Learn how to pitch your ideas, and explore the role of the producer, in two online, hands-on, interactive workshops led by working Hollywood professionals.
Tuesday, June 21, 6:30-8:30 pm
Back by popular demand:
How to Pitch Your Project
Led by Hollywood talent and literary manager, award-winning producer, and author Marilyn R. Atlas
You know you’ve got a great idea or script in hand, but how can you best convey it to the time-pressed power players you need to get your project underway? How can you condense your project into a 15-minute presentation, an elevator pitch, or a logline?
In this interactive workshop, you’ll gain a Hollywood insider’s perspective on the tools you need to sell your idea or script, and you’ll have the opportunity to create and sharpen them. With real-world examples and instruction from Marilyn, you’ll learn about loglines, elevator pitches, and 15-minute presentations.
You’ll focus on the importance of crafting an effective logline that boils down the essence of your story into one phrase that you can use to quickly capture the interest of producers, directors, and others who can greenlight your project. As part of the workshop, you’ll pitch your project to Marilyn. You’ll get personalized feedback from Marilyn, and—time permitting—you’ll have the opportunity to revise your logline and pitch again.
Cost: $25. Class size is limited to ensure everyone has time to practice pitching.
Get more details and register here.
Tuesday, June 28, 6:30-8:30 pm
A Producer’s Perspective: Career Pathways and Responsibilities
Led by award-winning producer Nan Bernstein
Longtime Berkshire resident Nan Bernstein has spearheaded numerous films and television series, including Friday Night Lights, The Leftovers, and I’m Dying Up Here. While producing is often viewed as a glamor job, it’s more realistically about rolling up your sleeves, constant problem solving, and thinking outside the box. Asked about the role of the producer, Nan says:
It’s like being a general contractor — you’re making sure the electric and plumbing go in before the walls go up. You’re responsible for budgets, hiring the crew, staying on schedule, and much more. It’s the bridge between the creative and on-set crews.
Nan has led workshops and lectures for the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, and the Writers Guild of America. In this workshop, you’ll hear about her first-hand experiences as an award-winning, sought-after Hollywood producer and how she got there. She’ll share her wealth of experience, including stories from her professional life that exemplify the creativity, resourcefulness, resilience, and other skills and qualities you need to be a producer.
You’ll get a glimpse of some basic tools of the trade— Call Sheets, Production Reports, and Schedules—and gain an understanding of why they are so important. You’ll also learn about some concrete factors that can complicate productions. Above all, you’ll learn to think about the feasibility of your project from the producer’s perspective and how to acquire some of the essential skills you need to make it your career.
Cost: $25
Get more details and register here.
These workshops are made possible by a generous grant from
