CE or Head of Development?

[docgonzo]

I was thinking about targeting a few production companies and wondered who would be best to query for a read, the CE or the head of development? Have people here had success querying higher level execs or is it more advisable to target lower-level employees because they'll be more likely to say yes? I've never approached prod cos via cold querying, just reps, so don't really know what's the best way. Thanks.

[PoodleTang]

There's no good answer to this.

Most of them that are reputable will tell you they can't accept unsolicited submissions.

(That doesn't mean they won't go home that night and read it anyway, but they'll at least tell you that. Odds are they won't read it, though -- they've got more solicited submissions than they can handle already.)

So there's no "more likely" -- you're digging for a needle that may not exist in hundreds of hay stacks. Best chance of finding it is to dig through every one.

[UnequalProductions]

Originally Posted by docgonzo

I was thinking about targeting a few production companies and wondered who would be best to query for a read, the CE or the head of development? Have people here had success querying higher level execs or is it more advisable to target lower-level employees because they'll be more likely to say yes? I've never approached prod cos via cold querying, just reps, so don't really know what's the best way. Thanks.

Low level employees. If you're targeting production companies yourself with no representation, I'd be surprised if you could get any response out of a Head of Development of Senior VP. But if you go lower on the ladder, you have baby executives who are looking to make a name for themselves.

Though I'd recommend finding some representation. Having a manager call and talk up your work, even if he/she isn't from a major company, will make you a lot more likely to get a read.