how to pitch and sell your ideas to...

A H O L LY W O O D P I T C H E R P R O D U C T I O N

How To Pitch &

SELL YOUR IDEAS TO

HOLLYWOOD

C H A P T E R 1

IntroductionAre you a creative person who comes up with new ideas for movies and TV shows? Would you like to be able to sell your ideas and make money from your great ideas?

Would you like to find a Hollywood producer or studio that can help you succeed in this industry? Or do you just want to sell your idea to a producer?

We Can Help You Pitch Your Ideas

Hollywood Pitcher was setup with one goal in mind. That goal was to help people pitch their ideas to Hollywood.

Here at Hollywood Pitcher our aim is to help people connect their great ideas with Hollywood producers and studios. You’ve come up with that great idea and now you just need a chance to be able to pitch your idea to a producer or Hollywood executive.

The good news is, that’s where we come in. You’ve already done the hard part, you’ve thought of a great idea, now you just need to get it out there.

So what are you going to do? Leave your idea in your head and keep it there? Tell your friends and family about it? Write it down?

Well, that’s not a bad start. But did you know that you can actually pitch your idea to a Hollywood producer and sell your idea. That way you can actually see your movie/TV show get made and make a lot of money in the process too. This guide How To Pitch And Sell Your Ideas To Hollywood will show you how to do just this.

Most people fail at selling their ideas to Hollywood for one reason; that is, they never try. They give up and think it’s impossible.

1W W W. H O L LY W O O D P I T C H E R . C O M

http://www.hollywoodpitcher.com/


Well I’m here to tell you that selling your ideas to Hollywood is very possible. In fact, there are actually people who make a full-time living at it (we have a chapter in this guide that is dedicated to success stories).

Most people get lost and terrified when it comes to pitching their ideas. They also make a grave mistake, they don’t know how to put their pitch together and make it appealing.

Unfortunately, many talented people fail at this point. Many people with great ideas are still scraping by trying to make a living because they don’t know how to construct a great pitch. The great news is that this guide will show you how to put together a great pitch in no time at all.

How Important Is A Great Pitch? Answer: it’s crucial!

Why is a great pitch so important? A great pitch is what separates the amateur from the professional; it is the difference between success and failure.

It is the pitch that will ultimately sell your screenplay to a producer or studio. It will open doors that were once sealed, bolted and welded shut. Make no mistake, a great pitch can take a writer from a one-bedroom studio apartment to a nice house in Beverly Hills.

The point of this guide is to steer you through the fog, to make sure you don’t get lost, and to give you the best possible shot at success out there.

We will not only provide you with a framework to create a great pitch, we will provide you with real world examples of successful pitches. Pitches (used with permission) from people who used our service and successfully found sold their ideas; people now collaborating with Hollywood producers and studios.

So without further adieu, let’s dive right in and discover the true power of the pitch.


http://www.hollywoodpitcher.com




C H A P T E R 2

We Have The Connections, You

Have The IdeaYou might be wondering, is this all worth it? Do I really need to write a great pitch? (Yes you do, and don’t worry, it’s not difficult.) Another concern many people understandably have is this . . . okay, so I’ve written my pitch, now what?

Good question? The great news is, you don’t have to worry! We’ve got you covered. Here at Hollywood Pitcher, we provide a wonderful service that will allow you to send your pitch out to over 4050 producers and studios.

Now this is no ordinary list of producers and studios. Let me explain. This list took over 18 months to compile at a cost of approximately $75,000 (this includes labor costs plus technical & research costs).

Our contacts directory is so extensive and complete that it frees you up to do what you do best—that is come up with great ideas and create wonderful stories.

Benefits you can receive:

• Send your pitch to over 4050 Producers and Studios

• Save yourself 18 months research!

• The fastest, easiest way to connect to Hollywood

• Submit to all major producers and studios

• 100% money back — we return every cent if you’re not satisfied!






Now admittedly, the cost of this service isn’t free. As much as we would like to offer our service for free it would be impossible to maintain this database without charging a small fee.

We currently update our contacts directory every three months and this is very research intensive and costly.

A Personalized Service With A Magic Touch

In addition, we offer a highly personalized service to each of our customers. We make sure that your pitch is sent to each producer/Hollywood executive individually. This means that a producer/Hollywood executive will receive your movie/TV idea addressed to them exclusively.

We also send your pitch using your own personal email address. That way, Hollywood executives and producers can respond direct to your inbox.

Here is a breakdown of the services we have designed to make life easy for you. As you can see, our fee is a small price to pay for a real, genuine shot at success.

• Movie database (sends your movie idea to over 4000 producers) – US $39

• Movie & Studio database (sends your movie idea to over 4050 producers and studios) – US $49

• TV Series database (sends your TV idea to over 4000 producers) – US $39

• TV Series & Studio database (sends your TV idea to over 4050 producers and studios) – US $49

The Hollywood Network Right At Your Fingertips

Do you sometimes feel tremendous frustration at the fact that you don’t have any contacts in the film and television industry? Our service aims to eradicate this problem once and for all.

Imagine never having to worry about connections; about who you know; who your friends are; who your family is. For much of the Hollywood era, people who tried
















to break into the industry had to schmooze with producers and celebrities just to get their foot in the door.

If you weren’t on the inside, you were out. It didn’t matter how talented you were, if you weren’t a good networker or didn’t have the right connections, there was no way you were breaking into the industry.

Fortunately, those days have passed. Now, with our service, it is easier than ever to connect with the great gatekeepers of this industry—the Hollywood producer. Get a producer or studio interested in your work and they will open doors that were once shut closed. They will move mountains to ensure you gain exposure and your talent is rewarded.

If you’re looking to sell your script, collaborate with other industry professionals, or secure financing, it is now possible to reach out and connect with Hollywood producers and production companies too.

Consider yourself lucky. You’re living in a time when it has never been easier to open doors that were, for many decades, shut permanently to anyone without connections.

You now have in your hands a guide to create the ultimate calling card: a great Hollywood pitch. Give this part of your career the attention it deserves. Read this guide and let it serve as a blueprint to crafting a great pitch for your idea. And keep this in mind: your pitch doesn’t have to be art and it doesn’t have to be perfect. There is no need to feel stress or worry when it comes time to write your pitch. You’re in safe hands.

Should You Read The Rest Of This Guide?

Even if you don’t plan on writing a pitch anytime soon, we hope you will find this guide both informative and entertaining. There is tons of useful information packed into these pages, not only about writing pitches, but about protecting your ideas as well.

However, if you want to save yourself time and don’t want to worry about writing a pitch yourself, our experienced team of writers can write your pitch for you. Once your pitch has been drafted, it will be reviewed and assessed by a producer








currently working in the film and television industry. Once the producer approves your pitch, we will send it back to you, complete and ready to be sent out.

You can receive this wonderful service for only $49. If you are interested, please send us an email at [email protected] for more information.

If you’re ready to keep reading, here it comes: the great secret to writing a powerful and effective movie/TV pitch.


mailto:[email protected]




C H A P T E R 3

The Aim of the Movie/TV Pitch

Before you start putting together your pitch, it is useful and important to understand the goal of the pitch. That is, what are you trying to achieve by writing a movie/TV pitch in the first place.

Are you trying to make contact with a producer to sell your movie/TV idea? Are you trying to secure financing for a movie/TV project. In each of these cases a good pitch can help you achieve your goals.

Okay, so you’ve got a great idea for a movie or TV show. It’s right there in your head, you just need to get it out there.

So how can you give birth to your idea and see it come alive on the silver screen?

You have a couple of choices you can make. But first, you need to know what you’re selling and who you’re selling to…

Think From A Producers Perspective

It’s very easy to get so caught up in your idea and think about your movie or TV show. But coming up with a great idea is only part of what you need to do…

You need to get inside the head of the people who would be interested in buying your movie idea. And these people are thinking one thing; that is, what’s in it for me.

They want to know that the movie idea you have can make them a lot of money and be turned into a successful movie or TV show.

This is the reality of Hollywood and the mindset of all producers.




Once you understand the commercial potential of your idea, you can start putting your pitch together.

Get Your Idea Down On Paper/Computer

Your idea is right there in your head. Now it’s time to get it down on paper or typed up on your computer, this is the first step to making it real.

Writing your idea down will help your idea take shape and make it more clear and easy to pitch when the time comes.

Once you have your idea written down, it’s time to clean it up and turn it into a pitch.

Making the Pitch

Ahhh, the good old-fashioned movie/TV pitch. For many people, it’s hell.

Nothing is more terrifying for a lot of people than actually pitching your idea to a bunch of strangers, who can instantly reject you and sink your hopes faster than a ship smashing against a cliff. Okay, perhaps that’s a little dramatic, but the feeling is daunting nonetheless.

You might have seen movies like The Player (1992), where the main protagonist, a Hollywood producer, is relentlessly pursued by people trying to pitch their movies to him in-person.

Fortunately, this is no longer the early nineties and the world of pitching has changed.

It used to be the case that if you wanted to pitch a movie or TV show, you had to do it face-to-face or by phone. Now, with the modern wonders of modern technology, you can pitch your movie/TV ideas by email too.

But first you need to make sure that your pitch is in good shape and you actually have an idea that is worth pitching. Hollywood buys up thousands of pitches and ideas a year, they also buy thousands of treatments and scripts too. But to stand out from the crowd and sell your idea, you will need to make your idea stand out.




Is Your Idea Appealing?

Have you ever listened to someone tell you a story and found yourself getting restless? I had a good friend who used to do this all the time.

They would tell me about something interesting that had happened, but they would go into so much detail that I found myself getting bored and impatient.

Don’t make the same mistake with your pitch.

Don’t describe every single plot device, character, scene and line of dialogue. This will have potential buyers falling asleep instead of reaching for a pen to write you a check.

Instead, make your pitch intriguing and full of suspense. You can do this quite simply: by keeping your pitch short and focusing on the main premise of your idea and the main turning points and resolution.

For example, if you had just come up with the idea for Titanic, you wouldn’t describe every single plot point and dramatic turn. You would say something like this…

“After winning a trip on the RMS Titanic during a dockside card game, American Jack Dawson spots the society girl Rose DeWitt Bukater who is on her way to Philadelphia to marry her rich snob fiancé Caledon Hockley. Rose feels helplessly trapped by her situation and makes her way to the aft deck and thinks of suicide until she is rescued by Jack. Cal is therefore obliged to invite Jack to dine at their first-class table where he suffers through the slights of his snobbish hosts. In return, he spirits Rose off to third-class for an evening of dancing, giving her the time of her life. Deciding to forsake her intended future all together, Rose asks Jack, who has made his living making sketches on the streets of Paris, to draw her in the nude wearing the invaluable blue diamond Cal has given her. Cal finds out and has Jack locked away. Soon afterwards, the ship hits an iceberg and Rose must find Jack while both must run from Cal even as the ship sinks deeper into the freezing water.”

This keeps your pitch suspenseful, interesting and the producer will want to know more. Then, once you have a producer’s interest, let them ask to know more and




believe me, they will if they are interested in your idea and believe that it has commercial/high-concept appeal.

(Note: treatments aren’t usually requested in the early pitching stage. A treatment is essentially a full-description of your story, told in an interesting way, over a couple of pages.)

Put Yourself At An Advantage

What do I mean by this?

Everyone in Hollywood loves a great idea, no one more than producers and studios. But a new idea always has an element of risk attached to it.

So how do you make your idea more appealing and less risky?

There is an easy way to do this. That is, you need to either (a) talk about the commercial appeal of your idea—this is why your movie will have lots of people wanting to see it; (b) base your idea on a true story; or (c) base your idea on a high-concept story.

(If you can secure the rights to a story, you can do this by optioning a story for as little as a $1, you will have much greater leverage in the market place to sell your idea.)

It’s also incredibly easy to obtain the rights to a true-life story where you can control the rights 100%. For starters, there are plenty of historical and real-life stories that are in the public domain.

Also, if you know any real-life crazy incidents that happened to you, a friend, or something else that was headline worthy, then it’s quite easy to obtain the rights to a story for as little as a $1 and a small percentage later on when you sell the idea.

The most important thing to remember here is this: if the idea is based on a true story then it’s important to own the rights to the idea—because the rights make up a large component of the sale.




High Concept Stories

I’d like to take a moment here to talk about high concept stories. These are stories that are very simple and easy to pitch. For example, Aliens was pitched as “Jaws in space” and the movie “Snakes on a Plane” was pitched as just that… “Snakes on a Plane”.

A high-concept idea is one that you can pitch very easily and a producer or studio will get it straight away. Forget trying to pitch a character driven drama like “Schindler’s List” in a high-concept way.

The reason I mention high-concept ideas here is because high-concept story ideas are a good way to go if you want to have a good shot at selling your movie idea (this is because they appeal to a producer’s commercial instincts).

How Much Can You Sell Your Idea For?

Realistically, it’s possible to sell your idea for anywhere from a couple of thousand dollars to $500,000 or more. If you are able to sell one story idea each year, then you can expect to make a nice income. But doing this requires organization and putting together a good pitch.

It’s important to know this. There are, as you read this, people out there right now who are less talented than you working as professionals in Hollywood. All because they did one thing differently to almost 99% of all other people out there: they knew how to write an effective movie/TV pitch.




C H A P T E R 4

Writing Your PitchIf you want to pitch a movie or TV show, then there are three crucial elements to making your pitch stand out.

1. Conflict

The first element is that your story must have conflict. Conflict is that special ingredient that drives your story forward and keeps the audience glued to the screen.

Conflict is the bad guy you can’t forget, the tornado that destroys everything, the shark that eats people, the difficult mission that needs to be accomplished, and the demons that stop us from achieving our full potential… there are literally thousands of different types of conflict out there.

But the main point is this: conflict has to exist within a story; otherwise there is nothing to drive the story forward and to keep the hero moving forward.

Imagine one of your favorite movies or TV shows without conflict. Imagine how dull and lifeless and uninteresting it would be.

So when you’re putting your pitch together, don’t forget to include the crucial element of conflict that will drive your story forward and make your pitch that much easier to sell to a producer.

2. Plot

You’d be amazed at how many people have a great idea but don’t have a plot for their story.

Plot is the narrative structure that takes us from the beginning to the middle to the end of the story.




When you’re pitching a story you need to briefly explain how your story starts, how it progresses, and how it ends.

When you’re pitching, you don’t need to go into a huge amount of detail, but you do need to explain the narrative arc and structure of your story.

3. Character & Emotion

Character and emotion are what makes a story come alive.

The greatest movies and TV shows are all centered around great characters that stir emotions and empathy within us.

If you compare the two movies: Jurassic Park (the original) and Jaws, the essential premise is the same for both movies—man being hunted by beast.

These two movies, however, couldn’t be more different. Jurassic Park is an empty, hollow movie that falls flat because it lacks characters that we can’t relate to or empathize with.

Jaws, on the other hand, is full of interesting characters and the focus isn’t on the shark, it’s on the three men on the fishing boat. We can empathize with their fear and their emotions. This is what raises Jaws up above Jurassic Park.

Note: character is really like the icing on the cake. It’s important but it doesn’t necessarily make the difference between selling your pitch successfully to a producer or not selling it.

If you pitched the ideas for Jaws or Jurassic Park based on plot and conflict alone, you would pretty much be guaranteed a successful response and sale from your pitch—that’s because these movies are so high-concept a good producer would see their value immediately.

The Best Pitches Have A Hook

An important thing to remember is that the best pitches have a hook (this is what separates a high-concept idea from a low-concept idea).




When we talk about high-concept ideas, these are movie or TV ideas that you can pitch in one or two sentences (e.g., Aliens: Jaws in space, Seven: a serial killer kills based on the seven deadly sins, Liar Liar: what happens if you can’t lie anymore?).

Low-concept ideas on the other hand are usually ideas that focus on a character (e.g., Ghandi, The English Patient or other biographical-style movies or character pieces).

This is not to say that a low-concept idea can’t be extremely popular (think The Sopranos or Mad Men)—it’s just a lot harder to pitch and sell a low-concept idea to a producer or studio than a high-concept idea.

If you can easily describe your idea in one or two sentences, then you’ve got a high-concept idea on your hands. And remember this: a short, easy to remember idea will generate a much more powerful and exciting response from a producer.

Pitching a low-concept idea is incredibly difficult. Even if they make awesome movies and garner lots of awards and critical acclaim, a low-concept movie is a tough pitch and a difficult sell.

Speaking as a former producer I would highly recommend that you leave the low-concept ideas on the shelf until after you’ve established yourself and sold one or two successful high-concept ideas first.

Pitching a low-concept idea is a lot easier once you’ve got a couple of credits to your name or are basing your pitch off a piece of work that already exists (e.g., a book, comic or true life story).

In all my years working as a producer in Hollywood, the best pitches I’ve seen have used the following structure:

1. Logline (your concept boiled down to one or two sentences).

2. Synopsis (a more detailed outline of your story).

3. Author’s Bio

It’s that simple.

Here’s an example from the classic movie Terminator:




Dear Producer, I would like to submit the following movie idea for your consideration.

Title: Terminator

Logline: A human-looking indestructible cyborg is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at all costs.

Synopsis: In the future, Skynet, a computer system fights a losing war against the humans who built it and who it nearly exterminated. Just before being destroyed, Skynet sends a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah, the mother to be of John Connor, the Leader of the human resistance. The terminator can pass for human, is nearly indestructible, and has only one mission, killing Sarah Connor. One soldier is sent back to protect her from the killing machine. He must find Sarah before the Terminator can carry out it's mission.

I graduated from Fullerton College in 1974 with a degree in Physics and English. I have written two other screenplays: Xenogenesis (now a short film) and Piranha 2: The Spawning (which I wrote and directed).

If you are interested in this idea, please let me know and we can discuss this in more detail.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

James Cameron (phone and address withheld)




Create An Enticing Logline

The purpose of the logline is to whet your reader’s appetite. To hook their interest and get them interested in your story. Your logline should pose some interesting questions or dramatic statements.

If you are unsure how to construct your logline, I would recommend that you check out www.imdb.com and search for movies that are similar to yours. IMDB is a great resource that includes thousands of loglines to movies that have already been produced.

4. Write A Very Brief Synopsis Of Your Story

It is at this point that you want to make sure that you don’t start writing too much. Limit your synopsis to one paragraph or two. Keep things simple. Try to focus on introducing your main character or characters and explain what they’re trying to achieve or what obstacles they face.

Finish your story synopsis by highlighting the stakes at hand. A good tip is to try to raise some more dramatic questions or statements that will stir the emotions of your reader.

5. Author Bio

This part is easy. All you have to do here is give a brief description of who you are. Your education (if relevant), any experience (if relevant), and any awards or recognition you might have received. I can hear all those heartbeats out there rising already. I have had dozens of people ask me questions about this topic over the years, so I’m going to list these concerns here and respond to them.

“I don’t have any industry experience at all, is this a problem?”

“I didn’t even graduate high-school, who’s going to take me seriously?”

“I’ve got no qualifications, no experience, no credentials, nothing.”

Let me address these concerns and put these fears to rest once and for all. In Hollywood two rules apply: no one knows anything and no one cares where your from. All anyone cares about is this—can you deliver.


http://www.imdb.com

http://www.imdb.com



You could be a Harvard graduate with an MFA from UCLA, but if you can’t write a decent pitch and come up with great ideas no one is going to give you a shot in this industry.

On the other hand, you could be from planet Zoomba, smell like an ogre, have dropped out of high-school at the age of six and live in your parents’ basement. But if you can write a great pitch and have great ideas, then Hollywood will welcome you with open arms.

Quentin Tarantino is an excellent example of this. Tarantino who has over the last two decades had more influence on Hollywood directors and screenwriters than just about any other person, dropped out of high-school at age 15. He worked in a video store throughout his twenties and when asked whether or not he regretted not going to film school, Tarantino responded, “I didn’t go to film school, I went to films.”

The point is you don’t have to be credentialed to make it in this industry, you just have to be talented. I know that some of you without qualifications and credentials will be tempted to state this absence in your author bio.

Warning: Leave The Unimportant Stuff Out

I’ve seen this on numerous occasions and it always makes me cringe.

“. . . I don’t have any qualifications, I didn’t even finish high-school. But I love movies and it’s my dream to work in the movies.” I applaud your honesty, but why draw attention to this? As a general rule, omit the unnecessary and focus on what you have achieved. Here’s another sentence that I see often in various forms and guises.

“I work as a lawyer/accountant and in my spare time I love to write. . .”

Okay, you work as a lawyer/accountant, you have no relevant experience. But instead of just leaving it at this. Why not re-phrase your author bio to go something like this:




. . . I have used my experience working as a lawyer to create an exciting, courtroom drama based on my extensive legal expertise and exposure to criminal proceedings.”

You don’t need to be deceptive and mislead people in your bio, but there is much to be gained by making your pitch stand out in the most exciting way possible.

It might be the case that you feel like you don’t have any relevant experience or credentials. And in reality it doesn’t matter. But when a producer first receives your pitch, they are operating on limited knowledge and information. They don’t know anything about you or who you are. You need to sell yourself a little here. Most importantly, make the producer or Hollywood executive feel like you might have something special to offer, that your idea might be worth considering.

The very fact that you’re reading this guide and have got this far indicates that you have talent and drive within you. It’s now time to be brave and let the world appreciate the full extent of your talents.

The Follow Up

Now you’ve pitched your idea to a producer and they’re interested. What next?

You will most likely have to send a longer synopsis/treatment to describe your idea in more detail.

There is also the possibility that a producer or studio will want to buy your idea right off the bat. In that case, you’ll need to seek the services of an entertainment lawyer or an agent to help you negotiate the sale (you only need to think about this, however, once a producer shows interest in purchasing your idea, until then, start writing your ideas down).

Remember, that next great idea a producer wants to buy could be yours…




C H A P T E R 5

Successful Movie/TV Pitches

There’s a lot of talk about pitching movies and TV shows in Hollywood, but we never really hear about all the success stories behind-the-scenes.

Sure, thousands of people in Hollywood pitch their ideas and they don’t go anywhere, but there are also thousands of other people who pitch ideas and sell them for a lot of money (or, better yet, see their ideas turned into movies or TV show).

Having worked as a producer in Hollywood for many years, I have had the privilege to see people successfully pitch their movie ideas and TV ideas both in a room and by email.

So in this chapter I thought I’d list some of the pitches that have been successful. Now, I can’t list every pitch I’ve seen, that would be impossible because I’ve seen and been involved with too many successful pitches.

Therefore, I’ve decided to list some of the more interesting pitches that I’ve seen and unexpected success stories too.

Successful Movie And TV Pitches

Hollywood doesn’t care about where you come from…

I remember a single mom once sent me an email with a very simple pitch for a movie:

The story was about a single mom who setup her own business baking cookies. Then, somehow, her child adds a secret ingredient to the mix and the cookies take on a magic power. Everyone who eats the cookies becomes super happy and their




wishes and dreams start to come true. The only problem is that the cookies are in limited supply and the woman doesn’t know what the secret ingredient is.

The woman was able to sell this pitch for close to $80,000. It just goes to show that Hollywood doesn’t care where you come from or who you are or what you’re doing.

Hollywood loves a true story…

Another time I was contacted by a man who wanted to pitch his life story. He sent the pitch in as a treatment to our office.

They say everyone’s life could make an interesting movie, and this guy was no exception. His story stood out, however, because he was lucky to escape a real-life serial killer. It was a chilling story and one that we couldn’t resist optioning the rights to.

Hollywood doesn’t care about your past…

I remember one interesting pitch from a man who had spent twenty years of his life as a pastor. His pitch, however, was not what I was expecting at all…

His pitch for a movie was about a man who is a hopeless loser and who can’t get a date to save his life. Then, one day, this hapless hero is struck by lightning. From that moment on, every time he touches a woman an electric charge would jump from his body and make the woman instantly attracted to him. Overnight, this man went from no woman and no job to a man who could get any woman in the world. But just as having no dates is a problem, having too many dates can be an even bigger problem.

This pitch sold for $120,000 and was a great idea for a comedy. Everyone who heard this pitch loved it.

In Hollywood you can make it out of nowhere…

One interesting pitch that I heard came from a homeless man who had been trying to make it in Hollywood as an actor. This guy had come to Hollywood with nothing, no job, no friends, no family and no support and had spent time sleeping on the streets. This guy didn’t have anything, except for a great idea.




His story was about a rich man who is critically injured when someone shoots him. This man wakes up in a coma and is later given a very strange offer. A man comes to him in his hospital room and says that there is a new technology that can give him his life back. They can remove his brain and his spine and transplant it into another healthy body. The man agrees to the operation and then goes about trying to find out who the person was that shot him.

I liked the premise behind this pitch. It was a really great, original idea. But what I’ll always remember even more was this—this homeless guy came to us with a pitch for a movie when he was absolutely broke (no money and no job), and he walked away with $135,000 for this movie idea. It was really inspiring to witness this first-hand.

Hollywood doesn’t care about your age either…

I remember when I started out working in Hollywood. My colleague received an email from a retired gentleman who had a simple idea—it was the story of a man who could go back in time and give his younger self advice. This simple idea earned this retired gentleman over $100,000. It just goes to show that Hollywood doesn’t care how old you are or who you are, as long as you have a great idea, that’s all that Hollywood really cares about.

Another time I remember I got an email from this Kid in New York. And when I say kid I mean kid. But I didn’t know it at the time.

I received an email pitching a TV show idea. The idea was about a boy who found a hole under his floorboards in his bedroom. When the boy went into the hole in the floorboards he found himself transported to the desert in Mexico. The rest of the idea was about the boy making money bringing Mexican immigrants into the country, which escalated into a full-blown military stand off as the FBI, CIA and Washington eventually learned about this strange portal in the boy’s apartment.

It’s a strange idea, but it sold like hot cakes. The kid who pitched this idea was only 16 at the time and I remember having to negotiate the sales contract with the kid’s mom and an entertainment lawyer.




Your Idea Could Be Worth A Lot

The movie and TV pitches in this post were all pretty good, but this isn’t the main reason that I mentioned them.

The reason that I mentioned these pitches was because the people who pitched them had interesting and unique backgrounds. I’ve literally seen thousands of successful pitches, but it’s always inspiring to look at those people that are a little outside the box and find success out of nowhere. I hope these stories help to inspire you too!




C H A P T E R 6

Protecting Your Idea & Your

WorkLet’s say you’ve got a great idea for a movie or TV show, but you’re scared that someone will steal your idea. This article will help you to understand how you can protect your ideas and stop them from being stolen.

It’s important to understand that a good idea can be worth millions of dollars. That’s why copyrighting and protecting your ideas are important—but nowhere near as difficult as you might imagine.

In fact, protecting your ideas has never been easier.

But first, let’s talk a little bit about ideas in Hollywood.

Ideas are gold. Yet, at the same time, an idea is just a seed that is yet to bear fruit.

A lot of people worry that their ideas will be stolen when they pitch a movie or TV show, but the truth is—stealing ideas is very rare in Hollywood.

Legit professionals in Hollywood will do whatever it takes to avoid stealing ideas at all costs. This is for a couple of simple reasons:

1) Stealing an idea is expensive. It will most likely cost the person who steals the idea their career as well as a lawsuit.

2) Stealing an idea and getting away with it is almost impossible nowadays.




It’s Easy To Protect Your Ideas

Did you know that the Hollywood movies The Terminator (1984) and The Island (2005) were both made from stolen ideas. And what happened when the people who came up with the original ideas found out?

They sued the studios and filmmakers who made the movies and received millions of dollars in compensation.

Now I want to be clear about one thing here. It’s very simple and easy to copyright a specific expression of your idea (for example, a novel, screenplay, TV pilot, play, etc.)

It is a little bit more difficult to protect an idea that is just a concept, logline, theme or title for a movie/TV show.

As an example, let’s imagine the following scenario:

You have just come up with the idea for a science fiction movie where aliens invade earth. Now this would be considered a core concept. You don’t own this idea. There are already lots of movies about aliens invading earth (Mars Attacks, Independence Day, Men In Black etc.)

However, if you had an outline of your story that was very similar to Mars Attacks or Independence Day, then you would definitely have a case that someone stole your idea.

Protecting Your Movie/TV Idea

The good news is that it’s now easier than ever to protect your ideas, especially in the digital age.

I remember speaking to a lot of creative people in Hollywood and they would always say, I really want to tell you about my idea, but I don’t want anyone to steal it. Please sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) first.

Please don’t do this.

This is an amateur move and it’s really not necessary, unless a producer requests it first. The only things you have to do are the following:




1) Protect your idea by making a copy of everything on your computer. Everything on your computer is recorded and time/date-stamped. This means that if anything happens, it’s very easy to submit the files on your computer and these will stand up in a court of law in any legal dispute.

2) Register your idea, treatment or screenplay with the WGA or the US Copyright Office.

Get Your Idea Out There

The worst thing a person can do is to keep their ideas inside their head and not share it with the rest of the world. If you have a great idea then you need to get it out there.

Holding onto your best ideas is like stuffing millions of dollars into your mattress and never spending it—it loses all its value. The same is true for great ideas. They’re no use just sitting inside your head—you need to get them out there.

The best way to do that is to protect your ideas first, write them down, then pitch your ideas to producers and studios to try to turn your idea into reality.

I always remember one man in his mid-fifties who pitched an idea to myself and my colleague a couple of years back. This guy had been holding onto his idea since his early twenties!

His idea was a comedy about a man who keeps making these terrible mistakes, the movie also shows his distant relatives making the same mistakes during the American Revolution and the caveman days. The movie ends when the man breaks the cycle in the twenty-first century where he finally finds happiness.

The amazing thing is that this man had held onto this idea for thirty years. I asked him why he suddenly decided to pitch this idea to us and he said this, which I’ll never forget: “I’ve had this idea swimming around my head all these years, I finally realized that if I didn’t do something with it, I would take it with me to my grave.”

In the end, this guy ended up selling his pitch to another producer for well over six figures.




If you have the chance to get your idea out there, don’t worry about it being stolen. Protect yourself using the simple steps outlined above, then pitch your idea to everyone who can turn it into a movie or TV show (Hollywood Pitcher also offers a simple way for you to pitch ideas to over 4050 producers and studios).

You never know where your next big break might come from, so stay creative and start turning your ideas into reality.






C H A P T E R 7

ConclusionNow is the time to be brave and put your work out into the world. After reading this guide it is my hope that you will understand what it takes to write a great pitch and sell your idea to Hollywood.

You no longer need to feel directionless about making contacts and progressing your career. Successfully pitching an idea and selling your stories is nowhere near as difficult as you might imagine (as you’ve seen from the examples in this guide).

If you can write a great pitch then you will literally separate yourself from 99% of all other people out there. You will have a supreme advantage in that you are now able to get your ideas and stories out into the world.

There really is no better way to launch your career and find success in the film and television industry than to learn how to pitch your ideas to producers and Hollywood executives.

You now have all the information you need to pitch your ideas to Hollywood, all you have to do now is be brave enough to share your ideas with the rest of the world.




C H A P T E R 8

Frequently Asked Questions

The following FAQ is designed to help you answer any questions you might have about writing a pitch or using the Hollywood Pitcher service. If you are unable to find the answer to a question you have here, please don’t hesitate to send us an email at [email protected]

How do I write a pitch/logline?

In all my years working in Hollywood, the best pitches I’ve seen have used the following structure:

1. Logline (a logline is a short, powerful pitch for your idea summed up in a short paragraph).

2. Synopsis (a more detailed outline of your story).

3. A short bio of who you are (list any experience that you think is necessary, include and any awards/accomplishments you’ve achieved).

Alternatively, for $49 we can write your pitch for you.

Can you write my pitch for me?

We would be happy to write your pitch for you. But before we can proceed, we just need to get the following information from you:

1) Title of your movie/TV show idea.

2) Genre (i.e., drama, comedy, thriller, romance, horror, etc.)






3) What your story is about (i.e., a brief synopsis)

4) Some information about yourself (please mention, where possible, any notable achievements, writing experience, or interesting things you have done).

Once we have received this information, we can begin work on your pitch for you.

<< finally, you will need to send us a payment of US $49.00. Please contact us for more information >>

If you have any questions or need any further assistance, please let us know and we will be more than happy to help.

Is it okay to send a screenplay with my pitch?

If you’ve written a screenplay, then we recommend using another excellent service to contact agents and producers and production companies. This service is called Talent Mailer and they have an excellent reputation in the industry for taking care of screenwriters and connecting them with Hollywood.

How long do I have to wait to hear back from studios, producers and production companies?

This varies. You will receive the majority of responses in the first 2 to 3 weeks. However, it is quite common for people to hear back from producers and production companies six months after sending out their pitch.

Do I need to copyright my idea?

With Hollywood Pitcher, you don’t have to worry. As soon as you use our service, your idea is automatically copyrighted and time-stamped. This automatically protects your idea and ensures that you are registered as the legal copyright holder of the idea.

We will also send you a confirmation email to let you know that your idea has been registered with us and you are the legal owner of the idea (to find out more information about protecting your idea, please read the following information).


http://www.talentmailer.com

http://www.talentmailer.com



How do I know that my pitch has been sent out?

You will receive a confirmation email to let you know that your order has been processed. Also, you will start receiving emails in your inbox from Hollywood executives and producers within a short time after your pitch has been sent out.

Can I see the full Hollywood Pitcher email list?

Yes, absolutely. To see our full list of producers, production companies and studios that we send your pitch to, please check our database page.

How long has Hollywood Pitcher been in business?

We have been established since 2015.

If I use your service am I guaranteed to be successful?

Nothing is guaranteed in this life, especially in this industry. But what is guaranteed is that if you write a great pitch we can give you the best shot at success out there.

However, it must be noted that our service only puts you in touch with Hollywood executives, producers and production companies. The ultimate decision for whether you are successful or not lies with the studios/producers. At any one time, studios and producers may or may not be accepting new idea. This varies month to month and according to market demand.

Do you send my pitch to studios and producers directly?

Where possible we send your pitch to studios and producers directly. However, in some cases (where staff leave before we have a chance to update our database or we can’t get a direct contact) your pitch will be directed to the main submissions email address of the studio/production company.

What if I receive a response that a company is no longer accepting unsolicited material?

This might happen occasionally. We try our best to vet these responses out, but production companies and studios can change their policies on a monthly basis




(depending upon how busy they are or if they are actively looking for clients that month).

I am having trouble submitting my order

This can happen when your email addresses contains a (_) or (.) symbol. This is not an issue with our website, but because some payment providers refuse to allow these email addresses as they can be exploited by hackers.

If this happens, you can either use a different email address or, alternatively, please let us know and we will arrange another easy payment method for you.

Do you offer a 100% money back guarantee?

If for whatever reason you are not satisfied with our service, we will return every cent of your money, no questions asked.

How do I make payment?

We accept payment by PayPal or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express & Discover).




How To Pitch & Sell Your Ideas To HollywoodA HOLLYWOOD PITCHER PRODUCTION

Copyright © Hollywood Pitcher Productions

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