OMGRICK

Regarding the "blank meets blank" pitch

I think Liz and the NewTeeVee team are doing a great job covering the new media landscape, but she really missed the mark on this one.

The “It’s BLANK meets BLANK!” pitch arose in Hollywood because most decisions made at major studios are made by executives looking for easy ways to justify their choices, and “BLANK meets BLANK” is a way to make a multimillion-dollar project seem like a safe investment to men in suits.

But guess what, guys? You’re not making a movie in Hollywood. You’re making something for the Internet, where productions are cheap and the only suit you have to convince is the one in your closet (that is, if you’re prone to talking to your clothes). Don’t be “BLANK meets BLANK.” Go crazy. Take risks. And for the sake of all of us reviewers, who open up every unsolicited email hoping to see the next great show, please be original

— Liz Miller, on NewTeeVee Station today. (via moth)

The blank meets blank line has nothing to do with justifying financial decisions to studio execs. It’s just a mental shortcut that writers/producers use to quickly draw you in and give a sense of our tone, hook, etc. We don’t love using the trick, but we do it because it works and it saves us precious minutes during the pitch meeting.

Part of the reason web productions are “cheap” (as you put it) is because of this sentiment that we as producers are doing something wrong. We aren’t taking risks. We aren’t coming up with original ways to pitch shows. We aren’t worthy of sponsor/network dollars. I call B.S. on that. The truth is, most sponsors/networks aren’t yet receptive to truly original ideas, so we’re often forced to think within the box.

This isn’t about web producers not having the balls to take risks or lacking the originality to come up with new ideas. Most of us have taken huge risks just to be in this business, so if you catch us using the blank meets blank line - instead of ridiculing us, remember we have to work within existing industry boundaries if we want to make a living. And I’m assuming you are OK with us making a living, otherwise how are we supposed to afford to create all the wonderful content you review?

And for the record, I’ve never sent a pitch email to Liz. :)