Do pitching festivals work?
A. There are all sorts of public events where people with credentials as executives or producers listen to pitches from would-be screenwriters. I have never heard of a show getting on the air from a pitching festival, for two reasons. One, a show gets on the air from a combination of good ideas and proven people to implement those ideas. If an experienced showrunner or story editor pitches an idea, the network can hire him to take that idea all the way to functioning show. If a lawyer friend of mine who’d like to try his hand at television pitches an idea, who’s going to make it into an actual show? No sale. Two, there is an established process for getting shows on the air, and festivals are not part of it. Execs and producers participate in pitching festivals either because they’re paid or because they’re trying to do someone a favor. On the other hand, if anyone has heard of something good coming from a pitching festival, please let me know and I’ll change the above.
