Thread by @KevinTMorales

A #wrac18 lesson in pitching for screenwriters using a labored baseball analogy:
A thread lol

There's a closer named Fernando Rodney who is talented but not perfect and he wears his hat slightly askew:

And it has irked folks in the baseball world for years. Does he disrespect the game? Is he trying to fool batters into seeing his head turned to the plate early, eg a kind of deception? And I've been at games where opposing fans scream at him to "fix" his hat.

The Twins were here in NYC and Yankees commentator Paul O'Neil -- a hard nosed, traditionalist for sure, said that the hat has always bothered him. Michael Kay, the Yankees TV play-by-play commentator told Paul:

Fernando's father was a fisherman who moved the brim of his hat with the movement of the sun, and that's how Fernando honors him on the field. And Paul said, that he loved that story and that he was now okay with the appearance.

Isn't that a nice story? Doesn't that change your perception of his presentation?

"Cool, Kevin, but I don't care about baseball, I care about breaking into Hollywoo."

When you pitch your project, it should move the person hearing your pitch. Because very few stories, plots or characters are something we've never seen. Many are execution dependent. You can't just say, "you gotta read it."

We want a great story that is moving (even if about aliens). ESPECIALLY if it's about aliens. And you as the creator must instill in the room the confidence in your authority to tell the story you've come in with.

A pitch is the opportunity to have people walk into your story with favorable feelings towards you and your effort. A LOT of stuff (dare I say most) is greenlit because of who has brought them the story and why. It moved them.

And that's why getting to pitch, and the pitch are so important. It's not about being a car salesman, or a slick presentation, or enrapturing the room with your vivacity & charisma (sure, those things can help)

Not everything works for every type of movie or every type of writer. You probably hear "be yourself" a lot, which really means "don't be a car salesman". There, I translated it for you.

My pitches start with small talk. Introductions (if a new face) and questions which seek to find things in common ie Kids, sports, etc. Few realize my pitch started 8 minutes before we get to talking about the actual project. The transition is seamless and my listener is primed

It's usually a short presentation ... less than 10 minutes. I've practiced it with colleagues and had other producers listen to get their views on what I'm failing to address. After my tight 10, then we talk about it. The room determines the course of the conversation.

And I can answer every question (because I know my thing inside and out) but I don't have to answer. I may ask questions in return. Them: "who do you see starring in this?" Me: "you go first, let's see if they match."

Often the conversation in the room is the foundation of so many things necessary down the line, getting $$$ or others on board, marketing, press...
And of course I strike out all the time. If someone doesn't want to make a period drama...nothing I'm going to be able to say.

But I am welcome again in any room I've pitched to. I've had 3 separate producers tell me to bring them whatever I'm working on to them first. And soon I'll tell you the story behind the pitch I took out last fall that got me my upcoming series ... but I can't yet ;)

Interestingly I am carrying a new kind of currency with the rooms I've been seeing the past two years. That currency is trust. If I email someone something and I think they should look at it, whether it's mine or not, I am trusted. Because I'm not trying to sell anyone.

Your project is viewed with apathy or even slight hostility until you give the room a reason to be on your side. You still might not sell it, but you will be welcome back which is 10x more important. Don't be Harold Hill, chased out of every town on your way west.

And PROS please weigh in. I am but a toddler in these woods.

This thread brought to you by Pain Medication and loneliness. And the tremendous desire to get back to work. And cause I'm working on this Spring's pitch.