Success Stories: MAR'1 REQUESTED by RatPac Entertainamnet

Thanks Aarthi. I can always count on you for inspiration.

Congrats! Great news, good luck.

YAY, Eric! Congratulations! So happy to see you're getting these requests!

Thanks Kathryn.

Thank you Stephen

YAY for you, Emma. I see you also received a request from RatPac. Well done my friend.

Great job, Eric! A coveted request. :-)

Why don't you wait and congratulate him when his pilot is greenlit?

Thank you Phillip.

It's just one of many steps on this journey, James. In an industry filled with rejection, you need celebrate the victories, big and small.

Congrats, Eric.

Congrats but I side with James that I've not heard of anything requested being actually shot. Success stories should show a spreadsheet on that with hard data companies/ pitches made / requests/ buys etc. rather than anecdotes. In theory, writers could pay a one time fee to stage 32 to submit our script, one sheet or pitch and it would be available to any exec to review who could then contact the writer directly for more info. Stage 32 would in effect have a database of material for any exec who is actually searching for material. This however assumes they are genuinely looking. This way we don't have to wonder if we're pitching someone who doesn't really care and has no interest. I've pitched some friendly enthusiastic execs but more than a few who definitely fit that bored description. haha. Pre-selection is similar to inktip.com, the blacklist blcklst.com etc. Ideally there's a way to do this that doesn't seem super sketch and doesn't waste anyones time. Far more friendly and respectful to both parties.

Thanks Barbara.

Congrats, Eric!! Any step forward is a good thing and should be celebrated.

I appreciate your input Michael and you make some valid points but you should take your ideas to Stage 32/ Happy Writers management. While Inktip and Blacklist are good, as I recall, they are more passive in that you post your script in hopes someone will looks at it. While more expensive, Happy Writers is more proactive and gets you in front of people from the industry. I also believe you have less control over who can and can not see your script.

Thanks Jeffrey.

That sounds awesome. Congratulations.

Thanks William.

If my series gets bought or lands me an agent or manager, I'll celebrate until my liver gives out ( ok, maybe not that much). But until then, the reality is it's a numbers game , luck and timing. You have to get your script in front of a person who loves it as much as you do. Through personal be able to get my script in front of one of the biggest producer in Hollywood and several major studios but I still use Happy Writers to pitch to other people. So in my long winded way I'm saying I think all the different services have their place in helping us.

I would take those ideas to RB or Joey but I don't think they'd fly as they cut into the site's bottom line on the program severely. Instead of making that one written or pre-recorded video pitch 10 times to 10 different people at $45 each you'd pay a single submission fee of $45 and it's uploaded and available to every exec to view and read at any time and only those interested in your project would contact you. So you'd save a bundle but that would eat into Stage 32's revenue on the program. $45 instead of $450. In the end though, the execs would still have the opportunity to see or read the pitch only you wouldn't wind up having face time with people who aren't interested.

@Michael if you look at the success stories link you will find plenty of examples of projects going beyond a request... That said, a request is nothing to sneeze at in an industry saturated with working writers and want to be working writers. Eric is right in that the BL and IT are passive and MUCH more of a crap shoot than doing your due diligence and connecting with a decision maker that is looking for the type of project you are writing. A targeted request is worth way more than a passing interest download. It all depends on how proactive in your career you want to be. Personally, I like to meet the person I'm pitching to, especially when I know we have a common interest in the type of projects I have.

An exec who is aware of your logline and concept before hearing a pitch can know right away before you even begin whether they want to hear the rest of it. Sure, you can provide a persuasive sort of spin on the presentation as best you can and that may invite a read but it's unlikely to invite a buy unless it's something they want. I'm all for the writer being pro-active as you say, but currently this is very one sided and there's nothing wrong with an exec meeting you halfway by not engaging in hearing a pitch for a script they know they'd never want to read. So why not let the execs be pro-active and do some "decision making" before you shell out $45 to pitch. Haha. I have a feeling they'd invite far fewer pitches if they knew the loglines ahead of time. But that's my point. Save everyone a lot of wasted time and money. While this would be respectful to both writers and execs, it cuts into the bottom line greatly so it's unlikely to be an adopted practice.

Inktip provides much more than simply the listing service. What I am referring to is very proactive and provides for highly-targeted marketing.