TV Producer meeeting

[Telly]

edited: turned out to be a manager meeting.

[RGF]

Sounds to me like you will be prepped to impress them. I don't think cranking out a TV spec in 5 days is gonna do anything that your feature writing and meeting prep work won't do. Unless brilliance comes to you in 5 day spurts, that is.

[Telly]

Right, I'm pretty sure that anything I could crank out in 5 days wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on. Thanks for thoughts.

[joe9alt]

Has anybody even told you that you need to have a TV spec?

I wouldn't worry about that - this TV producer obviously saw something in your feauture work that interested him.

Go in there ready to talk about working and how you'd love to get on a staff of a show and have a strong interest in TV.

Be ready to pitch him some show ideas but don't worry about cranking out a TV pilot in 5 days, bro.

[Telly]

Thanks for the tips. No one said anything about a spec, I just know my TV writing friends always have one handy for times like this, so I felt like a turd. But I'll go in ready to talk it up. Do you really think having a TV pitch is a good idea?

I hadn't thought about that, I figured that was for established TV runners/writers. I was just hoping to discuss a staff gig. I didn't want to sound presumptuous by having my own concept pitch. I'll have to sit on that and think about some ideas I suppose and "go there" if he asks.

Thanks again.

[joe9alt]

If you have a concept for a pilot, I'd certainly be ready to at least talk about it in detail.

I'm not saying you'll wind up pitching the whole thing out. You won't but you should develop a 5 minute pitch for sure.

Maybe the TV producer will want to develop it with you to produce as a pilot?

I mean these things are meet and greets but really they always have the potential to be more.

When you're in there you're in there talking about...

1. The script that got you in the room.
2. The script you're working on now.
3. Ideas you have for the future.
4. What shows or movies you like.
5. For film guys, books that you'd like to adapt.
6. Small talk (background, current events)

I mean nine times out of ten the meeting will turn out to be what it's intended to be -- a meet and greet that gets you on the producer's radar should a future job opportunity come up -- but I mean you should certainly go in there with attitude that you're ready to talk interestingly and in detail regarding the above.

But occasionally people do buy stuff in the room.

That does happen if somebody absolutely falls in love with a pitch.

Probably rarely during a meet and greet but maybe your 5 minute pitch can lead to a second meeting dedicated entirely to that pitch.

People do buy stuff in the room.

Do your best to put yourself in a position to be the guy that they buy it from.

Be yourself.

[Telly]

Excellent advice, I'm on it!

Thanks for the insight.

[meemee2000]

So Telly, how did it go? As one getting ready to do my own series of meets and greets, I'm curious!! :)

[Telly]

Boy I forgot all about this thread, looks like you found it though. It went great, that producer turned out to be a manager and I ended up signing with them. I wrote a post about him and the experience so far in the manager's forum.

[meemee2000]

Cool! I'll go look for the manager's thread asap!