6-minute sizzle reel for a provocative documentary limited series pitch.

Roles: Writer, Senior Producer, Video Editor, Motion Gfx & Titles

Client: Invent TV

Jason Graham at Invent TV put this project together and asked me for a strong sizzle reel to sell the idea to potential distributors. After many long discussions about what the limited documentary series would cover, it was clear the story was captivating, rich, and had more than one side to it. The only real challenge was the challenge I most often face when creating a trailer for such a project; how to convey all of that concisely in the runtime of just a few minutes. It had to somehow contain all of the important information a buyer would need to feel like they understand what the series would be while also making it clear that there is still plenty of story left to warrant the production of several episodes. It’s a tightrope I’ve walked many times, but I’m quite proud of how it all came together in this particular sizzle.

The most important note I was given from our first discussion was, “this is a period piece,” meaning it was important the audience always feel a sense of being dropped back into the 90’s while watching this story unfold. To accomplish this, I used plenty of video clips from the time period, but also applied VHS filters to stock footage that wasn’t necessarily from that decade to make it feel cohesive. Most importantly, I restricted myself to a soundtrack entirely from the 90’s and early 2000’s (or remixes of songs from those periods,) which resulted in the perfect moment to include my all-time favorite Beastie Boys track.