Meeting with network development contact -- thoughts?

[jillybob]

So I have a coffee meeting tomorrow with a guy from the drama development department at a network. Well, to be specific, he's the assistant to the head of drama development for the network. (He contacted me and requested my "House" spec after the Austin win, and then followed up and asked to meet.) Obviously, "assistant" can mean many things, and I don't know how much pull he's got, but at a minimum, he's out there hunting on his own for writers and projects that he can bring to his boss. So I'm not counting my chickens yet, but it's a possible foot in the door for me.

Any thoughts on points to hit at the meeting? When we spoke, he didn't ask if I had a pilot script, but I do. So I'm definitely planning on talking that up. I'm wondering, though, if I should bring a hard copy of the script. Normally, I pretty much always send scripts via email, but I'm thinking in this case, it might be kind of silly to pitch him the pilot and then not have a copy of the script on hand.

And yes, I'm aware of the infinitessimally small chances of an uncredited newbie selling a pilot. But as I said, the guy sought me out, so I'm just trying to cover my bases and make the most of a possible opportunity.

Thoughts? Thanks.

[odriftwood]

Don't bring the script because it might make you look a bit desperate. If he asks what else you're working on/or have then bring up the pilot but don't open with that. For a meet and greet, he wants to get a sense of what you're bringing to a writer's room. Do you have interesting stories to tell? Are you a team player? Is there something colorful in your background which gives you a unique point of view? What shows do you like? And be prepared to talk about his network shows. Ask what show on another network does he wish he had. Empower him a bit, not in a kiss ass way but in a way that shows you respect his opinion. If he asks for the script, send it over that day or the next with a note thanking him for the meeting and a promise to follow up. Building relationships is extremely important in this business. For TV, the choice might come down for him to recommend you. Give him plenty of reasons to.... oh, yeah, and wear comfortable shoes.

[jillybob]

The desire to avoid looking desperate is the exact reason I usually don't carry my scripts around with me. (That, and it'd be heavy.) Clearly my initial instincts still apply.

Lots of good advice, odriftwood, thanks! I watch enough of the network's shows to legitmately talk up a few with pleasure, and in fact, did so when first emailed by the guy in question. But I really like the question about what show on another network he wishes he had, too.

Of course, now that I actually started talking about it, the meeting's been rescheduled. The power of posting, I guess. But now it's pushed back to the first week of January, so the rest of you all have a chance to chime in with tips, if you like!

Or not. But again, thanks for the great pointers, odriftwood.

[odriftwood]

Of course, now that I actually started talking about it, the meeting's been rescheduled. The power of posting, I guess. But now it's pushed back to the first week of January, so the rest of you all have a chance to chime in with tips, if you like!

Welcome to Hollywood. I was actually surprised anyone was taking a meeting this week!

[Minibrain]

1) Don't carry scripts around with you. Send them later if he wants to read more.

2) Selling a pilot is less likely than getting a staff job on a show.

3) In TV development, a lot of executives started out as assistants. At a couple networks, assistants are treated more like low-level executives. They sit in on most meetings, they get to give notes, they screen material. And, they're encouraged to scout new writers.

[theladywriter]

Don't bring the script because it might make you look a bit desperate. If he asks what else you're working on/or have then bring up the pilot but don't open with that. For a meet and greet, he wants to get a sense of what you're bringing to a writer's room. Do you have interesting stories to tell? Are you a team player? Is there something colorful in your background which gives you a unique point of view? What shows do you like? And be prepared to talk about his network shows. Ask what show on another network does he wish he had. Empower him a bit, not in a kiss ass way but in a way that shows you respect his opinion. If he asks for the script, send it over that day or the next with a note thanking him for the meeting and a promise to follow up. Building relationships is extremely important in this business. For TV, the choice might come down for him to recommend you. Give him plenty of reasons to.... oh, yeah, and wear comfortable shoes.


Have you checked him out to make sure he is actually who he says he is? Other than that, I'd say good luck with it. It's about time some of these folks take a different approach to finding material since a lot of the stuff on now, sucks.

[jimjimgrande]

ask him about the pilots he's got shooting, which ones he likes, which ones you should read

[Minibrain]

And yeah, what JimJim said.

[jillybob]

Thanks for all the comments. I really appreciate it, and I especially appreciate the tips for asking him questions and drawing him out -- basically, making the right kind of "small talk."

Theladywriter, yes, I do know this guy is who he says he is. He's emailed me exclusively from his work address, which is the network's email and contains his name and title. Plus, I asked my (hopefully, knock wood) soon-to-be-agent about him. (Though that was more to get a sense of where specifically the guy was in the company food chain.)

As far as the pilot goes, I didn't write it expecting to sell it; I wrote it to have as a sample, because that seems to be the way the trend is going in terms of what people want to read. Everybody still wants a spec first and foremost, naturally, but then they want a pilot as a second sample. So I figured it was only a matter of time before this guy wanted to see it as a sample at the very least. Any thoughts beyond that are just a playful bit of the "what if ....?" game.

The real gist of it is, I'm just a little fuzzy on what his role is in the department and what exactly he's looking at me for, so I don't know what to expect here or what the likely possibilities are. It's not that I'm all that stressed about it -- I'm actually pretty relaxed -- I just don't really know what job I'm theoretically selling myself for. So I thought the board here would be a good resource as to how to conduct myself. And it has been!

I'm fairly confident about both my writing and my ability to be "good in the room." It's just the finer details that I thought I maybe could use some coaching on.

Thanks again, everyone.

[DickDaring]

Jillybob:

How did your meeting go?

I have my first network exec meeting next week (also from an Austin script), and have a lot of the same concerns you mentioned.

Congrats on winning for HOUSE. I read your script online and thought it rocked.

[jillybob]

The meeting was this morning, and it went very well, or least it felt like that to me! I was definitely helped by the suggestions here. He was very focused on asking questions about me and my writing, so I actually had to use a fair amount of conversational muscle to get him to turn the conversation to him and the network. But I think it balanced things out well. I feel like if I hadn't made the extra effort to periodically steer the focus away from me, it basically would have ended up being a big ol' monologue. And I think that would have seemed okay in the moment, but when he remembered the meeting he would have just had an image in his mind of me yapping away incessantly. So it was good for me go in with the intention of drawing him out and making it a real conversation.

At any rate, I seemed to make a good impression. We talked for about an hour, and about fifteen minutes in, he asked me to send him my pilot. During the course of the meeting, he sort of casually threw out a question about whether I'd consider working as a writers' assistant. (I said I absolutely would.) When we said goodbye, he asked again for the pilot, and then said that if that went well he'd be talking to people about me.

So there you go. I did not immediately get shown to my new showrunner's office with the gold-plated desk and the diamond-encrusted chair, but I think it went about as well as can be expected. Will anything come of it? Who knows. But the more meetings I take, the better I get at it, so I'm glad for every experience.

[Bellabell]

Nice way to start the new year. It sounds like you're off to a great start.

[nic.h]

This sounds really positive. Great too that you kept your cool and manoeuvered the conversation to your advantage. Not an easy task when you're coming into what feels horribly like a job interview. About the biggest interview there is in our world.

Good luck! Hope great things happen.