Anatomy of a Pitch

I was just informed on today’s zoom that I’ll be pitching my action-adventure series in March.  I have mixed feelings.  I’ve often said that in this business, writers can be good at three things: pitching, generating ideas, and actual writing.  A lot of really great writers I know are much better on the page whereas a lot of bad writers I know are really good at selling themselves.  And this is why so many terrible movies and t.v. shows get produced.  Execs buy the sizzle by people who salespeople who can’t deliver the steak.

I’m fine at pitching, but my strength lies in my writing.  That’s why I prefer to go out with an actual finished script and series overview that would logically circumvent the need for a pitch since the proof, as they say, is in the pilot pudding.  But, apparently, people still prefer to be pitched prior to reading.  And so, over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be preparing my pitch.

There is no standard pitch method.  People have their preferences.  In my case, I use a combination of the old Warner Bros format, what has worked for me in the past, and what I hear executives are looking to hear.  Structurally, it breaks down as follows.

The Intro – Hi, I’m Joe.  My credits include approximately 400 hours of produced television, over a hundred as a writer and a showrunner.

The Pilot – This is the meat of the pitch, a broadstroke overview of your first episode that includes all the major beats, twists, turns, and memorable funny parts.

The World and its Characters – Once I”ve finished summarizing the pilot in delightfully entertaining fashion, I talk a little about the world of this prospective series and its characters, their arcs and interactions.

Season 1 – This segues into a discussion about the show, its narrative engine, its episodic and/or serialized structure, the overall arc and the big season finale turn that will propel us into…

Season 2 and beyond – No need to get overly-detailed, but the buyers do want to know that you have enough of a story here for multiple seasons.

Tone and Theme – I’ll touch on both earlier but here I’ll be more explicit.  Executives love to know about a show’s theme.  Audiences don’t really care as, for them, it’s all about the characters.

Why Me and Why Now? – Why am I the one to tell his story?  What makes this show special?  Why is now the time to make this show?

Nuts and Bolts – From creative, I move to what I call the nuts and bolts section, focusing on my philosophy as a producer and how I approach showrunning.  How I realize efficiencies through proper planning.  How, once production starts, I prefer a very hands-on approach to prep, post, and script revisions.

The Rest of the Team – And from there, I hand off to the rest of my team and let them have their say.

Approximate runtime: 30-40 minutes.  I know, I know.  Some will tell you to try to keep it under 20 but, realistically, you’re not going to get it done that quickly.

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