Kickstart My Pitch 6.17

Main Description

Kickstart My Pitch is a 2-hour live workshop focused on how to construct a compelling , industry-standard verbal pitch for a scripted television series.

Instructor Emmeline Hankins is passionate about teaching pitching to writers, not only as an end goal, but as a powerful development tool for ideas at any stage.

Whether you're developing a new show or preparing for meetings, this session will help you understand how to communicate your project in a way that aligns with how industry gatekeepers actually evaluate material and advocate for it up the chain.

You do not need a completed script or fully developed idea to benefit from this class.

What We’ll Cover

• An overview of the TV development and selling process
• How pitches are structured across drama, comedy, and animation
• Why thinking about your show as a pitch is a powerful development tool
• How to “nutshell” your show in clear, industry-standard terms
• How to set up your pitch with essential context before diving into story

What You’ll Walk Away With

• A clear roadmap for building your own pitch
• A stronger understanding of how your project is evaluated in development
• Tools you can immediately apply to your current or future ideas

Who This Is For

• Writers developing a TV idea (at any stage)
• Writers preparing for general meetings or pitch opportunities
• Writers who want to better understand how executives actually think about projects

Additional Details

• Live, online workshop (Zoom)
• Duration: 2 hours
• Participants will receive a recording of the class and handouts, including pitch roadmaps.
• This workshop serves as the foundation for a 4-week Pitch Course, where participants apply these tools directly to their own project.

About the Instructor

Emmeline Yang Hankins is a producer and development executive with over 20 years of experience working with writers across film and television.

She has taught pitching at USC and worked with writers through Sundance-supported programs, bringing both academic and industry perspectives to her approach.