How Does The 90 second Pitch Work For Stareable Fest?

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#1

I thought about entering the 90 second pitch category at the Stareable Fest, I guess I have a couple of questions. Like could you pitch an idea for any original series that you have and they would consider them? Also can you pitch a show with a pretty high budget but yet you can’t return back on the investment when it comes time to film?

Let me give an example, I entered a Disney XD-Maker pitch a TV show contest, they liked my pitch but yet they only gave me $1,000 and said YOU make everything. In my head it’s like this is Disney, why can’t I pitch them the show and they back up filming a legit pilot instead of me making some low budget video and of course they rejected it because they didn’t like the final product but in my head I figured they would make a legit pilot down the road and my submission video was meaningless because again they liked my pitch but not the actual first episode.

So basically if I pitch a series and HBO or whoever is judging is like we like it, but now YOU have to film everything like how Disney did, I’m screwed because I may have pitched a series I can’t really make on my own with a low budget. Because I feel the web series I currently make don’t fit the theme of the fest, but yet I have ideas for better shows it’s just I haven’t made them only have the ideas for them.

So I guess in summary, can you pitch any idea you have for a TV show and they would consider it, because THEY along with YOU have a hand in making the pilot or do THEY want YOU to film everything as promised on your own with very limited backing from them. Anyway that would really help me out once the submissions are open and thank you for your time.

#2

They live-streamed the first event if you wanted to check out what it was:

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#3

So do I have to be there in person in order to pitch? Because I live in Chicago and I know the Stareable Fest is in New York. So it might be hard for me to enter the pitch competition because I can’t really make it there in person. Do you know if they take video submissions?

#4

Hi Bucky- you do need to physically be in NYC for the pitch competition, but you the submission to be considered for that in-person pitch is a video. It’s meant to be a fast-paced event to learn about pitching, and to hone your ideas and the way you present them, with feedback from the industry judges. The point of the pitch competition is not to get picked up- that can’t be guaranteed and would be a pretty big risk for a company like HBO to just guarantee that.

And while I can’t speak specifically to the other competitions you’ve entered, I would say it’s very rare for the same reasons that a company would make a TV show based on a random submission. Most contests are to validate your great idea by empowering you to make it yourself. Disney can’t just make pilots with everyone- they have a very specific mandate and preexisting avenues for content. The pitch competitions are a way to get on their radar and to get bragging rights for when you’re actually in the room, but pitch competitions are very different from actually being IN the room. The industry sadly doesn’t work like that.

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#5

Thanks for the feedback, gives me a lot to think about and I feel at this time I’m not ready to enter the pitch competition. I wish everyone else who enters it luck and I have to think about what I’m going to do next. Thanks again.

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