May 04, 2007 | JAMES TELLA

Pitch Perfect

Writers Tell Their Stories During Sixth Annual First Pitch

Pitching at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

If you think speed dating is a nerve-wracking way to meet the potential person who may change your life, just think what it feels like to have five minutes in front of someone who could be the catalyst to your entertainment career.

On Monday, April 30, graduate and undergraduate students from the Division of Writing for Screen & Television did exactly that as they delivered their ideas in rapid-fire fashion to entertainment reps during the sixth annual First Pitch event.

Gathering at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, 58 students moved through the grand ballroom with choreographed precision for 20 rounds of five-minute, pre-arranged sessions to pitch their thesis scripts and other ideas to execs from leading agencies, management firms, studios and production companies.

“I’m a little nervous, but you just have to do the best than you can,” said second-year MFA student Kelli Ward, who, last fall received the school’s NAACP/CBS Television Fellowship. “Right now, I’m just

eager to get going.”

First Pitch featured
on The Business

Listen Now

KCRW public radio 04.23.2007

Remembering his own experience during the event’s inaugural year in 2002, co-host Aaron Thomas ’02 (Friday Night Lights) felt certain everyone in the room already possessed the ability and the vision to succeed. “Tonight is not merely about performance. It’s about building a relationship,” he said. “Engage the person across the table, and bring the energy that you had when you first came up with the idea.”

After adding a moment of levity and sharing several humorous stories of her own pitches, Elisa Bell ’87 (Little Black Book) reiterated the importance of making an impression in order to obtain a second meeting. “Your careers are going to be a long and bumpy road,” she said. “Hold tight, breathe, and good luck.”

And with that, the bell sounded and the pitches, which included drama, comedy, action/adventure, thrillers and more, were presented to reps such as first-time attendee Leif Lillehaugen from Humble Journey Films, who was anxious to hear the stories. “It was an amazing night,” he said during the evening’s reception. “Everyone did an excellent job.”


"I'm a little nervous," said second-year MFA student Kelli Ward.

As the night progressed and the decibels in the room increased, Ward patiently waited in the lobby, along with others like third-year writing graduate Kate Powers, who after several rounds, was focused on saving her voice for the remainder of the night.

“I’ve been worried I’ve not come across fresh and exciting,” Powers said with a hint of exhaustion, knowing she had several more rounds ahead of her. “If the brakes go out from my brain to my mouth, I have a standard presentation that I know cold.”

“There was nothing like this in my day,” observed Shirley Rose, a member of the class of 1946 majoring in cinema, who recalled that the key to breaking into the studio system took more than just meeting one person. “You had to have someone take an interest in you, and then that person had to have a friend who knew someone who had a friend who knew someone. If you were a girl, it was even harder,” she laughed.

The first First Pitch was the brainchild of newly staffed Law & Order: SVU writer, M.F.A. Kam Miller.

“This is not a make-or-break moment,” said her classmate, writing instructor Brad Riddell. “It’s a great opportunity that could lead to something big and teach you a lot of valuable lessons.”