INDUSTRY 101: THE PITCH-UATION ROOM
The pitch. To some writers, it’s the most ominous part of the job. To others, it’s just a regular Tuesday. But what is a pitch? How does a pitch work? Why do they call it a pitch? In this panel, we’ll discuss what makes great TV pitches, the format, what’s included, what’s not included, how to present it, and how to follow up.
Humanitas's Industry 101 event series has been made possible with support from our series sponsor Sony Pictures Entertainment.
American Sign Language interpretation services will be provided by Pro Bono ASL.
THE PANELISTS
Jacqueline Sacerio (Co-Head, US Scripted Development, Television, eOne)
Jacqueline Sacerio joined eOne in 2018. During her time with the company, Sacerio developed Freeform’s Cruel Summer, which became the network’s most-watched overall series debut ever, as well as the critically acclaimed survival drama Yellowjackets, which was among the most streamed series in Showtime’s network history. In her current role, Sacerio oversees the company’s extensive roster of first-look and pod deals, including partnerships with Alexi Hawley, Constance Wu, Hypnotic/Doug Liman, James Patterson, Keke Palmer, Mark Gordon, Merman (Sharon Horgan) and Westward/Beau Willimon, to name a few.
Prior to joining the company, Sacerio was a film and television agent at CAA for nearly eight years. She made the move to television producing in 2015 when she joined the Mark Gordon Co., which was acquired by eOne in 2018. During that time, Sacerio served as the executive in charge of Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland and was later promoted to EVP in 2020.
Bryan Seabury (Executive Vice President, Drama Development, CBS Studios)
In his position, Bryan Seabury oversees the development and creation of all prime time drama series for broadcast, cable and streaming. Most recently, Seabury oversaw the development of Your Honor (Showtime), The Man Who Fell to Earth (Paramount+, Showtime), Clarice (CBS), Walker (The CW), The Republic Of Sarah (The CW), Swagger (Apple), Unbelievable (Netflix), Insatiable (Netflix), The Bite (Charter) and Most Dangerous Game (Quibi, Roku). Seabury was named head of Drama Development at CBS Studios in 2016, which marked his return to the studio after nearly seven years in Drama Development at CBS Entertainment. During that time, he was involved in the development of Bull, Blue Bloods, Madam Secretary, NCIS: New Orleans, Scorpion, Elementary, and Hawaii Five-0.
Prior to his stint at CBS Entertainment, Seabury was Vice President of Drama Development for CBS Studios, coming to the company in July 2006.
Previously, he served as Vice President of TV Development for Mark Johnson’s Gran Via Productions, where he developed and served as a producer on Love Monkey for CBS.
Seabury graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Vanderbilt University.
Sasha Silver (Head of Drama Programming, Hulu Originals)
Sasha Silver has been responsible for many of Hulu’s biggest, most brand-defining and award-winning hits: The Act, Castle Rock, Little Fires Everywhere, The Great, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Dropout, The Girl From Plainville, and Candy. Since joining Hulu in 2016, the platform has seen a 400% increase in its subscriber base.
In her six years at Hulu, Silver has been responsible for shattering platform records with shows that she bought, championed, packaged, and steered. For example, The Act set a record for the highest number of new subscribers to the platform; Nine Perfect Strangers was the most watched Hulu Drama Original; Candy was Hulu’s best performing series of 2022, to name a few. She also developed the lauded The Mysterious Benedict Society, which made its switch from Hulu to Disney+ in 2021, making it one of the first non-Disney or Marvel branded originals on the platform.
Since taking over the drama department in 2021, Hulu has been on a hot streak, with the premieres of Dopesick, The Dropout, The Girl From Plainville, Conversations With Friends, and Candy. These acclaimed series have been the first few in a drumbeat that will continue later this year with the launch of the anticipated Mike, Tell Me Lies, Tiny Beautiful Things and the fifth season of the Emmy Award-winning The Handmaid’s Tale.
Prior to joining Hulu, Silver was VP, TV development at Chernin Entertainment, and Director of Development at Paramount TV, where she oversaw the development of Berlin Station (EPIX) and The Alienist (TNT).
She began her career at HBO, where she worked on Bored to Death. Sasha graduated from Columbia University in New York with a major in English.
THE HOST
Carter Covington
Carter Covington got his start when his first original script Just a Phase was bought and produced by ABC Family. The half-hour single-camera comedy was a memoir of Covington’s life growing up gay in the 80’s in North Carolina, and soon he was on his first set, producing his first pilot, surrounded by actors he cast as his family. This launched his development career, and Covington has since sold multiple comedy and drama projects. Covington’s first series was the TV adaptation of the teen classic 10 Things I Hate About You, which he ran for two seasons and was named by The New York Times as one of the year’s top 10 shows. His next series Faking It was a ground-breaking dramedy that explored the fluidity of sexuality and featured television’s first intersex main character. The series garnered three GLAAD nominations, Teen Choice Award for Breakout Show, and the key to the City of West Hollywood during its three-season run. Other credits include Greek and Hart of Dixie. Covington is an alumnus of the Warner Brothers Comedy Workshop and the WGA Showrunner’s program. He holds a dual degree in Spanish and Foreign Affairs from The University of Virginia and an MBA from UCLA. He lives in Los Feliz with his husband Patrick Sean Smith, their son Cormac, and dog Sugar.
