How to Pitch the Major Studios

These days, there are various ways to get your movie project funded -- everything from foreign sales to independent finance companies to crowdfunding.

But at the heart of Hollywood, the studio system still stands supreme.

And for good reason.

It’s exclusive, financially lucrative, and all-but guarantees international distribution in that most magical of places: The Movie Theatre. And let’s be honest, we all want to see our names and faces up there on the big screen.

But how? What’s the best way to prepare a story? As a pitch? Or a script? Don’t they just want IP’s? And how do I get in the door? It’s impossible!

Hardly.

In this fun and informative class, you’ll learn everything you need to know about developing a story -- either as a pitch, or a script -- for presentation to the major and mini-major Hollywood studios. Specifically, we’ll discuss the following:

• What the heck is a producer?
• The major (and mini-major) studios demystified.
• How to find a studio-friendly story
• How to control the material
• Seeing your project from a studio’s point of view
• Marketing - a double-edged sword
• Developing your story/screenplay for Hollywood
• Easy mistakes to avoid

Who Should Attend: Producers, obviously. But also writers, directors, intellectual property holders, and anyone wanting to sell to the major buyers.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll know how to:

1. Properly develop a story for Hollywood
2. Pitch it professionally to an executive
3. Get that elusive studio meeting

About the Instructor:

Ryan Heppe began his trek into the world of show business when he took a position at a PBS affiliate in Central Illinois, where he was involved with everything from set design and construction to narrating documentaries and directing live television broadcasts.

Subsequently, he relocated to Los Angeles, and was hired by legendary movie producer David Foster (The Getaway, The Thing, The Mask of Zorro) and quickly rose to the position of Head of Development before finally becoming Foster’s producing partner. Together, they worked on such projects as: Collateral Damage starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hart’s War starring Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell, and The Core starring Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank.

Currently, Heppe is producing a remake of Short Circuit, feature adaptations of the 80’s television mini-series V and cop series T. J. Hooker, he’s producing and co-writing the Crash Ryan feature, as well as numerous original projects. In the world of voiceover, he’s lent his voice to numerous commercials, and performed several characters on the animated series DaGeDar. He’s currently the voice of Marriage Today, and is endorsed by Neumann, a worldwide leading manufacturer of studio microphones.