Ben Orell currently serves as Head of Development and Production at More Coffee Please, One Republic Lead Singer Ryan Tedder's TV/Film company, where he has successfully set up and produced projects at Netflix, Amazon, NBC/Universal, Nickelodeon, and CJ Entertainment across multiple formats.He has 15+ years of experience developing and producing content across film, television, digital, and emerging platforms.
Previously, Ben served as NFL Media's first "Development Producer," overseeing creative and production for all social and digital content, generating billions of engagements and creating formats still in production today. Earlier in his career, he was Creative Executive at Boies/Schiller Film Group, helping develop and produce The Escape Plan starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also produced commercials for Apple with Stevie Wonder and Gus Van Sant, winning a Cannes Lion in 2015 for his work on the first "Shot on iPhone" campaign.
Ben began his Hollywood journey after graduating from University of Wisconsin and Brooklyn Law School, starting as a PA and creative executive before moving into digital content development with VICE, Fullscreen, and AwesomenessTV. A New Haven native and passionate entertainment advocate, Ben focuses on high-quality projects with strong production viability in today's marketplace.
What They Are Looking For and How They Can Help You! I am excited to meet with writers because I’m a huge believer in finding and supporting new voices and perspectives in film and TV. This is an industry built on relationships so I am eager to continue to broaden my network and hopefully help shepherd the next great project in whatever way I can.
Over the course of my career, I’ve been a part of thousands of pitches for TV and film projects ranging from micro-budgets to 9 figure blockbusters. I believe I can help writers focus their pitch and hone in on what buyers and other executives are really looking to hear when evaluating projects. At MCP, we are always looking for well-developed scripts and pitches that are already in a position to move fast. In terms of genres, we tend to focus on Romcom, comedy, and anything with a musical element. While we are fans of all sorts of TV and film, we tend to focus on areas where we add value in this challenging market.
Ben specializes in all genres of Feature Film and TV scripts.
Tips on pitching to Ben Orell
Guidelines
Live Pitches
Within 15 minutes of your scheduled pitch, the exec will reach out by Zoom or Phone. Your pitch session will last approximately 8 minutes.
Written Pitches
Written Pitches will be no more than 2 pages submitted as a PDF or WORD document. Any written pitch uploaded past the deadline will not be shown to the executive and will result in a non-refundable forfeiture of your pitch.
Scorecards
Within 3-4 weeks of your pitch session, you will receive a Pitch Scorecard on which the exec you pitched will provide pitch feedback and note if they are PASSing, or would like to REQUEST your material.
If you are requested, you will be notified via email with further instructions. The execs will have 2-3 months to review your material and note if they are PASSing, or would like a MEETING. If a meeting is requested, we will introduce you via email.
Please understand that these are working executives, and their schedules are subject to change at a moment's notice. We always strive to give you at least 24 hours of notice if a session has been cancelled, and we will recommend another executive for you to pitch your material to.
Need help with your pitch?
Download the Stage 32 Pitching Guidebook
Questions or Concerns?
WriterHelp@Stage32.com
Whether you're preparing to find (or switch) representation, go out with a feature or TV script to production companies, studios, streamers, networks, investors or buyers, Stage 32 Pitch Sessions are a great first step to make sure you are on the right track.
Stage 32 has cultivated professional relationships with over 3,000 industry professionals including managers, agents, development executives, producers, investors and other executives and professionals across the industry who listen to pitches from the Stage 32 community. For these executives and pros, Stage 32 has become the place to discover new talent and material.
It’s simple. You simply pick the executive you’d like to pitch to. You can choose to pitch either via Zoom or through a written pitch.
Your executive will give you feedback on the pitch and ask and answer questions in real time. You will learn what works and doesn't work with your material and you can continue to hone your script and pitch as you prepare to go to market.
Then, within 3 weeks, you will receive a scorecard outlining various aspects of your pitch including Pitch Delivery/Format, Clarity of Pitch, Set Up of Protagonist(s) & World, Obstacles & Conflict, Clarity of Tone, Originality of Concept and Strength of Voice.
Further, you will receive an industry standard PASS or REQUEST for your project. If you receive a request for your script OR if the executive requests a meeting (or both!), we will facilitate the arrangement!
For over a decade, Stage 32 writers have secured tens of thousands of script requests and thousands of meetings with industry professionals as a result of pitching through Stage 32. These requests and meetings have led to thousands of success stories including writers securing representation, sales, paid options, produced films, open writing assignments, writers room jobs and much more. You can check out our success stories here!
In our Zoom or Phone pitches, you will pitch directly with the executive through Zoom or via telephone. Your pitch will be 8 minutes in total. It is up to you on how you want to use your time, but we recommend you spend 5-6 minutes to pitch your project, which will allow for 2-3 minutes of executive questions and feedback.
Written Pitches must be no longer than 2 pages submitted as a PDF or WORD document. Your written pitch should include the name of the script, logline, format (feature film or TV pilot) and genre. From there, you’ll want to lay out the main points of your story and character arcs to create and present a clear, concise narrative.
Both live and written pitch sessions follow industry standards and are designed to present your pitch to working executives. They will provide you with meaningful, actionable guidance to not only improve the work and the pitch, but to help you best position your work for the marketplace. So please come fully prepared.
Once you sign up for your pitch session you will be given educational resources to help you best prepare your pitch which include example pitch beat sheets for both feature film & TV verbal pitches, examples of both written and feature film written pitches, as well as an example video Zoom pitch.
This is a professional environment and you are pitching to seasoned executives. Decorum is important. Please adhere to the guidelines below.
You’ve worked so hard on your material, we couldn’t be more excited for you to present the work to your executive. We have no doubt that by following the guidelines above, you’re going to do fantastic!
Best wishes with your pitch.
And remember, if you ever have any questions from choosing an executive to which of our services may be right for you, never hesitate to reach out to the Success Team at success@stage32.com - We’re here to help…always!