I've had two pitch sessions now for a show that I'm working on, and they've been good experiences. I'm also now not sure what to do next with my pitch. If the feedback I get is something regarding the story itself, or my delivery, those are things I know how to adjust, or at least attempt to adjust. However, the big comment I got on my most recent one was "the market for this genre feels limited" (I'm pitching what I'm calling "space horror . . . for kids!") Part of the recommendation was to make it clearer who potential buyers would be, but that's the part I'm just straight up terrible at. I'm considering looking at one of the classes here on stage32 about putting together a pitch for your show, but I'm really skeptical about anything that says "pay us money and we'll make you successful at art!" (truth be told, even after two positive experiences with pitch sessions, I'm still a little skeptical of those as well)
So my question is this. For those of you who really struggle with the "business" angle of how to pitch your show, is there any resource out there that helped you "get it". If there's something free out there I'd love to know what it is. And, if you've used any of the payed classes or workshops here, did they feel valuable, or did you have a lot of:
Teacher: It's important to figure out who your market is.
You: Yeah, I know. That's why I'm here. How do I do that?
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Im confused by you or Stage 32 services. Are you pitching for practice & education, or are you pitching for jobs/creating a tv show?
As for pitching to create your own tv show, personally I wouldn't pitch to a decision maker until I have a full team backing me.
But that's just me. I dont believe ppl understand how hard it is to create a tv show for a network/streamer. Maybe a few do with 0 experience (Lena Durham) but generally, creatives/writers have to work their way up to number 1 on call sheets.
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Let me address the dialogue at the end of your post.
Your genre is Horror. Now go research the demographics for horror. Have you targeted that demographic in your writing style?
You mentioned kids. Now look at the most popular shows for kids. Does you writing fit that?
Unless you have a huge overlap in the venn diagram you have a very small market.
Out of your two factors (horror/kids) which is your main target. Skew towards that. That will increase market share.
It is so so SO rare for a new market segment to be created. It normally comes when an existing market is collapsing and the new one fills the void. “Hair Metal” had dominated music and was dying out, which made room for grunge.
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I always do it for free...fortunately have some experience behind so I do smell a BS apart some honest words...
...but US is a money striving society...pure capitalism...it smells of it even here, 13.000 miles away...rule is gotta pay to play....or get on a job like Dan said...move bit by bit...quid pro quo when you can and learn by the way...time passes, you won't need any feedbacks anymore...
Side note: you pay for script services and the scrips stays in your hands, it'll always be "your fault"...
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I would agree with the sentiment of the previous answers - it depends what you're trying to get out of it.
Notes aren't inherently bad or good, they are whatever you make them to be.
I've done both - I've worked with people where no money was ever exchanged, which has brought a lot of success, I've worked for hire, and I've paid to pitch. I've had positive experiences from everything.
I would agree with Dan. S32 is a great resource, if you know how to best utilize it.
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Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
This movie has what you are talking about. I would suggest paint a visual through something tangible. Use clips from this. Now the rating might not be the same as what you are going for, just make that’s clear and do more research on similar movies for another topic to discuss. Yet carry on with your normal pitch.
Thanks for the feedback folks. Genuinely helpful.
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Hey Harry - Thanks for the post. Remember that film schools and universities have been saying "pay us money and we'll make you successful at art" for decades. And those education models are dinosaurs. The difference with Stage 32 education is that we are on the cutting edge of the industry because we are bringing in people who are in the business doing it right now - not learning from the person who packaged "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (taking nothing away from that person or the film, of course, but it's not relevant).
If you are looking for free education, I can help you out on that too. Check out this webinar I did on Pitching Mindset. You might also find it helpful: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/Pitching-Tips-from-the-Pros-Your-Bluepr...
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Harry Loeffler-Bell there are so many resources here both paid and free. Use all the resources here in the lounges and posts. I find lots of good info on the blog posts written by industry pros. Lots of information there that's also timely.