Volume 5
June 2007

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Writers Store and to help launch www.storylink.com, the Great American PitchFest has partnered with the Writers Store to bring you the Storylink All-Stars - a gathering of the best screenwriting instructors in the busines, all under one roof - and all for FREE. Yes. Free. These free classes are our gift to you in the interest of helping writers to master their craft.

We asked some of the Storylink All-Stars a few questions about the Great American Pitchfest, and what writers can do to ensure their success as a screenwriter.

Why is it important to go to The Great American Pitchfest?
The Great American PitchFest is the best organized PitchFest on the market. Buyers know this and many more reliable ones are willing to take pitches here.

How does a writer succeed if they don't live in LA?
By getting produced or published with reviews where they are. Building a writer’s profile and credentials which give them a platform to approach Hollywood.

Does a writer need representation?
When a writer sells something, a writer needs representation. Until a writer has sold something there is not a lot an agent can help with.

What is a manager?
What is the difference between an agent and a manager? Managers take a larger percentage, will sometimes take on younger, newer writers if they find them promising and will often give notes on material and career guidance. On my website www.SandlerInk.com there is an interview with a prominent manager who answers many questions about what managers do and how to interest one.

How important is it to go to events such as this?
Events like PitchFest are your first doorway to the entertainment major leagues. You also gain immeasuably by meeting peers who are pursuing similar goals.

Do I need a completed script to pitch?
If you are an unproduced writer, yes, you will need a completed script. You will be pitching your script in order to get someone to read it to see if you are a writer they are interested in. An unproduced writer will not be paid to write a script based on an idea pitch no matter how great the idea is.

How do I protect my idea or script from being stolen?
Register your completed script with the Writers Guild - you can do this even if you are not a WGA member. You cannot protect an idea. Ideas are easy, it’s the way you develop that idea; the script that you turn that idea into that counts and that’s what you can protect.

I'm a writer. How do I get a studio deal?
By writing a script and producing on your own, then studios may be interested in working with you.

How do I find a mentor?
Mentors find you when they see promise in your work.

What kind of spec should I write? TV or film?
TV pilots are the script of choice for agents and producers right now. They show you can write orginal material, create characters, write sparkling dialogue and they are shorter to read.

Should a writer write from their heart, or for the market?
A writer who is interested in a career in show business must discover a way to write both from their heart and within the demands of the commercial marketplace. A buyer wants to feel passion and originality in the script but the buyer must also be able to discern that there will be a large enough audience for the subject matter.

What is structure? How important is it?
In film or TV scripts, structure is what you are there to do. If the story structure isn’ t there nothing else will really matter.

What should I 'not do' when pitching?
Do not start at the beginning and tell the whole plot scene by scene.

Meet more of the Storylink All-Stars throughout this newsletter. Visit www.storylink.com for information, advice, and networking with fellow screenwriters.

ELLEN SANDLER received an Emmy nomination for her work as Co-Executive Producer for the CBS hit Everybody Loves Raymond. She has worked as a writer/producer on more than 25 network television comedies, including ABC's long-running series, Coach. In addition to staff work, she has created original pilots for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox Family Channel, Oxygen, The Disney Channel, and the Australian Children's Television Foundation in Melbourne.

Sandler Ink, the consulting company Ellen founded, provides script development and career coaching for professionals and emerging writers in the entertainment industry. She is also a sought-after seminar leader at conferences and universities both in the U.S. and abroad.

Coverage, Ink sat down with us recently calling us "arguably the Rolls Royce of pitch festivals." The following interview originally appeared at Coverage, Ink:

The next Great American Pitchfest rolls into the Universal City Sheraton in Los Angeles the weekend of June 22nd. Over 70 companies are slated to attend. And unlike other pitch fests that limit you to 4 or 5 meetings, with The Great American Pitchfest, the average is 12-20 meetings, sometimes more! If you’ve got material you’ve honed to perfection (you have honed it to perfection, haven’t you?) and are now ready to approach the industry, there is no better, stronger, faster way to meet a whole room full of industry than the Great American Pitchfest.

Coverage Ink has been to many pitch fests over the past decade, but we really like the way these guys run their ship. That is why we approached them to be a cosponsor for our Writers on the Storm contest. Like CI, these guys are writers themselves and really do care about bringing quality and opportunity to the emerging writer. For more about the Pitchfest, including companies list & bios, and to enroll, please visit their website at www.pitchfest.com.

Jim Cirile: Hi, guys. Tell us how this ball got rolling.

Bob Schultz: It was all Signe’s brainchild. She had already done one in Canada.

Signe Olynyk: It was really borne out of frustration. I went to other pitch fests, and I attended as a participant.

JC: So you’re a writer also.

SO: Yeah, I’m a writer and a producer. I've sat on both sides of the table. I've attended as a participant looking for companies to coproduce with, or option my scripts to. And I've also sat on the other side of the table looking for material and writers to work with.

BS: All of us who are involved with putting on the Pitchfest are writers. We pride ourselves on being by writers, for writers , just like Coverage Ink. .

SO: We tell people this isn’t our Pitchfest, it’s everyone’s Pitchfest. We’re writers. We developed an event—well, for ourselves, really. We were trying to find something that helped writers and producers connect in a way that we didn’t feel was being done.

JC: I’m a long-time veteran of a lot of pitch fests, and I’ve made a lot of good long-time industry contacts from them. Some people you sit with are a waste of time, but others, you really can make a connection. What weren’t you seeing from those other pitch fests that you wanted to bring to the Great American and Great Canadian Pitchfests?

SO: Well, let me give you some background on how this thing started. I was at the Screenwriting Expo the first year as a participant. I think the Expo is one of the best events out there for screenwriters, a fantastic event—if you’re a screenwriter, you’ve got to go.

JC: Plug, plug, plug. Go ahead.

SO: (laughs) I have no affiliation with the Expo.

JC: I do. It’s okay.

SO: Anyway, I really admire that whole event, but what I had a problem with was their pitch fest. I attended as a participant, and I stood in line that first year from 5:00 in the morning till 2:00 in the afternoon. You’re dressed up, you’re wearing your heels—well, maybe just me and Bob…

BS: Hey! You promised not to tell!

JC: Hopefully not matching.

SO: I was so frustrated by that experience. Or the 'having to be at your computer at a certain time and date to sign up for the meetings you want'. The idea of a pitchfest is a great idea, but there had to be a better way.

JC: So how is yours different?

SO: The biggest difference is with our event, you don’t get a scheduled time. You don’t have to wait online to book your time. What we do is we have 70 to 100 companies in one room, spread throughout so there is privacy between tables . In the hallway outside, we have 70-100 corresponding lines. So let’s say you want to meet with Disney at table 30, you would get into line 30, and you would also turn to page 30 in your booklet, where you’d read a full profile about that company - their credits, what they’re looking for, the stars they have relationships with . Really specific information.

BS: If you check out our web site (www.pitchfest.com), all the profiles from previous Pitchfests are up there.

SO: What you won’t find online is the contact information. You have to register to get the contact info for the executives.

JC: So how do you prevent somebody from taking 45 minutes once they sit down and grab somebody’s ear?

SO: We do have a general time, which is 5 minutes. But if that executive wants more time with you, all we do is hold the line. The execs can take as long as they want.

BS: We found that our participants, instead of being frustrated because they’re delayed, everyone’s really excited, because it means someone has generated interest, and everyone’s sort of rooting for each other. I've never experienced anything like our event before. It's such a positive, encouraging, energetic environment. Everyone seems to be having a good time, and I think that's partly why it's such a successful event. The Execs feel that way too, and seem to be more receptive to new writers and their material because of that positive atmosphere.

SO: Plus writers are meeting on the lines, saying, “I just met with that company. What are they like? What are they looking for?” So they’re sharing a lot of information . We’ve had a lot of long-term relationships that have developed as a result.

JC: It also means a writer is not necessarily limited to only, say, four meetings.

SO: Most of our participants get 12 to 20. There are some people who meet with every company there. I’m not kidding. They just keep getting in line. And the lines are never very long because for every six people who attend, we invite another company.

BS: At the beginning of the day, we have a lot of people who are rushing, because they are accustomed to rushing (at other pitch fests). So in the beginning it’s rush, rush, rush, and then after lunch and by the end of the day, we have people sitting down and saying, “You know what? I’m done, and there’s still half the day left.” They’re satisfied to the point of exhaustion. And I feel like that’s why we’ve had a lot of success getting return customers and production companies, too, because they get bang for their buck. The 20 pitch number that we throw around is not one of these extremely rare occasion things. It happens quite frequently.

JC: So tell us about some success stories that have come from all of this.

SO: We’ve got about 30 success stories—actually it’s higher than that, and these are just the ones we know of. We really rely on our executives and our participants to tell us. We’ve got over 30 confirmed success stories, and that’s where participants have had their screenplay optioned , or signed with agents or managers, or been hired for writing assignments.

BS: My first option, my first representation, my first internship, my first writing assignment for actual money, all came from the Great American/Great Canadian Pitchfests. I started as a volunteer and participant, then stuck with it because it’s an event I can really believe in.

SO: Most of the volunteers we have become a big part of our team, because they see (the benefits.) Lorene Lacey, same thing—she found an agent out of it.

BS: I’m going to be back in LA next week doing some scene work on a film, and I met them through the Pitchfest.

JC: A lot of times companies will send the lowest guy on the totem pole—the plant guy, for instance—to pitch fests see if there’s anything out there, but these people aren’t really decision makers. I know that frustrates some writers. But on the flip side, eventually those guys will work their way up, and this is a chance to get in on the ground floor.

SO: We get a mix. We get studio execs who attend. Some of our best support has come from one of the execs at Fox.

BS: Also Imagine Entertainment (Ron Howard's Company) has been a fantastic supporter. They even came to Canada for the Great Canadian PitchFest, and they were absolutely wonderful about reading the scripts they requested and getting back to participants. We work really hard to use our connections to find the best companies and the best people who are seriously looking for material to option, and writers to hire. We also get actors and their production companies, so we get someone who’s one person removed from the celebrity.

SO: I work really hard at making sure the people we have are credible. I also produce, so a lot of the companies that attend are contacts I've developed a relationship with . I go to all the markets—NATPE, MIPCOM, Cannes, and I meet these people and work really hard at establishing my relationships with these production companies and agencies. I also read a lot of scripts, so I am in contact with a lot of agents and managers.

BS: We also offer classes on pitching, so we’ve built a reputation with the decision makers so they know that a large percentage of the pitches they’re going to get are (not going to waste their time.) And we treat them like VIPs across the board. It gives us credibility. I feel like we do a really good job of getting decision makers at those tables who can actually make decisions. The people are pitching to someone who can seriously affect their careers.

SO: I think we’re the only pitch fest that does this - we ask the writers who attend to tell us who they want to meet with, and we invite those companies. So if you want the producers of “ Crash,” or "Little Miss Sunshine," for example - we go after them. We can’t promise, but we do our best to get them there.

JC: Thanks putting on a top-flight event. Do you have any parting advice for writers who are going to attend the Pitchfest? Other than being a good writer.

BS: You can never be too prepared. Although you said aside from being a good writer, that’s critical. But just as critical is selling yourself. You need to know your story. I know a lot of people are nervous. They feel like they’re putting on a performance when they’re doing their pitch. But when you only have five minutes, it’s more about having a good conversation and being yourself.

SO: Building a relationship.

BS: Yeah. Writers need to know their story well, be comfortable talking about their story, be able to answer questions and have fun. When you’re facing someone who could change your career forever, it’s hard to just kick back and relax, but all things being equal, if the executive has the opportunity to go with a project where they have a good rapport with the writer, they’re going (to hire that person instead of someone they’re uncomfortable with). So just be yourself and have a good time. If you have five minutes with somebody, and after 15 seconds they pass, that doesn’t mean the relationship has to end. If you have a good rapport, somewhere down the line you could just pick up the phone and call this guy because you’ve established a good relationship earlier.

SO: People like to work with people they like. I’m about supporting writers. I say go to every event you can, even our competitors’, because you never know when you might meet someone who can help your career.

BS: And I say buy as many tickets as possible for our event.

SO: (laughs) I know I’m totally biased, but our event really is the best one out there. We’ve made it that way. I’ve sat on both sides of the table. I know the frustrations I felt when I went to pitch fests as a producer, and you have to fight to get your parking covered or get some coffee or water, or they don’t tell you the right room to go to. It’s communication and organization, and those are things we’re really good at. We really try to make this rewarding for everyone.

You can meet Signe, Bob, and Jim at The Great American Pitchfest on June 23 - 24. Come say hello!

JIM CIRILE is a multi-produced, WGA-member writer/artist/musician and columnist for Creative Screenwriting magazine. He is also the founder of Coverage, Ink, which seeks to provide affordable agency and studio-style coverage to all screenwriters, and the Writers On The Storm Screenplay Competition.

Four Short Weeks To More Powerful Writing With A Writers University Online Course

Mastering the Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters is the best course on writing I've ever taken, even after years of film school. I asked Karl for his opinion about a crossroads I'd reached with a pitch and he presented a solution no one had suggested. Two hours later, I received a call from my agent strongly recommending the same option. Writer's University was ahead of my reps!

- Sean M.

As writers, riveting our readers from beginning to "The End" all depends on our storytelling skills. Fiction or fact, fantasy or biography, no matter how lofty or lowdown, a writer's first requirement is to recognize the importance of learning the essentials of the craft. So whether you are just starting on your first story or are a seasoned professional looking for that extra little boost, Writers University will make the difference in your creative life!

Founded by The Writers Store, this online creative writing school delivers easy, affordable instruction by world-renowned authors and educators of the writing craft, such as famed screenwriting teacher Karl Iglesias, acclaimed literary agent and author Noah Lukeman and former studio executive Kathie Fong Yoneda. Their courses are designed to fit into your schedule. You can log in to your classes from any computer with Internet access, any time, day or night. Writers University courses are presented in a clear, straightforward format and contain all the elements you look for in a live class, including lectures, writing exercises and feedback from your instructor.

Where else can you get all the tools you need to begin writing your blockbuster screenplay in just four weeks? Our Screenwriting Basics course, the result of over 25 years of helping writers succeed, guides you from FADE IN to FADE OUT - for only $49. There's no easier way to learn the fundamentals of writing a page-turning script.

Is novel writing more your speed? Successful writer Tom Sawyer designed Storytelling: How To Write Stories That Will Grab And Hold Your Audience specifically for Writers University. Tom will teach you his practical, take-it-to-the-bank approach that guides you through the fiction writing process and shows you techniques for turning your idea into a workable, gripping tale. And along the way, you will acquire a mindset that'll make you a truly effective storyteller.

If you're ready to expand your writing skills, then you're ready for Writers University.

Next session begins July 9th - so don't delay. Enter promotional code "GAPF" during checkout and save 15%. Offer ends 06/25/07.

Visit www.WritersUniversity.com today.

Call for Volunteers