The Great American Pitchfest - Signe Olynyk
Teresa K. Saari
March 13, 2005
Let’s face it: we’ve all got ideas. Some are small, and some are huge. However, only an individual with true passion and commitment can take a concept, nurture it and through perseverance and good old fashioned elbow grease, realize it. This is exactly what Signe Olynyk has done.
You may ask who is Signe Olynyk? She is the driving force behind the production company, Twilight Pictures. She is the creator of the highly esteemed, Great American Pitchfest. Signe is the woman to whom anyone who is bursting at the seams with ideas turn to. Aspiring independent filmmakers, producers, directors and screenwriters and others who have attended the Great American Pitchfest, all bow down to and thank Signe.
A writer at heart, Signe had been attending pitch fests throughout North America with her heart full of hope and scripts in hand, only to return home feeling discouraged. The events were disorganized, unsuccessful, and worst of all, degrading. The idea of spending thousands of hard earned dollars for the privilege of attending an extremely limited number of meetings with the decision makers was disheartening. Signe knew there just had to be a better way, and so she took the bull by the horns and decided to do something about it. Who better to spearhead such an event? Signe knows firsthand how difficult it can be to break into the film and television industry, and her goal from the beginning, has been to make the entire process easier not only for herself but for others as well. Specifically, she desired to improve the access to the decision makers: after all, there are a lot of fantastic ideas out there just waiting to be discovered.
Signe took the pitch fest concept and rebuilt it block by block, keeping in mind the key elements which she’d previously found lacking. Her number one initiative was to create a pleasant environment, not only for the decision makers but for the participants as well. Secondly, she had to produce an affordable event where participants would have the opportunity to meet with not just a few, but many decision makers.
Recent success story examples include that of Bob Schultz, who read scripts for Sharon Stone because of an internship that he had through the Pitchfest. Lorene Lacey and Tammy Fensury, both Calgarian writers, now have the representation of a Los Angeles agent. A Vancouver rookie sold his reality series to Foglight Entertainment. As you can well imagine, the list goes on. Two New York lawyers have decided to attend the next Great American Pitchfest after hearing all about the success their client experienced last year. Signe’s reaction to this kind of feedback, is rather modest. “I’m just an ordinary person, trying to help other ordinary people to things that seem extraordinary. But they really are entirely possible.”
The great news is that Signe has exceeded her original goal. The first Great American Pitchfest was held on January 31st, 2004 in Los Angeles, and was successful beyond even Signe’s wildest dreams. Considering that slightly over one year ago, Signe didn’t know a single soul in Hollywood, she’s come a long way. Currently she is partnered with the International Family Film Festival, as well as a number of other prominent, well known organizations. Affiliations like these, basically guarantees the Great American Pitchfest, 2005 to be the biggest and best of its kind.
To learn how you can share your ideas with the decision makers or for more information please visit www.pitchfest.com.
Look for Teresa Saari’s interview with Signe Olynyk in the March and April issues of Los Angeles Family Magazine.
You may ask who is Signe Olynyk? She is the driving force behind the production company, Twilight Pictures. She is the creator of the highly esteemed, Great American Pitchfest. Signe is the woman to whom anyone who is bursting at the seams with ideas turn to. Aspiring independent filmmakers, producers, directors and screenwriters and others who have attended the Great American Pitchfest, all bow down to and thank Signe.
A writer at heart, Signe had been attending pitch fests throughout North America with her heart full of hope and scripts in hand, only to return home feeling discouraged. The events were disorganized, unsuccessful, and worst of all, degrading. The idea of spending thousands of hard earned dollars for the privilege of attending an extremely limited number of meetings with the decision makers was disheartening. Signe knew there just had to be a better way, and so she took the bull by the horns and decided to do something about it. Who better to spearhead such an event? Signe knows firsthand how difficult it can be to break into the film and television industry, and her goal from the beginning, has been to make the entire process easier not only for herself but for others as well. Specifically, she desired to improve the access to the decision makers: after all, there are a lot of fantastic ideas out there just waiting to be discovered.
Signe took the pitch fest concept and rebuilt it block by block, keeping in mind the key elements which she’d previously found lacking. Her number one initiative was to create a pleasant environment, not only for the decision makers but for the participants as well. Secondly, she had to produce an affordable event where participants would have the opportunity to meet with not just a few, but many decision makers.
Recent success story examples include that of Bob Schultz, who read scripts for Sharon Stone because of an internship that he had through the Pitchfest. Lorene Lacey and Tammy Fensury, both Calgarian writers, now have the representation of a Los Angeles agent. A Vancouver rookie sold his reality series to Foglight Entertainment. As you can well imagine, the list goes on. Two New York lawyers have decided to attend the next Great American Pitchfest after hearing all about the success their client experienced last year. Signe’s reaction to this kind of feedback, is rather modest. “I’m just an ordinary person, trying to help other ordinary people to things that seem extraordinary. But they really are entirely possible.”
The great news is that Signe has exceeded her original goal. The first Great American Pitchfest was held on January 31st, 2004 in Los Angeles, and was successful beyond even Signe’s wildest dreams. Considering that slightly over one year ago, Signe didn’t know a single soul in Hollywood, she’s come a long way. Currently she is partnered with the International Family Film Festival, as well as a number of other prominent, well known organizations. Affiliations like these, basically guarantees the Great American Pitchfest, 2005 to be the biggest and best of its kind.
To learn how you can share your ideas with the decision makers or for more information please visit www.pitchfest.com.
Look for Teresa Saari’s interview with Signe Olynyk in the March and April issues of Los Angeles Family Magazine.
Print
Email
