The document provides advice on how to successfully pitch ideas and projects in Hollywood meetings. It discusses the importance of proper preparation, understanding meeting dynamics, and making a strong impression. Key tips include crafting a clear "big idea", managing anxiety, following up appropriately, and evaluating your performance to improve future meetings. Mastering the art of pitching in meetings is presented as an essential career skill for writers, producers and other creative professionals.
The document provides advice on how to successfully pitch ideas and projects in Hollywood meetings. It discusses the importance of proper preparation, understanding meeting dynamics, and making a strong impression. Key tips include crafting a clear "big idea", managing anxiety, following up appropriately, and evaluating your performance to improve future meetings. Mastering the art of pitching in meetings is presented as an essential career skill for writers, producers and other creative professionals.
The document provides advice on how to successfully pitch ideas and projects in Hollywood meetings. It discusses the importance of proper preparation, understanding meeting dynamics, and making a strong impression. Key tips include crafting a clear "big idea", managing anxiety, following up appropriately, and evaluating your performance to improve future meetings. Mastering the art of pitching in meetings is presented as an essential career skill for writers, producers and other creative professionals.
GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 1
What People Are Saying
Stephanie Palmer helps writers to be good in a room and she is the best there is. Success stories abound with this fun and enthusiastic method to pitch and win. -Blake Snyder, author of the bestselling book, Save The Cat! There really is a craft to oral storytelling (pitching), and Stephanie shares invaluable advice for mastering this essential component of show business survival. -Tom Benedek, screenwriter of Cocoon, Free Willy Stephanie Palmer has helped me get ready for meetings I aced, not only selling book ideas to publishers and TV ideas to networks, but Broadway musicals to producers. -Iris Rainer Dart, bestselling author of Beaches, The People In The Picture Stephanies insights and guidance are the most powerful and valuable pitching tools a lmmaker can have. -Jonathan Wolf, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the American Film Market, Independent Film & Television Alliance "Applying Stephanie's techniques helped me acquire a Hollywood literary agent." -Brian Egeston, Head Writer, Tyler Perry's House of Payne Stephanie Palmer is extraordinarily good at conveying the concepts she teaches. I would recommend Stephanie without reservation to anyone interested in learning how to pitch their idea or project. -Julie Gray, Just Efng Entertain Me This eBook helped me with organizing my ideas, culling the good ideas from the dross, revealed my writing tastes and patterns, and helped me hone in on a direction. I feel I have a MUCH better sense of what producers want from screenwriters. -Stacy Chambers, screenwriter You want your cell phone to ring as you're driving home from the meeting and you want to hear your agent gush, "They LOVED the pitch and are putting together an offer!" That's why you should read this eBook. Stephanie has shown me how to do the crucial prep work to make the most of every opportunity. Even if you consider yourself a masterful storyteller, Stephanie can make you even better. -Scott Hartford, television producer GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 2 Table Of Contents About The Author 4 Disclaimer 5 Welcome! 6 Describing The Elephant 7 The Big Idea 10 Three Key Denitions 11 Square One 13 The Five Stages Of The Meeting 17 The Four Types Of Meetings 23 The Most Common Pitching Mistake 27 How To Manage Anxiety 31 The Difference Between YES and NO 36 How To Follow Up 40 Three Meeting Checklists 45 Checklist #1: Preparation 46 Checklist #2: Coordination With A Partner 49 Checklist #3: Record And Evaluate 50 Master Checklist 52 Final Thoughts 53 GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 3 About The Author Stephanie was the Director of Creative Affairs for MGM where she heard over 3000 pitches and supervised the acquisition, development, and production of feature lms. Some of her projects included 21, Legally Blonde, Be Cool, The Brothers Grimm, Agent Cody Banks, Agent Cody Banks 2, A Guy Thing, and Good Boy. Prior to MGM, she worked at Jerry Bruckheimer Films on Armageddon, Con Air, and Enemy of the State. She is the author of the book, Good in a Room: How To Sell Yourself And Your Ideas And Win Over Any Audience (Random House, 2008). She has been featured by The Today Show, Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio and in Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Moviemaker, and Script magazines. Stephanie has given presentations and led workshops for organizations including William Morris Endeavor, Warner Brothers, Google, UCLA, USC, Asia Media Festival, The Screenwriting Expo, Austin Film Festival, and The Great American PitchFest. She is the moderator for the American Film Markets annual Pitch Conference. Connect with Stephanie on Facebook and Twitter. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 4 Disclaimer The information contained in this eBook is for educational purposes only. I am doing my best to provide you with the most accurate information and to link to the most trustworthy sources. However, I am not liable for any losses you may incur. You use the information I provide or the information I link to at your own risk. I do not receive money to positively review any products, services, or websites. I do include afliate links to products, services, and websites which I believe are the best and most helpful. By reading this eBook, you agree that you alone are responsible for your business decisions as they relate to the content of this eBook. I do not guarantee that using the material in this eBook will make you successful. No part of this eBook may be reproduced, copied, sold in whole or part in any form, without my prior written consent. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved.
GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 5 Welcome! What is a Hollywood meeting? Its when you are meeting with someone who could hire you, buy something from you, invest in what youre doing, or otherwise help you succeed. These meetings come in different shapes and sizes, but too often they are a waste of time, dont result in getting hired or making a sale, and even worsethey can hurt your career if you make a bad impression. If you are having meetings that take too long, lack focus, give you anxiety, and produce no concrete results, I understand. This is a common experience. However, youve gotten to this eBook, and help is here. Im going to explain meeting dynamics to you and teach you the strategies and tactics that will dramatically increase your chances of getting what you want. If youve never had a Hollywood meeting and are trying to: Thats actually a good thingit means you have more control over your rst impression. This eBook will help you to succeed in meetings from the very beginning. If youre a professional writer: I'm sure there are things I will cover that you will say, yes I understand this part or I know this. However, I hope there are also techniques I'll share that can help you raise your game. If youre an entrepreneur, consultant, or executive (and not a writer): This eBook is written with writers and Hollywood creative pros in mind, but there are many ideas that you can adapt to your own business: I used Stephanies material for pitching brand-new online advertising trading models at Google. Now I am the go-to person for online video auction, and have to hide because I am getting more video trading projects than I can handle. So, if you think this material is only for screenwriters, wrong. It is for people who work with intangible ideas that can potentially bring in billions of dollars. - Sunyu von Conrady, Google So, lets talk about why you should read this eBook: you want to be able to impress VIPs, get referrals, get hired, sell your work, and secure nancing. In other words, you want to succeed in Hollywood meetings. Does that sound good? Then lets get started. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 6 Describing The Elephant Theres a story originally from India that goes like this (excerpted from wikipedia): Six blind men were asked to describe an elephant by feeling different parts of the elephant's body. The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a solid pipe. Of course, as you know, they are all right. Its the same with meetings. Here are some different perspectives on meetings from some top writers and producers. I bet that youll nd a good idea or two that just jump out at you. But I also want you to notice the difference in peoples perspectives. Perspectives On Meetings The proper note to strike in the audition meeting is a mixture of shy, self-deprecating intelligence and wild, barely controllable enthusiasm. -William Goldman, Adventures In The Screen Trade, 93. A pitch is a social interaction between two parties, the goal of which involves conveying an artistic experience from one person to another. We suggest you create a bullet-point outline for your pitch and then improvise based on that outline. -Douglas Eboch and Ken Aguado, The Hollywood Pitching Bible, 89, 93-94. When formulating a pitch, try transitioning seamlessly from the introduction to your logline. In other words, as soon as you hook your audience emotionally, hit them with a tight, digestible version of [the core] concept. -Chad Gervich, Small Screen, Big Picture, 113. Its always good to use what we call a Gotcha line to begin a Gotcha line is a marketing line, something you might see on a poster. -Rona Edwards & Monika Skerbelis, I Liked It, Didnt Love It, 131. The object of this conversation is to make the producer remember the project so when he picks the script up, he actually wants to read it, instead of just having to read it. -Rima Greer, The Real, Low-Down, Dirty Truth About Hollywood Agenting, 17. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 7 Remember that since this is your meeting, youre expected to be the most energetic and enthusiastic person in the room. Start with the one-sentence high-concept, [then] expand out to a three-minute re drill, with main beats delivered in a staccato fashion. -Michael Lent, Breakfast With Sharks, 65-67. Dont try to be charming. Conventional wisdom suggests that working a room is a social process where people need to demonstrate their charm. This is a myth. You dont need to entertain or impress people. You dont even need to be interesting; what you do need to be is interested. -Ellen Sandler, The TV Writers Workbook, 201. Take control. Decisiveness is never seen as weakness, and your condence in your story comes through much more strongly if you boldly begin your pitch. -Michael Hague, Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds, 95. Make your pitch a performance. Dont be afraid to actually play the characters. Its more fun for you and themand its also the clearest way to tell the story. Dont be shy. Play every character and moment to the hilt. -Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon, Writing Movies For Fun And Prot, 20. Its important to know who your audience is when you are pitching, and to tailor your pitch to his or her perception. [For example, a star] is interested in the emotions of the character he or she is to play, [whereas an investor] wants to know how much prot the lm is likely to generate over what period of time. -Michael Wiese, Film and Video Financing, 80. Because the construction of stories is an imprecise art, each writer usually develops a personal technique that works for him or her, but probably for no one else. No single rule or principle can be appropriate for all writers. -Alan Armer, Writing The Screenplay, 28. Writers want to say whats never been said. Executives want what theyve already heard. The majority of produced screenplays are the genetically impaired results of the cross- breeding of these two species. -Hal Ackerman, Write Screenplays That Sell, 14. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 8 Every room is different. And the secret to talking to people, and thats what pitching is, is listening. And the rst thing I do, just automatically when I go in to pitch something is I just listen for a moment to what the room sounds like. Is it a quiet room? Is it an amped up room? Is it a feminine room, a masculine room? Is it bored? Is it ready? Is it receptive? Is it scared? Just read the room and adjust. Craig Mazin, Scriptnotes Podcast What Can We Learn? Its interesting that, even among these elite writers of some of the best material about Hollywood, theres some disagreement about how to handle certain meeting situations. Should you act out the characters, or not? Should you take control or maintain your focus on the other person? Do you highlight your personal connection to the material or tailor your pitch to the listeners needs? There are two things going on here. 1. The rst is that there is a juxtaposition of advice about meetings and advice about pitching. This is totally understandable, but can be confusing. Thats why in this eBook, I will be primarily talking about meetings: how they are structured, the dynamics involved, and specic tactics you can use to perform better. What you say when you pitch your story is a different topic, and one that I cover in my companion eBook, Create The Pitch For Your Screenplay. You can nd that eBook and more products and services on my websites Resources page. 2. The second is that most of the advice to writers about how to handle meetings in Hollywood comes from other writers. Thats understandable, but every writer evolves a different perspective based on what has worked for them. I am one of very few people who has experience on both sides of the table. As a studio executive, I had literally thousands of meetings where writers, producers, agents, and stars would try to persuade me to invest in their projects. As a writer, when I wrote my rst book, I had to pitch it to major publishers in New York (and sold it in a bidding war to Random House). As a consultant, Ive helped my clients to pitch in their own style, sell their work, and nd new clients for their businesses. Using my experience, and separating out the meeting dynamics from the issues that relate to the story content of the pitch, I was able to discover the following Big Idea. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 9 The Big Idea As an executive with MGM, I had several pitch meetings a day. Soon enough, I began to see that every meeting followed some kind of pattern. I just couldnt quite gure out what was going on. I got curious and soon, I was obsessed. I became a meeting anthropologist. I observed the habits of the indigenous peoples meeting behavior and immersed myself in their culture. I had matzo ball soup at Nate and Als and shopped at Fred Segal. I attached radio transmitters to alpha males and females so I could follow them through the dense Hollywood jungle. All right, I didnt do that. But after a great deal of investigation, I realized The Big Idea: Every meeting goes through ve stages. Stage 1: Rapport Stage 2: Listening Stage 3: The Pitch Stage 4: Q & A Stage 5: The Close Now, you might be thinking, heydo meetings really have ve stages? Really? Isnt this an articial structure youre superimposing on a highly complex social interaction? Its a fair question, but in all seriousness, its not articial. This is actually what happens, and theres a logic to why it happens this way. Meetings are complex, but once you understand whats going on, youll see the simplicity of the ve stages beneath the shifting social dynamics on the surface. Knowing the ve stages will help you to: Build relationships with VIPs (Stages 1 and 2) Pitch in the sweet spot (Stages 3 and 4) Have your request granted (Stage 5) GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 10 Three Key Denitions Let's start with a few denitions. These may be terms you already know, but before we begin, I want to make sure we're on the same page. What Is Good in a Room? Good in a Room is a phrase commonly used in Hollywood. It refers to people who pitch their ideas condently and effectively in meetings. In other words, they are good (condent and persuasive) in the room (where the meeting is being held). When youre good in a room, its easier for you to:
Get meetings with VIPs such as stars, agents, and executives.
Pitch your ideas effectively.
Sell your work or get hired on an assignment.
What Is A Pitch? The word "pitch" has several different meanings (some of which have nothing to do with Hollywood). For our purposes in this eBook, the word "pitch" will primarily refer to: 1. Pitch meetings: where you present your idea "in the room, typically to VIPs or decision-makers who have the power to hire you or buy your project. 2. Premise pitch (aka the short pitch): the VERBAL 1-2 sentence summary of the core premise upon which your project is based. 3. Complete pitch: the 5-10 minute VERBAL summary where you explain what actually happens in Acts I, II, and III. That said, any time you are presenting your project or yourself as a writer, in writing (e.g. logline, summary, treatment) or verbally, you are pitching. Who Are The Decision-makers? The decision-maker is the person listening to (or reading) your pitch, such as an agent, manager, executive, investor, talent (actor, star), director, or producer. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 11 Possible decisions include: Representing your project Signing you as a client Giving you a development deal Financially backing the lm Attaching themselves to the project Agreeing to direct your screenplay Buying your project Youre Getting Warmer Remember the hot and cold game you played as a kid? Youd come into the room and there was some object you had to nd, and when you got closer people would say, getting warmer and when you got further away, theyd say, getting colder. Whether youre meeting the decision-maker in her ofce, at a restaurant, or on the ski slopes, taking a meeting is a lot like that game. Youve got to be aware of the temperature in the room. The temperature of the room depends on many things, including: How you got into the room in the rst place The mood of the people already present The rst impression you make when you walk in the door The way you make small-talk (Stages 1 and 2) How condently you pitch (Stages 3 and 4) After you enter the room, you need to maintain constant awareness of what warms the room (and what cools it off) to be able to adjust your tactics during each of the ve stages of the meeting. If you dont have this awareness already, this eBook will help you develop it. Youll get good at meetings. You will easily make a positive impression. Youll feel condent in social situations. And when you get a meeting with a high-level decision-maker, youll know exactly what to do. Youll start at Square One. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 12 Square One Square One is a series of three very simple, very important questions. I refer to these questions as Square One because they are the starting point for developing a strategy for any situation. What do I want? What do they want? What do they expect? What Do I Want? What do I want? is about goals that can reasonably be achieved in the meeting. Less experienced writers are the ones who think, Even though its a rst meeting, my goal is for the decision-maker to nance the entire project. Thats not likely. Professional writers think, For this rst meeting, my goal is to be asked back for another meeting. Having said that, I believe that when you walk into the room, you have three goals: 1. To learn: Learning is a great goal because whether you learn something or not is almost entirely within your control. Plus, having learning as a goal tends to reduce anxiety because youre focused on the process of the conversation, not the eventual outcome. Finally, if you learn from every meeting, your skills will continue to increase and so will your chances of getting what you want. 2. To build rapport with the decision-maker: Rapport is the foundation for everything that follows. If you nd common ground and build rapport with the decision-maker, even if they dont say Yes, their door will still be open to you down the road. 3. To get the decision-maker to agree to one (and only one) request: Of these three goals, this is the toughest to achieve. Ironically, if this goal is not your only priority, you are more likely to achieve it. That is to say, if you can leave a meeting feeling good about what youve learned and the rapport youve built, you have a higher probability of hearing Yes to your request. The one request you make (and the exact language you use) is important and well discuss this more in later chapters. However, its important to remember that getting the decision-maker to say, Yes, may take more than one meeting. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 13 This is why learning and rapport are so crucial. They are more easily achievable goals. They are condence builders. Most importantly, they greatly increase the probability that your request will be granted. Lets move on to the next question, What do they want? In many ways, this question is the heart and soul of Square One. You can never be too good at guring out whats going on in the other persons head. What Do They Want? When it comes to ascertaining what the decision-maker wants in the meeting, you can accept as a given that: The decision-makers goal is to disqualify you as quickly as possible. No protects them from making a bad decision. No saves them time that they need for the projects already in production. The sooner they can feel good about saying No, the better. For many decision-makers, when a screenwriter stumbles in the room its an automatic No. Its a safe conclusion that the screenwriter isnt ready. After all, if they cant handle themselves in the room, how well are they going to do the actual work? For decision- makers, its not worth the risk to nd out. At the same time, decision-makers are looking to say Yesto the right person with the right project. Its their dream to have that one breakout meeting. They want to be swept off their professional feet. Here are some ways to get inside the decision-makers head: Google anyone with whom youll be meeting: Read anything theyve written and anything thats been written about them. Research the decision-makers company: What has been written about their company? What position does it occupy in the industry? What are their recent projects? Understand the decision-makers role at the company: Has your decision- maker ever been in the news? What do they do at the company? Where do they t in the organizational hierarchy? GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 14 As you get more and better information about the decision-maker, your answer to What do they want? will be a work in progress. For example, decision-makers are constantly asked What are you looking for? Most say something generic like, good material, or stories with great characters. Theres an attitude of, If I have a bunch of meetings, Ill know what I want when I see it. This is unhelpful, but its normal in Hollywood and in other industries for decision-makers to be unaware of exactly what they want. Thats why you want to keep adjusting your answer to the question of What do they want? as you learn more about what a particular decision-maker wants. Perhaps you realize that every time they reference a movie in the meeting, its a comedy or action lm. You might revise your answer to, comedies and action movies. After the meeting, you might research all of the movies the decision-maker referenced and discover that the comedies tended to have female leads and the action movies were made for less than forty million dollars. Thus, your revised answer would be, comedies with female leads and action movies that can be made for less than forty million dollars. Once you understand what the decision-maker wants, you can begin adapting your pitch to meet their needs. However, for your pitch to achieve maximum impact, you must consider the decision-makers expectations and adjust accordingly. What Do They Expect? In the stock market, expectations are crucial. A stock can release great news about increases in earnings, but if the earnings arent as high as were originally expected, the stocks value will fall. If earnings are higher than expectations, the stocks value will soar. In the same way, it is crucial in meetings to exceed expectations. The rst step to being able to exceed the decision-makers expectations is being able to understand what those expectations are in the rst place. Here, the governing principle is: Good products have good packaging, and books are judged by their covers. Consider what happens when you buy a pack of gum. No two packs are alike. From the name of the brand, the avor, shape of the package, colors of the design, and the copywriting, each pack of gum is establishing its own position relative to the competition. So, if a new pack of gum entered the marketplace and it was spearmint bubble gum, before even seeing it you might expect that the primary colors on the package would be green and pink. If it was cinnamon-avored bubble gum, it would likely be red and pink. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 15 But if you opened a package that was red and pink (promising cinnamon gum), but then it tasted like spearmint, youd spit it out. Now, this may not be fair (and youre not a pack of gum), but this is how it works. The decision-makers expectations for you will be based on: What they can nd out from googling you Whatever their assistant tells them (after googling you) What you look and sound like in the rst 10 seconds Decision-makers make quick judgments based on your online prole, how you dress, and how you speak. Thats the cover of your book. Theres no way to avoid that. The trick is to position yourself relative to the expectations of your stereotype. There, I said it. Stereotype. Its a bad word, I know. Obviously, the way you are stereotyped is not who you are. At the same time, I hope you can admit that others will stereotype you. Its so common that we have to factor it into how we position ourselves. My advice is to consider carefully how others are likely to stereotype you and then plan how youre going to play with and against that image. One aspect of the stereotype for new writers is: youre probably unprepared. For example, a year after Legally Blonde was released, a writing team came into my ofce and pitched me, quite literally, another version of Legally Blonde. The ideas were the same, beat for beat and character for character, save that instead of going to law school, she went to medical school. It was called Blonde, M.D., I believe. I asked them if they knew that MGM had made Legally Blonde. They did not. I asked them if they knew that I had worked on the movie. They did not. I asked them if they had anything else to pitch. They did. They had a version where she becomes a spy, titled James Blonde. This is an extreme example, but I hope you take my point. Before you walk into the room, you need to know as much as possible about the people involved. Every scrap of information will help you gure out whats going on in their minds. This will make the process of building rapport easier and increase your ability to pitch and sell them. And if youre a new writer, a little research and preparation will go a long way to helping you exceed expectations. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 16 The Five Stages Of The Meeting If youre like me, when you rst started watching movies, it was for fun. You didnt really know how they worked. You may have thought that big-budget action blockbusters, classic romantic comedies, and gritty independent lms had little in common. But then, when you wanted to become a professional writer, you started learning about screenplay structure. You realized that all movies, all stories, have similar structural features. There is a similar structure to meetings. In the same way screenplays have three acts, meetings are structured in ve stages. If you ignore the ve stages and just try to wing it in the room, youre like a writer trying to write a screenplay without understanding basic three-act structure. When you understand the structure of the ve stages, you can decide when you want to follow the expectations and when you want to break the rules. In Stage 1, you build rapport and warm up the room. In Stage 2, you ask questions and listen to show respect. In Stage 3, you deliver the prepared component of your pitch. In Stage 4, you deliver the improvised component of your pitch. In Stage 5, you ask for one thing if necessary and leave on a good note. Stage 1: Rapport The goal: to connect in a personal way Stage 1 is the small-talk phase that is the beginning of just about every meeting you will ever have. Its important because decision-makers want to work with people they like and trust. If youre prepared, the small-talk will hopefully turn into a deeper conversation about your common perspectives and interests. The trap: pitching too soon If you get down to business and start pitching too early, the decision-maker wont feel connected to you as a person and wont be listening to your pitch. You want to build rapport so that when the time comes to pitch, you have the decision-makers attention. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 17 Key tactic: prepare questions to nd common ground Before the meeting, design a couple rapport-building questions to encourage the decision-maker to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences about things they feel positively about. Perhaps you know someone in common, and can design a question around that, e.g.: How did you rst meet (friend in common)? Perhaps you have a hobby or interest in common. If so, you could design a question around that, e.g.: I noticed from (print interview) that you like (hobby). Whats your favorite (aspect of hobby)? If you cant nd anything out at all, you can use some of the tried and true conversation starters, e.g.: How was your weekend? The point is to get to know the decision-maker as a person. Thats why, in addition to preparing rapport-building questions, you also want to prepare rapport-building answers. During Stage 1, you are just as likely to be asked How was your weekend/holiday? as you are to ask it yourself. Talking about those things comes really naturally to some people, but for me, I always make sure that I have something interesting to say when that inevitable question comes. Bonus tactic: accept the water. If youre asked at the beginning of the meeting (or by the decision-makers receptionist), Can I get you a bottle of water? say, Yes. Thank you. Accept any gestures of hospitalityit warms up the room and gets things off to a good start. Stage 2: Listening The goal: to show respect for the decision-maker In Stage 2, your job is to ask good questions and listen. This shows respect for the decision-maker and earns you more of their attention when the time comes to pitch. The trap: showing off how smart you are Superior intelligence can be your worst enemy at this stage of the meeting. In the next stage, when the time comes to pitch, thats when you get to share your brilliant ideas. At this stage, your job is to ask questions, listen, and show respect. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 18 If you show off how smart you are in this stage, it may seem like you are in need of attention and approval (the opposite of condence). As well, if the decision-maker cant understand what youre saying, you may make them feel awkward or threatened. This isnt about being fake and hiding yourself. Its about understanding that before you pitch, you want to build rapport (Stage 1) and show respect by listening (Stage 2). Key tactic: prepare questions to gather information Get the decision-maker talking about what they want from a business perspective, e.g.: Is there a particular kind of project youd love to nd? How is (current project) going? Stage 3: The Pitch The goal: to keep the decision-makers attention Stage 3 is where you deliver your prepared pitch. Even if the decision-maker doesnt want to buy your project, if you can hold their attention with your pitch, they may want to work with you in some other way. The trap: winging it Making it up as you go along and hoping things work out is the mark of an amateur. By the time you get a meeting with a decision-maker who can make something happen, you should have a prepared pitch that you can deliver without referring to notes. Key tactic: test your pitch in advance To succeed in this stage of the meeting, use these three steps to test your pitch before you meet with the decision-maker: 1. Choose a feedback group. This can be friends, family, other writers, but no gatekeepers or decision-makers. You should have at least six people, ideally none of whom have heard your pitch before. 2. Rehearse your pitch. This should be done on audio and ideally on video prior to presenting it to anyone in your feedback group. In my experience, few people like to see themselves on camera, but this is crucial preparation. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 19 3. Call or meet with people one at a time. Pitch them, and try to get answers to the following questions: Did they understand the idea? What elements did they like? What elements did they not like? Bonus tactic: pace yourself. You know the details of your story extremely well. However, the other person will likely be hearing everything for the rst time. Take that into consideration and adjust the pace of your pitch. You may need to slow down just a little. Warning: Be Careful With Visual Aids Images can be powerful sales and marketing tools. However, in the idea selection stage, pictures of your vision (e.g., photos, drawings, puppets) can work against you because they constrain the decision-makers imagination. For example, in a lm pitch, if a writer says, a handsome man steering a boat down a river, the listeners supply the details that work best for them. If the writer shows a picture of Adrien Brody canoeing down the Amazon... better hope that they love Adrien Brody and the notion of lming in South America. When you use a visual aid, youre telling the decision-makers that your vision is exactly that. If you use only words, listeners will imagine what works best for them. Stage 4: Q&A The goal: to deliver great answers to questions Many people would rather do a comprehensive pitch that answers questions in advance. This is a big mistake. An extended pitch prevents the natural give-and-take characteristic of successful meetings. Worse, it indicates that you may be scared of answering the decision-makers questions. When youre getting peppered with questions, even tough questions, thats a good thing. It means theyre interested enough to spend more time with you. If they werent interested, theyd just say, Thanks for coming in. The Q&A is where the sale is made. To succeed in this stage, anticipate likely questions and prepare answers in advance. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 20 The trap: getting defensive If the decision-maker is genuinely interested, you are likely to be asked a number of difcult questions (even trick questions). Its likely that they will hone in on the areas where your pitch is weakest. If you get defensive, you lose. If you cant handle some difcult questions at this stage, the decision- maker isnt going to want to send your script to stars, directors, and producersbecause theyll have questions, too. Key tactic: keep track of what youre asked When youre testing your pitch in advance, listen to what your feedback group asks you. Every time youre asked a question about your story, thats an opportunity for you to prepare a great answer to that question for the next meeting. Stage 5: The Close The goal: to leave on a positive note Its likely that the decision-maker will end the meeting, so you want to be ready for when that happens. Typically, there is a non-verbal cue that the meeting is over, and your job is to echo the cue. Watch for when the decision-maker: Gets ready to get out of his or her chair Places hands at on their lap or the table Closes a notebook or a folder When you see one or more of these non-verbal cues, echo it back by gathering your materials and preparing to leave. Then, you can engage in a little more rapport building like a bookend to Stage 1. The purpose of this isnt to reignite the conversation, its just to end on a personal, positive note. It can be something simple, e.g.: Tell (common friend) I said Hi. Thanks again for the tip about Orochon. Ill check it out! GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 21 The trap: continuing the conversation When the decision-maker ends the meeting, dont try to pitch one more thing. Dont ask any more questions. Dont tell a story. Just make sure youve got everything packed up, prepare to shake hands, and exit the room smoothly. Key tactic: prepare a specic request You may not need to make a request of the decision-maker. Often, they may say something like, Im sending this to my boss today. Keep your phone on. However, just in case, its a good idea to have a request prepared just in case, e.g.: How should I follow up with you? Whom do you recommend I get in touch with? Would you be willing to give me some advice for how to make this better? When you understand meeting structure and have prepared tactics for each of the ve stages, it looks like youre poised and condent. As you accumulate success over time, it doesnt just look that wayit feels that way, too. Keep in mind, there is a wide variety in how the ve stages can be handled. You may spend more time in one stage than you expect. But when you know the goal of each stage, the trap to avoid, and the key tactic to use, youll be able to condently handle whatever comes your way. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 22 The Four Types Of Meetings The four types of meetings are: Pitch General (aka the meet and greet or the get to know ya) Creative Notes Every meeting, of any kind, goes through the ve stages. Stage 1 (Rapport) is very similar across meeting typesbecause youre almost always making small talk in the beginning. However, stages 2-4 can vary depending on the type of meeting. Pitch Meeting A pitch meeting is arranged when you have a specic project to pitch. Sometimes, established writers will have a pitch meeting with a producer or executive to pitch an original idea for which they have not written the screenplay. They hope the decision-maker will buy the pitch and then pay them to write the script. Typically, only established writers with produced credits in the same genre as the project being pitched get the opportunity to sell a pitch. It is very rare for a new writer to sell a pitch. For example, lets say Warner Bros purchases the rights to a popular book. They want to adapt it to a feature and need to hire a screenwriter. Executives will meet with 3-10 screenwriters individually to talk with them about how they would adapt the book. All of the screenwriters would have read the book, prepared notes and ideas, and are not compensated for working up a take. Only when a writer is chosen and hired are they actually paid. However, from a structural perspective, whether you are hoping to sell a pitch, a script, or get hired to implement your take on an existing piece of material, pitch meetings go through the ve stages as explained in the previous chapter. The pitch meeting structure is the foundation for all other meetings. In a pitch meeting, the ve stages are often very clear, and this is what helps you to recognize variations on the ve stages in other types of meetings. One of the harder types of meetings to handle is the general meetingand if youre a new writer, typically youll be having general meetings before you have any pitch meetings. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 23 General Meeting The general meeting is like a combination of a job interview (where you dont know the job opening for which youre being considered) and a blind date. No wonder why this type of meeting is so difcult! Typically, a general meeting can happen for a variety of reasons. A decision-maker has read your script and likes your writing. An executive has an open writing assignment and thinks you might be a good t, but wants to meet you in person before telling your representatives about the assignment. An executive has heard good things about you and wants to meet because knowing the up-and-coming writers is part of the job. Execs often look for new (read: inexpensive) writers to x projects they have in development. Youve signed with a manager and they are introducing you to the town. Theres a favor exchange. Agents, managers, and executives often trade meetings, e.g., If you meet with this new client of mine (who I need to impress so he doesnt switch agencies), Ill get my other client (a higher prole writer) to read your project. Most general meetings are treated as a weeding out process. Its unlikely that youll get a paying job directly from a general. Either youll be taken off the consideration list, or if youre successful, youll either get another meeting or some material to consider so you can work up a take. Therefore, in a general meeting you are being evaluated for hireability. This makes stages 1 and 2 especially important. The general meeting is all about rapport. If a pitch meeting is scheduled to last 30 minutes, you might spend 5-15 building rapport (Stages 1-2), then the rest of the time pitching and answering questions (Stages 3-4). In a general meeting scheduled for 30 minutes, you would ideally spend most of the time building rapportthough its possible that youll be asked to pitch several of your ideas. These kinds of questions are prompts for you to pitch: So, what are you working on? Whats your project about? What else do you have? GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 24 If you get one of these kinds of questions, and you may, heres how you handle it: Focus on your priority projectsthe ones that have tested pitches, complete scripts, and positive coverage. You can give the short pitch for any project you have in development, but only give more complete pitches for projects which are nished and ready. If youre asked about something where youve pitched the premise but which doesnt have a nished script, dont pitch the rest of the story. Just say, Im still working on that one and as soon as its done Ill let you know. Creative The creative meeting is where you and the other person/people are meeting for the purpose of generating or xing material. When the writers get together in the writers room on a TV show, thats a classic example of a creative meeting. The creative meeting tends to focus on stages 3 and 4, only this time, everyone is playing both roles: writer and decision-maker. Sometimes you pitch, sometimes you listen, sometimes you ask questions. The key in a creative meeting is to ascertain where you are in the pecking order. If youre meeting with colleagues and everyone is at the same level, youre going to be participating in a different way than if youre meeting with a producer or executive (where your default position would be more deferential). In general, the lower you are in the pecking order, the less you contribute your own ideas. Beware of taking up too much air time. Instead, spend more time listening and asking constructive questions. When you do speak, you want it to count. Notes The notes meeting can seem similar to the creative meeting because the idea is that everyone in the room is there to improve the script. However, its quite different because it takes place in a different stage of the meeting. The notes meeting is really about stage 2. Youre gathering information from the decision-maker about what they want. You can expect to get some bad and/or unhelpful notes. This is frustrating, but dont let it get to you. Instead, use the notes for the information they are conveying about the decision-makers wants and needsand as an opportunity to make the work better. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 25 Heres how I recommend handling notes meetings: 1. Give context early on in the meeting. I recommend this technique from Christine Boylan (Castle, Leverage) which she shared at The Austin Film Festival. At the beginning of a notes meeting, Christine says something like, I really appreciate your time and Im interested to hear your notes. Im the kind of writer who likes to think about the notes for a day to let them digest, so Ill just write down whatever you say and then we can talk about the next steps. 2. Always have a notebook. Two-time Oscar-winner William Goldman says: Never enter a creative meeting without a notebook. (Adventures In The Screen Trade, 95). I would add, a crisp notebook. 3. Use afrmative language when you hear a note with which you can agree. You want them to feel comfortable and that youre really listening (even if theyre saying totally unhelpful things). Its the smile and nod technique: Good point. Interesting. Ah. I see. 4. Give troubling and difcult notes more attention. If youre getting unhelpful notes, its possible that they are based on a real issue. Its worth drilling down into the notes that you dont like or understand. Try saying: Tell me more. What problem are you seeing? What are you trying to solve? 5. Do not argue with notes. Theres no upside to arguing. Either get clarication on the problem the note is addressing, or simply write it down and move on. Theres no benet to getting rattled or, if you do get rattled, letting the decision-maker know youre upset. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 26 The Most Common Pitching Mistake The rst time I stepped on a movie set, it was as an unpaid intern on the movie Titanic. I was a senior in college and through my advisor at Carnegie Mellon, I had arranged for an internship with a producer. It was my rst time visiting Los Angeles, rst time doing anything in lm, and I felt lucky to jump into the deep end of the pool. But the truth is, I was also pretty scared. I felt like I didnt belong and I really didnt know how to act on a lm set. I didnt want them to know that I was totally green, born in a small town in Iowa without any family connections, and the only things I knew about Hollywood was what I had read in books and seen on TV. My rst task as an intern was to drive boxes of undisclosed materials from Los Angeles to the set in Baja, Mexico. In retrospect, I never should have driven boxes that you are not to open across the Mexican border, but remember, I was pretty innocent and wanted to succeed. I certainly wasnt going to challenge my boss on my very rst assignment. I put the boxes in the back of my grandmothers Toyota Corolla and drove to Mexico. It was dark by the time I got to the set and the Titanic looked like the real ship, all lit up at night. Cameron was shooting and hundreds of people were in motion. It was beautiful. I knew, even at that age, that people make quick judgements about whether they like you and want to work with you. And it was VERY easy to see who Cameron respected and who he dismissed. When I dropped off my packages at the production ofce, I was told, It will be a while. Sit there. I got to hear everyone interact, pitching their ideasnot about new projectsbut about how this or that aspect of the production should be managed. It became apparent to me that the people who were the most successful in getting others on board with their ideas projected condence but also humility. They pitched succinctly and without bragging. In contrast, the people who were much less successful at persuading the more senior producers consistently used a particular tactic at the beginning of their pitch: they hyped their own ideas. This is the same mistake that rookies in Hollywood make when they introduce themselves to someone new and pitch their work for the rst time: starting their pitch by hyping their own ideas. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 27 For example, I recently received an email from a writer (details changed to protect his identity) who had a question, the gist of which was that he was getting meetings all over town and everyone was passing (saying No to his project). He wanted to know how this could be happening because, in his words, My script is amazing and my pitch will blow your mind. Now, without reading his material, its impossible to know why everyone is passing. But right off the bat, I get the sense (and you probably do as well) that this writer isnt paying attention to the negative feedback hes receiving. After all, if everyone in town is passing, why would he represent to me that his pitch will blow my mind? Typically, when someone hypes their idea before pitching it, it means that they are only willing to hear positive feedback. They arent professionals who can adapt and improve their work. Theyre rookies. Lets get more specic. Here are some things you should not say in a pitch meeting. Dont Make Predictions About Financial Success This will be a big hit. It has great international appeal. Everyone is going to want to see this. My project is a guaranteed moneymaker. Its commercial. This will be #1 at the box ofce. Dont Predict Other Kinds Of Success The lead role has Oscar written all over it. This script will change the world. This project will inspire people. Dont Tell Them How They Will Think Or Feel Youre going to love this. Youll be laughing out loud. This is the best thing youll read this year. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 28 Dont Give Your Own Positive Opinion Of Your Work Ive got a great idea for you. I have an amazing project. I love the story in this script. Whats The Problem? Isnt this just harmless self-promotion to communicate condence and enthusiasm? Not in this case. When you rave about yourself and your project, youre intruding on the decision-makers turf by telling them what to think, how to feel, and what their opinion should be. Imagine a couple circumstances where youre the decision-maker. Watching American Idol An American Idol contestant gets up, and before she sings, she says to the audience: I just want to let you know that I love the way I sing this song, I think youre going to love it the most out of all the performances tonight, and after Im done, I know youre going to vote for me. Or would you rather just have her sing and decide for yourself? On A First Date You meet your date at cafe, and right after you sit down at a table together, he says: Before we get to know each other, let me just tell you what a great conversationalist I am. I have some excellent personal stories that will make you laugh. Im also terric in bed and Im condent that youll be in love with me by the end of the evening. Or would you just rather go on the date and decide for yourself? I hope you can understand that decision-makers want to decide for themselvesjust as you do when youre the decision-maker. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 29 Irritating The Decision-Maker The truth is that most decision-makers dont want to hear your predictions about success, and they dont want to be told how to think and feel. You say: This will be a #1 hit movie. They think: Oh, goodyoure a fortune teller now. Can I get some lottery numbers? You say: Youre going to love this! They think: Really? Im so glad you know how Im going to respond. You say: I have an amazing idea for you. They think: Youve concluded that your own idea is a winner? Im stunned. Thats why when you hype yourself and your work in a pitch meeting, it doesnt demonstrate condence. It just annoys the decision-maker. Heres what communicates condence: just pitch your story. No pre-qualications, no pumping up or raving about how great your story is in advance. Simply tell the story. Then, give the decision-maker the space to think, feel, and form opinions on their own. Let them be the judge. After all, they are. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 30 How To Manage Anxiety Do you get nervous when youre in a high-stakes pitch meeting? Feeling nervous before (and during) a pitch meeting is totally normal. When the stakes are high enough, it happens to everyoneeven experienced writers who have worked in the business for a long time. I have pitched hundreds of times, delivered keynote speeches, and led workshops at big companies. I still get nervousespecially when Im using new material in front of a large audience. Luckily, I know the secret to managing anxiety. Its not a trick like deep breathing (although that helps) or visualizing everyone in their underwear (which I do anyway). The process Im about to share with you is how I prevent anxiety from getting in the way of my performance, and how I help other people prepare for some of the most important meetings of their lives. Acknowledge Reality When you deliver your complete pitch in a high-stakes meeting, youre expected to be off-book. That means youll be pitching for 5-15 minutes without notes, notecards, or anything written on your hand. Additionally, you can expect to get interrupted during the pitch. Youll get asked tough questions, the decision-maker may have to take a phone call, or someone important will come into the room and youll have to start again. Pitching is a hybrid performance of telling a story and being interviewed at the same time, and its not easy to do well. So lets start by appreciating the seriousness of the challenge. Embrace The Anxiety Instead of trying to suppress or prevent the anxiety (which doesnt work), embrace it. Okay, youre feeling nervous. Thats completely understandable. Youre doing something very difcult and what your anxiety is telling you is: Youre not prepared enough yet. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 31 Preparation doesnt make anxiety go away completely, but it does make the anxiety manageable. For now, youre going to use the energy of your anxiety to prepare, rehearse, and be as ready as you can possibly be. Choose A Warm Listener I want you to identify a person in your life who not only is a member of your projects target market, but to whom you would feel comfortable delivering your pitch. To be clear, this person does not need to be in the room when you are pitching. This is someone you imagine is listening to you pitch. The idea is to duplicate the kind of easy, comfortable, conversational style you have with a friend. Specically, when you rehearse your pitch, and when you practice your pitch, THATS the person I want you to pretend to be talking to. Rehearse In my experience, most people hate to rehearse. Rehearsal implies that soon youll be revealing yourself and your ideas in public. However, rehearsing will help you in three ways: 1. With the writing of your pitch: theres something about saying the words out loud that helps you to notice problem areas, clarify sentence constructions, and more. 2. With interpreting feedback: if you dont pitch your ideas well, listeners may not hear your content because theyll be too distracted by your performance. You could present a great idea poorly and end up getting negative feedback on your idea even though it wasnt the idea that was really the problem. 3. With anxiety: when youve rehearsed your pitch sufciently, you know that even if youre not on your game, the odds of you completely bonking are miniscule. You may deliver the pitch on autopilot, but youll get it done. Practice On Video You can rehearse in front of the mirror and if thats all you can do, okay. But if theres one thing you can do to improve your pitch, its to record yourself on video and watch it. When you watch yourself pitch on video, your pitch will improve immensely. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 32 Youll see where you dont make eye contact. Youll be able to tell when youre talking too fast. And when the pitch lags a bit, youll know. 8 Steps To Rehearse Heres how Id like for you to rehearsethough if you have acting experience or a process youve used before successfully, great. Do what feels right to you. 1. Start by reading the text out loud while youre looking at it on the computer. Read it a few times, and time yourself. Youll know if youre running over the time youll have, and youll be able to see sentences that need to be shortened. Youll also nd areas where it sounds more natural to use a sentence fragment instead of a complete sentence. That sort of thing. Edit your script accordingly. 2. Write out the text on notecards. One paragraph to one side of a card. Then, on the reverse side, you can write a header for the paragraph, or the rst few words. 3. Memorize the text and continue to polish. Cross out words, underline for emphasis, and add other markings. 4. Rewrite the text on new notecards so the copy is clean. The act of writing out your script is a huge help in memorizing it. 5. Deliver your pitch to the mirror or record your pitch on video. Remember to visualize the person you chose, the person to whom you can pitch casually and comfortably. 6. Watch yourself. I know, I know. Its painful. But try to see where you talk too fast, where you need to vary your tone, and where you need to give better eye contact. 7. Pitch (to camera, if youre recording yourself) ten times in a row. I know, that might sound a little mind-numbing. But after the rst ve times, youll get so bored that something magical starts to happenyoull know your script well enough that your performance will get better without you having to do anything. 8. If you get anxious, do some relaxation and warm-up exercises: Do some shoulder rolls. Roll your shoulders forward and back ve times. Yawn in an exaggerated way three times. Stretch your head to one side and gently rest a hand on the top of your head, then the other side. Deep breaths. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 33 Take a deep breath in for a four count, hold your breath for a four count, release your breath out on a four count. Repeat, extending the count each time. Scrunch your whole face up as tightly as you can. Hold for two seconds. Release. Repeat three times. Shake out your whole body. Imagine you are like a dog shaking off after getting out of the pool. Breathe out and imagine the tension being released. Make a thumbs up gesture with both hands. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in and circle your thumbs out to the side of your body and raise your arms over your head. See if you can make your thumbs meet each other above your head. When your thumbs meet, take a deep breath and release your arms. Take A Practice Meeting If you have a big pitch meeting coming up, see if you can create an analogous circumstance to give you a chance to practice. For example, a couple years ago I was preparing to give a speech at Google. As you probably know, Google employees must pass a challenging interview process and are incredibly smart. Two weeks before my speech, I invited a group of people over to my house. I asked my friends who are engineers, computer programmersthe smartest technical people I knew. I gave my 30-min speech, then listened to their feedback. Then I did a new draft of the speech, and invited a different group of smart, technical people to my house the following weekend, and had another practice session. For those of you pitching a lm, TV pilot, or novel, I recommend doing a practice session with people who can replicate the kind of environment youll be in and the questions you could receive. Focus On Communication, Not Entertainment This tip for handling nerves comes from comedy coach Judy Carter. She uses it when she works with people about to perform stand-up comedy for the rst time. Dont try to be funny, she says. Instead, communicate your ideas. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 34 This works for pitching as well (and even if youre not pitching a comedy). The point is to focus on communicating your ideas clearlynot being entertaining. Pitching Can Be Fun When youre prepared, pitching your ideas can be exciting and fun. You can walk out the door ushed with adrenaline, happy with your performance, excited to have done well. Sure, youll have some ideas for how you can improve for next timeand thats a good thing. The people who are best at pitching in meetings learn from every experience. It may seem hard right now, but if you keep preparing and practicing, soon youll be pitching with condence (and just a couple butteries). GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 35 The Difference Between YES and NO You know those stories where the hero is lied to, but doesnt know it, and the best friend knows about the lie and has to decide whether or not to tell the hero? With rare exception, the sooner the hero is told, the better. It might hurt, but better to know the truth. In this chapter, Im playing the role of the friend, youre the hero, and Im hoping that you wont be upset when I tell you: Sometimes, the compliments you get about your work arent true. These compliments, these times when you hear a version of Yes, often are liesand what is actually being said is, No. Thats why were going to talk about exactly what No, Maybe, and Yes really sound like. The Lie Is Told For A Reason Decision-makers dont tell you the truth because they are trying to protect their relationship with you. They want you to send them your future work, so they lie in order not to hurt your feelings. This lie is a problem for writers, directors, and producers who are taking meetings, sending out scripts, and thinking a deal is close at hand when in reality, theyre being told No time and again. Unfortunately, they keep chasing leads that arent there and wasting precious time. I dont want you to be wasting your time. I want you to be the kind of professional who understands the subtext, knows when he or she is being told the truth, and can act accordingly. So lets talk about the ways that No, Maybe, and Yes are communicated. No Is Silence Over Time Chris Kelly, a writer for Real Time with Bill Maher wrote this in a recent article (crediting Merill Markoe): In Hollywood, no is silence over time. The way you nd out youre not getting the job, that they passed, that they didnt respond to the material, that theyre going a different direction, is silence. Its the call you dont get. (via Hufngton Post) GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 36 Other forms of silence over time: If you cant get an in-person meeting at all. If your emails dont get returned in one week. If your calls dont get returned in two weeks. If your script has been passed along (to a star, director, or producer), and you havent heard back in a month. If you pitch to a decision-maker and they want to be in business with you, they will get in touch as soon as possible. If you havent heard back, the answer (almost always) is No. Unless They Pay You, The Answer Is No Thats the title of John Augusts Scriptnotes Episode 71. Johns screenwriter co-host, Craig Mazin, elaborates: Unless theres money, the answer is no. Isnt that terrible? And its so unfortunate because theres thousands and thousands so many wonderful, creative ways for people to say no to you. And so many of them sound like yes, which is horrifying really to contemplate, but its human nature. Nobody really likes saying no to somebody. Nobody wants to be mean. No one wants to see that look reected back to them. If youre not getting any money, the answer is probably No. No Often Starts With A Compliment When people in Hollywood say No, the medicine is typically accompanied by a spoonful of sugar. Examples include: This has a lot of potential This is a great piece of writing I love the main characters This is hilarious We love it If youre getting compliments like this, they can be true, but dont take them at face value. Most of the time, all of these compliments translate to: You seem like a nice person and I dont see any reason to offend you. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 37 No Usually Ends With An Excuse After the compliment you get the excuse: but isnt the right t for us. but we are overbudget. but it would be too expensive. but we have another project that is too similar. If youre hearing reasons like these, dont take them at face value. Most of the time, all of the reasons translate to: but this isnt good enough (yet). No = Compliment + Excuse Most of the time when youre getting compliments on your writing followed by an excuse about why youre not getting any money, the actual compliments and excuses are not the truth. The truth is that they are saying: You seem like a nice person and I dont see any reason to offend you, but this isnt good enough (yet). This is a hard thing to hear because we want to believe that the compliment is real because thats something to feel good about. We want to believe that the excuse is real because it lets us save face. The thing to understand is that if your work was good enough, youd at least get a Maybe. Maybe Comes In Three Flavors Maybe Flavor #1: Notes. When someone actually takes the time to give you feedback on what youve done, thats a victory. It means that they want to be helpful and that, if you are able to make the changes, they may be willing to take another look or meet with you again. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 38 Maybe Flavor #2: Stall for time. Examples: Ill take a look at it. Let me get back to you once Ive read it. This is a gray area, and typically means one of two things: I like you personally and dont want to offend you, but I dont think this is good enough yet, and I want you to send me your future projects. My assistant will take a look at it and then tell me what he or she thinks and if the feedback is extremely positive, then Ill take a look. Unfortunately, its difcult to decipher the difference between a Maybe that means No and a Maybe that means Maybe. The best thing to do is to follow up after an appropriate amount of time, typically 1-2 weeks. Maybe Flavor #3: Lets move this up the chain. Examples: Lets get (Big Star) on the line right now. Come meet my boss. This is a hopeful sign. It means that if the star, director, or higher-level executive is interested, then this could quickly turn into a Yes. Yes Means Things Are About To Move Fast Yes sounds like this: Im going to have Business Affairs call your agent. Were going to make an offer. Wait by your phone. Id like to option this for [$$$]. Remember, a great piece of material, a great pitch, a great writerthese are all very rare commodities. If a decision-maker believes that your work is that valuable, he or she is going to move quickly to sign you, buy your material, or otherwise bring you on board. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 39 How To Follow Up If you had a meeting, sent materials, shared a meal, or had any sort of meaningful interaction with a decision-maker, the ball is in your court. Its your job to follow up. The purpose of following up is to remind the decision-maker politely that you (and possibly your request) exist, and often this is done in an indirect way. If you handle the post- meeting interactions well, it will be easier for you to address the decision-makers notes, answer his questions, and prove that he should hire you or buy your material. You Have To Follow Up Sometimes, screenwriters dont follow up with decision-makers when they think that the decision-makers are going to handle the follow up. Usually, this mistake happens when screenwriters misinterpret something the decision-maker says. Thus, here are some examples of commonly used decision-maker-ese: Ill take care of (____) and get back to you. Ill look at your materials. Lets get together sometime. This means: Maybe Ill take care of (____) and get back to you. Unless something higher priority comes up, Ill look at your materials. Lets get together sometime, though I am booked for the next two years. You get the idea. Decision-makers are busy and they can easily lose track. I know, youre busy, toobut as the screenwriter, you cant afford to lose track. Decision-makers can. There are plenty of screenwriters waiting. Still, keep an eye on the bright side. Youve had a meeting with them. That means that for a little while, youre in their memory and quite possibly, on their high priority list. Following up is how you convert that meeting into concrete results. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 40 Why People Dont Follow Up Many people have a meeting and then wait by the phone, hoping it will ring. Usually this is because the screenwriter thinks, I dont want to bother the decision-maker. I dont want to pester them or seem desperate. The real reason, however, is just fear. You dont want to hear the decision-maker say No, or worsenot even return your emails or calls. Let me address these two issues. First, if you follow up correctly, youre not a bother. Youre not nagging or pestering and you dont seem desperate. Youre actually being helpful. Youre reminding the decision-maker (in a graceful way) that theres a high priority item that would benet from their attention. As for being afraid of hearing No or getting the cold shoulder, thats understandable. Its discouraging to follow-up and nd out that you are not going to be hired or your project isnt going to be purchased. But isnt knowing that information sooner rather than later better in terms of moving forward with your goals? Three Types Of Following Up A follow-up is any communication that happens subsequent to the meeting and prior to the decision-maker doing whatever it is you want them to do. Following up tends to take one of two forms: Direct: This is where the main focus of your email or phone call is when you say, So, have you had a chance to (____)? Indirect: Communication where you dont mention the (____), but you keep in touch in a way that reminds the decision-maker that (____) is on their list of things to do. Indirect follow-ups include saying thank-you and sharing new information. Here are three email templates so you can decide what to do your particular situation. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 41 Template #1: Asking Directly (Direct) Re: Quick question Hi (VIP name), I hope you had a good weekend. Just wanted to check in and see if you had a chance to read (project title). Look forward to hearing your thoughts. Best, (You) Template #2: Sharing New Information (Indirect) Re: Good news Hi (VIP name), I wanted to share some good news. I just found out that my script (project title) is a semi- nalist in the Nicholl Fellowship! Thanks for your encouragement along the way. I hope that (VIPs current project) is going well. Warmest regards, (You) Template #3: Saying Thank You (Indirect) Re: Thank you! Hi (VIP Name), Just wanted to say how much I liked your recent interview in (publication name). The advice you gave about (specic topic) really helped me with a (genre) I have in development. Thanks! (You) GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 42 Rules For Following Up After a pitch or general meeting, send a thank-you note within 24 hours. In Hollywood, if youve had an in-person pitch meeting or even a phone or videoconference pitch, handwritten thank-you notes are a good idea. This is because when the assistant sorts the days mail, common practice is to place the handwritten notes on top of the stack. Follow-up Three Times After Making a Request After making a request, you can follow up three times, alternating phone-email-phone or email-phone-email (my preference). First, email 1 week after making the request. Then, phone 1 weeks later. Then, email 2 weeks later. If the decision-maker responds and requests more time or asks you to follow up in the future, you can continue. If you dont get a response, stop following up. Prepare To Leave A Message When you call to follow-up, you will likely be giving a message to an assistant or going directly to voicemail. Have something written down so that youre prepared, e.g.: This is (your name) calling. We met last week about (project title). I sent in (materials) and Im just calling to make sure you received the package. Prepare For An Actual Meeting If the VIP actually does take your call, keep a copy of the materials you sent in nearby in case you need to refer to something on it. Also, you should only make a follow-up phone call from a place where you can talk calmly without distractions (i.e., not in line at Baja Fresh, in the car on the 405 going over the hill into the valley, etc.). GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 43 Dont Follow Up Too Much There is a difference between being a professional who follows up on meetings and becoming a stalker. In Hollywood in particular, there are people who decide, If youre not going to call me back, Im going to call you every ten minutes until you pick up the phone, or Im going to write you a letter every day until I get the response I want. The cases where this kind of bullying strategy works are few. Keep A Log Of Your Communication You want to remember when you spoke with them last and what was said. Its your job to keep track of this information. Some people use an Excel spreadsheet, some use FileMaker Pro. I use the Notes eld in my Addressbook. However you do this, its crucial that you do it. Down the road, youll thank yourself! This isnt just about helping you remember phone numbers and build rapport with VIPs. Its also for situations that relate to contracts, such as when youre being given different information by producers on a project, and you need to be able to explain to your agent exactly who said what and when. The more information you have, the better off you are when it comes time to warm up a room, settle a contractual dispute, or launch a new project by sending it to the right people in the right way. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 44 Three Meeting Checklists How many times have you packed your bags, gotten on the plane, arrived at your destination, unpacked, and found that you had forgotten something important? Weve all done it. On a vacation, its an inconvenience. In a pitch meeting, its a potential disaster. The solution is this: Stop keeping track of everything in your head and use a checklist. Surgeons use a checklist before every operationand it saves lives. Airplane pilots use a checklist for takeoff and landingand it saves lives. Writers use a checklist and it helps you to perform well in meetings, get hired, and sell your work. Thats not quite saving lives, but having a successful creative career is an outcome worth pursuing. What Should I Be Checking Off? When you take your screenplay into the marketplace and start having meetings, you might start with scheduling a few meetings, but you could easily have more than 20+ meetings a week for weeks at a time. This means a lot of information to organize. In general, for every meeting you want to make sure that you have: Set goals Researched the decision-maker Conrmed the logistics Prepared questions Tested your equipment Coordinated with any partners Recorded what you learned Evaluated your performance A checklist is really YOUR checklist. It should be a work in progress that you customize as you learn about your needs. To help you get started, Ill be giving you some checklist templates. Ill also describe the thinking behind certain items on the checklists. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 45 Checklist #1: Preparation Set Goals For The Meeting Yes, I know you want to have the decision-maker buy your material for a large sum of money. But this isnt a realistic goal in the beginning of the process. If youre meeting a decision-maker for the rst time, a good goal is to build rapport so you can get a second meeting. Another good goal is to discover something personal about the decision-maker. Highest priority goal ______________________________ Secondary goal ______________________________ Research Decision-Maker(s) You should know as much as possible about the decision-makers you intend to meet, including their position at the company, past projects, and anything theyve published. Every scrap of information can help you build rapport and pitch effectively. Name ______________________________ Title ______________________________ Recent Projects ______________________________ Successes ______________________________ Areas of expertise ______________________________ Read what theyve written ______________________________ Read whats been written about them ______________________________ Where else have they worked? ______________________________ Whom might we know in common? ______________________________ Other executives at the company ______________________________ Conrm Logistics Forgive me if this seems too basic, but Ive had so many writers show up late for meetings and it really gets things off on the wrong foot. Anyone with whom you really want to meet is BUSY. If you waste their time, thats a strike against you. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 46 Therefore, if I have to drive to a meeting, Ill map the route, estimate how long it will take me to get there, and put a departure time in my calendar so that I can arrive early enough to have a coffee or something at a staging area (a place in walking distance to the meeting). Then I can walk over and arrive right on time without being out of breath. Meeting conrmed ______________________________ Updated contact info and location ______________________________ Drive planned ______________________________ Staging area ______________________________ Departure time ______________________________ Prepare Questions The beginning of just about every meeting you will ever have is where you make small- talk. This is an important part of the meeting because decision-makers want to work with people they like and trust. If youre prepared, the small-talk will hopefully turn into a deeper conversation about your common perspectives and interests. Therefore, before the meeting, design a couple rapport-building questions to encourage the decision-maker to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences about things they feel positively about. Perhaps you know someone in common, and can design a social question around that, e.g.: How did you rst meet (friend in common)? Perhaps you have a hobby or avocation in common. If so, you could design an activity question around that, e.g.: I noticed from (print interview) that you like (hobby). Whats your favorite (aspect of hobby)? If you cant nd anything out at all, you can use some of the tried and true conversation starters, e.g.: How was your weekend? Social question ______________________________ Activity question ______________________________ Conversation starter ______________________________ GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 47 Test Equipment Your equipment includes what youre wearing, what you bring with you (in your bag, purse, backpack, or briefcase), and any other materials or technology necessary for the meeting. 1. Have special meeting clothes. Im often asked what clothes should be worn to a pitch meeting, though Im not a fashion expert. Does argyle make you look fat? I dont know. Maybe. That said, my recommendation is to wear something that you have worn before, doesnt show sweat, is comfortable enough to be worn all day, and is close to the decision- makers level of formality. If you wear jeans and sneakers, let the jeans be dark and the shoes new. The key is to try your clothes on. We all gain or lose a few pounds from time to time, and you want to make sure the clothes you intend to wear will t properly. 2. Choose good waiting room materials. The material you bring to the waiting room is not just to help you wait. It is to provide a potential conversation starter, make a good impression, and put you into the right frame of mind for the performance to come. Good waiting room materials are magazines and non-ction (not about religion or politics) that are easy to pick up and put down. Doing actual work on your phone, tablet, or laptop isnt ideal. This is because its easy to get immersed in something that makes it hard for you to transition instantly into meeting mode. Still, I understand youre going to be texting, tweeting, and checking email. Thats okay so long as you can drop what youre doing at a moments notice. 3. Clean and restock your bag. Our bags (purses, backpacks, briefcases) accumulate stuff (read: bits and pieces of crap). You want to be okay if you drop your bag, everything spills out, and the decision- maker sees all of the contents. You should have a good-looking notebook (I use this one), pens that work, and a mini-toiletry kit that has oss, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. Clothes tried on Waiting room materials selected Notebook and pens tested GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 48 Checklist #2: Coordination With A Partner Sometimes youll be pitching with another person. This could be a producer, director, or perhaps a writing partner with whom you pitch all the time. Pitching in tandem has an equal of number of advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, youll have your combined energy and expertise. On the other hand, the chance that someone will say something stupid doubles. Coordinating with your partner increases your synergy and decreases the chances of stumbling. Here are some questions to help you coordinate: What is our main goal for the meeting? Will one of us be the leader in the room? Do we plan on taking notes? If so, how? In what conguration should we sit? How will we handle our introductions? How about keeping to a specic schedule? Is it okay to interrupt? If so, how? Where might we need a transition? How will we handle it if we disagree during the meeting? How can we support each other? Who will have the last word? Something I like to teach my clients is how to use secret signals to communicate in the meeting. The two I like to use are stop talking and save me. Id tell you my signals, but then they wouldnt be secret. Come up with your own verbal or non- verbal signals to convey the messages you think are important. Also, handle any disagreements after the meeting. Disagreements are injurious in the room. After the meeting, however, discussing your disagreement will often lead to greater understanding and improvements in your presentation for next time. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 49 Checklist #3: Record And Evaluate My assistant told me the following story: he was in the elevator at MGM and a guy got in, talking on his cell phone. Apparently this guy was a writer who was so incensed with my bosss comments on his rewrite, he felt he needed to call his agent immediately and talk strategy. I asked my assistant to poke his head into my bosss ofce and give him a quick summary of the content of what had been said. At the time, MGM was in negotiation with this writers agency on a few different projects. This writer revealed a key piece of the agencys strategy and greatly enhanced MGMs negotiating position. Ultimately, it probably ended up costing this writer some money and possibly a rewrite job. The moral of the story is this: at the time you walk out the door, the meeting is not over. Dont pump your st in triumph or hang your head in despair. Dont use your phone. Dont talk to anyone about what has just happened. Do not do anything that would reveal your thoughts or feelings about what has transpired until youre well out of sight. Record What You Learned During the meeting, you may have improvised some brilliant new language. You may have been asked a question that threw you off balance. You may have made observations that would help you prepare for your next meeting. The time to collect these thoughts is ASAP. Date, Time and Location ______________________________ Who was in the meeting? ______________________________ What details did you learn about them? ______________________________ What questions were you asked? ______________________________ What are the next steps? ______________________________ Evaluate Your Performance What did you do well? ______________________________ What do you wish you had done better? ______________________________ When did they laugh? ______________________________ When were they most interested? ______________________________ When did they seem bored? ______________________________ GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 50 Hesitate To Act A meeting can be a heady experience. You may be full of adrenaline. You may feel compelled to take action immediately. However, it is a good idea to avoid making decisions in such an emotional state. Even if you are in a time sensitive situation, you would be well-served to take fteen minutes to collect your thoughts and refocus. If you feel you must take action quickly, this is a good time to check in with one of your advisors. Make sure you are on the right track and not making a rash decision. Reward Yourself Studies show that successful people give themselves a treat to reinforce good behavior. Even if the meeting didnt go exactly as planned, even if there is a lot youd like to change for the next time, the fact that you had the meeting is a success in itself. Reward yourself. Plan The Next Steps Later that day, take a few minutes to plan your next steps. Do you need to notify anyone? How will you follow-up with the people youve just met? Any other moves you should make? The point is to make each meeting count. You want to extract as much learning as possible from each opportunity. That way, when you go into your next meeting, youll be as prepared as you can possibly be. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 51 Master Checklist Date, Time, and Location ______________________________ Highest priority goal ______________________________ Secondary goal ______________________________ Decision-maker Researched Decision-makers name ______________________________ Title ______________________________ Recent Projects ______________________________ Successes ______________________________ Areas of expertise ______________________________ Read what theyve written ______________________________ Read whats been written about them ______________________________ Other executives at the company ______________________________ Questions Prepared Social question ______________________________ Activity question ______________________________ Conversation starter ______________________________ Logistics Conrmed Meeting conrmed ______________________________ Updated contact info and location ______________________________ Drive planned ______________________________ Staging area ______________________________ Departure time ______________________________ Clothes tried on ______________________________ Waiting room materials selected ______________________________ Notebook and pens tested ______________________________ Details Recorded Who was in the meeting? _____________________________ What details did you learn about them? _____________________________ What questions were you asked? _____________________________ What are the next steps? _____________________________ Performance Evaluated What did you do well? _____________________________ What do you wish you had done better? _____________________________ When did they laugh? _____________________________ When were they most interested? _____________________________ When did they seem bored? _____________________________ GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 52 Final Thoughts I hope you are feeling more condent! Weve covered: The ve stages of every meeting. How to handle the four types of meetings. How to avoid the most common pitch meeting mistake. Tips for managing your anxiety by preparing strategically. How to tell the difference between Yes, No, and Maybe. How to follow-up after the meeting. Over time, youll be able to walk into any room with condence, and when the time comes to express yourself, youll know just what to say and how to say it. GOOD IN A ROOM | HOW TO TAKE A HOLLYWOOD MEETING 53 Thank You So Much! Thank you for taking the time to read this eBook. I hope that it helps you to feel more condent in meetings, pitch more effectively, and achieve your professional goals. After working at MGM as Director of Creative Affairs for many years and taking over 3000 pitch meetings, I've seen how the most successful writers, directors, and producers pitch and sell their projects. Using the material in this eBook, hundreds of people have created strategies for high- stakes meetings, developed effective pitches, and found success. You can, too. Thanks again, and I wish you the very best. Stephanie PS. For more information check out my websites Resources page.