A Pitch Tells Two Stories: The Project, And The Buyer's Promotion
Hollywood screenwriter Rhett Reese on what a pitch actually is: the project story runs on the surface, the story of the other person's success runs underneath. Make them the protagonist, lower their risk, enlarge their reward, and your pitch lands far more often.
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One word after the punchline and the laugh is gone
Comedy, like all communication, works best in short sentences. When we write comedy we find the rhythm and put the funniest word at the end of the line. If words come after the punchline, the brain hears the joke and wants to laugh but still has to process what follows, and that weakens the comic effect. So we cut a line down to the fewest possible words and end on the funniest one. The strategy works.
— Rhett ReeseThe protagonist of a pitch is not the project but the executive across the table
We are all selling something, and a pitch is really two stories at once. The first is the story of the project itself — told like a tale around a campfire: think about what the audience needs, keep it short and entertaining, give it a climax. The second story is subtler: make the executive across the table the protagonist, and tell the narrative of how they succeed after buying this project. The executive's problem is a limited budget — they need to buy the right project and produce results. So what we transmit to them is a vision: we are professionals, you are safe, buying this project will make you successful.
— Rhett ReeseThe other side does not want the optimal option, it wants the safe one
In a pitch you lower the risk the other side perceives and you enlarge the reward. From the moment the pitch begins they are your audience, as if they were sitting in a dark theater or beside a campfire; your job is to lead them to see the picture, to let them visualize it. This applies in any setting: pitching a VC, asking your boss for a raise, even a plumber talking to a customer. The core of it is making them believe you are the safe choice — that your experience and credibility let them take the risk with confidence.
— Rhett ReeseDisagreements are settled by who cares more, not by who persuades
My writing partner Paul and I never fight. The rule is "whoever cares most wins." When we disagree, we each state our case, and if neither of us can persuade the other, we look at who feels more strongly about it. This defuses conflict, because once one side realizes the other genuinely cares, that side gives way. Next time it may be your turn. The rule works well, and it keeps the collaboration running smoothly.
— Rhett ReeseCriticism belongs in the document, never delivered to someone's face
We don't criticize each other face to face. Instead we write scenes separately, send them by email, and edit each other's work on our own computers. Edits go in bold, and they stay bold until both of us are satisfied, at which point the bold comes off. This takes the emotion and the territoriality out of it. When a revised draft arrives, what you are looking at is a change in a document, not criticism aimed at you in person. If the other person has changed something of yours, you can change it again — but usually you don't put it back the way it was unless you have a good reason.
— Rhett ReeseThe next Chris Nolan will not come out of Hollywood
My feelings about AI are contradictory: 85% fear, 15% excitement. The fear is that AI can produce Hollywood-quality content, that studios will discover cheaper ways to make things, and that a large number of jobs will disappear. The excitement is that within the next three years someone will be able to make a film of Hollywood caliber alone, with AI tools, going around Hollywood's gates entirely. That will bring forward the young creators who have been shut out, and among them will be a new Chris Nolan and a new Charlie Chaplin.
— Rhett ReeseChanging genres only works half a step at a time
Hollywood types you easily. We have deliberately moved only half a step at a time: from horror comedy to action comedy, then to straight action, then to romantic comedy. That broadens the credits gradually and proves we can handle multiple genres. At the same time, there are advantages to owning a brand that sells; but you have to push the boundaries consciously so you don't end up boxed in.
— Rhett ReeseHonesty is the bedrock of communication, and getting caught destroys everything
The first element of successful communication is honesty — it is the bedrock. If the audience discovers you are lying, your credibility is destroyed. The second is considering your audience: every act of communication is aimed at specific people, and it has to be tailored to them. The third is being brief and clear — no circling around, no repetition, no digressions. In an era of information overload, brevity is a form of respect for your listener's time.
— Rhett ReeseIn their own words · checked verbatim
we try not to write past our punchline or to write past the funniest word because when you're hearing a joke, you are hearing a setup, a setup, and then the word that contains the surprise or the twist or the humorous thing that makes you laugh.
Rhett Reese2:03
we're selling with two stories, really. The first story is the actual story we're telling, right? And we treat it very much like a campfire story.
Rhett Reese4:04
the second story we're telling, which is a subtle one, is one in which the executive to whom we're pitching is the protagonist, and we are basically pitching them a story of their success should they buy this project.
Rhett Reese5:05
whoever cares the most wins. That's the rule.
Rhett Reese9:12
It sent chills down my spine. For people who have devoted their careers and lives to the film industry, this is truly frightening. I can already see jobs disappearing.
Rhett Reese13:16
Hollywood has long been a gatekeeper that keeps young, poor people away from creative levers. When a young person with no capital sets out to impress Hollywood, they can use tools like these, and young Chris Nolans will be among them, and amazing stuff will result.
Rhett Reese13:16
I'm about 85% terrified and about 15% really excited.
Rhett Reese14:17
Figures
| Combined worldwide box office of the films Rhett Reese has written with Paul Wernick | Over $3 billion | 0:00 |
Glossary
- pitch
- Selling an idea or project to a decision-maker — a film pitch, a business plan.
- gatekeeper
- The person or institution controlling access to resources or opportunities, such as a Hollywood studio.
- auteur
- A film director with a strong personal style and creative control over the work.
How to listen
Founders, investors, and working professionals — above all anyone who has to sell an idea or a product to a decision-maker.
The opening small talk and the show promo at the end are skippable; the core starts at 4:04.