Does anyone have experience going to the Hollywood Pitch Festival? I'm considering going next summer.
Screenwriting : Hollywood Pitch Festival, Worth it? by Garrett Jones
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I've been to the Hollywood Pitch Festival. To give you a better answer, tell me what you hope to accomplish by attending? Are you looking for a rep, a writing assignment, a spec sale or are you showing up to network?
You have to go in with a plan and understand who you are pitching to.
Sham. But I attended HPF 25-years ago.
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Main goal is to get a rep, but I also have a few spec scripts.
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Hi Garrett I'll have a detailed answer for you on Sunday. Right now I'm working on three story outlines . .
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Honestly Garrett getting a rep at a pitch fest isn't in the cards. The big agencies send very junior reps. You might make a connection with one of them and they'll keep you in mind if they can climb the ladder.
Your goal is to get someone to read your script! (And love it!) Then option it . . .
The HPF will send you a list of all the Producers, Agencies, Management Companies, Financiers, Networks and Streamers that are attending.
Go through the list and find those companies that will be interested in your work! If you write horror and have horror stories, then pitching a rep at Cartoon Network is a waste of your time and theirs.
Pitch Management companies because they can rep you and produce your work.
Play it smart and taylor your meetings to companies that want your material.
Don't go in with some "Blockbuster!!! trilogy". Automatic No!
You're a noob. Stick to the basics. Fellini started out making Genre films. Built trust and then look at his career. Same for Martin Scorsese.
Go in with your best work, Be affable and show that you can work with others.
Sit down, introduce yourself, let them know you flew in from China to meet them and then tell them you'll start your pitch in a moment, but you want to get to know the rep. Ask the rep how they got started, do they love working in Hollywood? This takes a minute.
Your pitch.
There's a lot of material out there about pitching . . .
Here's my advice. Watch Robert Altman's The Player (1992). They show some studio pitches. Notice that they really don't work? It's writers trying to find something that sticks, so they can get some work. They'll say, "Well, the movie we have in mind is like Die Hard meets One Flew over The Cuckoo's Nest"
On YouTube
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Looks like some of my response was cut off.
Here's the link to The Player's Studio pitches.
https://youtu.be/06Ht6-Cw0RI?si=bSFDBUKUjYJ8R2jU&t=16
Notice something? They're not focused. The writers have ideas but they haven't worked them into a story. BORING!
Here's the pitch that sells. See the difference?
It was filmed at The Saint James Club (Now The Sunset Tower Hotel).
Twenty words or less!
https://youtu.be/SuVRQBIdUfE?si=zWDsyOkeH5Yre49i&t=46
This is how you want to pitch. Paint a picture, describe a movie with compelling scenes and conflict. Show your character's emotions. Have passion about YOUR story. Be open to suggestions and questions.
Pitch a story like this and it may sell on the spot! (hopefully, maybe, fingers crossed)
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Wow! John...thank you so much for this juicy steak of a response. I really appreciate it. Just watched both clips and, yes, totally see the difference. My next questions about the Hollywood Pitch Festival are: 1) Do you have to book pitch meetings in advance with different companies? 2) Is there a limit? It's a 3-day conference, so I imagine one could line up a whole heck of a lot of meetings in 3 days. I really want to get the bang for my buck, since I'm flying from China, so if I can meet with people from everyone from Cartoon Network to HBO and Netflix, I would do it.