Get Your Pitch Out of the Black Hole (And Into the Right Hands)
Day 4- On getting out of development hell
You have the perfect pitch deck. The rehearsed presentation. You hit send and... nothing.
Not even a "thanks, but no." Your brilliant idea just vanished into the commissioning bunker aka ether.
Here's exactly how to rescue pitches from the void:
Follow up strategically, not desperately.
This should work as a reasonable pattern - Week two: "Hope this found you well, just checking it came through okay." Week six: "Wondering if you've had a chance to review this yet." Month three: "I know you're swamped, but would love any quick thoughts."
Then stop. Seriously, leave it there.
Ask specific questions, not general ones.
Don't say "hi, any feedback?" Ask about specifics, maybe a top 3 so you can go off and work on them. Try "Was the premise clear?" or "Did the tone land as intended?" Specific questions like this get specific answers. General questions get ignored.
Find out who actually makes decisions.
The person you pitched to might just be a gatekeeper or have team members with more bandwidth. Ask: "If you can't take this elsewhere in the team, who should I be talking to?" Go to the commissioner website, or channel news feed try to get relevant names and build new routes in.
Turn silence into intel.
If three similar executives go quiet, your pitch has a problem. Maybe the market's oversaturated with your genre, or your concept needs sharpening. Use the pattern of silence as a sign to improve your whole approach.
Pitch multiple versions of the same idea.
Same core story, different angles. Pitch it as a limited series to one exec, a returning drama to another. Different formats appeal to different people. I've seen writers get completely different responses just by repositioning the same project.
Create urgency without lying.
"I'm taking this out more widely next month" gives them a deadline without being dishonest about other interest. Line those other suitors up!
The black hole isn't personal so never turn it inward. It's just a system overloaded with content. But after two decades in development, I've learned that persistence plus strategy beats talent alone. Sometimes you need someone who knows which doors to knock on and how to knock on them properly. Tell them the issue and they’ll get to plotting a path forward on your behalf.
If your pitches keep disappearing, it might be worth getting an experienced eye on your approach. The right consultant can spot what's not working and help you fix it before you burn through all your best contacts.
What's your experience been? Fancy sharing any tricks for getting responses when execs go quiet?