October 2015 Newsletter

Breakout sessions (above) were a big hit as usual. Everyone loved working with the mentors and getting expert help on their shows.

Everyone came with a project they were passionate about; an eagerness to grab as much information, advice and momentum to propel it forward; a generosity of spirit and enthusiasm toward each others’ ideas; in the mood to have fun; and a serious dedication to crafting the perfect pitch. And they all seemed pretty thrilled.

Tracy and her partner and husband, Steven, share a laugh… or maybe they’re giddy from jet lag since they are the ones who came in from Dubai.

Everyone was engaged and diligent about getting their shows ready to pitch.

Courtney Michael (left) jumped at the chance to practice his pitch and he did an amazing job!

Eddie Pittman (right) shared what it was like to be a story artist on Phineas and Ferb.

Former Nickelodeon V.P., Andy Bamberger, (left) gave a talk about what not to do in a pitch and sat in as a mentor at a breakout session.

Mother Goose and Grimm cartoonist, Mike Peters (center), was as animated as ever and shared how the TV show based on his comic was pitched and produced.

Surprise guest speaker, Ben Mandell (center), President of the Home Channel, gave us the inside scoop on how he landed the top job at the fledgling network.

Wayne Carter (center), WGA writer, explained how to make the characters in your show ones that hook viewers. He was also a breakout session mentor all three days.

Tracy Frenkel (right), producer and casting director led breakout sessions and kept us all laughing as the Hit Maker Summit MC.

“This is absolutely my favorite event of the year because of you guys.The friendships and support that develops as we all work together. The stories we tell each other. How many times did I cry?

Thanks for putting up with my tears. You all see and feel the power of emotional involvement with your projects. I certainly did. And the three days just flew by. What’s great though is how excited we are to continue working with you, and especially to see you at the conferences, where what you practiced here truly comes to life.

I also want to again thank our entire team; Denyse, Heather, Dan and Tracy who made it easy for us so we weren’t exhausted at the end of the day. Can’t wait for next year!”
– Mark

“The most exciting part of the Summit for me is to see how each show blooms during this process. The amount of growth for each show was amazing. If we could have a before and after picture of where some of these pitches and projects were, everyone would be shocked. It’s such a huge leap.”

“The Hilton Orlando was an ideal venue for our Summit and the Hilton team bent over backwards to accommodate our every need. Every meal was exceptional and we all felt pampered.”

“Our team, Heather, Denyse and Dan were, as always, amazing.”

Denyse (left) and Heather making sure everyone at the Summit had the right materials for their binders.

“I’m sure we’ll have success stories to report as all of our Summit attendees continue the process getting their shows ready for pitch meetings and conferences, but for now, we can all bask in the glow of a magical three days.”
– Jeanne