As many of you know, Candivan has started taking pitches for shows and so far, responses have been awesome!
We really want to find the best writers/ showrunners possible to help us kick off Candivan. We don’t want to miss the great, smart writers amongst the pitches.
So without any further ado, or any fucking ado at all, here are four tips to help you submit a successful pitch:
1. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS
Ugh! This one should go without saying, right? We know there's a lot of questions, and some of them are tough to answer (ie predicting the budget). But please check what we’re looking for as far as vibe, length, budget. And definitely the bigger things, like using the “pitch us” form instead of just emailing us with your idea. Not following directions does not bode well in the film world. Although being a rule-breaker is dope!
2. BE CLEAR WITH YOUR IDEAS
Saying things like “I don’t know what will happen throughout this story” does not instill much confidence in us. Hey, many of us are writers. We know stories never go exactly the way we plan, sometimes it’s better not to know, etc, blah. Howevs, you still need to predict it. We want to know that you know how to map out a story/ season.
3. BE EXCITED ABOUT YOUR IDEA
Excitement is contagious, and we’re like those parents who expose their kids to chickenpox. Excite us with your idea. If you can excite us, it tells us you can also probably excite an audience.
4. FILL IN OPTIONAL QUESTIONS
Yeah, they’re optional. That means you don’t have to do shit. Still, we put them on there for a reason, so hint hint, if you can dazzle us with answers to those questions, it might put you above someone else, everything else being equal. We know, they are optional, so obviously great ideas take precedence, but it doesn’t hurt to answer them—especially if you have good answers.
And surprise surprise, not only will these tips help you with pitching to us, they will help you with pitching to anyone (we snuck a film school in here). Good luck and happy pitching!
Read more about pitching us here.