As an actor, you learn quickly that you're not going to book every job. You go into a room, you do the work, and often, the answer is no. But there's an old piece of advice every actor hears at some point: your goal isn't to book the job, it's to book the room.

What that means is simple. Even when you don't get the part, you want to leave the people in that room remembering you. You want them thinking about you for the next thing, recommending you to someone else, wanting to see you again. The job wasn't right this time, but you were.

I've spent years on both sides of this equation now, first as an actor walking into audition rooms, and now as a producer sitting on the other side of the table listening to writers pitch. And the more pitches I hear, the more I realise the two experiences aren't as different as they seem. A pitch, like an audition, is rarely about landing the one specific outcome you're hoping for. It's about the impression you leave behind.

Not Every Pitch is a "Yes," and That's Fine

Here's the truth: not every producer you pitch to is going to be right for your script. Taste is subjective, slates are specific, and bandwidth is real. I might love the premise of what you're doing, be genuinely drawn to your voice as a writer, and still not be the right person to take your script further. That doesn't mean the pitch failed.

What I'm listening for isn't just whether I want to option this particular project. I'm listening for whether I want to stay connected to you as a writer. Maybe I can't take this one on, but I'd want to see the next thing you write. Maybe I'll introduce you to someone else who's a better fit. Maybe, a year from now, there's a different project where you're exactly who I need.

That's the room. That's what you're pitching for, even when you don't realise it.

Why "Why Did You Write This" Matters More Than You Think

When a writer sends me a script, I read it in advance of any conversation. But before we get into feedback, before I say a single thing about structure or character or what I think might strengthen the piece, I always ask the same question: why did you write this?

Not because I'm making small talk. Because the answer shapes everything I say next. Once I understand what a writer is actually trying to say, what story they're trying to tell, and why it matters to them, I can give feedback that serves their vision instead of just imposing mine. "Maybe try this, maybe try that" only helps if it's in service of what you're going for.

Here's the thing, though: you don't have that luxury in a six-minute pitch. There isn't time to walk me through how you found the story, what drew you to it originally, all the background that makes a great follow-up conversation once I've read the material. That stuff is valuable, and I do want to hear it, but not yet. In the room, in those six minutes, your job is different. You need to go back to that same question: why did you write this, and let the answer drive the pitch itself, without spelling out the origin story.

What I need from you in six minutes is the story. Who's at the centre of it? What are they fighting for? What's the struggle? Why should I root for them? If you can answer those questions clearly and with conviction, you've done the job, regardless of whether I end up asking for the script.

The Questions I Ask Are the Real Compliment

One thing writers don't always realise: when a producer starts asking practical questions, that's usually the best sign in the room, not a bad one.

I've taken on two projects out of Stage 32 Pitch Sessions recently, both the last pitch of the day, for what it's worth, so don't assume timing works against you. In both cases, the story itself did the work. By the time the writer finished, I wasn't thinking about whether I liked it anymore. I was already thinking about how to get it made.

That's when the questions start. Is this based on a true story? If so, do you have the rights? Do you know the estate? Is the person still alive, and if so, what does that mean for how this gets developed? These aren't questions I ask out of scepticism. They're questions I ask because I'm already hooked, and now I need to know whether the path forward is workable before I request the full script.

If a producer is asking you those kinds of questions, take it as a strong signal. You've already done the hard part. Now it's just logistics.

Written Pitches Aren't Exempt From This Either

Everything above applies just as much to a written pitch as a verbal one, maybe more, because you don't have tone of voice or energy in the room to carry you. A written pitch must do all that work on the page. Producers read a lot of these, and the ones that stand out aren't necessarily the ones with the cleverest logline or the most polished prose. They're the ones where it's instantly clear what the story is and who it belongs to.

The same discipline applies. Resist the urge to open with backstory, credentials, or how the idea came to you. Lead with the story itself: the protagonist, what they want, what's standing in their way, and why it matters. Save the context, the personal connection, the "why I wrote this" material, for after the story has landed, not before it. If a producer must dig through three paragraphs of preamble to find out what your script is about, you've already lost some of their attention, and attention is the one thing you can't get back.

Read the Room, Not Just the Page

Something else worth mentioning: a pitch is a conversation, even when it's mostly you talking. Watch for where the person listening leans in. Notice which part of what you've said prompts a follow-up question versus a polite nod. That's information. If you pitch the same project ten times and the same beat keeps getting a strong reaction, that's probably the beat you should be leading with. If a particular detail keeps needing extra explanation before it lands, that's worth examining too, not necessarily cutting, but at least tightening.

This is another place where the acting comparison holds up. In an audition, you're not performing in a vacuum. You're reading the room, adjusting in real time if you can, staying present rather than just running through a rehearsed version of yourself. The best pitches I hear have that same quality. The writer is telling me a story, but they're also genuinely present with me while they do it, responsive rather than just reciting.

Don't Let One Comment Card Run the Show

If Stage 32 pitch sessions, coverage, consultations, or similar events give you feedback forms afterward, you'll likely get a stack of comment cards back, maybe fifteen, maybe twenty. Read all of them before you decide how you feel about any of them. There's a real temptation to fixate on the one that stings, the single critical note buried among a pile of positive ones, and let that one comment define how you feel about the whole pitch.

Resist it. Weigh it against everything else. If eighteen or nineteen people clearly understood what you were going for and left constructive, encouraging notes, and one person didn't connect with it, that's not a verdict on your pitch. That's one person whose taste or perspective didn't align with this particular story, and that happens; it happens to every writer, every time. Take whatever's genuinely useful from that one note if there's something in it worth taking, and then let it go.

The danger of dwelling on it is that it drowns out everything you should be paying attention to: the majority view, the notes that are constructive and specific, the comments that tell you what's working and what to lean into. That's the feedback that will help you move the project forward. One outlier isn't data. Nineteen consistent responses are.

The Pitfall To Avoid

The most common mistake I see is writers using their six minutes to build up to the story instead of telling it. They want to explain the journey, the research, the years spent developing it, before they get to what it's about. I understand the instinct. That journey matters to you, and it should. But save it. If the pitch lands, we'll have plenty of time for that conversation later, and honestly, that's one of my favourite parts of the process once I've read the script and I'm already invested.

In the room, though, structure your six minutes around clarity, not context. Premise. Protagonist. Stakes. Why this story, why now, why you. Everything else can wait.

Practice it Like You'd Practice an Audition

If there's one practical piece of advice I'd leave you with, it's this: pitch out loud, to other people, before you ever pitch to a producer. Writers' groups, friends, other writers you trust, it doesn't matter who, as long as they'll give you honest feedback. Ask them afterward what landed and what didn't. What did they walk away understanding about your story, and what got lost.

Actors do this constantly. You don't walk into an audition having only ever said the lines in your head. You run it, you get notes, you adjust, you run it again. Writers should treat pitching the same way. It's a performance in its own right, and like any performance, it gets sharper with repetition and honest feedback.

At the end of the day, you won't book every room. Not every producer will be the right home for your script, and that's not a reflection of the work. But if you leave that room having told a clear story, backed by a voice we want to hear more from, you've done exactly what you needed to do.

The rest tends to follow.

Last Week's Winner Spotlight

Before we jump into this week, let's celebrate. Congratulations to our two Week 2 July Filmmakers Club winners, Jackie Letkowski and Corey Perkins!

Jackie Letkowski is an actor, producer, and screenwriter who studied film and writing at SCAD and sketch comedy writing at Second City. A contest-placing screenwriter, she has spent years working both in front of and behind the camera. Connect with Jackie by clicking here!

Corey Perkins is a screenwriter with a character-first approach, blending lived experience with observational humor and a love of comedy. He's drawn to stories about people navigating life's unexpected, messy turns, and the obstacles that push them, shape them, and trip them up along the way. Connect with Corey by clicking here!

For completing all three of last week's challenges, Jackie and Corey have each won a free Stage 32 Webinar to continue their craft and industry education.

Stage 32 Webinars run 90 to 120 minutes and are available both live and on demand. In the live version, your instructor teaches for roughly 60 to 75 minutes and then takes questions from the live audience. Every live webinar is then placed on demand, so you can watch it at your convenience and as many times as you like. And you do not need to be available for the live session to sign up, you will always be able to watch on demand.

You can explore the entire webinar library here.

Could this be you next week? Complete this week's challenges below for your chance to be featured right here in next Monday's blog.

Henry's blog is a reminder that so much of this business comes down to the relationships and impressions you build, one room at a time. So this week, we are focusing on exactly that: growing your network and putting yourself in front of the people who could become your next collaborators, champions, and creative family.

Here are your three challenges for Week 3:

• Post in the Stage 32 Producing Lounge and share what you are looking for in your next collaborator or producing partner. Be specific about the skills, mindset, or experience you are hoping to find, and what you bring to the table in return.
• Post in the Stage 32 Introduce Yourself Lounge for Introduce Yourself Weekend. Share who you are, what you are working on, and who you are hoping to connect with this month. New friends in our community are waiting to meet you.
• Send at least five new Stage 32 connection requests, or invite five new creatives you know to join the Stage 32 community. Real growth happens when you actively build your network, both inside and outside the platform. Then comment here on the blog to tell us if you invited your friends or sent new requests! Tell us in the comments below about who you reached out to and why.

Complete all three challenges this week, and you will be entered to win a free Stage 32 Career Development Call with an executive of your choice, with the winner announced in next Monday's blog.

You have done the hard part by showing up. Now go build the relationships that carry your work forward. We will see you in the Lounges.

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Got an idea for a post? Or have you collaborated with Stage 32 members to create a project? We'd love to hear about it. Email Ashley at blog@stage32.com and let's get your post published!

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