I just received an email from a major prodco that they want to review my pitch for a sp I have uploaded there and paid a small fee to pitch to two other companies. I'm of course eager to submit my pitch to this third company that apparently has some interest. But as far as I can tell I have to pay a fee to submit the pitch to them. That doesn't seem fair. They're asking me for the pitch, I'm not going to them. It should be totally free. I can't help wondering if this is a way for the site to generate revenue: keep baiting the screenwriter with requests to submit their pitch to additional companies for the same fee. Anybody have any firsthand experience with GreenlightMyMovie?
Screenwriting : GreenightMyMovie by Eric Paul Chapman
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It would "seem" they do a lot of the legwork for you for a price... Legwork you could do for yourself. And who knows what that service truly entails? From what others have said, it seems questionable to me? I read somewhere that they charge $300 to post a pitch video that you create. I'm not sure what you get for that money? A promise that the companies you select will review it... Okay? But how do you confirm that these companies actually do indeed review it? 'Cause apparently you only hear back if a company is interested? I dunno... There are many red flags for me, but I don't have any facts or more information. Nor do I have any personal experience with this service. It's not something I would use. I'd say steer clear. :/
Do I understand correctly? A prodCo contacted you and want you to pitch to them but ONLY through GreenlightMyMovie?
Wow, I fell for it. The service says that since the company became aware of my project through their service, that is why I have to pay the fee to submit the pitch. An actress I really like, Greta Gerwig, is promoting this site, so that is really why I took the chance. I wonder if she's fully aware of their highly questionable tactics.
Bear in mind that this very site also charges a fee to submit pitches to industry people on a regular basis. So it's not that aspect that bothers me. Executives are carving out valuable time in their schedule to listen to new story ideas. Of course that is seldom going to be free. In the case of GreenlightMyMovie I just wonder if those companies are really on the other end of the line.
Eric. A big giveaway is when those kinds of companies list a ton of big name companies they can submit to.
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Eric: not singling you out...people complain about pay-to-pitch constantly...but man....we were paying to pitch like 20 years ago. These companies aren't charities or non-profits. Greenlight has a long track record of success, as does Inktip, Fadein, VPF, Happy Writers, etc. etc.
That is the way it is for people who are trying to break into the business. In pre-Internet days, it would take months for aspiring outsiders just to try to contact industry insiders. Now...you can do it with the click of a button - and without leaving your home, you can pitch Hollywood producers, agents and managers. That is as good as it gets.
And robust websites aren't cheap to develop and maintain.
With regards to success/failure rates....crikey....established Hollywood writers have a high failure rate in getting their stories optioned or sold, too. So if anyone says "but (insert website name here) has only x-amount of success stories".....we all know (or should know) that the odds are very, very, very long to option or sell a script for anyone, anywhere - and even for established writers who don't have to pay to pitch.
Good Luck and Happy Writing, Eric!
Bill C - a wise man speakith but due diligence remains a priority. (InkTip been good to me.)
Bill - I'm not complaining about paying to pitch. I'm finding it odd that a company is requesting my pitch and I still have to pay for it. In this case they want something I have but I'm the one paying. It's not fair. Yeah, I get it, life is unfair. But I believe one should only have to pay if they're the ones seeking something. In any event, I got a quick reply - "Thanks, but it's not right for us," so I suppose I should be thankful they didn't leave me hanging for weeks or months.
Eric - to clarify:
1. You first paid $29.95 to pitch a specific company that you chose.
2. Another company requested your pitch, since all other companies on Greenlight can see your title/logline/genre.
3. You find it unfair that you have to pay another $29.95 in order for that company to receive your pitch.
Well....you're obviously entitled to your views on that situation, and how you're going to handle it. And I can also understand how some of the pay-to-pitch instances could be potentially fraught with less-than-honorable intentions.
Good Luck and Happy Writing, Eric!
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Hi Eric, I was actually really excited when I came across Greenlightmymovie. I've pitch to companies through them a few times. I've had one company, SOBINI Films, request my full project for a read. Of course they passed. But recently, I got suspicious of a response I received from one of Greenlightmymovie VIPs. They responded to my pitch the same day I submitted it, which was odd. I decided to look up the VIP and I found out they were not even a Production Company, they are a marketing and script editing company for Authors and Screen writers. They don't even produce any movies. So in short, Greenlightmymovie is setting us up to fail by listing company's that has nothing to do with movie productions. I emailed them that they should remove the company from their list of VIP's and to refund me so that I can submit my pitch to an actual production company, they argued with me, called me unprofessional and refuse to address the situation. I'm heading over to BBB asap
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This reminds me of the time I wanted to get rid of my timeshare.
"We can sell your timeshare if you will give us three thousand dollars in advance."
Trust your gut.
I used them years back and just checked out the site again. I wouldn't use them but best of luck. Please let us forum dwellers know if you get any action.
I just looked at their submission options and they seem to only have ten minute recorded pitches. That's a long time to rattle on if you're not good at verbal pitching. Probably best to just have bullet points, speak about the story a bit and then provide a reason why the production company should make your movie. Perhaps spend the first minute talking about your background.