Written By Katrina Medoff -- Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Moonshot InitiativeI’ve been a fly on the wall for over 120 pitch meetings with execs at HBO, Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, Warner Bros., Comedy Central, and many more—and it’s been a master class in pitching.How did I find myself in this unique position?I’m the co-founder of Moonshot Initiative, a nonprofit that works toward gender equity in film and TV. In 2021, we introduced our Moonshot Pilot Accelerator, a program that makes career-changing connections for our talented group of emerging TV writers while aiming to increase representation of women and non-binary people on screen.Once we select our fellows out of hundreds of applications and get their scripts vetted by high-level TV writers, we spend three weeks helping them prepare and polish their pitches. Finally, during Pitch Week, we set up around six to 10 one-on-one meetings for each fellow with studios, production companies, producers, agents, and managers. Our team facilitates these meetings while watching off-camera.Read below for what I learned from sitting in on 120 pitch meetings with the biggest companies in the business.1. Give the Exec Insight Into Who You Are as a PersonThere are many opportunities to bring your personality into the meeting. First, make use of the small talk at the beginning. Most people end up chatting about the weather in LA—but even that’s something you could make more personal. For example, the exec might ask, “Can you believe all the rain we’ve been having?” Instead of responding, “Yeah, it’s crazy,”...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Monday, 15 April, 2024