Every month we chronicle our antics from the Filmable 2024/2025 series. From our epic VIFF party to learning how to give better feedback, we accomplished a lot, and are proud to share with you all.
In our third chronicle in this series, let’s take a look at the Filmable Pitch Workshop.
TLDR:
On a blustery morning in December, we invited seven of the nicest indie producers from Vancouver to hear the pitches from FOURTEEN projects and give feedback on how to strengthen them. People left feeling inspired, encouraged and ready to work.
Thanks to Creative BC and BOLDLY for supporting the workshop and making it possible.
THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT
Pitch Workshop participants saying bonjour (they were happy, we promise!)
One of the biggest gaps in our industry’s culture is having the arena to practice pitching. Pitching is, at its core, the moment the project morphs from a singular idea into an entity and a shared vision. Pitching is at every step of the way. Anyone who comes on board the project was likely the recipient of a successful pitch. It is the key that keeps our industry flowing, and yet there are very few opportunities to practice outside of the wonderful Crazy 8s, Screen BC and GEMFEST programs. Not to mention the opportunity to practice in a low stakes environment where critical feedback is respectfully shared.
And thus we thought to ourselves… why don’t we just try it? A sentiment that has served us well at Filmable. Try, iterate, try again, iterate further, so on and so forth.
The teams pitching at their stations, spread out across the Boldly Office.
With the support of Creative BC, we reached out to a few of the nicest indie producers we know who are big believers in the BC Indie community - especially its potential as a creative force to be reckoned with. It’s enough to say they didn’t need much convincing, and were eager to share their time and expertise.
These generous souls included:
- Lori Lozinski - Violator Films
- Marlaina Mah - Oddfellows
- Mike Johnson - Studio 104
- Amanda Strachan - Imōto Productions
- Geoff Manton - Boldly Creative
- Sara Blake - Ceroma Films
- Jesse Einstein - Producer
Lori Lozinski dropping those insights.
All smiles at Sara Blake's table!
We structured it so that there were two projects being pitched to a producer in each round, and each project had two rounds. Capiche?
This gave the people pitching two perspectives and feedback from different producers, along with the perspective from the folks also pitching that round.
Each round was an hour, with each project having 10 minutes to pitch and 20 minutes for feedback.
Jesse Einstein and Panthea, deep in pitchland.
It was a wonderful way to spend a frosty December morning, having coffee, connecting with new folks, sharing ideas and inspiring each other to dive in deeper.
And even though these producers weren’t there to officially receive pitches for their own slates, it just so happened that one of the producers was moved by one of the pitches to actually continue the conversation after the workshop. Bravo!
Always time for a selfie with Geoff Manton.
Thanks for reading, and looking forward to creating more opportunities to practice your pitch!
Love,
The Filmable Team
