Stage 32 pitches?

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  • Stage 32 pitches?

    https://www.stage32.com/happy-writers/pitch-sessions

    There's already a general Stage 32 thread or three, but I'm interested what people think about their paid pitches.

    https://www.stage32.com/happy-writers/pitch-sessions

    They're $45 each, which is 4.5 times the most expensive option on Virtual Pitch Fest. Yeah, you can do it "live" via video, but the price is the same for a written pitch, which is what you get on VPF. OK, you get TWO pages to pitch on Stage 32, vs. one on VPF, but that doesn't seem like it's worth the extra $$ -- if you can't sell the concept in a logline, or a paragraph, you're not going to sell it in an extra page.

    Am I missing something here?

    Who here has pitched there and what kind of results have you had?

    Worth it or not?
    "People who work in Hollywood are the ones who didn't quit." -- Lawrence Kasdan

    Please visit my website and blog: www.lauridonahue.com.

  • #2
    Re: Stage 32 pitches?

    Originally posted by LauriD View Post
    https://www.stage32.com/happy-writers/pitch-sessions

    There's already a general Stage 32 thread or three, but I'm interested what people think about their paid pitches.

    https://www.stage32.com/happy-writers/pitch-sessions

    They're $45 each, which is 4.5 times the most expensive option on Virtual Pitch Fest. Yeah, you can do it "live" via video, but the price is the same for a written pitch, which is what you get on VPF. OK, you get TWO pages to pitch on Stage 32, vs. one on VPF, but that doesn't seem like it's worth the extra $$ -- if you can't sell the concept in a logline, or a paragraph, you're not going to sell it in an extra page.

    Am I missing something here?

    Who here has pitched there and what kind of results have you had?

    Worth it or not?
    I believe there is someone here who has good luck with live pitches, but as I have a satellite connection to the Internet my Skype connection is intermittent at best so I chose the written pitch.

    They recommend a pitch of one page, not two, though they allow longer ones.

    I won a (medium-sized genre) contest that gave me 10 pitches at Stage 32 presumably to pitch my winning script, though that was not a requirement.

    I took my time and researched ten possible producers and managers and created individual pitches. I took a full six months to do this -- this wasn't a pitch-blast.

    I pitched my winning script 7 times, another script 3 times.

    From these pitches, a script was requested 5 times (50%). I heard absolutely nothing from the other five -- so that means (had I paid), it would have cost $225 for absolutely nothing. Unlike VPF, they aren't required to respond at all, not even with a "not for me".

    Of those 5 requests, only two ever got back to me at all, meaning that three more pitches went the way of no response.

    Of the two that responded, one wrote a note telling me why the material wasn't for her (which was a nice thing to do), the other sent me an email announcing another contest (Spam).

    Some will say that my pitches were no good BUT...

    I bought a ten-pack of pitches at VPF and got 8 requests and out of that, and subsequently two options with the same written pitch.

    However, I am willing to concede that maybe the live pitches work better.
    But, for me, a 90% no-success rate at Stage 32 means I won't pay to do it again until they require the producers/agents/managers to respond even with a "no thanks" the way VPF does.

    I vote NOT WORTH IT, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY though I would say that trying it once if you carefully target your pitch might be worth it just to see if you have any luck.

    All that being said, Joey, who runs it, is probably the nicest most well-intentioned guy in the world.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Stage 32 pitches?

      I'm highly skeptical of Stage32's pitches. I actually suspect that the whole site is primarily an attempt to drive people to buy pitches, although I can't figure out how they get some reputable names to take them.

      Two things I noticed:

      First, one of the guys who runs the pitches responded to the question from a user, in the screenwriting forum, who asked "I've finished my first script, what do I do?" with "buy a pitch!" (or words to that effect.) I was flabbergasted. You can not possibly expect someone who has just finished their first script to be producing a professional product. Even if they had a competent pitch and somebody read it, you'd be burning your ability to work with any serious executive in those circumstances.

      Secondly, they claimed at one point to have helped gotten 800 people hired, repped, or on staff through their pitches. I find this nearly impossible to believe given a) the extremely low level of knowledge displayed by the majority of the posters and b) the relatively small volume the site appears to do c) the number of first timers who get hired in a given year. Seriously - the Nicholl probably doesn't get 200 people rep in a given year. It's just incomprehensible that Stage 32 would have been averaging that number of the past 4-5 years, since it's been around.

      I was spending some time on the site trying to steer users in a positive direction, because, as in a lot of sites dominated by amateurs, there's a ton of bad information being passed around. (Seriously, if Craig Maizin gets on Done Deal sometimes for misinformation, he'd have an aneurysm based on what goes on over there). But I stopped posted because, quite frankly, I don't believe in the integrity of the site and I feel like even posting in their forums is lending them a credibility they don't deserve.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Stage 32 pitches?

        Originally posted by Ronaldinho View Post
        I can't figure out how they get some reputable names to take them.
        .
        They pay them. The take home $ is significant for an hour's work on Skype. That's how they attract all those producers, managers, etc. And no one is checking to see if they even read, much less reply or request, the written pitches.

        Great "work" if you can get it.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Stage 32 pitches?

          I just started doing this and it's been a mixed bag so far, although I have yet to receive any formal feedback. That said, the idea of being able to do live pitches via Skype seems like a worthwhile endeavor, especially if you don't live in LA. I've done three so far and just signed up for a fourth. We'll see how it goes. This is my rundown:

          1) Pitched to an agent at a major firm. He was polite and engaged and asked a lot of questions, but didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about my project. From his demeanor, I could tell that he wasn't bowled over by the concept. Still, we had a nice conversation.

          2) Spoke to an exec at a reputable production company who was really excited about my script idea. The session had a lot of energy to it and he was extremely nice. He later requested the script, which I sent over.

          He did mention that one thing that he liked about my pitch session was that I came across as articulate, normal and polite. He almost seemed surprised about it, which does make you wonder about a lot of the other people pitching.

          3) Pitched another exec at a production company who was really nice, although he was definitely multi-tasking during the entire session. I could hear his mouse clicking and his eyes never once moved to his Skype screen, as best as I could tell. He did ask a lot of relevant questions and managed to seem engaged, though he also wasn't bowled over by the idea. I'm not expecting him to ask to read the script.

          I'm going to try a few more of these just to see how things shake out. So far, it seems worthwhile to me, since you do get face time with an agent or an exec who you might not otherwise have access to on a personal level.

          Also, my script is an urbane comedy in the vein of Whit Stillman, Noah Baumbach and Woody Allen, so it's definitely not for everyone. I get that. What I like about these pitch sessions is that they give me another chance to speak to people who may respond to that sort of material.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Stage 32 pitches?

            /bump

            Is anyone still paying to do these pitches?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Stage 32 pitches?

              VPF only. *If* I entertained viddy pitches, I'd only do roadmap (HALF the price).

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Stage 32 pitches?

                Originally posted by nativeson View Post
                VPF only. *If* I entertained viddy pitches, I'd only do roadmap (HALF the price).
                Never heard of Roadmap, so thanks for bringing them up.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Stage 32 pitches?

                  Originally posted by CColoredClown View Post
                  Never heard of Roadmap, so thanks for bringing them up.
                  I've done both and with roadmap you get a reply and why on your pitch. Done both once and roadmap is the only one I would consider doing again. I think it's $25 per exec and you can send that person 3 pitches of 3 different projects.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Stage 32 pitches?

                    Can you send me the $25 instead? I'll provide the most honest feedback.
                    I will not fall into despair! I will keep myself hearty, till freedom is opportune!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Stage 32 pitches?

                      I have an account on Stage 32. Thankfully I never bought any of their 'educational' seminars or pitch sessions. I carefully examined their products, researched their offering, read their boards and made observations. I concluded it was far better for me to cold query.

                      As this small collection of reviews below prove, my hunch was right.

                      https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.stage32.com One review:

                      I bought some pitches with them. Had three script requests and later found out that 1) The pitch had never been submitted to the exec 2) The script was never sent to the exec. I received a review supposedly written by the exec when in fact it was written by one of the Happy Writers team. I called the exec myself to verify my statement.
                      Coincidentally, an executive had a recent pitch session on Stage 32. Her former position was in a well known company that split not too long ago. I search her new company here and click on their website.
                      Page is non functional - GoDaddy site offering it for sale. For a hot new company with people of prestigious background, I expect different.

                      Vast majority of their seminars come off as useless, or simple things that they should offer for free, as incentive to pay for actual industry-level information. Their blogs are blatant self promotion for script writers who want to promote their site and services.

                      Seems their users are a lot of naive people, as they persist in buying these useless products and from the looks of it, are misled. It is a great place to network but the Happy Writers department should be viewed with caution.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Stage 32 pitches?

                        Originally posted by MAWriter View Post
                        I have an account on Stage 32. Thankfully I never bought any of thesir 'educational' seminars or pitch sessions. I carefully examined their products, researched their offering, read their boards and made observations. I concluded it was far better for me to cold query.
                        The
                        As this small collection of reviews below prove, my hunch was right.

                        https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.stage32.com One review:



                        Coincidentally, an executive had a recent pitch session on Stage 32. Her former position was in a well known company that split not too long ago. I search her new company here and click on their website.
                        Page is non functional - GoDaddy site offering it for sale. For a hot new company with people of prestigious background, I expect different.u






                        Vast majority of their seminars come off as useless, or simple things that they should offer for free, as incentive to pay for actual industry-level information. Their blogs are blatant self promotion for script writers who want to promote their site and services.

                        Seems their users are a lot of naive people, as they persist in buying these useless products and from the looks of it, are misled. It is a great place to network but the Happy Writers department should be viewed with caution.
                        Here that joey?!? :-)
                        I will not fall into despair! I will keep myself hearty, till freedom is opportune!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Stage 32 pitches?

                          I remember registering an account there like two years ago and deleting it on the same day. The scammy vibe of the place was evident with the admins trying to sell you buckets of no-movie-made gurus' seminars on every step. Their newsletters were like Amway missives ("you're just $79 away from breaking in!"

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Stage 32 pitches?

                            Originally posted by goldmund View Post
                            I remember registering an account there like two years ago and deleting it on the same day. The scammy vibe of the place was evident with the admins trying to sell you buckets of no-movie-made gurus' seminars on every step. Their newsletters were like Amway missives ("you're just $79 away from breaking in!"
                            This. I was also a member for like 90 minutes. I had a friend spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on video pitches, convinced a sale was just around the corner. Two years later, nothing.

                            Comment

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