Pitching Yourself & Your Work

$375

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3 Days
5
Pitching Yourself & Your Work
5
Pitching Yourself & Your Work

About this Weekend Intensive

Sundance Collab offers a robust collection of online courses in the Sundance spirit of amplifying your independent voice as a storyteller. Join our global community to hone your craft, network with other creators, and develop career strategies to help you navigate the film and television industry.


What makes a good pitch? How do you get the right person to hear it? What should you wear when you do get that meeting? From macro to micro, this live, online intensive will tackle everything from meeting and email etiquette to navigating festivals and labs. Over the course of three days, you will acquire the skills to present yourself, work a room, and create supporting materials for your pitch. Guided by a group of industry experts, you’ll learn pitching tools and techniques to gain the confidence you need to successfully navigate your career.


By the end of the weekend, you will:

  • learn how to create a successful pitch
  • understand the different types of meetings
  • improve your networking skills
  • gain a better understanding of film festivals and writers labs
  • acquire the skills to create your personal tools such as bios, websites and reels
  • learn what goes into a strong portfolio
  • know how to create supporting materials for your pitch (loglines, decks, etc.)
  • understand the roles of agents, managers and lawyers
  • elevate your email writing skills
  • become comfortable with following up
  • have an opportunity to practice pitching live
  • be equipped to tell a compelling personal story

This intensive is ideal for:

  • producers, writers and directors who want to gain a clearer understanding of the industry and the tools they need to succeed
  • producers, writers and directors seeking to build more confidence in pitching and presenting themselves and their work by acquiring and applying strategies and practice
  • producers, writers and directors looking for a clearer path to get their project to the right decision makers.

Enrollment is up to 50 participants.

This Intensive is not eligible for any Course Pass discounts.


Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Please email us at accessibility@sundance.org to arrange for services.

Weekend Intensive
Beginner to Intermediate

Outline

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. PT

  • Welcome & introductions
  • Weekend overview
  • Breakout networking sessions

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PT

  • Presenting yourself online
  • Introducing yourself in an email
  • Pitching yourself in person
  • Crafting your story
  • Expanding your network
  • How and when to follow up

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. PT

  • Break

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. PT

  • Your personal toolbox: bios, resumes, headshots, websites, reels, social media
  • How to prepare for and approach each type of meeting
  • Figuring out what type of representation is right for you
  • Using your network to reach who you want to meet


9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PT

  • Developing the perfect pitch for your project
  • Your project’s toolbox: loglines, synopses, artist statements, pitch decks, lookbooks
  • Sizzles, rip reels and fundraising videos
  • Creating a strong portfolio

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. PT

  • Break

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. PT

  • Choosing the right festivals for you and your film
  • Picking labs and fellowships that will help your career
  • What to do once you’ve gotten in - and beyond
  • Pitch practice in small groups
  • Pitching debrief and final questions

4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. PT

  • Final remarks
  • Closing Circle

FAQ

In Sundance Collab’s Intensives, participants attend live, virtual class sessions in a condensed time period. These sessions are led by an instructor and supported by the Sundance Collab courses team. 

All members of the Sundance Collab community are welcome to register for Sundance Collab Intensives. Some Intensives require an application. Please review the description and any eligibility requirements to ensure the Intensive is a good fit. If you have any questions, please email collab_courses@sundance.org

For application-based Intensives, note that space is limited. Applications are considered as they are received and applicants are accepted on a rolling basis until the Intensive is full or the deadline has passed, whichever comes first. If the application window is open, you will see an “Apply” button on the course page.

We send our application acceptance notifications on a rolling basis, starting after the application deadline. You will be notified of your acceptance status no later than three days before the first session. At any point, you can check the status of a course that you have applied to by logging into Sundance Collab and visiting the course page. You’ll see a purple bar there indicating your status.

When reviewing applications for an Intensive, the Sundance Collab team evaluates the needs and expectations of each applicant. We are also looking to convene a diverse group of participants who will work well together and support each other throughout the Intensive. Finally, we will confirm that the applicant can meet the time commitment necessary and has a strong interest and readiness to complete the Intensive and meaningfully contribute to the group process.

We do not offer any combined applications or discounts for Sundance Collab Intensives.

We often offer a limited number of need-based, full or partial scholarships. Check the course description to see if that course currently has scholarships available. Scholarships are prioritized for one per person per year (from the date of issue). Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline. To apply for a scholarship, complete the registration form by clicking the REGISTER button and selecting the option to apply for a scholarship, if available.


Applicants will be notified about their scholarship decision prior to the first day of the course. Due to the volume of applicants, we are not always able to provide a scholarship, but we may still offer a spot in the course. In this case, depending on the course, payment plans may be available and can be selected at checkout.

We may offer the option of either a two or three-part payment plan for Intensives. If offered, the first payment will be due at the time of registration and the last payment will be due before the halfway point of the Intensive. Due to the length of Intensives, a payment plan option may not be available closer to the registration deadline. For specific payment plan dates, please reach out to our team at: collab_courses@sundance.org

Yes, you are welcome to take a live, online Intensive even if you can’t make the live sessions. Recordings of each session are available online within two business days.

All sessions are recorded and usually made available within two business days. The videos will also contain the chat and transcript from the session, viewable in the video playbar.

Participants will have access to the recordings for one year following the last session.

All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion. The certificate will include the name associated with your Sundance Collab account.

You can join a course via a computer or mobile device. All of our Intensives are conducted via Zoom.

Download and set up the Zoom software and make sure you have the latest update. Here are some great resources from Zoom’s Knowledge Base to take a deeper dive into using Zoom:

If you have any further questions, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.


Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs after you have been accepted into the course.

No currently scheduled sessions

Interested in hearing about the next session of this course?
Add your name to our notification list