Hit Maker Summit

Want to stop spending $10,000, $50,000 or more on things that you don’t need to sell your show?
In this letter, I’ll tell you what you need to have in your pitch package to sell a reality show, sitcom, kids show, drama, animated show or game show. Far too many people call us who have spent huge amounts of money on pilots or other things that they just don’t need…that could actually make network execs say “No!”

Want to host or star in your own TV show? In this letter, you’ll read about how I helped a man who starred in his own kids’ show sell it to one of the largest networks on the planet.

Are you feeling tired, frustrated, overwhelmed and confused by all the things you have to do and all the hurdles, screeners and naysayers? Then I have a solution – something unlike anything you have ever heard of before.

Introducing my Hit Maker Summit – Pitch Prep Boot Camp for TV show creators who are serious about quickly going to a whole new level in their understanding of the TV business and what they have to do to compete for a coveted spot on TV. In my upcoming Summit, I’m going to take just 50 serious authors/experts/independent producers by the hand and show them how to get create a show networks want. Wouldn’t you like to be ONE of them?

Want to find out more? Call 407-351-0893 and get your questions answered.

Want To Know The BIGGEST DIFFERENCE Between Producers Who Sell Their Shows and Everyone Else?

The difference is simply this: those who get shows on TV know exactly what network execs expect…they know how to market their shows for maximum impact…and they can get those high-level face-to-face meetings. Unlike everybody else, they obsess over getting each character, each episode description and each word of their treatment just right before they do anything else.

That’s why I’m writing this letter to you today.

I want you to know what the most successful independent producers know. I want to see you getting high-level pitch meetings, confidently pitching a show you know is as good as anything on TV, getting a green light, and enjoying the fame and fortune you deserve.

You’ve worked too hard and come too far to have it any other way.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

One of the favorite elements of the Hit Maker Summit for all attendees are our Breakout Sessions. This interactive experience allows every attendee to work on THEIR concept and pitch with one of Mentors…every single day!

“Hello Mark!

We met at Banff, I mentioned how I attended one of your seminars and was able to use that information to help get a TV deal for my series “Doowett”. It was really nice to meet you and your wife.

I wanted to connect once again and say THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your expert advice! I don’t think I could have sold my show without the stories and the valuable resources that you provided, for example, the pitching materials.

As I develop more projects, I will have to use your services again!”
– Adrian Dean

“My biggest AHA moments were a lot of small things that would have taken a year or more and 2-3 conferences to learn; the Summit has shaved off at least a year of our time.”
-Todd Hampson

“I’ve been looking into schools that would cost $30,000 for two semesters and learned more at the Hit Maker’s Summit in just 3 days!”
-Margaret Babish

“The Summit is absolutely, positively worth the cost. What we learned these three days can be worth millions of dollars. If you want to be a player in the industry, you need to be at this Summit. The guest speakers have actually lived it and breathed it and are giving their real experiences of how to pitch your show. Come to the Summit and learn how to do it right because other people have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars never getting it right. We love you, baby we love you!”
-Mike Lane- New Orleans, La

Why You Should Attend the Hit Maker Summit Even BEFORE You’ve Put Word One on Paper

In the past, many of my clients have come to me with their shows developed complete with scripts, fully produced episodes or scripts, and as you can see from the many testimonials here, I’ve been able to help many of them have great success. Yet it may surprise you to hear I really love it when I can start working with show creators who are just starting to work on their show ideas.

Everyone’s excited when they first get what they think is a great idea, and they immediately want to start pitching it. Yet there are so many missteps at that point that they often do more damage to their chances for selling it or getting it produced before they even get started, and then they lose precious enthusiasm and momentum for their project. Our Summit will get you started on the right track before you can make even one misstep.

“It is so easy to waste money on the development of TV shows that you never get to sell because you don’t know how to sell them. The money would be much better spent learning how to sell and pitch your shows – learning how to throw yourself and all your energy into the pitch. The money for the seminar is nothing compared to losing out on one single gig.

I had spent tens of thousands of dollars going in the wrong direction and now all I could say was ‘a-HA!’ Mark and Jeanne, you guys are fabulous.”
– Doug Stanley, Producer, 2-time Emmy winner, “Deadliest Catch”

Your Hosts

Mark Simon
Co-founder of Sell Your TV Concept Now, Inc.

He is one of the most connected and best pitchmen in the business. Mark Simon is 25-year pro in the entertainment industry as a producer and director for live action and animation, writing and lecturing, and amassing over 4,000 production credits.

Mark has pitched and sold more than 35 production and distribution deals for his original concepts, and worked with Disney, Nickelodeon, The Golf Channel, HSN and other networks pitching in-house productions.

Sell Your TV Concept Now, Inc. is one of three national companies Simon owns and runs in Orlando, Florida. It was inspired by countless requests from both industry insiders and eager outsiders wanting to tap into Mark’s pitching techniques and success record.

His storyboard and animation companies have included clients such as Disney, Universal, Viacom, Sony, HBO, Nickelodeon, FOX, Steven Spielberg, USA Networks, ABC Television and many others. He is also the author of ten popular industry texts, and lectures around the world at major conferences, entertainment trade schools and universities.

Jeanne Simon
Co-founder Sell Your TV Concept Now, Inc.

She works with very closely with clients to help them polish their TV concepts. She draws upon her rich TV background and generously shares her insights.

She has been a producer, writer, and content creator for the major TV networks and studios in the entertainment industry for more than 25 years.

She has produced more than 400 television series episodes such as Nickelodeon’s Clarissa Explains It All, Roundhouse, Weinerville, Gullah Gullah Island, and Allegra’s Window. Jeanne also created the format for International Blue’s Clues and produced the Cartoon Network’s first live-action series, Carrot Top’s A.M. Mayhem. She also was the writer/producer/director on TNN’s reality series Roller Jam, developed, pitched and produced ZigZag for Animal Planet, which aired for two seasons, and wrote for the ABC series Secrets of the Animal Kingdom.

Jeanne and Mark moved from L.A. to Orlando to help launch Nickelodeon Studios at Universal. While there, she developed the Nickelodeon production management book and produced many of Nickelodeon’s top-rated shows, including half of Nickelodeon’s Saturday night prime-time block, Snick.

As if that isn’t enough, Jeanne created an entire network and all its programming which was greenlit by Ted Turner.

Jeanne and Mark travel the world every year speaking with executives, producing projects and pitching shows. They want to share their experience and success with you!

“You are in good hands with Jeanne.
She is amazing!”

– Chris Linn, President truTV

Past Mentors

Wayne Carter
Head Writer Extraordinaire for Sell Your TV Concept Now

He has worked as a professional scriptwriter for more than 25 years. He was a featured writer on the HBO comedy series, “The Investigators,” produced by Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson. He scripted the pilot episode and helped create the format for “Next Big Star,” the Ed McMahon-hosted talent show featuring audience voting which preceded “American Idol,” and ran as a successful series in syndication. He co-wrote the pilot for “The Late National Lampoon Show” on CBS, as well as co-wrote (with L.A. comedy scribe legend Bruce Vilanch) television comedy movies for CBS and Motown Productions.

Wayne worked in Hollywood for 16 years and sold more than 10 feature screenplays to the major studios, including Universal, Paramount Pictures, Fox, and National Lampoon. He was an A-list Writers Guild writer consulted by major studios seeking top talent to script star-driven feature projects. He worked with major directors on projects based on his own screenplays, including Richard Donner, and Academy Award-winning directors Tony Richardson and James Cameron.

Wayne currently writes out of Orlando, where he consults on feature and television projects, guest lectures, and has taught university courses on scriptwriting. He is a featured speaker at Sell Your TV Concept Now’s Hit Maker Summit, and works with their clients on developing series concepts into story and character-driven scripts with prime appeal to the entertainment industry. Scripts that he has either written or co-written for clients have won film festival contests all across the United States.

Kim Dawson

Kim Dawson is a 35+ year veteran of the film and television industry. He has served as a Production Executive & Line Producer for Showtime Networks, Trans World International, and “Making the Band” with Trans Continental Companies in a joint venture with ABC and MTV. Kim also produced “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I-II-III” for New Line Cinema.

He produced 65 episodes of “THE NEWZ” for Columbia Tri-Star Television at Universal Studios Florida. In 1996, he was Supervising Producer for “Tarzan the Epic Adventures” shot in Central Florida utilizing Disney MGM and Universal stages. He was the Coordinating Producer for 3 seasons of MTV/ABC’s “Making the Band” from 1999 to 2001 on behalf of series creator Trans Continental TV.

Previously, with Gary Propper Entertainment, he produced Carrot Top Live as a cable TV Special. He also produced a pilot for VH1 with the comedian Gallagher.

Kim supervised production of various series including “The Paper Chase”, “Steambath”, “Shelley Duval’s Fairy Tale Theater”, “Brothers”, “Comedy on Showtime”, and scores of music, comedy and variety specials.

Kim has been on both sides of the pitching desk, taking pitches as an executive at Showtime and giving pitches as the owner of SkyDog Productions.

Bill Suchy

BILL SUCHY is an Oscar-nominated and multiple Emmy-winning writer/ producer who has created, written and/or produced seven feature films, over forty documentaries, five television series and numerous short films and video projects.

Bill created, executive produced, wrote and directed the Emmy nominated children’s series, “Secrets of the Animal Kingdom”, syndicated domestically by Hearst Entertainment to ABC, FOX, and Warner Bros. and by Buena Vista International to all foreign markets. Bill was also head writer for Ed McMahon’s “NEXT BIG STAR” television series and wrote and produced the number one rated health series on cable television, “American Health and Fitness” (FOX Health Network) and was segment creator, writer, producer and director for the hit series “Rollerjam” (TNN). He also produced the highly acclaimed PBS series, “Writing in the Upward Years” (featuring poets Richard Eberhart, May Sarton, and Molly Harrower.

Bill has created, written and or produced some of the most popular documentary programs on broadcast television, including the WNET, PBS Nature Special “Cats”, the Academy Award nominated feature documentary, “Building Bombs” (narrated by Jane Alexander) and the acclaimed wildlife specials, “In Praise of Wild Florida” and “For the Love of Manatees.” On the National Geographic Special, “Realm of the Alligator” nominated for three Emmys (received two), Bill was creative and production consultant.

Bill also wrote and produced the feature film “Deadly Species”, presently in worldwide distribution by Worldwide Entertainment, as well as wrote, produced and directed several short films including “Fatal Flaw”, The Homecoming”, “Dead Wrong” and “Acts of Mercy.”

During his tenure as Managing Producer for Disney Attractions Television & Magic Kingdom Productions, Bill helped create and supervise numerous television projects.

Presently Bill is station manager of Orlando’s Orange TV where he has created numerous award-winning original series. He is also president of the Florida Media Arts Center, a 501c3 nonprofit organization promoting the film and video arts and is a consultant to the World Arts Center.

Rhett Banning

Rhett created and sold the hit Animal Planet Series Zig & Zag, The Ultimate Dog Adventure. He’ll share with us everything it took to sell and produce his series.

A former network anchor and national news correspondent, Rhett has created, produced, directed, written and hosted over three thousand program episodes during his broadcast career. His credits include productions on the Global Television Network and CTV Network in Canada, USA Network, Animal Planet, and syndicated networks, as well as Walt Disney. Rhett is a member of the Screen Actors Guild/AFTRA, and his work has won three Edward R. Murrow awards for excellence in broadcast journalism.

He is the founder of It Works! Productions, Inc., a media content development and production company based in Orlando, FL, which operates as three production units: It Works! is focused on television program development and production, Zebra Media produces TV and web commercials seen in more than 50 markets, and Digital Jump creates, builds and manages web based projects.

HAVE AN IDEA?

You’ll Find Out the Best Wayto Pitch and Present It and to Make It Marketable

There’s only one way to find out if your idea is good enough to sell, and that’s to take it for a test run. So if this is your first dance at the rodeo, the ideal place to test run that idea is among supportive experts who know the industry inside and out, know what the networks and producers are buying, and know exactly how they want to hear a pitch or see it presented.

You will work directly with us, as well as our guest coaches and mentors to develop your project and pitch to not only meet professional industry standards, yet to stand out and get the kind of response you want.

We will be announcing pricing for the Hit Maker Summit this summer

Not sure if the Hit Maker Summit is for you? Call and get your questions answered.

Discover for Yourself If You Have the Right Elements in Your Pitch Package

Every type of show needs a treatment and one sheet as part of your pitch package. I like to describe a treatment as a business plan for Hollywood, except it’s nothing like the dry description of a typical corporate business plan. It’s entertaining to read and should make the reader feel something.

A one sheet can be one of the best sales tools ever! It’s the industry-standard leave behind.

Do you want to know what successful treatments and one-sheets look like? Great! You will get samples of both treatments and one sheets at the Hit Maker Summit that have proven to be successful.

Every type of show has different pitch needs. Every creator and project will need to pitch with different elements.

Here’s a quick list of the most common elements used in a pitch. During the Hit Maker Summit, you will discover WHICH ELEMENTS ARE NEEDED FOR YOUR SHOW.
(You do NOT need to have these to attend the Hit Maker Summit)

• Treatment
• One sheet
• Sizzle reel, or sizzler, demo reel or tape (Optional)
• Character designs (Optional)
• Short animation or animatic (Optional)
• Storyboard (Optional)
• Script (Optional)
• Script (Full 30 or 60 minute script.) (Optional)
• Illustrations or photos of sets & props (Optional)

 

Have Pitch and Materials?

 

Find Out if They’re Good Enough

Many attendees to the Summit already have materials and a pitch for their idea and are savvy enough to understand you must practice and perfect your pitch before you risk it on the big stage of direct meetings with industry execs and buyers. The Hit Maker Summit offers the perfect setting to do a dress rehearsal for your pitch and get insightful support to further develop and finalize your presentations for the big time.

We’ve had projects in all stages of development, from the most bare notes to full treatments and sizzle reels, show up at the Summit, and everyone benefits beyond what they imagined they could accomplish. The more you have to work with, the more fine tuning our coaching and breakout sessions can do for you.

Yet even the most raw projects benefit from the type of scrutiny our expert eyes and ears will put it through. And we’re there with you, the whole time, to make sure you stay on track, stay motivated, and keep energized and enthused about your project. You MUST be passionate to succeed in this business and the more connected you are to your material; the better it will work for you. We’ll show you how to maintain and use that edge.

Be open to all that can happen to you and your project at this event and you will have a transformative experience that will jump you leaps and bounds in marketing know-how for your idea, as well as the skills to deliver its ultimate success.

Have More than One Idea?
Discover Which Has the Best Chance to Sell And Perfect Your Pitch

Another significant group of attendees to the Hit Maker Summit are show creators who have more than one idea and are still trying to sort out which one is the best to pursue; which one has the best chance of success.

It’s great to have plenty of ideas. Our good friend Doug Stanley, who was a director of photography and producer on Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch,” had a bundle. What he didn’t have was the confidence to not only pitch them himself, and recognize which ones were ready to pitch and sell. After attending the Hit Maker Summit, he not only gained the confidence he needed, he has gone on to sell four shows, including “Hell and High Water,” and “Wild Racers” on MAV TV Channel (Maverick Television).

He’s gotten so good at pitching; he regularly works with our clients at television conferences. He has more than 42 projects in his bag of tricks to pitch (some are partnered with our other clients). Doug’s success in selling all started when he came to the Hit Maker Summit and focused on perfecting one pitch at a time.

No matter how many ideas you have or what materials you have, the Summit will definitely help you sort through your bag of tricks and come up with your most polished and commercial idea and how to present it. Get that one gem going first, and then you can begin to build your empire like reality mogul Mark Burnett, or up and coming mogul Doug Stanley.

Pitched Your Idea Yet Gotten Nowhere?

 

Find Out Why Not and
How to Turn Your Results Around And Sell

Show creators, often from production companies, regularly attend the Hit Maker Summit. They often have pitched their show ideas already, yet for some reason haven’t sold those show ideas. They have strongly begun to suspect there’s something off or missing in their pitches or presentations. They’re right. And we can usually pinpoint the issues that are holding them back from closing a deal fairly quickly and with stunning realizations and epiphanies from those producers, “Holy Cow! So that’s what I was doing wrong!”

Who Shouldn’t Come to the Hit Maker Summit?

• Anyone who just wants to sit back, take notes, not really move forward with their project and fade into the wallpaper.
• Anyone who is not totally committed to do what it takes to get their show on TV.
• Anyone who is satisfied with their current results and not willing to try something new for them.
• Anyone who is not ready to hear the truth about their idea and how to make it better.

Gain the Skills You Need to Sell Your Show at Our 3-Day TV Pitch Boot Camp

Perfect Your TV Pitch:

• The greatest TV pitch strategies of all time are revealed
• Practice pitch to experts and get expert critiques
• Gain the confidence to pitch to anyone
• Make the best use of the materials you bring to the pitch

How to Set Up Pitch Meetings With Major Networks and Production Studios:

• How to get past the gatekeepers
• EXACTLY what to say in a phone conversation or in an email
• How to get as many as 25 or more pitch meetings in one day!
• Land pitch meetings WITHOUT an agent

Discover How to Protect Your Show Ideas:

• There are steps you can take and we’ll show you how to protect your show
• Find out popular methods that are absolutely a waste of time
• Learn the shocking truth about the frequency of theft in the TV biz

Create a TV Pitch Package That Sells a Concept:

• Work with award-winning show creators 1-on-1 in our Breakout Sessions
• Prepare those elements executives expect to see
• Secrets to writing treatments that communicate the spirit of your show in your absence
• Find out when having art in your package is absolutely necessary
• How to find writers or artists who can capture the essence of your project for you
• Find out how much information is too much and what is just right

Ready to make an investment in your success? Call us and claim your spot at the Summit.

Learn How to Get and Hold Everyone’s Attention During a Pitch:

• Pitch with passion
• How to begin and how to wrap up
• Seven Pitch KILLER MISTAKES to avoid
• Keys to creating a killer hook or log line

Research Before a Pitch Can Be the Difference Between Deal or No Deal:

• Find out what you must know before you even set up your first meeting
• What questions you might be asked and how to answer them
• Know who you’re pitching
• Five SECRETS to figure out what they’re looking for

Learn Show Development Strategies to Create a Show You Can Pitch with Confidence:

• Easy and fun ways to get to the core of your concept
• How to develop a story that people can’t get enough of
• Create endings that wrap up the story and satisfy the audience no matter what kind of show you have

Craft a Show Description that Has It All:

• Boil a high concept down to three or four sentences that says it all
• Show executives that your concept has legs with
• short punchy episode descriptions
• Model your show descriptions after some of the best in the business

Characters Are the Key No Matter What Kind of Show You Have. Discover how to:

• Create characters that the audience knows, likes and cheers on
• Develop characters that are three dimensional, unique and sources of conflict
• Play out conflict through characters who are villains, heroes and catalysts (move the story forward)

Many People Have Found Just One Idea From Us Changed Everything For Them

One of the most powerful things about having time with Mark and me is that we bring ‘fresh eyes’ and over 50 years of combined experience to what you’re marketing. We can often identify many more potential buyers of your show, a new pitch opportunity, a new way of presenting what you have that is much more effective and much easier than what you’re currently doing. It’s one of the things we do best, and it’s why we love working with people like you.

Hit Maker Summit 2015 will be held at the beautiful Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. We have reserved a block of rooms at an excellent rate for our event. Once you join the program we’ll send you all the info you need to plan your trip to the Summit.

 

UNBEATABLE GUARANTEE

If by the end of the first day, if you’re not satisfied for any reason, simply see me and get the refund of your tuition.You have nothing to lose!

All I ask is that you show up in Orlando and give the program a fair try. If you need to cancel in advance, you may do so three weeks before the Summit for a refund, less a $500 cancellation fee. With only 50 open spots in my upcoming Summit, we have this cancellation fee to discourage people who aren’t serious from taking a spot away from somebody else.

Think about it, where else can you could you get an A-level development team on your side? A team that knows how to create shows every bit as good as shows on TV and has the inside knowledge of exactly what networks want?

Remember, just ONE idea for a killer title, just ONE new unexpected twist for a character, just ONE new way to promote your show that you hadn’t considered, ONE tip from a fellow Hit Maker Tour member on how you can save thousands of dollars, just ONE new partnership that emerges as a result of the networking opportunities I’m providing, will pay you back many times over this modest investment and help you to SELL YOUR SHOW. CLICK HERE now to buy online.

I’m not an accountant, but it’s likely that this expense will be tax-deductible for you. Don’t give the money to Uncle Sam to fritter away. Invest the money in something you love today!

Who Should Attend:

• Screenwriters
• Show Creators
• Producers
• Animators
• Anyone with an idea for their own TV show

Everything You Need To Know:

• Hit Maker Summit 2015
• Dates TBD
• Orlando, FL
• Orlando Hilton on I-Drive
• Work on ANY type of show pitch
• Reality, Scripted, Animation, Game Show, Sci-Fi, etc

 

Answers To Frequently Asked Questions

Q: May I bring a guest to the meetings?
A: Yes, you may bring one guest at no extra charge provided they’re a spouse, partner, co-author or staff member (proof of business relationship may be required, such as tax records or other proof) and you are working on the same project(s). As a result of their participation, they’ll be better able to contribute to the show, help support you and encourage you.

Q: I don’t feel ready yet, what should I do?
A: Many people make the mistake of thinking their TV show has to be done or they have to have achieved a certain milestone in order to make the most of the program. That’s a big mistake. Even if you are just at the concept stage for all this, you would be well served to learn BEFORE you start doing. I helped one TV show creator save over $57,000 by showing him the right way to do a sizzle reel. But the only reason this happened is that he came to me when his concept was still just an idea. Most people who “wait until they are ready” discover they would have done well to talk to us earlier in the process.

Q: I have a lot going on right now, and I’m concerned I won’t be able to do all the things I’m going to learn from you? What should I do?
A: Everyone feels behind. Everyone feels squeezed for time. We don’t expect you to do everything we teach. But we do want to help you make the most of the time and resources you do have. You’ll go a lot farther spending three days with us than you ever thought possible. CLICK HERE now to buy online.

Q: Jeanne, I’m not sure I’m right for this program. I’d like to talk to you personally before enrolling.
A: Unfortunately, I cannot accommodate these kinds of requests right now. Even if it were possible, by the time you talked to me, the program would probably be sold out. The truth is we’re looking for decision-makers who can read a lengthy letter like this and decide to take action. My executive assistant Jeanne can answer most logistical questions 407-351-0893. CLICK HERE now to buy online.

Q: Some aspects of the program are things I have already done and already know about, while others are more of what I’m interested in. What should I do?
A: Everyone else is in the same boat. It’s one of the reasons why the program is so powerful. We work with high-caliber show creators who have a variety of goals and experience. That’s why the brainstorming and networking is so productive. You can help people who are trying to do what you’ve done, and vice versa. The point is to both give and receive. However, your consultations, planning, and critiques will be focused on your key objectives.

Q: I don’t have the funds right now. Can you offer any discounts, scholarships or assistance? Can we do some kind of trade?
A: We do offer a payment program to help you with your finances. I appreciate your asking about scholarships, but it’s not something I’m offering for this particular program. We also offer a teacher and student discount. Call us for details at 407-351-0893.