The Art and Science of the Perfect Pitch

Location: Utah Film Center

$75, discounts for Artist Foundry Members

Do you have a film idea you’re ready to bring to life—but need the backing to make it happen? It all starts with a compelling pitch.

In this immersive workshop, you’ll learn how to craft a compelling narrative, create a captivating presentation, and deliver both with confidence to create a memorable pitch that takes your project to the next level.

Industry experts will help you:

Understand the mechanics of a successful pitch
Craft authentic narratives that hook your audience
Build professional-grade visual decks with free tools
Master the cues of charismatic communication
Pitch with confidence to take your project to the next level

You’ll also get practical strategies for preparing for, navigating during, and following up after a pitch. This workshop serves as ideal preparation for our upcoming Pitch Competition, giving you the tools and practice you need to stand out. Participants will have dedicated time to develop their own pitch materials, along with supportive opportunities to practice.

Get ready to bring your project forward with clarity, confidence, and impact.

Save these important dates for the 2026 Artist Foundry Pitch Competition!

March 26th – Applications to pitch open
April 23rd – Applications close
May 14th – Mandatory Pitch Training session for selected participants
May 29th – 2026 Artist Foundry Pitch Competition

Discounts for Artist Foundry Members. Refer to your Welcome Email for code or reach out to artistfoundry@utahfilmcenter.org.

Celeste Chaney

Celeste Chaney is an Utah-based author, filmmaker, and intimacy coordinator.

She began her creative career ten years ago with the publications of her novel, In Absence of Fear. Shortly after is publication, a serendipitous encounter at the Sundance Film Festival set her sights on screenwriting, and her first screenplay was optioned by Passage Pictures (White Noise, Tesla, Marjorie Prime) several months later.

Since then, her feature-length scripts have advanced and placed in various labs, competitions, and film festivals, including Tribeca Film Institute’s AT&T Untold Stories Competition, the Alfred P. Sloan Filmmaker’s Fund, FinalDraft’s Big Break, and the Austin Film Festival.

Celeste has also directed three short films. Her drama/comedy From Way Up Here was selected by HollyShorts for its monthly screening series and won best short film at the 2025 Zions Indie Film Fest. Her comedy, Connie & Clyde is now in the festival circuit.

In 2020, Celeste became Utah’s first intimacy coordinator for film. As an IDC-certified consent-forward artist and mental health coordinator, she has supported dozens of productions – from independent films like Kill Me, starring Charlie Day and Allison Williams, to major productions including Kevin Costner’s Horizon (1&2) and Taylor Sheridan’s Marshals.

When she isn’t writing, directing, or supporting actors in some of the most vulnerable scenes of their careers, Celeste is at home in the mountains raising her nine-year-old son.

Markus Bishop-Hill

Markus Bishop-Hill, p.g.a. – member of the Producers Guild of America and the Television Academy – is a Film/TV Producer originally from California, who made his debut in Utah when he brought the very first Hallmark Channel Original Christmas Movie to film in the state in 2014, titled Christmas Under Wraps. He continued to bring over a dozen cable television feature films to Utah, generating millions of dollars of local spending between the years of 2014 and 2018.

In the midst of his cable TV career, he executive produced the award-winning Anthony Hopkins indie thriller Where Are You, alongside two-time Academy Award nominated cinematographer, Dante Spinotti, and spent 5 years in streaming television on Hulu’s Into The Dark (Seasons 1 & 2) and American Horror Stories (Seasons 1 & 2).

Since moving to Utah full time in 2024, Markus has been a part of the producing team for the Angel Studios hit movie and TV series, Homestead – which begins filming Season 2 in February of 2026.

More recently, Bishop-Hill teamed up with Emmy-nominated director, Tony F. Vainuku, to shoot a narrative titled Finau – the story of pro-golf brothers Gipper and Tony Finau, Utah natives that discovered their talents while growing up in the Rose Park neighborhood of Salt Lake City – currently making it’s way through the film festival circuit.

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