We want to make a podcast that shows you how a Hollywood television writer constructs a pitch, and all the work that goes into it, and all the ups and downs that follow.
if/come [ if / kuhm ]
a type of deal common with Hollywood screenwriters and producers who are developing new material where there is no payment unless a sale is made to a studio
This is a proposal for a new podcast called “if/come” that is about pitching television and movies in Hollywood, something that Kathryn is strangely good at, especially in light of how socially maladapted most writers are.
Here is the short teaser we recorded talking about what this might end up looking like:
But of course, we don’t really know, because we are also going to be documenting real life! This is a two part project:
- Breakdown and explain Kathryn’s pitching framework, with details and examples of her past pitches.
- Follow along as Kathryn pitches one of the biggest and most consequential projects of her career.
Kathryn’s Amazing Pitch Framework FOR FREE
Kathryn and I stumbled on this idea when we were driving up to Portland for the summer during the historic WGA writer’s strike. We were talking about how much free work she has to put in, and how she has honed this pitch framework that has allowed her to sell one or two projects a year. I remarked on how amazingly similar it was to the startup pitches I learned while at the Nike+ Tech Accelerator and the Barclay’s Fintech Accelerator programs I was a part of.
As we talked about it I got dollar signs in my eyes, because this is something that is VALUABLE. People should pay for this because no matter what you’re pitching or selling or even just trying to convince someone of, this will help. I wanted to put the real meat of how it all worked behind a paywall and make it a course and make money.
But Kathryn said no. She feels there is a scammy aspect when it comes to selling information about screenwriting. Instead she wants to make the podcast that would have been helpful to her when she packed up her car and moved to LA in 2010.
So this will be free. Everything Kathryn knows about pitching, how she does it, and how she has achieved her weirdly high hit rate in terms of making sales. Additionally, we’ll document the big pitches coming up and share those stories. And maybe if it’s helpful and entertaining enough, the listeners will support the effort (and I’m sure I can convince her to share some extra stories to those supporters).
I really want to try this project, and I hope everyone votes yes. The subject matter is really interesting, I’m on the inside because I live with Kathryn, and the stakes of it are very real. Plus I get to stretch myself a bit as a producer (I just learned how to use the compressor tool, so the sound is much better) both technically and in piecing it all together as a compelling story.
But as always I respect those that vote no because I’m sure there are many unforeseen problems and issues and I love that my shareholders can help me see around the corners.
You must be logged in to post a comment.