In "What to Expect in a General Meeting," I laid out what a general is: a professional introduction between a writer and someone who develops film and television projects for a living. This meeting happens because the person read your screenplay and responded to it, and they wanted to find out more about the writer behind it.
Most generals pay off slowly, through relationships that build over months or years. But every so often, one can lead directly to a writing job.
That happened to me during a general with producer-director Jay Roach. The below story shows how a general can become paid work, and why the writers who land those jobs walk in with ideas ready to go.
Lunch with the Director
Early in my career, my former writing partner Frederick Seton and I were coming off two massive spec sales. That kind of heat keeps your calendar full, and our manager and team of agents had us taking a steady run of general meetings with producers and directors.
One of them was with Jay Roach.
Roach was one of the biggest directors in comedy at the time, with two franchises under his belt (Austin Powers and Meet the Parents), and his company Everyman Pictures was producing other successful films. He was repped by the same agency as Fred and me, and our agents set up a lunch with Roach and his head of development at Akasha (a Rustic Californian restaurant in Culver City).
Technically, it was just a general. But with Roach himself at the table, it was a priority meeting and an opportunity.
The Soft Pitch
Officially, a general isn't a pitch meeting.
Unofficially, it's not unexpected for you to bounce a few ideas around. This is what's known as "a soft pitch": casually floating a concept to see if it lands.
Maybe it leads somewhere. Maybe it doesn't. Either way, you should carry a few concepts into every meeting you take.
I came up with mine on the drive to the restaurant.
An Idea Born on the Drive Over
It was a romantic comedy I called 'Divorce Ceremony', about a man and woman who decide to hold a public ceremony to end their marriage. The conceit was a subversive spin on cutesy wedding movies like Father of the Bride and Bride Wars: a rom-com about divorce.
At the time, I was watching a lot of 1940s screwball comedies: The Philadelphia Story being my favorite. They usually had wealthy, urbane divorced couples who rekindled their love by the end of the film. I thought it was time to go back to the roots and write a rom-com like that.
It turned out to be the right time in more ways than one.
When the Room Opens the Door
After some pleasantries over coffee, Roach mentioned he'd once tried to develop a divorce comedy. I hadn't even pitched 'Divorce Ceremony' yet. Across the table, Fred fought back a grin. He knew exactly what was about to happen. Roach's abandoned project (thankfully) had no public divorce ceremony in it, and the moment he finished describing it, my soft pitch turned into a full one.
I started by telling Roach the logline. Then I referenced The Philadelphia Story and The War of the Roses. I even created a job for the protagonist on the spot: a loudmouth talk radio host from Philadelphia's Main Line.
Roach was hooked. He loved the concept and the setting, he was a big fan of both films I'd cited (years later, Roach would direct a remake of The War of the Roses titled The Roses). He also loved the idea of making a comedy in the spirit of those 1940s classics.
Before lunch was over, Roach and his development exec wanted to build the concept into a treatment with us and take it to Universal, which had a first-look deal with Everyman Pictures.
Within minutes, a general had turned into a potentially huge writing job.
Everything Goes in the Database
Afterward, Fred and I drove to Barney's Beanery in West Hollywood, which had become our de facto office between meetings. En route, Fred said something that stuck with me: "It should make you feel good to know that all these years of watching movies and acquiring knowledge is actually paying off."
He was right. It did feel good.
My soft pitch worked because I had the right references ready the moment Roach gave me an opening. I'd been watching The Philadelphia Story purely for pleasure, with no meeting in mind. Everything you watch and live through belongs in your personal database. You never know which part of it you might suddenly want to grab from.
Soft Pitch to Studio Pitch
Over the next couple of months, we developed the 'Divorce Ceremony' treatment with Roach and his team. Then came our biggest pitch yet, directly to Donna Langley, then President of Production at Universal Pictures (she's now Chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment).
Roach and Langley had history together. It went back to her New Line days on the Austin Powers films, and the Meet the Parents franchise was highly successful for Universal. With Roach in the meeting alongside us, this wouldn't just be the biggest room we've been in, it'd be the warmest (i.e. when the person you're pitching is receptive). Although the pressure was still on me to deliver an A-list pitch.
It surprised me how much of the selling falls on the writer. Here was an A-list director sitting across from a studio executive he'd made hit movies with, and some novice screenwriter who'd only broken into the business one-year prior still had to do a whole song and dance to land the job. I was happy to do it. I just found it funny.
A screenwriter pitching is simply baked into the industry's culture. Whether it's in-person or over Zoom, the writer sings for their supper. As I covered in "Owning the Room," a producer or director will set you up, but the writer is expected to carry the bulk of the pitch.
Fortunately for me, I was a failed rock star. I'd fronted several bands before giving it up to write (yes, writing was my fallback), and I never got butterflies on stage. That ease carried straight into the rooms we were now walking into. Roach teed me off, I launched into my pitch, and we sold the project to Langley and Universal.
'Divorce Ceremony' eventually slipped into development limbo. However, the job paid well, and working with Roach, his development team, and the Universal execs taught me more about pitching and development than I could have learned any other way.
How to Soft Pitch in a General
That lunch had its share of luck involved, but as famed film producer Robert Evans once said: "Luck is when opportunity meets preparation."
Bring two or three concepts into every general. Rough ideas are fine at this stage, as long as each one has a sharp logline you can deliver in a sentence (a.k.a. your "elevator pitch"). You should pitch concepts in the same genre as the writing sample that got you the meeting, since that's what the room has already responded to.
Do your homework on what the company produces and figure out what they want to make next. In my prior article, I suggested asking about a company's current slate. Passion projects and abandoned ideas that come up in passing can tell you a lot. Roach talking about the divorce comedy he tried to develop was a clear sign and opening to pitch my similar but fresh concept.
Let the conversation invite the pitch. A soft pitch lands best as a natural response: the "funny you mention that" moment when the talk drifts toward your territory. Forcing an idea into a conversation that hasn't asked for one turns a general into a cold sales call.
Start short and lead with the logline and a couple of hooks (e.g., a film reference; a character detail), then pause and watch the reaction. A good soft pitch leaves the other person wanting to ask the next question.
Reading the Room for Your Opening
Everyone in development has tells. Leaning forward, asking follow-up questions, repeating your logline back to you, or connecting your idea to something they've been interested in: these signals mean the room wants more. A glance at the phone or a quick return to small talk means it's time to wrap up and move on.
These tells read just as clearly on a screen. Most generals now happen over Zoom, which means you can take these meetings and turn them into jobs from wherever you write. If you live outside LA, you're on equal footing with every writer signing in from Burbank.
When the signals turn warm, expand on your pitch: add a few specifics and film comps. Inventing a job for my protagonist at that lunch gave Roach something concrete to picture, and concrete details are what turn interest into commitment. Comparing my concept to classic movies (The Philadelphia Story, The War of the Roses) cinched the pitch, especially when it turned out Roach was likewise a fan, and had been wanting to make something similar.
When the room doesn't respond, have a backup idea ready, or ask what kind of project they're looking for. Learning a producer's wish list still makes for a productive general, and it gives you a reason to follow up later: this time with a concept specifically tailored to them.
Owning the Room for Your Pitch
When a soft pitch becomes a potential job, the real work begins. You'll develop the idea with the producer or director, often through a treatment and several rounds of conversation, and eventually you'll pitch it to a studio. This is when the stakes go up considerably.
Even a warm room requires you to deliver a pitch that makes execs confident in you and your concept. Having a producer or a director in your corner helps, but studio execs still need to hear the writer sell it. Know your story, bring a clear and strong vision, and pitch the project like a movie you're dying to see. Excitement is contagious.
If pitching makes you nervous, keep in mind that it's a learnable skill. Practice your pitch out loud with friends and family. My experience performing on stage gave me a head start, but practicing your pitch can build the same comfort for any writer. Also, like most things in life, the more you do something, the easier it gets.
Turning a General Meeting into a Potential Job
Turning a general into a potential job comes down to preparation meeting opportunity.
Show up with a couple of well-honed loglines, learn what a production company develops and what its people wish they'd made, and hold your soft pitch until the talk swings your way. Watch for signs of interest and build on them; when the energy dips, shift gears.
If you navigate it well, there's a real chance the next meeting you have with the production company is developing a treatment and studio pitch.
Every general is an open door. Enter with something worth talking about.