The Meeting and Pitch

Receiving a request for a meeting from a Hollywood executive is both an exciting and daunting prospect. If you have never had a meeting like this before that it is nerve-wracking, you don’t know what to expect and are naturally fearful of wasting your big chance. Even if you do have experience in such meetings you are bound to have a few butterflies.

For you the purpose of the meeting is to impress the executives and put yourself and your script in a favourable position in the mind of the executive. From the point of view of the executive there are two reasons to call a meeting. One is to hear your ideas and possibly sign you to a developmental deal to write your script or to offer you a deal for a script you have already wrote. The second reason is that the executive already has an idea for a screenplay and is auditioning scriptwriters to take up the assignment.

Typically these meetings are from thirty minutes to an hour long but more or less depending on a number of factors. You will be sat with the executives and the initial phase of the meeting will be getting to know each other, they will try to put you at ease.

Like any social situation you want to be as warm and open as possible without going overboard. Creating a good rapport with an executive could provide you with a lot of work in the future. Be conversational and natural while retaining a sense of professionalism. If you are struggling to think of something to say take a look around the room, there may be an interesting painting or award you can ask about.

In terms of dress you should probably opt for a smart/casual look unless you were instructed otherwise when the meeting was set up. A pair of slacks with an open collared shirt is a safe option. You would also be wise to take a pen and notepad to write down anything of importance.

They will ask for you to pitch a few ideas if they are looking to sign you to a developmental deal. If they wish to assign you an idea of their own they will ask you questions about what you’re currently working on, and what you’ve written in the past. This is your chance to show your creativity and how easy you are to work with.

You should always go to a meeting with a handful of ideas to pitch. There are two types of pitch, the two minute pitch and the long pitch.

The Two Minute Pitch

The two minute pitch starts off with the hook of the story. You have to sum up the storyline of your idea in around 25 words or less. This is the hook, an example would be:

The Godfather: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

After you have drawn in the executives with your hook you will be asked to continue. This is when you can go over the storyline briefly from beginning to end. Focus on two or three characters at most and the action, conflict and emotions they will go through.

Open your pitching session with your very best idea and limit yourself to around 5 pitches, but have a few more ideas in mind in case you’re asked for more.

After you’ve completed your pitch you may be offered a developmental deal to write the screenplay of one of your ideas. They may also just ask to see the screenplay when it is finished and then go from there.

Once this session is complete the executives might begin talking about their own ideas, this is your chance to pick up the ball and run.

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