This session format is available only to writers in our Top Tier Program.
Exec will review your pages and meet with you via zoom for 30 minutes to continue elevating your project.
I love to hear a nibble of inspiration -- did you get into a fight with your girlfriend as you arrived at her parents' house for the first time? I want to know what the tone of the movie is going to be in how you deliver your pitch. Is it funny? I want to laugh! Is it suspenseful? I want to guess what's coming next. No matter what, I want to leave the pitch able to explain the big picture concept to a fellow executive or a director. The final cherry on top is getting a taste of the details that are going to make the story sing. If you can help a producer zero in on one small, delicious, detail-- a baby being nursed mid-interrogation, or a character's catchphrase--the more likely they are to keep thinking about your project.
I love grounded stories that get at something universal. Beyond characters that feel real, almost ripped from a documentary or your corner store, I love a story with true heart. I welcome the irreverent, and the earnest, and have no issue if things get heavy, as long as we're looking for the light in the dark. I am most interested in developing and producing stories that lend themselves to feature format. I like closure. That being said, I have a background in limited series development, and love to find whatever form best fits a story.
My favorite stories to develop are those making their own path to production. Be it a first feature that is shootable at a micro-budget, or an inspired premise that is well-executed. Anything that opens a viewer up to a new community -- skateboarding teens a la SKATE KITCHEN, marching band members via DRUMLINE, or the motel subculture in THE FLORIDA PROJECT. I especially love working with writer/directors and helping them see their creativity through to production.
Favorite movies include, but are not limited to: JUNO, THE BIG CHILL, THE DAYTRIPPERS, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, THE SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, LITTLE WOMEN (2019), EMMA (2020), A SIMPLE FAVOR, ERIN BROKOVICH, HEARTBURN, THE LAST DUEL, DAZED AND CONFUSED, BARBARIAN, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD. What are yours?
Stories of women's heavy trauma: domestic abuse, sexual assault, kidnapping. Gratuitous violence, heavy drug use and addiction. And I am sorry to say, action movies are not my jam.
Annie Winerip spent five years as a development executive at Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films, from the inception of their Amazon first-look deal. She helped shepherd and develop projects such as HBO Max’s LOVE AND DEATH/THE UNDOING, Apple’s ROAR, Hulu’s NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, and Lulu Wang’s EXPATS at Amazon. Annie has on set TV experience on BIG LITTLE LIES S2, LOVE AND DEATH and EXPATS.
Annie has experience in the full books to film process: scouting and optioning material, working with authors, and helping screenwriters through adaptation development. Annie loves breaking down structure, talking character, developing shootable projects, imbuing intention in every scene and helping collaborators find their own stories. If those stories include specificity, interesting relationships, tension, heart, and universal themes, she’s doubly happy.
In the past year, Annie has started to produce independently. She currently has a short she wrote/directed/produced in post-production and is developing a feature with a first-time filmmaker. Annie runs a small magazine called STREET PARKING and recently contract edited and wrote for FLAUNT Magazine.
After registering, your confirmation email will contain a link that says "CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS" that will take you to a form where you will submit your material within 24 hours of registering.