Stephanie Palmer, Author of "Good In A Room" Interview

The phrase "good in a room" is a popular Hollywood expression that refers to someone creative, usually a writer or director, who can consistently and effectively sell their ideas to decision-makers.  Stephanie Palmer is an expert in this area, as she worked as a creative executive at MGM for many years listening to thousands of movie pitches.  She wrote the book "Good In A Room" to help people create effective pitches to sell their ideas in any type of business.  It is a must-read for all aspiring writers in Hollywood, as well as anyone in a sales career.  Stephanie is a very in-demand speaker, and her new eBook How To Take A Hollywood Meeting is now available.  We spoke about the essentials of how to be Good In A Room.

Stephanie Palmer

Michael Carvaines:  How important is it to be "Good in a Room" as opposed to only having a great idea or script?

Stephanie Palmer:  These are actually three different things, though they are related. Let's think about them in terms of what can be sold.  First, there is no market for ideas, only for finished products.  You can’t approach any serious decision-maker in Hollywood with just an idea.  This is kind of like going to a restaurant expecting a delicious meal and the chef comes out and says, “Look at these wonderful ingredients.”  The value of your project isn’t just in the ideas or ingredients, but in the choices you make and how you put together a compelling finished product from all of the elements that you could include.  Second, there is a market for experts:  people who have demonstrated that they have the talent and experience to produce a quality project. Therefore, it is possible for an expert to be "good in a room," i.e., good at presenting him/herself and the ideas, and for the decision-maker to say, "Well, I don't like your idea, but I like you and want to hire you to work on another project."  Third, there is absolutely a market for scripts - though for new writers, that market exists in film and not TV.  TV projects are (with extremely rare exception) sold only by established writers who live in Hollywood (or the media hub where the show is intended to be produced, e.g., London, Toronto, Auckland). This is one of the biggest differences between TV and film - film scripts can be created and sold by anyone, even if they don't live in Hollywood and don't know any VIP's.  With a great script, these hurdles can be overcome.  With a great TV script... you'd still have to get a job in TV or sell a film script first before anyone serious will listen to you. It may not be fair but that's how it works.  Finally, the real secret to being good in a room is to a) understand that your idea, how you pitch your idea, and how you execute your idea as a script are all different but related things, and b) you have to have all of these elements working in harmony to be thought of as good in a room and to be successful over the long term.

MC:  Is there such thing as being too good?

SP:  In a way, yes. There are people who are very naturally likable and charismatic. They have an easy time getting meetings, but these meetings often lead to nowheresville.  The problem for these people is that they are thinking the interest they are getting is about their work, when the truth is that their work just isn't good enough but that they are persuasive enough to get in the room in the first place.  It sounds like this:  Someone says, "I'm getting these meetings with serious VIP's, everyone says they love my project, but then they say that they are overbudget, or they've got something else that's too similar in development, or it's just not the right fit... how do I get into the right room with the right person?"

The reality is that these people are being told, "Your work isn't good enough yet," but they don't know how to hear "No" in decision-maker-ese. I talk more about how to understand the difference between Yes, Maybe, and No in this post: The Lie Most Frequently Told In Hollywood.

MC:  What's the difference between Good in a Room, and BAD in a room?

SP:  Preparation. People who are good in a room prepare in several different ways, most importantly, they test their pitch and hone it long before they pitch to any decision-makers, and they practice their pitch on video and watch themselves. Anyone who does those two things has a much better chance of being good than bad.

Essential reading for Hollywood writers

MC:  How can someone still be Good in a Room when they don't have the opportunity for an official meeting (a brief encounter)?

SP:  Be thoughtful about how to get that meeting.  The most important principle of networking is: control your introduction.  A great deal of success in the room depends on how you get into the room in the first place. I've spent hours writing one email to a VIP to get referred to another VIP - that's the strategy that works.  Generic query letters are like bulk mail - no one serious reads them.  But a personal letter or email that's very carefully put together can get results.

MC:  Is there an effective "elevator pitch," or is it not even worth trying?

SP:  There is, but the secret is customization.  I help business professionals to come up with an elevator pitch that they can adapt in a variety of ways.  That's the key - an elevator pitch isn't one-size-fits all.  It needs to be adjusted to context and the listener.

MC:  What do you tell writers who feel their words speak for themselves, and aren't adept at speaking in front of strangers?

SP:  I ask them (gently) if they'd like someone to pay them a lot of money.  If they would like that, they will need to learn to pitch.  The good news is that it can be a lot easier than you might think.  You don't need to be slick, extroverted, or salesy.  Many of the best pitchers I know are introverted writers who have learned to speak simply, confidently, and clearly about their ideas.

MC:  What about writers who feel they are true artists and won't partake in Hollywood networking?

SP:  They are welcome to write novels and, truth be told, I often recommend this path. Novels are solo acts.  Movies and TV shows are collaborative efforts.  You have to prove that you can participate in networking situations if you want to write in the visual medium.  However, you don't need to be false, fake, or compromise your personal or artistic integrity.  You just have to be prepared for the likely questions and have great answers prepared in advance.

MC:  How does Good in a Room apply to non-entertainment meetings?

SP:  What works in Hollywood not only works in other industries, it often works better. In Hollywood, the writers and producers at the top routinely pitch and sell multi-million dollar ideas that are invisible, intangible, and unquantifiable.  They do it in a seemingly casual and effortless way, though there is a strategy to how they succeed.  I help entrepreneurs to customize what works in Hollywood for their own business to help them find new clients, build their customer base, or secure financing from investors.

MC:  What's the worst pitch you've ever heard?

SP:  I can't honestly recall the content of the pitch because, true story, it was delivered by an adult man wearing only a child's diaper and waving around a sword.

Thanks so much to Stephanie Palmer.  Check out her website, or her book from AMAZON.