pitched to that company on that date. There is a line for a signature. He feels that this gives
him added protection. Others might feel that this is too negative.
Continue to work on new ideas. Give yourself a year to pitch your old project before
dropping it. Keep up your contacts for the next pitch. E-mail or call about once a month or
so (never more often) to touch base. Take someone to lunch if you wish. Or send out a
regular (or irregular) newsletter letting people know what you’re doing professionally. Proj-
ects get sold most often through long-term relationships.
Other Pitching and Selling Opportunities
A number of other opportunities exist to pitch your project or make a script available to
companies that might be interested. First, let me say that there are a lot of scams out there.
So if you choose to pitch in one of the following ways, do check out these opportunities very
carefully first.
Screenwriting expos often have contests that allow you to pitch your project to a list of
available producers or development executives. There are also organizations that conduct
regular pitching sessions. For a fee you can attend a luncheon or other meeting where deci-
sion makers are available to meet and to hear the short pitches of the attendees.
Then there are companies on the Internet that promise writers help in getting their
scripts read by those who might buy. These companies list scripts for free or for a fee. Some
charge a finder’s fee if the script is sold in addition to the listing charge. These companies
deal mostly with live-action scripts.
It’s possible to make the right contacts in these ways, but it is also possible to waste your
money or risk losing your idea. I would recommend setting up meetings and making a tra-
ditional pitch, if it’s at all feasible.
Student Projects
As a student you may have to pitch your project to a teacher or someone who is going to
help you with financing. Does your project fit the guidelines set for the class? Can you obtain
financing? Do you have plans to repay the loan, if necessary? Are safeguards in place so
that the funds are used wisely and you won’t run out before the project is finished? Is your
project practical to do? Can you do it in the required time? Is the necessary equipment avail-
able when you need to use it? Do you have production plans, and are you able to get the
necessary help? If you want to use this project as a calling card to the industry, is the subject
matter something that industry people will want to watch? Is this the kind of project that
the industry sells? Are you able to do a professional job, or would it be better to do some-
thing less ambitious that will have a more professional look? Is this the type of film that is
likely to win awards in festivals? Would it be popular in contests? Carefully think your
project through! You may want to include the answers to some of these questions in your
pitch.
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