A Success Story From Last Year's Great American PitchFest

by Lorene Lacey

Hello, PitchFesters! Here is an inspirational tale for us all! Last year, Donna was with us at the Great American PitchFest... this year, she went to watch her film at Cannes instead where "One Child," her first short film co-produced with The Vine Entertainment, premiered at The Cannes Film Festival this year.

"One Child" is a short film based on a full-length screenplay, that presents the story of a young Chinese girl caught in the crossfire of the most despised and controversial population policy in the world.

We recently caught up with Donna for an interview before she headed off to France.

GREAT AMERICAN PITCHFEST: What made you decide to attend The Great American PitchFest last year?

DONNA ROA: The Great American PitchFest is a high-value, high-return venue for writers to present their story ideas. The PitchFest provides access to industry executives. When you go into the pitch room, the clear majority of representatives are principals in the company they represent.

The Great American PitchFest brings in the executives who can make decisions on the spot. That makes a significant difference on a number of fronts. These executives have the framework or experience to process the relevance of your film and to take immediate action.

I had three companies pull out the writer's consent form within the first three minutes of my pitch because they had the power and intention to do it and because they understood my logline and story idea. This creates a very rewarding experience for the writer.

I've been to pitching events where the young staff representing major companies didn't have this framework or experience, and most of them acted as if they really had better things to do on a Sunday than listen to your idea. This is not good for the writer or for the company they represent.

The Great American PitchFest also runs a tight ship during the event. This allows a writer to make the most of the two days. I was able to meet with 24 companies formally and many others informally.

High-value and high-return. Where else can you do this? I am still in contact with five of the companies that I met at The Great American PitchFest and value these and other relationships that I established while I was there.

GAPF: What was the most valuable thing you learned from the PitchFest?

Donna: Four critical things:

1. Be ready to network and pitch your film to anyone, anywhere -- the pitch room, hallways, elevators, bathrooms, poolside, etc. I pitched a movie to a famous actress as we washed our hands in the ladies' room. She's been a mentor and supporter to me ever since.
2. Don't skimp on your marketing materials. They are "leave behinds" that help to tell your story when you are not around. I worked with a company that help me to ensure that my marketing materials conveyed the message that I was already a part of Hollywood, instead of some writer from Rockville, MD who wrote screenplays with no real intentions of getting it made. Good design is good business. If you are serious about your screenplay and believe in its worth, invest in the right graphics and materials to support it.
3. Be very strategic about the companies you choose and don't use all of your time waiting in line for the big companies. I firmly believe that because you have an overall event time limit, it is better to see more of the right companies than to put all of your eggs in one basket for a large one that everybody wants to see. I met with 24 companies using this strategy.
4. Make your logline rock solid. I read (Storylink All-Star) Blake Snyder's critically-acclaimed "Save the Cat" as I was writing "One Child." I followed the steps he recommended and locked in a superb logline. And because the PitchFest offered a 30 minute Private Consultation with Blake, I got a chance to thank him for the advice he proffered in the book and to present my logline to him. He was wowed and asked to see my script on the spot. It doesn't get any better than that.

GAPF: What advice would you give to other newcomers to the world of writing?

Donna: I can boil it down to five words and a question mark.

• Work ethic. Work smart and strategically.
• Attitude. The glass is always more than half full.
• What odds? Expect magical moments to happen.

GAPF: Tell us about what comes next for you in terms of "One Child."

Donna: "One Child", which was co-produced by me and The Vine Entertainment in Santa Monica, CA, has been accepted to the Cannes Film Festival, where it will have its world premiere. I will be going to Cannes this month for a week. I plan to pitch "One Child" (the short film) to acquisition executives from a number of countries, and will pitch "One Child" the full-length screenplay to development executives and other industry attendees at the Festival. This is the year for the full feature to get started. We will make it happen.

The Great American PitchFest gave me great practice for this international high profile gathering. I am finalizing my marketing materials, shining my shoes, practicing my French, and getting packed for this event of a lifetime.

Thank you, Signe for having the foresight and vision to put in place a goldmine for writers. It's a tremendous launching pad for writing careers and for getting connected to so many industry insiders in one weekend. It's an event that has proven to be of tremendous value time and again. I will forever be grateful.

Good luck, Donna! We are proud of Donna and the other success stories from Great American PitchFests past (There are around 60 of you!), and look forward to having more after this year's event.