Executive Producers; Notes from the Thought Police | Matthew Leonard

Matthew Lenoard - on pitching projects:

Here are some tips from someone who’s had twenty years with the ABC as a gatekeeper: listening to program pitches, mentoring and supporting freelancers, teaching radio and deciding whether to commission programs.

During that time I also had five years on the outside where I was pitching stories back to the ABC on a freelance basis. Hopefully these few ideas will help make your contact with the ABC easier and more satisfying.

The ABC needs its freelancers and most EPs or commissioner understand the value of good freelancers. Often programs invest a lot of time and effort in developing freelancers and would prefer to establish longer-term relationships rather than have to constantly retrain them.

All programs are slightly different and their Executive Producers will have their own nuances, but I have tried to make these few suggestions general enough to be of general use to prospective freelancers hoping to make radio for Radio National.

Be a listener. Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people try and pitch (and even turn up at job interviews!) without having listened to the program. If you ARE a listener, then have some opinions about the program, don’t just say how “fabulous” the program is.

Use the ABC website to familiarise yourself with a program and network’s back catalogue. You MUST also acquaint yourself with the ABC’s editorial policies which are public documents and absolutely vital to program makers.

Don’t pitch to too many programs at once. Every program has its own program brief and may also be able to provide their own guidelines for freelancers. The “scatter gun” affect can be counterproductive and may cause confusion down the line. Most EPs or commissioning editors will try and make suggestions and redirect your proposal to a better fit for your pitch.

Establish some communication with the relevant EP or supervising producer first. Find a time to make useful contact with your potential commissioner or supervisor. Be aware that they will be a busy most of the time and may not answer emails straight away. Sometimes a few minutes to introduce yourself on the phone followed up by a more substantive email might produce better results.

Be aware of timeframes. Expecting to get a story up in the final quarter of the financial year is always hard as most programs have probably already committed their meagre freelance budgets by this time. Also your pitch may have to go to a meeting and be discussed.

Have a clear sense of the story. Give the EP a reason to choose your story over several others. Radio National is a specialist network that aspires to depth in its coverage so you’re always better off to suggest a story which aims for detail rather than survey,

Think through the layers of the story. What are its metaphors if any? Are there subplots that will enrich or enhance the main narrative?

Start to imagine how the program will sound. What perspective is it going to be coming from? Do you here music under voices? Readings or other post-production elements? What are the potential bear-traps?

Have I thought about the permissions, ethics and copyright issues implicit in the story I want to tell? Would the story be enhanced by collaboration? How much of you do you think there’ll be in the story and what’s your relationship to the material? Is your personal connection a selling point to potential commissioners or a liability?

What are your motives for doing this program? What are you doing it and why are you doing it now? Etc.

Writing down your pitch. At some point you will try and write a proposal document. I’d suggest no more than 2 double-spaced pages of A4.

Your pitch should address the following issues as much as possible:

Why you think the program you are approaching is the most appropriate outlet for the story. Provide some background.

Clearly identify the angle or line that you believe the program will follow.

As far as you can identify key locations and voices.

Incorporate some of the thinking you’ve done above in the proposal to indicate to the program you are actually thinking about these issues!

Identify the opportunities for SOUND: including location, possible archival materials or music that might be generated on location.

Anticipate realistic impact on program resources. “Is this freelancer going to be high maintenance” is one of the first questions an EP will ask. “How much hand holding will be involved in research, recording, editing and post”.

Do you think you’ll need actors, translators or other resources?

What travel costs might be involved. Be realistic.

What equipment needs do you have? Do you have your own gear or do you need to borrow. For how long? etc.

Are you going to be able to edit your own material or do you need to use an engineer? Be realistic and honest. It will all come back and bite your bum if your aren’t.

What multimedia or online content do you think the program might generate. Picture opportunities?

If you are an unknown entity to the program you will obviously need to supply a resume of some kind and samples of previous work. Suggest references if they’re appropriate and are going to say good things about you.