Virtual 'Art of the Pitch' Writing Retreat with Catherine Eaton

'“ART OF THE PITCH” VIRTUAL Retreat
WITH PROFESSOR CATHERINE EATON

DATES TBA

Professor Catherine Eaton currently teaches the Art of the Pitch class at Harvard, where she trains actors, writers, screenwriters, TV writers, novelists and non-fiction writers how to pitch stories to producers, publishers, agents and studios. Professor Eaton is a multi-talented writer, director, producer and actor. Her success in pitching stories, in person and on paper, is evinced by her record of success. She was director and writer of the feature film The Sounding starring Harris Yulin (Ozark) and Frankie Faison (The Wire). To date, the film has won two dozen awards on the festival circuit including four Festival Grand Prizes. Professor Eaton was chosen for Tribeca's prestigious Through Her Lens lab and grant for her pitch and pilot of her TV show On The Outs. She was also selected as a shadowing director for Ryan Murphy's Half Initiative on the hit Fox show 9-1-1. Professor Eaton's pitch for her latest series Breaking News, based on her personal experience working with freelance news crews in conflict zones, landed her a selection for the Project Forum of the Independent Filmmaker Project, where she then pitched to 46 producers in a week. Her feature film pitch and script for Two Women in the Wild Ground resulted in her selection as a finalist for the Sundance Development Labs. Professor Eaton shares an Emmy Award with the production team on "The Human Toll of Ethanol" for Bloomberg TV. She has acted on Broadway and in television and film. Her background as a classically-trained actor is a valuable asset to storytellers in her pitching classes. Professor Eaton has a BA from Cornell University and an MFA from the University of MN / Guthrie Theatre. See her website here.

This is a 7-day online intensive retreat in the art and craft of pitching, at the end of which you will have an entire full suite of pitching materials and a rehearsed verbal pitch for your developed idea or completed project.

JOIN US IF…

You have an idea, or you've created a brilliant piece of work: a novel, a screenplay, a concept for a TV series—maybe even a scripted nonfiction podcast. Now what? How do you convince others to jump on board to buy or create or collaborate or publish or produce your story? How do you move it out of your desk drawer or hard drive or imagination, and into the world?

What you’ll learn and experience

In this retreat, we break down the making of a pitch into its core elements as we practice strategies for producing pitch materials, and for pitching your project in the room to a live audience.

Participants will learn the essential elements for pitching any project - live or on the page - and strategies for pitching in the room.
You will write and revise a query letter / cold email, write a treatment or book proposal, build a pitch deck, and rehearse a live pitch.
You’ll develop an insider's perspective on industry practices and etiquette, essential knowledge for anyone interested in the business of creation.
Finally, you’ll expand your network and make connections with other writer/creators. There will be writing prompts, communal writing/creative time in the writers’ room, pitching exercises, virtual meals, LIVE Q&As, group response and feedback - all resulting in a polished pitch and pitch materials for your dream project.

WHO IS THE COURSE IDEAL FOR?

You’ve finished a script or novel or podcast and are ready to pitch it to investors or collaborators or executives or the like. This is perfect for you. You’ll come away with developed pitching skills and materials for your project.

You have an idea that’s very far along in its development, but no script or written material yet. You know a ton about it, and want to put pressure on it to see what is working and what isn’t, while developing the pitch materials for it. This retreat will absolutely do that.
You’re pitching an idea rather than finished material, and need that idea to be put through its paces! Refining a pitch for material always puts pressure on the material and vets it for storytelling strengths and weaknesses.
You want to understand pitching and learn invaluable skills and techniques, and have a project you can use to practice with (either one of your own, or you’re interested in pitching existing material). You can use existing material - a project that has already been completed (even one that is well known) - and pitch it as if its your own, to learn new skills and craft!).

Please note that there is an application process for this retreat.

To apply, you will need to submit:

Your project or idea’s form and logline.
A one paragraph synopsis.
The current status of your project (Is it in idea form? Do you have a script or manuscript? Is it complete or in draft form?)

Please submit application materials to info@meleteretreats.com. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting 19 June 2020. You will be notified of your acceptance status as your application is reviewed by the faculty.

Online Retreat Participant Cap: 15 participants

Preliminary Agenda

Here is a broad overview of what your week will look like. All times are Eastern Standard, but we’ve included various Virtual meals and Q&As to accommodate different time zones (those abroad, those on the West Coast etc).

Day One

Begins at 4 pm:

Faculty and student introductions

Informal LIVE Meet and Greet and Break Out Rooms

Opening faculty lecture

Overview of the week