How to Pitch The Nod

We love hearing your story ideas, and we’re excited about the possibility of bringing them to life! To help us make that possible, there are some things we’d like you to have ready when you pitch our show. Below is a form we ask every freelancer to fill out and send to us at nodpitches@gimletmedia.com. If we chose to move forward, we’ll ask you either to get on the phone with us, or to attend one of our in-person pitch meetings. 

1. In one sentence, please tell us what the story is about, and what makes it interesting or surprising. For example: This story is about Josephine Baker, and it’s interesting because while she might be known for being a civil rights hero, at one point she conducted a pretty questionable experiment of trying to create a perfect racial utopia with her own children. 
2. What is the answerable question that you feel will drive the story forward? (Please avoid ‘why’ questions) For example, if we did the story above, the question might be: Did Josephine Baker’s attempt to create a racial utopia work?  Or  What happened to the children who were the subjects of this experiment? 
3. Who is the main character in your story?
4. What do you imagine is the beginning, middle, and end of your story? This can be a rough estimation -- we know that reporting will change this. 
5. What are the must-have guests and (if needed) scenes for this story? Have you yet spoken to any of these guests? 
6. Why is this a good fit for The Nod?
7. What reporting or research have you already done on this piece? 
8. What do you imagine is still needed to make this story work? What time and resources do you think you will need? 
9. What is your experience making audio stories? (We do accept pitches from people who have not done audio storytelling, but it’s helpful for us to know your comfort level in the medium)