5 Things to Know About Pitching, From Seth Grahame-Smith ’98

Pitching isn’t a read-through—it’s a performance. 

Screenwriter, producer, and author Seth Grahame-Smith ’98 taught an interactive workshop last week on Emerson’s Boston campus on how to pitch like a professional in the entertainment industry.

“You’re asking someone to spend millions—maybe hundreds of millions—on your idea. Perform like it matters,” said Grahame-Smith, who led the workshop as part of Emerson’s Master Class series.

Read: How Emerson ‘Built’ Writer/Producer Seth Grahame-Smith ’98

Grahame-Smith claimed that 80 percent of his success was due to how well he pitched. “I’m an O.K. writer, but I’m an elite pitcher. The margins between who sells and who doesn’t are like 1 percent. That 1 percent is passion and preparation.”

Prepare for the Pitch

Grahame-Smith said that you have to be fully prepared to perform confidently and with passion in front of executives. “Record yourself pitching or pitch it to your friends. The more you practice, the better you get.”

When preparing for the script, understand what the executives are looking for. “Know the room you’re walking into. The way you pitch Netflix is not the way you pitch Warner Bros. Do the research.” Grahame-Smith suggested researching the specific executives that you are pitching. 

Perform the Pitch

Treat the meeting like a stage, not a read-through. That is the biggest mistake he often sees in young people. “Young pitchers tend to read off their scripts.” Interact with the audience, make eye contact, and deliver your tone and dynamic.

Another factor that makes you stand out is your passion. “You have to show it’s your passion; it’s so crucial to you.” And always ask to pitch in person if possible. “[O]n Zoom, there’s no energy and you can’t adjust to the room.”

The Four Must-Haves

Always have plots, characters, a theme, and a tone. He stressed the importance of tone, and the mood being evoked guides how you present it.

Plot: “In movies, the plot becomes more important. You can sell a movie based on a big idea. … If you’re pitching a TV show, you’ve got to know where it goes in season two and season three.” Grahame-Smith suggested that if you keep the season two plot as a surprise, there won’t be a season two.

Character: “You have to know 360 degrees of the character. You have to care about the character. …If there isn’t an extraordinary or interesting character at the heart, where does your story come from?” 

Theme: Elaborate on why this idea that you are selling would be important to the audience.

Tone: Before walking into the room, think about the tone for your movie/TV show. It guides how you pitch it. “If you’re pitching an Adam Sandler comedy versus [Sandler’s drama] Uncut Gems, you’ll use different presence, comps, and language.”

Give Executives What They Want

•   Make your pitch under 20 minutes. “No matter how well you’re doing, the executives’ attention is 20 minutes.”

•   Prepare for the “why” questions. “Executives love the ‘why’: Why does this have to exist? Why does it have to exist now? And why does it have to be you?”

•   “Include produceability… Can this actually be made at their budget?”

•   Make the executives think they will make money from your idea. “Your job isn’t to guarantee profits—it’s to sell the idea. That’s their marketing people’s problem. Make them believe it will make money.”

Pitching Is for Everybody

Writers pitch their ideas to producers; directors pitch to producers; producers pitch to executives. It’s a crucial skill not only in the movie field, but in any field that you are going into. You have to sell yourself to others.