‘King Of The Hill,’ ‘Beavis & Butthead’ Writer Michael Jamin Offers Good Advice On Pitching While Taking Down An Online Troll
TV writer/showrunner Michael Jamin (King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-Head) recently used a troll social media post attempting to call him out as an opportunity to give some solid advice to anyone looking to pitch an idea to a studio or platform.
In response to a post of Jamin picketing alongside other writers as part of the ongoing WGA strike, social media user paulstevensstevofficial wrote:
So again you probably were not hired by them and got work rejected by them 🧂
“Ordinarily I don’t respond to trolls,” Jamin began his video reply, “but this guy’s comment was such a wild swing and a miss, it literally made me laugh.”
Setting A Troll Straight On The Facts.#screenwriting #screenwritingtips #screenwritingadvice #screenwritingcontest #tvwriters #screenwritingsolutions pic.twitter.com/Own75jeJGD
— Michael Jamin (@MJaminWriter) June 27, 2023
Jamin clarified that this case was not really an exception to that rule either, as his video was intended not for the person who made that comment, but for anyone out there that may not understand the nuances of the pitching process.
Jamin began by giving three mundane reasons as to why he was picketing at the Disney lot, explaining it’s the closest studio to his home, parking there is easy, and the walk is pleasant.
He went on to explain that in 27 years in the industry, he has worked for nearly every major studio out there, apart from some of the newer streamers. In fact, he pointed out, he has worked on more than one occasion for companies owned by Disney and has pitched numerous projects to the company.
Jamin then provided a simple analogy to explain how he defines successful pitching:
When my partner and I go out to sell a show, we’ll pitch it everywhere. It’s kinda like Major League Baseball. You’re an amazing hitter if you get a hit one out of every three times. Same thing with pitching a show. If you sell one out of every three or four times, you’re doing great… I don’t really care who buys a show as long as someone buys it. That’s a victory.
That said, a show doesn’t even have to be picked up for the pitch to have been a victory. Jamin’s idea of a victory is broader:
When I go in to pitch any studio or network, here’s what a victory actually looks like, short of them buying the pitch. A victory looks like them saying “Great pitch, the idea is not right for us, but please bring us your next idea.” That’s a huge victory because they’re saying hey, come back, you get another at bat.
So, in one regard Jamin’s troll was correct. He has had pitches rejected by Disney. But that hardly seems to bother Jamin:
Have I not sold shows to Disney? Yeah, I’ve not sold shows everywhere. But that’s okay, as long as I sell one somewhere, that’s okay.