Chris's Q&A on "A Writer's Life" is Live

Chris Abbott talks to fellow TV writer Lee Goldberg about pitching and about her book. Read it here.

...And here's Robin Bucci, one of the two winners in the pitch contest. She walked away with a free, autographed copy of "Ten Minutes to the Pitch." 

Here's a rapt audience, entertained by an attendee's pitch... 

Chris Abbott giving some pointers (quite literally!) at The Barnes & Noble at The Grove, April 13. 

Pitching at the Grove

Last night's event at The Grove was a big success with a packed house. A huge thanks to our wonderful panelists and to all the great bloggers and site owners who helped us spread the word: Lee Goldberg, Alex Epstein, Oncewritten.com, and many others.

Thanks also to Jennifer over at Writer's Break for coming down in person to show her support.

We had fun and I think everyone learned something. I'll be posting photos shortly...

Hitting it Big in the Blogosphere

A well-respected TV writing blog by Alex Epstein, Complications Ensue, is listing next week's event at The Grove.

On top of that, the very kind Mr. Epstein has offered to both interview Chris Abbott on his site and include her (in the form of quotes or excerpts) in his next book.

I should also add that Lee Goldberg, who ran "Diagnosis Murder" before Chris, will also be hosting an interview with her on his blog.

And I've set yet another TV-website appearance up for Chris, though the details aren't finalized yet. That one's for a wider readership -- not just writers, but viewers. I'll post more as soon as I know what's going on.

Thanks, guys! There are so many helpful, friendly folks out there in the blogosphere. It's highly encouraging.

Free Pitchfest on April 13 at The Grove

Hey folks! Here's the official press release for next Wednesday's event. If you live in the L.A. area or know someone who does, please direct them to this release. This is a great opportunity for writers to learn hands-on how to pitch. It's also a great chance to mingle with some big-time producers.

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For Immediate Release:

HOW NOT TO SELL YOUR MOVIE OR TV IDEA

Aspiring writers will find out how to correct some common pitching errors at a Los Angeles book signing event for writer/producer Chris Abbott’s new insider’s guide, “Ten Minutes to the Pitch.” Joining her will be fellow writers Charlie Hauck (Frasier), Tom Schulman (Dead Poets Society) and Eric Tuchman (Early Edition). During the signing, several lucky attendees will have the opportunity to pitch and re-pitch their own ideas to the trio of writers/producers.

LOS ANGELES, CA (PRWEB) April 8, 2005 –- According to 25-year Hollywood veteran Chris Abbott (Magnum P.I., Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, The Bold and the Beautiful), there are three key mistakes new writers make “in the room” when trying to sell their ideas to network and studio executives:

1)They’re in the wrong place
2)They don’t know the people in the room
3)They don’t tell the story they’ve come to tell

On April 13 at 7:30 p.m., Abbott and guests Charlie Hauck (Frasier, Home Improvement), Tom Schulman (Dead Poets Society, What About Bob) and Eric Tuchman (Just Cause, Early Edition), will gather at The Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles to redress these problems and share their experiences and advice about what to do in a pitch meeting – and what not to do.

The event will begin with a public, pitch-to-the-camera practice session. Following that, Abbott and her industry guests will select audience members to “pitch” their ideas before she discusses common pitfalls, helpful hints and her new book, "Ten Minutes to the Pitch” (ISBN # 1-931290-56-3, Tallfellow Press). Following the session and Q&A, the same audience members may “re-pitch,” hopefully with newfound knowledge, to the panel. The most improved pitch of the evening will receive a free, autographed copy of Abbott’s book.

Ten Minutes to the Pitch: Your Last-Minute Guide and Checklist for Selling Your Story is the second in Tallfellow Press’s new “Ten Minutes to Success” series of last-minute guides. The first was “Ten Minutes to the Audition,” by actress Janice Lynde.

The Barnes & Noble at The Grove is B & N’s flagship store in Southern California. The address is 180 Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

For more information or to book appearances or interviews with the author, contact Claudia Sloan at Tallfellow Press, (310) 203-3837.

Tallfellow Press is an eclectic publisher located in Los Angeles. Its predecessor, Price Stern Sloan, is best known for publishing the popular word game "Mad Libs," the ever-true "Murphy’s Law" and the melodious "Wee Sing" Series.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Claudia Sloan
Tallfellow Press
(310) 203-3837, (310) 203-3893 fax
www.Tallfellow.com, www.tallfellow-la.blogspot.com

TV Writer/Producer Endorses "Ten Minutes to the Pitch"

This is great. Getting the word out... Thanks to Lee Goldberg. His blog is really great, by the way. I'll be adding it to our sidebar soon.

Press Release: Noted TV Writer to Tour This Summer in Support of Her How-to-Pitch Book

For archival reasons, here's the press release for Chris's spring tour (as of 3/30/05).

Tallfellow Authors at 2005 Festival of Books

Hey folks. If you're so inclined to check out the L.A. Times Festival of Books -- always a wonderful, informative, and inspiring way to spend a weekend -- please sign up to see our authors talk about movie and TV writing. For more information, go to the Writers Guild Foundation Events page.

The event runs the weekend of April 23.

Breaking in from the Outside: What to Do if You Write Outside of L.A.

Chris Abbott made a great appearance online last week at The Writers Channel. One of the very useful subjects she covered was concrete advice on how to break into the film industry and get an agent -- even if you don't live in Hollywood.

I can't give away everything she said -- that would be unfair to those who paid to attend that seminar, and future seminars -- but I can provide you an excerpt from the very well-attended and enlightening discussion:

ON GETTING PEOPLE TO SAY "YES" TO YOU:

The main thing, once you're in the room, is to remember that it's a performance. It's sitting around the campfire telling stories. I always try to get the executive to nod "yes" to something. Like -- "Great weather, huh?" Obviously something better than that. But I have this theory that once they're saying "yes"... It'll be easier for them to say "Yes" to your pitch.

If you're interested in finding out more about breaking in, making a great impression, and getting people to say "yes" to you, buy the book... and contact us at 310-203-3837 to help set up an author appearance and seminar in your area or at your school. We love to travel.