Network pitching tips

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  • Network pitching tips

    Hi all,
    Looks like I will be pitching 3, maybe 4 cable networks in the coming weeks. Going in with an Ep, production co etc. So will be about 3-4 people in the room. Was wondering if those who have gone before have any tips?

    Also is dress roughly the same as for a general etc with a production co or studio? I'd usually wear jeans and a button down, maybe a jacket. But being from an academic background I somehow feel odd wearing jeans to a network. But I'm guessing they're fine.

    Anyway appreciate any insight.
    Thanks!

  • #2
    Re: Network pitching tips

    Congrats,

    Stick with the way you've been dressing. You're a writer; no one expects you to dress like an exec. Be comfortable and play the creative card.

    Things I've heard from execs:

    Do
    • Be passionate
    • Tell them your personal connection to the series/characters
    • Use visual aides (if appropriate)
    Don't
    • Go crazy on the visual aides
    • Be rigid in your presentation. Keep it conversational.
    • Be afraid to say, "I don't know."
    Since it sounds like you'll be pitching as a team I heard some great advice about having one person to the bulk of the pitch while the other person reads the room and fills in info when necessary. That exec told a story about a writing team that prepared a completely rehearsed pitch, and it just felt shticky.

    HTH,
    Just my 2 cents, your mileage may vary.

    -Steve Trautmann
    3rd & Fairfax: The WGAW Podcast

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    • #3
      Re: Network pitching tips

      Originally posted by LRic54 View Post
      Hi all,
      Looks like I will be pitching 3, maybe 4 cable networks in the coming weeks. Going in with an Ep, production co etc. So will be about 3-4 people in the room. Was wondering if those who have gone before have any tips?

      Also is dress roughly the same as for a general etc with a production co or studio? I'd usually wear jeans and a button down, maybe a jacket. But being from an academic background I somehow feel odd wearing jeans to a network. But I'm guessing they're fine.

      Anyway appreciate any insight.
      Thanks!
      I pitched three cable networks last year around this time (a little later, actually) with a producer and a director. We were pitching a sitcom pilot.

      Dress: business casual to casual. Jeans are fine. The director wore jeans and Converse to every pitch. The producer wore khakis and a nice dress shirt.

      Pitching: Expect the unexpected. Be totally prepared and have a set pitch down PERFECTLY, and then... be prepared to more or less throw the pitch out the window and wing it. Read the room and go on that. Be prepared to improvise and simply "chat". Be prepared for it to feel way more like a casual lunch convo. with friends than you expected. The people you are pitching will generally be young (20s or 30s), extremely friendly, and mellow. There will be 2 or 3 of them per meeting. They just want to hear a good pitch and hear something they can get excited about. They'll ask two or three questions about the concept -- at any point in the pitch -- and by the end you should be able to tell if they're "getting it" or not buying it. Then they'll get back to you with an answer within a few weeks.

      Good luck!

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