Arts & Entertainment
Getting to the Pitch
Lesson time 20:29 min
The brothers discuss how they initially navigated the pitching process without Hollywood connections. Learn tips for finding representation and getting your script noticed.
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Topics include: Step 1: Getting Representation • Step 2: Getting Your Script Out There • Step 3: Choosing The Right Producer • Step 4: Planning And Executing Your Pitch • Step 5: Waiting!
Teach Developing an Original TV Series
Matt and Ross Duffer—the "Stranger Things" masterminds—teach you how they plotted the series from beginning to end, and how you can bring your own idea to life.
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[MUSIC PLAYING] MATT DUFFER: So once you get to the stage in the process where you have your script, which is huge-- you've overcome this massive hurdle. You've done all this work. But the question is, now, who's gonna read it? How do you get anyone to read it? This is probably the question we get asked the most, which is, what now? What do I do now? And, you know, as we've kind of talked about, previously, we had no connections, no Hollywood connections. Our dad was not in the business, none of that. So if you have that, great. Good for you. You're in the door already. You have someone who you can give the script to. But most of us-- you know, most of you probably don't have Hollywood connections and it is difficult. So it's like, what do you do? You have the script, this great script that works. Now, what? - All right. So you have-- like Matt says, you have this amazing script. So the trick is now to get it read. So I think a lot of times people go, oh, well, I'm gonna just send this to Netflix or I'm gonna send to Amazon or I'm going to send it to HBO. And, unfortunately, it's not that simple. If-- if you do end up somehow getting your script to Netflix or Amazon or HBO or Apple-- - Meaning, like, just-- if you just send it to them in the mail. - If you send it in the mail, you-- you throw it over the fence, whatever you do or you find someone's email, however you do it, don't do that, because they're just gonna throw it out. So it's really just a waste of your time. So what we're gonna talk about now is, how do you get it to Netflix or HBO or Amazon? And the answer to that is you're gonna need an agent or a manager. - Why do you need an agent or manager? Basically they're your conduit into the whole, like, Hollywood system. Right? So they are able to get your script out to producers. And producers will be able to get your script to studios and networks, such as, like, Netflix, right? For example. Without an agent or a manager, no one's gonna take you seriously. Unless you're pretty established, you can't, you know, represent yourself. OK? You're gonna need to find one of these agents or managers. Sometimes people ask, you know, I'm still a little confused about it, the difference between an agent or a manager. Managers tend to represent fewer people. So it's a little bit more personal. You can kind of call them up, you know, on a Saturday at 3:00 PM. I mean, I can do that with my agent now, which is a little weird. And agents tend to represent a lot more people. But they work at a really large company, such as CAA, where, you know-- and they have-- the good-- the advantage of working with an agent or big-- at a bigger agency is that they have a lot of other connections within that agency, right? Like big name actors, big name directors who they could help-- they could attach your script to. And that could help sell it. So it doesn't really matter at this-- at this point. You just need someone to represent ...
About the Instructor
Before they turned our world upside down with "Stranger Things," Matt and Ross Duffer honed their scare tactics on Wayward Pines and their debut thriller, Hidden. Now, the acclaimed showrunners reveal the dark science of creating a monster hit. Craft gripping story arcs, conjure unforgettable characters—like Eleven or Jim Hopper—and turn your raw idea into a pitch for the next big thing to cross over from the other side.
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The Duffer Brothers
Matt and Ross Duffer—the "Stranger Things" masterminds—teach you how they plotted the series from beginning to end, and how you can bring your own idea to life.
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