About Gary Shusett

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Most of us visiting this site are writers or filmmakers and not born salespeople. Yet, in order to make it in Hollywood then you need to know how to sell yourself. You may have the best material out there and your family and friends may love it, but what about the rest of the world. How can you take your concept and material and turn it into something that people will listen to and hang on every word. The magic words are "Tell me more ..." Almost all new writers or filmmakers get turned away after the first 30 seconds. How can you be different?

The key is to find someone who has decades of experience being successful at pitching to Hollywood professionals.

Gary Shusett has a unique ability to listen to any pitch and no matter how problematic, he can instantly turn it into very powerful selling pitch for the writer.

Elements of an Effective Pitch
by Gary Shusett

The first 8-10 words out of your mouth are by far the most important part of your pitch. It may very well decide if they want to read your material. If it is from a published book tell them immediately and it will greatly influence them in a positive way.

It's surprising how few words can grab somebody's attention. You want them to do more talking than you. The more you the talk then the less likely that they will read your material.

Try not to use clique or cliche words, phrases or ideas. Make sure your idea does not sound like any recent film, even if it was a success. Remember the rule same but different.

Avoid saying anything that could make them lose interest immediately. Things to avoid are: This is a franchise movie; it will make over $100M; it is a period piece; it's an ensemble cast; it will probably be expensive to make. These are turn-offs. If you think that it could be animation then don't say that until the end of your pitch. Always give the option that this could either live action or animation.

Do not put them on the spot. If you ask them a question like "How would you feel if you had 24 hours to live?" It puts them on the spot and this is the last thing that you want to do.

All pitches are performance based. But you don't have to be an actor instead use pauses. A pause can be useful in creating drama in your pitch. See our example of a log-line for your one-sheet.

Practice your pitch. Tell your pitch to someone and then let them pitch it back to you.

Please remember that when you pitch your logline or story that the development executive or producer needs to tell others. The better that person can pitch your story the more likely that it will be made.

Also, if they lean forward and say they want to read it, then stop talking. They are interested. Remember that is the goal of your pitch to get them to ask you for it.

I can repair your pitch and make commercial, call me to find out more.

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Testimonials

Gary Shusett has a unique ability to help turn a bland logline into one that stands out and captures peoples' attention. We implemented his suggestions to help improve our loglines and we have since optioned one script and now have another that has gotten some attention. In future, we are going to go to Gary to get his help with our pitches before marketing another script. It's amazing how effective and helpful Gary is.

Isabel & Marilyn Duarte

"I have to say it was a rare pleasure to meet you, Gary. It's like a breath of fresh air to talk to a straight shooter in Hollywood. I never knew how to pitch until I heard you taking apart everyone's pitches, with 19 feature scripts, the pitch was the only thing holding me back.
Thank you from the soul. I'll never forget your advice."

Orlanda Hokanson Szabo

" I want to express my deep gratitude to Gary for being so approachable, honest, and helpful. I cannot overstate how valuable your advice has been. In the few minutes we talked, you turned my pitch on it's head and made it 100% better. Not only that, but your instruction has given me a much more solid understanding of the strange animal that is "pitching", and how it differs from the process of storytelling. A thousand thanks to you and your staff, Gary. I look forward to attending another event soon!"

Chris Murphy

Set up a consultation or find out more information at professorlogline@gmail.com

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2. Tell the consultatnt that you didn't write it. Put someone else's name on the cover page. Just say taht you want to option it and you don't want to hire the person if the material is no good.

4. Join a writer's group and give to fellow writers. But be sure that this writer's group are more than just padding each other on the back or just being cruel. It should be a mixture of constructive criticism with a little encouragement.

5. Enter 7 to 10 big and small contests. See how many you can make the finalists. This will tell you that you are a good writer but it does not tell you if the script is commercial.

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