Great (NEW) Ideas Welcome at Fairly Young Company (pitch your script)

jimmyshwanz · Aug 4, 2008

I do apologize that this is my first post here, but my intention is most definitely not to spam the boards. I am trying to get the information about this program out to the public because that's who we are looking for. We are sick of the same "cookie-cutter" work coming out of Hollywood and are looking for fresh new writers with great concepts and ideas to work with. So this is intended for all of you who are either working on a script, or have one finished but are having trouble getting it seen by "the right people."

Nehst Studios is opening their doors to any and all ideas that people have for film/television/internet media ideas and concepts through their website PitchNehst.com. The goal here is to offer a chance to people who have brilliant ideas and concepts which surpass the current "creativity" in most studio films. Much of what is being produced is beginning to grow stale because the stories and scripts are being churned out by all the same people. Nehst Studios' way to remedy that is to introduce the underdogs who are truly struggling for their original voices to be heard.

Nehst Studios' CEO Larry Meistrich (producer of Sling Blade, You Can Count on Me, Belly, etc.) and his executives have raised a $250 Million film fund and have already made 20 deals through the program. Actually, when looking at IMDB, some of Larry's current productions are the most advanced from those deals.

The great appeal to this program is nothing feels rushed. Larry and his associates want to offer a relaxed environment where writers and filmmakers can sit down and discuss their projects rather than try to fit in a 2 minute pitch and get pushed out the door. And even if you can not make it to one of thier frequent Live pitch sessions, you can submit a Virtual Pitch through http://www.pitchnehst.com/login.php. The benefit of face-to-face interaction is missing, but it is not any less personal. And it's strictly confidential.

Either way you decide to pitch, if the concept appeals to the producers, but they are not entirely thrilled with how everything is presented, they are willing to give feedback on your pitch and call attention to areas that might help strengthen your approach for future pitch sessions! This is a very proactive environment and they even recommend that you copyright your work so that even they can not steal it!

The people at Nehst already know this, but they want to prove to the rest of the world that you don't have to be a Hollywood Ace to tell an incredible story.
So if you have concepts or scripts that you are passionate about, go to pitchnehst.com and register. It truly is an opportunity worth trying out.

For more information on how to pitch, check out
pitchnehst.com/pitch_larry.php

For ANY other questions write to: [email protected].
Seriously... We are here to answer ANY AND ALL QUESTIONS you may have. A lot of people have been skeptical about what is presented, but only because they not only ask questions publicly, but then answer them with their own responses. We will definitely get back to your questions if you contact us. Just make sure to put something relating to the Water Cooler in the subject.

We look forward to hearing from you.

And best of luck to everyone!

dpaterso · Aug 4, 2008

Moderator-y opinion:

Tough to tell with this one, yes it has a spammy vibe because we're used to seeing so much spam around here, but the site has a kosher feel and the front man checks out. Make your own mind up. Looks like the virtual pitch costs $10 (which may be a bargain startup price). If anyone tries this then do let others know how you got on, what kind of feedback you received, etc.

-Derek

jimmyshwanz · Aug 5, 2008

Thank you Derek for opening back this thread. And I do know that it seems like a spam letter, but I am indeed a real person and am more than willing to try and answer any/all questions people have.

I'm not looking to abandon this thread. So if there is anything you want to know, or if you want to get involved with this program, drop me a message or post it here for everyone to see.

Thanks!

Joe Unidos · Aug 5, 2008

It still seems weird to me that a company with $250 million in capital is being run as a (seemingly) full-time public pitch mill at $10 a pop...

icerose · Aug 5, 2008

I am curious why the ten dollars as well. If you could explain, perhaps we could better understand where you're coming from.

Thanks.

jimmyshwanz · Aug 5, 2008

The $250 million is set aside for production costs. The ten dollars is used to maintain the website and server space where the submissions are accepted. It also goes towards paying for the space in hotels for the live one-on-one pitches as well as food/refreshments purchased in order to help the whole environment feel much more relaxed and inviting, rather than a high tension business deal.

We are offering a pitch session that is much longer than what is considered to be the standard 2 minutes (10/15 minutes if it doesn't go longer) as well as offering assistance in strengthening your pitch and preparing you for other future pitches.

I know this all may seem really strange, but we are offering a different approach, and a different way for people to get their projects recognized. If you check the backgrounds of the people involved you'll see that they are established individuals and have been connected to a lot of indie film success stories. It wouldn't benefit anyone at this company to scam people. It would only ruin reputations and careers that have been built on hard work and outside of the box thinking.

If you have any other issues, or are still skeptical, let me know. This whole company is built on the thought of working cooperatively, and I want to prove that here by talking this through.

Kristy101081 · Aug 5, 2008

The $10 doesn't seem so strange to me...just to pitch at the Expo in November is $25 a pop, so this would save money. I checked the people involved and everything seems fairly legit.

My question is what's the max budget you'd be looking at for a script. $250 mil isn't a lot when we're talking big budget films, so are you looking more for indie type films? Or just anything with a good story?

zagoraz · Aug 5, 2008

So we're supposed to believe that this $10 "administrative fee" is solely to cover costs associated with your website and that your mission is to reach out to unknown writers out of the goodness of your heart because of an overall disdain for the current state of quality films industry-wide?

I was born at night, but not last night.

And if quality films are what you are after, then how do you explain your involvement in a movie called "Zombie Honeymoon?"

stuckupmyownera · Aug 5, 2008

zagoraz said:
And if quality films are what you are after, then how do you explain your involvement in a movie called "Zombie Honeymoon?"

I don't think that's at all fair.

Jimmyschwanz is here to offer us all something. He's not forcing anyone to give up their money. Don't want it? Don't take it.

zagoraz · Aug 5, 2008

I just don't see how you go from Sling Blade to Zombie Honeymoon, that's all.

I think I would be better served spending my $10 on two gallons of gasoline.

stuckupmyownera said:
I don't think that's at all fair.

Jimmyschwanz is here to offer us all something. He's not forcing anyone to give up their money. Don't want it? Don't take it.

stuckupmyownera · Aug 5, 2008

You mean you've never, ever done anything crap? Never hit hard times? Never done something for money or contacts you'd rather not have done?

(Assuming Zombie Honeymoon is crap, which I'm not. I'm not assuming it's great either. I know nothing. I just don't see any need to be snobbish about it.)

zagoraz · Aug 5, 2008

It doesn't matter what I've done. I'm not the one spamming message boards with $10 reading fees claiming to be tired of the studio system while at the same time shoveling my own horribly cliched and mediocre projects into the pipeline. Do me a favor and go on over to IMDBPro and look at some of the loglines and summaries of their projects in development. If any of them scream "brilliant" please let me know so I can add them to my Netflix list now.

The real brilliance is how many screenwriters are going to fall for this. $10? I'm saving so much over the pitchfest prices!

stuckupmyownera said:
You mean you've never, ever done anything crap? Never hit hard times? Never done something for money or contacts you'd rather not have done?

(Assuming Zombie Honeymoon is crap, which I'm not. I'm not assuming it's great either. I know nothing. I just don't see any need to be snobbish about it.)

jimmyshwanz · Aug 5, 2008

Well another thing that the $10 registration does is helps to narrow down the amount of registrations we get. Obviously, as was brought to my attention countless times in another forum, a studio opening it's doors to newcomers would be swamped with submissions. We don't have hundreds of people looking at scripts, and it is mentioned on the site that only the executives read the pitches. Guess what? You make it $10 to submit a script and people don't automatically do it. Once more and more good things come from it, that will change regardless of registration fees.

In my personal opinion, completely aside from working with Nehst, $10 is not much money for me to put up when dealing with my own ideas. And if the $10 means I'm only submitting concepts with a much more limited number of people, then there's a better chance my $10 can carry me even farther. It keeps the registration pool a little smaller and lets the execs catch up with the submissions they do have coming in. The money can then go back to the writers in creating comfortable spaces for them to sit and talk with the key players in the company.

I appreciate the people who do see some opportunity in this program. And like stuckupmyownera said, you don't want it, don't take it.

Zagoraz: You lvoe referring to Zombie Honeymoon. Notice that Larry was a distribution consultant for that film. What is wrong with lending his knowledge of distribution to someone who came to him for help? Are you also trying to say that every producer, or every filmmaker, always works on A list material? Big name directors put work and money into their concepts all the time and the movie may flop. It doesn't mean they don't put all their effort into creating an experience for a great number of people to enjoy.

You DON'T HAVE TO work with Nehst. No one is making you. It's an opportunity to anyone who is interested. Feel free to spend the money on gas, and drive to some big Hollywood studio and leave your script to sit on a desk, under a pile of thousands of other projects that may not get acknowledged for months.

I don't mean to sound cocky, but a lot of submitted projects wait a long time before they are even read or considered. We are trying to break that mold by trying something different. That's all.

jimmyshwanz · Aug 5, 2008

Kristy101081: The focus is more toward the indie market. A lot of the Nehst team's past deals with indie work and working with indie filmmakers who later went on to do even greater things.

That doesn't mean that larger budgeted projects wouldn't be considered. Great stories to be shared are top on the list. Especially when the writer is passionate about sharing them.

*sorry for the double post*

LIVIN · Aug 5, 2008

stuckupmyownera said:
You mean you've never, ever done anything crap? Never hit hard times? Never done something for money or contacts you'd rather not have done?

Ah, but there's the rub. (And, no, stuckup, I'm not about to defend your point, but take it somewhere else...)

I think it is perfectly legit for zagoraz to mention previous works (Zombie Honeymoon). After all, the OP said in the initial post:
"We are sick of the same 'cookie-cutter' work" and
"Much of what is being produced is beginning to grow stale"

So, if the OP is going to judge the movie biz with such statements, I think it is perfectly fair for zagoraz to judge the OP on the work accomplished.

Your argument, stuckup:
"You mean you've never, ever done anything crap?"

Would negate the OP's as well as zagoraz'. You can't do both and expect to get anywhere with such a line of reasoning.

Anyway, I think it's often provincial to suggest most movies have turned to crap, or such. Especially from people that have never made movies (I'm just going off on a tangent.) I've seen and heard this too much lately it seems. I'd say, if you think it's true, stop saying it and do something about it. Okay, I'm done.

jimmyshwanz · Aug 5, 2008

Point taken, Livin. And I can admit that it would be hypocritical for me to take offense to such a comparison after my original comment. At the same time, I'd have to admit that Zombie Honeymoon does not sound very cookie-cutter.

Still, that doesn't change the fact that the attention was brought to a film where Larry's influence was somewhat minimal. To draw a connection between a produced film and a film where his role was Distribution Consultant doesn't seem right.

The whole point is that Nehst is looking for new talent with fresh ideas that aren't already being presented to studios. The other key thought here is that if someone presents a pitch to the company, and really shows a passion for it, there is a better chance the execs will give it a closer look. I am not saying that they will accept a horrible film concept just because someone is really excited talking about it. However, they will consider the demographic available for the pitches presented.

Williebee · Aug 5, 2008

Zagoraz -- I don't know Jimmyshwanz from Johnny Mac... or from Zagoraz, for that matter. But I do know that a SuperMod, a user with a LONG history of professionalism and commitment to AW, has left this thread open, and told us all to make our own minds up.

That means we have the obligation to not attack the OP just because we don't like or trust them.

Me? I've never pitched a movie (done some work on some TV stuff here and there, but not a movie.)

For 10 bucks, it's worth checking out, if only for the learning experience. It costs more than that to pitch a book agent at most conferences/workshops (you have to pay the price of admission.)

That said, I'll repeat something DPaterso suggested. Folks, if you do pitch this program, please report back. If it turns out to be a scam, we'll know soon enough. And, if not....

gophergrrrl · Aug 5, 2008

I have to stick my two cents in here.

Since coming to this board, I've been told what Hollywood wants, what they don't want, how I'm not good enough for Hollywood and how my writing isn't good enough for Hollywood. Why does everyone care so much about Hollywood? I do not and have never wanted to make mainstream block buster Hollywood films. I don't write that way and I don't want to.

Now, as always, Stuckupmyownera is making a great point, two actually. One; it's not fair to instantly assume and attack, and two, sometimes great film makers release a film that is not insanely popular.

I, for one, really like Zombie Honeymoon. I'm going to buy it on DVD sometime. Why? Because I LIKE IT.

I will be submitting some of my work to this project, and hoping that they see my aspect when it comes to film making. To me, film is only good if its about a story, and not about who Angelina Jolie hooked up with on the set, or how much money Jim Carey made off the sequel.

I think this is a great opportunity, and I'm extremely happy that I found this thread. And yeah, I do believe that somewhere, someone would actually "reach out to unknown writers out of the goodness of their heart because of an overall disdain for the current state of quality films industry-wide". There's nothing wrong with that.

icerose · Aug 5, 2008

jimmyshwanz said:
Point taken, Livin. And I can admit that it would be hypocritical for me to take offense to such a comparison after my original comment. At the same time, I'd have to admit that Zombie Honeymoon does not sound very cookie-cutter.

Still, that doesn't change the fact that the attention was brought to a film where Larry's influence was somewhat minimal. To draw a connection between a produced film and a film where his role was Distribution Consultant doesn't seem right.

The whole point is that Nehst is looking for new talent with fresh ideas that aren't already being presented to studios. The other key thought here is that if someone presents a pitch to the company, and really shows a passion for it, there is a better chance the execs will give it a closer look. I am not saying that they will accept a horrible film concept just because someone is really excited talking about it. However, they will consider the demographic available for the pitches presented.

I'd probably submit to a company like yours, I work for an indy company already in Malaysia and do script work for them and it's a lot of fun, but my funds are extremely limited so I have to save every penny, even ten bucks toward actual stamps and things like that.

Good luck with your company though, I hope you're able to make the impact you're looking for.

mario_c · Aug 5, 2008

I don't mean to be a salesman here but I want to come to Pitchnehst's defense. I bit and met with Larry Meistrich and crew over a year ago, here in NYC. His resume is solid, so $10? Well, if it was a burger with fries you wouldn't complain, said I and so I went. (Pitches at screenwriters' fairs such as the Expo and FadeIn cost $25 each.) They were really personable and basically supportive of my first ever pitch. My script wasn't near ready, but their feedback was a milestone in me thinking of my work as saleable and growing as a writer. At least it was fun talking to him about Minus Man, and some of the other offbeat stuff he has produced.
I think as I develop more off-Hollywood ready scripts I will definitely go back. It's hard to imagine in this market, a studio with any professionalism that respects writers and looks for new talent. That's what's great about being a pessimist - you always enjoy the pleasant surprises in life.

icerose · Aug 6, 2008

mario_c said:
I don't mean to be a salesman here but I want to come to Pitchnehst's defense. I bit and met with Larry Meistrich and crew over a year ago, here in NYC. His resume is solid, so $10? Well, if it was a burger with fries you wouldn't complain, said I and so I went. (Pitches at screenwriters' fairs such as the Expo and FadeIn cost $25 each.) They were really personable and basically supportive of my first ever pitch. My script wasn't near ready, but their feedback was a milestone in me thinking of my work as saleable and growing as a writer. At least it was fun talking to him about Minus Man, and some of the other offbeat stuff he has produced.
I think as I develop more off-Hollywood ready scripts I will definitely go back. It's hard to imagine in this market, a studio with any professionalism that respects writers and looks for new talent. That's what's great about being a pessimist - you always enjoy the pleasant surprises in life.

I'm not disagreeing with you, I just can't do the ten dollars, especially since after that if they did agree to a meeting I'd have to come up with the ability to travel there and I can't afford that either.

And I don't eat out, so ten dollars for a burger and fries doesn't work for me.

But this isn't against the company, it's just my personal budget doesn't allow for ANY extra expendatures or I don't get to buy things like Ink and Paper.

crimsonlaw · Aug 6, 2008

I'm slightly concerned because I don't see anything that would protect a writer's interest in his/her submission. In fact, under the Terms & Conditions section of the website, specifically subsection User's Grant of Limited License, it would seem that Pitch Nehst has the right to fully exploit unsolicited materials or other information or material which they have received. While I do note "unsolicited materials" excludes submissions through the website, there is nothing present in the Terms & Conditions that I saw which made any effort to protect solicited materials or to define "other information or material." There was nothing in the Submission Agreement that made me feel any warm and fuzzier.

I'm certainly not willing to jump to the conclusion that this is a scam, as it's sometimes easy to make mistakes when drafting such long and boring documents, but I would really like to know why there is not a specific provision acknowledging the fact that the original writer retains all rights associated with his/her work. In Pitch Nehst's defense, the Terms & Conditions section does seem to acknowledge a desire to protect the writer's interests. I believe it would only take a minor change to these documents to make certain a writer's rights are protected, and it is disappointing that such an oversight has been made.

Can we expect an immediate change to the Terms & Conditions and the Submission Agreement to ensure that we can retain our interest in our work? If that's not possible, can you explain why there is no need to change these documents?

Again, I am in no way suggesting that something unsavory is going on here. In fact, I hope I can take advantage of your services in the near future (if I can ever finish a dang script). It's just that my lawyer senses kind of tingled when I never noticed a provision that specifically allowed a writer to retain all of his/her rights. Thank you for your assistance with this issue.

bobdole · Aug 6, 2008

IMO the 10$ isn't really a problem. I've been battling for months just to get a few producer to READ my stuff. So far, I've had a few people read my specs but they are usually producers/dreamers with promises without a dollar. But anyway, what's the worse thing that's gonna happen? I lose 10 dollars! I'm broke right now and it still doesn't alarm me too much.

I'm gonna give this website a chance as soon as I get my frickin' credit card unloaded. Should be around next month. bob

LIVIN · Aug 6, 2008

Williebee said:
That means we have the obligation to not attack the OP just because we don't like or trust them.

Zagoraz was merely questioning the OP. We have the obligation to question the OP.

Williebee said:
For 10 bucks, it's worth checking out, if only for the learning experience.

It would be totally contradictory to say we can support/praise the OP and we can not question the OP.

Both sides of the coin are valid and desirable.

mario_c · Aug 6, 2008

Crimsonlaw, you do sign a release. It's standard issue, and Mr Meistrich didn't have a problem answering questions about it.
And icerose, I would imagine travelling out from Utah would be daunting. I live just outside of NYC so it was slightly more convenient for me. Meeting a producer in LA, now that would be a hassle for me so his IMDB resume would best be worth it, if I may be a little cocky about it.

Great (NEW) Ideas Welcome at Fairly Young Company (pitch your script)

jimmyshwanz

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

jimmyshwanz

Joe Unidos

icerose

Lost in School Work

jimmyshwanz

Kristy101081

zagoraz

stuckupmyownera

Mostly lurking

zagoraz

stuckupmyownera

Mostly lurking

zagoraz

jimmyshwanz

jimmyshwanz

LIVIN

jimmyshwanz

Williebee

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

gophergrrrl

Been a while but I've returned...

icerose

Lost in School Work

mario_c

Your thoughts are not real...

icerose

Lost in School Work

crimsonlaw

Roll Tide Roll!!!

bobdole

LIVIN

mario_c

Your thoughts are not real...