by Stage 32
Welcome to the new decade! The holidays are the perfect opportunity to take inventory of all the activities you have done this year and examine what has worked for you and what you need to improve on.
A Resolution is only as good as the plan devised to execute it.
And before the planning, comes the soul searching. Every activity we undertake in this life, be it professional, or personal, has an opportunity for growth at its core.
I am offering below some questions you may want to ask yourself that will show you what your top 5 priorities should be for your script, project, or film and some of my personal recommends and practical suggestions for the areas that you have decided, after careful examination, that contains the most of your weak spots.
How are your pitching skills?
If you know who your ICA (Ideal Client Avatar) is and you what emotion you need to convey to solicit a read or an in-person meeting, you are ahead of the game.
If you can write a query email that states who you are, the comps of your project or script, and gives just enough information on the story and plot to incite interest, you are ahead of the game.
If you can sit in a room or get on the phone with an interested party and be able to establish a genuine connection (knowing the person you are pitching to and making a personal compliment stick does go a long way) while being able to convey your passion and the most important elements of your story in less than 5 minutes, you are ahead of the game.
For some great tips on how to “sell” I would suggest you read “Born to Win” by Zig Ziglar.
What is the positive to negative feedback ration you have received so far?
If you have gotten at least 70% response to your queries or meetings and scripts submissions regardless of the reaction, you are ahead of the game. You made enough of an impression for an executive to take the time to let you know they did read you or thought of your project and therefore were able to respond in some manner.
If you had a polite pass, such as a compliment on some aspect of your story and writing or a pass with actual details on why your material was passed on, you are ahead of the game.
If you got a response for you to keep in touch with the progress of your project or script, you are ahead of the game.
If your feedback ratio is under 70%, then bluntly put, your material is just not good enough or its time for the current marketplace has not come.
