A TV Exec Shares How To Effectively Pitch Your Show
A conversation with Jess Sonnenfeld Jolles, a development exec from Montana North Media.
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Today I’m excited to share an interview with my friend Jess Sonnenfeld Jolles, who I met in my Yoga Teacher Training in 2019. Jess has worked as a development executive for over five years. She’s currently developing a sequel to the Emma Stone masterpiece EASY A, as well as spearheading development on various feature and television projects, including the recently announced series CROWN OF WISHES for Disney+.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to really perfect my pitches, so I asked Jess some questions. Her answers are SO HELPFUL in making sure we’re all entering the room set up for success. She really breaks down what content should be included in a pitch, in addition to giving advice about structure, timing, and more. Enjoy!
Can you introduce yourself to the readers and let us know who you are, what you’re working on, and how you built your career?
I started working in the ICM mailroom right after college and while I was there, I really started to learn that “development” was a path I could pursue in order to produce. I was actually on a Talent Department desk during pilot season (which was still in full swing back then!). I discovered how much I loved reading scripts and listening to creators and producers tell my boss about the character arcs and storylines of their projects. That aspect, the shaping and molding of stories, was so, so interesting to me. From there, I went to work for Brian Grazer at Imagine Entertainment. It was an absolutely wild experience, particularly because I was able to see business conducted at the very top level. I learned a lot in that role, by osmosis and trial by fire.
From an early point in my career, I found it helpful to have pretty specific goals. I focused on the kids/family demographic which allowed me to pursue very specific jobs and create a bit of a niche for myself.
After Imagine, I worked at Nickelodeon in the Live Action Series Development Department where I worked on the series KNIGHT SQUAD as well as several other pilots that didn’t get picked up to series.
I began working at Montana North Media with Zanne Devine (I, TONYA, SPIN, EASY A, SECRET SOCIETY OF SECOND BORN ROYALS, CLASS OF 09, THE STERLING AFFAIRS) when she began her Overall Deal with Disney+. With Zanne, I worked on SSSBR on D+ as well as SPIN also on D+. We most recently sold a series to Disney+ called A CROWN OF WISHES that’s based on an incredible book series.
I’ve become broader in terms of the demographic I focus on, especially since the company now has a TV deal with FX, but I definitely look for projects that are from unique and diverse perspectives, especially those that focus on female-centric stories.
As an exec, what is the #1 thing you’re looking for when you sit down to hear a pitch?
I look for the person pitching to provide the answers to the following questions (either directly or within the flow of a pitch):