wlecome to the (rip off) world of "pitch" festivals.

I got my first paid option through a pitch fest.

I thought the point of the pitches were to close the deal in the room and give them your script.

You're never supposed to hand them your script at these things, probably so the person hearing the pitch doesn't have to lug twenty screenplays back to the office. Plus some want a release signed first if you're unrepped.

[argo]

Saying they were interested was an invitation to email them your script (or snail mail if you're still into that). They're not going to do the work for you. Just email your script with a short intro with your log line and reminding them that they requested the script at the Expo.

At least that's how it worked with me last year. And I got my manager that way.

[scrpts]

I thought the point of the pitches were to close the deal in the room and give them your script.

If they said they wanted to read it and you didn't have your script with you, I would say definitely follow up and follow through....like last week. ;-)

Jim

I'm sure we were not supposed to hand them a script at the Pitchfest. But I will follow up with contacts.

BTW, Jim, enjoyed your session on "Endings."

[Jim Mercurio]

I'm sure we were not supposed to hand them a script at the Pitchfest. But I will follow up with contacts.

BTW, Jim, enjoyed your session on "Endings."


Cool. Thanks. But be careful, on this site, you might be accused of being one of my aliases plugging my Killer ENdings DVD.

See.

jim

[Vertigo51]

wlecome to the (rip off) world of "pitch" festivals.


I disagree. I don't think pitchfests are a "rip off" at all. Got my first option from a producer I met at a pitchfest.

Like anything else, it's what YOU bring to the table.

[andlary1]

Why don't they just take the script if they're interested, right there; and if they're not, say, "Pass"?

I don't get it. Are all these people so passive-aggressive they can't bring themselves to tell the truth? Ot do they get off watching people get jazzed about "taking their number" ? Weird behavior.

Jeez. What a waste of the writer's time.

[Expo Competition]

Why don't they just take the script if they're interested, right there; and if they're not, say, "Pass"?

I don't get it. Are all these people so passive-aggressive they can't bring themselves to tell the truth? Ot do they get off watching people get jazzed about "taking their number" ? Weird behavior.

Jeez. What a waste of the writer's time.

I think it's because they hear 120 pitches a day. Do you know how hard it is to carry 120 scripts? Carrying two boxes of 25 for the Expo readers is hard enough. ;-)

Jim

[andlary1]

I think it's because they hear 120 pitches a day. Do you know how hard it is to carry 120 scripts? Carrying two boxes of 25 for the Expo readers is hard enough. ;-)

Jim


You don't have to carry hard copies these days.:o

[InDeep]

I recently pitched at a festival and out of 8 pitches, 5 really sucked, 1 was purchased within a month, another within 4 months, and mine is in negotiations.

Festival pitches can help you, but the early responders were right: GET THEIR NUMBER. That's the real charm of these things - building your network with emails and polite follow-up phone calls that get you the lay of the land back at their offices.

Why don't they take the screenplay immediately? Because good concepts and good pitches don't always mean good screenplays.

Build your rolodex and best of luck!

InDeep

P.S. For you young folks, a "rolodex" is a pre-digital "address book" of sorts, where you oh, forget it...