Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pitching

Avoiding the super-slush pile

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:12:49 -0800

So -- with no direct industry contacts and conventions out of the question -- how does one pitch to Marvel Comics? I'm an indie comics creator with a reasonable track record -- a few decently (but not ragingly) successful North American books under my belt and a few more on the way -- and I have a very good idea that uses a currently inactive Marvel Comics character. It's rooted enough in their universe that it has to be a Marvel project. The thing is, while I have a number of contacts at small publishing firms, with artists, etc., the circles I move in aren't really "Marvel circles" to the extent that anyone I know can bend the ear of an editor. And I live far away from the States, making one-on-one convention-schmoozing an impossibility.

I'm accustomed to the indie pitch process: I get together with a great artist, we put together a good package, and we send it to relevant publishers. I bat about .500 this way, slowly trending upwards as I get more projects and recognition under my belt. But I'm still a nobody as far as Marvel and DC go, and since they do their own artist/writer bundling, the idea of getting an artist to dive into spec art for a project that would probably get reassigned anyway doesn't seem practical -- although if I'm wrong on this, please correct me.

What does a pitch package that arrives at the Marvel offices look like if it's to avoid the unsolicited-garbage category right away, given that I imagine their mailbag groans with such things? And, apart from sheer unrelenting excellence, what can get such a thing noticed by the right people?

there goes a high, hard one

Mach5 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:07:08 -0800

How do I identify what pitch is which when watching baseball on TV? I watch baseball every day during the summer (go yanks!), however, I've always wanted to identify the pitches so I can tell what the pitchers are throwing and see how they change it up from batter to batter, etc, etc. Fastballs go straight and drop very little, that i know, but how do I tell the difference between a slider/splitter/curve/sinker/breaking ball? They all look the same to me. Surely there has to be a key way to differentiate pitches. If stupid Michael Kay can do it, I should be able to! What do I look for?

Are fast-pitch softball pitchers indestructable?

LouMac — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:11:37 -0800

Why do fast-pitch softball pitchers pitch every game? Having been enthralled by the NCAA softball tournament that has been on ESPN over the last 2 weeks, I've noticed that fast-pitch softball pitchers pitch every game for their team. Why is that? Baseball pitchers only pitch every fifth game. Is the underhand motion less straining on the arm than the traditional baseball overhand pitching motion?

Pitching a profile article

faunafrailty — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 20:51:36 -0800

Do I need to contact a company before I pitch a profile to the local newspaper? I want to pursue more freelance writing and given my background, I think business profiles are a good bet. I've got a local business in mind that I think would work well for the newspaper. But is it okay that I've never approached the business?

I know as a staff writer, we blindly asked companies all the time if they wanted to be profiled. But the idea of getting a freelance assignment without ever having talked to the company feels a little strange. But it also feels strange to talk to them first. (Note: they're friends of friends, but I don't personally know them.)

Any advice? Thanks!

How Do you 'Make' a Story Timely?

clairezulkey — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:01:52 -0800

How do you make an idea timely? For you freelance writers out there, I wanted to know how you take a magazine/newspaper story idea of yours and make it timely. Do you investigate current events tie-ins and somehow smush the ideas together? Or wait to see if something arises that would make your idea more relevant?

Or, do you only pitch ideas based on timely issues? (To me this seems like it would be less likely to result in assignments, i.e. "Gee how can I turn Nicole Richie's skinniness into a story?" vs. "Hmm I have this article about eating disorders, maybe I can mention Nicole Richie since that's in the news.) Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe that IS the better way to go!

Anyway, just wondering if any writers out there have special little tricks on taking a good idea and making it irrisistable to editors looking for unique ideas on timely topics

Can a producer poach ideas from prospective employees?

serialcomma — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 23:43:41 -0800

What rights--if any--do you retain when you pitch ideas during a job interview? My boyfriend recently applied for a position at a production company specializing in documentaries. As part of the interview process, he was asked to pitch original serial and feature-length documentaries, and provided about 15 ideas over the course of two interviews.

During the second interview, the company's executive producer mentioned he had especially high hopes for one of the pitches, and he wanted to send it to his agent. If the idea sold and the exec hired him, my boyfriend would end up producing his own documentary.

Which would ordinarily be great. Except that the producer then hired another candidate for the position.

Ideas can't be copyrighted, but is it kosher for a producer to take a job candidate's pitch and try to sell it himself? Does my boyfriend retain any rights--either to the idea, or to any profit that may eventually result if the producer successfully sells and executes the idea? Since he'll probably be going on many more interviews like this, how can he keep his ideas from being poached? And any tips on dealing with the producer without burning any bridges?