Incubator Lab Fellows attend an industry pitch session at Film Independent.
You have 15 minutes to pitch your project to the development executive of a major network. What do you say? What do you NOT say?
At a Film Independent industry pitch session for LMU’s Incubator Lab, recent alumni had the opportunity to pitch their projects to a panel of industry professionals: Angel An, Director of Development and Acquisitions at Samuel Goldwyn Films, Ted Kroeber (PROD ’99), Independent Producer (Splinter, American Gun) and Aaliyah Williams, Vice President of Digital Content & Production at Macro Ventures.
Across the board, the panelists stressed the importance of confidence and clarity. “Give me enough faith to stick my neck out for you,” Kroeber told the cohort. He suggested giving as much evidence of your vision as possible. It’s as simple as emailing a link to your sizzle reel so he can “make the case for you when you’re not in the room.”
Regarding clarity, An said, “If the series is a comedy, come right out and say it at the beginning of your pitch.”
“And be funny,” Williams added. “There’s nothing more important when you’re selling a comedy than making the room laugh.”
Intimate pitch sessions with the industry are just one of the perks of LMU’s Incubator Lab, a competitive post-graduate program co-curated by the School of Film and Television and Film Independent. The Lab is designed to help recent alumni develop their first post-graduate projects and gives students access to mentorship, equipment and numerous educational and networking opportunities.
Applications for the 2016 to 2017 Incubator Lab are now open!
