To Pitch, or Not To Pitch?
My first pitch ever was during my period at the KMP Entertainment Advance Master Writer course. Because of the WGA/SAG strike we couldn’t do a real pitch so I had a practice pitch with a writer/producer in the film industry. I was so upset after the pitch because I felt a hint of prejudice concerning my accent and the way I pronounced the words. I took it personal because my accent is sensitive spot for me and I am very self-conscious when it comes to speaking English in front of people. That left a bad taste in me to never pitch again. Period, case closed. Part of me also felt that I should stop writing all together.
However, to pass the class we still had to pitch our script to producers to either sell the script or get funds to film it. My teacher, Ms. Murray, prepared us to pitch and I prayed in my heart to not have a repeat of what happened during my practice pitch. I feared that I wouldn’t be ready to face the same kind of rejection.
I spoke to my daughter, Audrey Lespinasse (Sound Engineer Student at the LA Recording School, about my feelings and hesitation about pitching. She advised me to bring my concern to my teacher Ms. Murray, and I did. When I spoke about it during class, my teacher Ms Murray, and my classmates Ms. Kaytory Nicole and Ms. Ruby Lee Sexton, encouraged me to not stop because of this fear. They helped me emerged to the surface again from the deep sinking sand that were my emotions and to continue the writing journey.
Although the issues of the strike affected all of us writers, filmmakers, actors/actresses, it was a good thing for me because I used that period of time to re-organize myself, worked on my fear, and prepared my portfolio to be ready for the pitch once the strike was over.
Once the strike was over, Ms. Murray scheduled for us to pitch four times!
The first one was on December 10th, 2023 with John Duffy. He is a Producer/ Line Producer, released more than three films in 2023: "Left Behind” - “A Sunday Horse” - “Rise of the Anti Christ" and "Miracle in East Texas.”
On the day of the pitch with Mr. John Duffy, I was nervous and skeptical. I prepared everything in advance so I did not have to worry about anything. I was not really ready for the speech pitch, but my portfolio was ready thanks to my daughter Audrey who put aside her own homework and family obligations behind to help me with everything. Thank you Audrey! This time, I was mindfully well prepared, but I still had a little bit of concern about my accent.
Well, God answered my prayers! Mr. Duffy was extremely patient while he listened to my pitch. He tried his best to understand every single word of it. I had only one little recommendation from him. I am so happy to have overcome this challenge.
Thank you Mr. Duffy! I will follow your advice to get better next time. I appreciate your kindness and respect you have for others.
As the quote says: “What doesn’t break you, makes you stronger.”
So after the pitch on Dec 10th, I reflected on my first practice pitch, and I saw it in a different way this time. I realized that if that producer did not do anything to bring this issue to my attention, I would have continued to make the same mistake. Someone else would bring it out. Also, I realized that it helped me to pay attention when I am reading; to go slow in the process, and to trust myself!
That was a great pitch and I look forward for the upcoming ones!
