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The Big Pitch

A contemporary parable on the dangers of social media addiction, the story follows Marc and Peter, two young entrepreneurs on the cusp of greatness- or disaster- with a unique new app they've developed: Spotlight. With their partnership on a knife's edge, they prepare for the single biggest pitch they'll ever make, to a group of hungry venture capitalists.

(Learn more about the film in our Press Kit)

  • Robert Enriquez
    Director
  • Max Gardner
    Producer
    Go/Don't Go (2021)
  • Alex Knapp
    Producer
    Go/Don't Go (2021)
  • Alex Morsanutto
    Story by
    High Glow Retro (2016)
  • Alex Morsanutto
    Writer
  • Jack Wolfe
    Writer
  • Robert Enriquez
    Writer
  • Waleed Sokkar
    Director of Photography
    Into The Abyss (2021)
  • Sam Zarrin
    Editor
    Top Gear America (2021)
  • Alexander Arntzen
    Composer
    Follow Her (2022)
  • Ant Ma
    Production Designer
  • Dan Wang
    Costume Designer
  • Tom Donnelly
    VFX Supervisor
  • Oleksandr Maksym
    VFX Artist
  • Eugene Gonzales
    VFX Artist
  • Ryan O'Dell
    Key Cast
    "Peter Wilson"
    Blue Bloods (2022)
  • Louis Griffin
    Key Cast
    "Marc Sandberg"
  • Jon Spano
    Key Cast
    "Mr.Weinstein"
  • Jo Lawrence
    Key Cast
    "Sarah"
  • David Gibbs
    Key Cast
    "Carl Powers"
    Malibu, CA (1999)
  • Chris Ronin
    Key Cast
    "Daniel "
  • Sam Jaikaran
    Key Cast
    "Sandra"
  • Mike Santosusso
    Key Cast
    "Dean Sandberg"
  • Rob Resnick
    Key Cast
    "Businessman"
  • Gabby Huggins
    Key Cast
    "Grace"
  • Tim Perdoch
    Sound Recordist
  • Dean White
    Sound Designer / Rerecording mixer
  • Ben Rummans
    Gaffer
  • Pepe Cuart
    Key Grip
  • Sarah Visina
    Hair and Makeup Artist
  • Andrew Vecchio
    First Assistant Camera
  • Grey Scott-Simpson
    Second Assistant Camera
  • Tucker Aaron
    Production Assistant
  • Yasmeen Purvis
    Production Assistant
  • Jacqui Gharbin
    Production Assistant
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 38 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - The New York Film Academy
  • Soho International Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    October 8, 2022
    World Premiere
  • GreenPoint International Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    September 17, 2022
Director Biography - Robert Enriquez

Born in 2000, Robert was raised in Minnesota where he spent his childhood watching VHS tapes and CDs he’d retrieve from a large bin in his basement his parents labeled “MOVIES.”

After graduating highschool Robert realized filmmaking was the only industry he had any passion for. At 19 he left Minnesota for New York to pursue an education in filmmaking, spending the next two years attending The New York Film Academy where he was part of the Director’s Conservatory Program. He enjoyed his time at school immensely, meeting other passionate film goers who had opinions beyond “I liked that”.

Now at 21, with film school behind him, Robert enters the festival circuit for the first time with his thesis film and directorial debut, “The Big Pitch.” When not developing his own projects, Robert is a 1st Assistant Director, non-union, as well as an all-around filmworker. With a plan to make more shorts and his first feature film before he turns 25, Robert looks forward to making in-roads within the NYC Film industry at large.

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Director Statement

I was sitting in my windowless Manhattan apartment trying to finish the 5th or 6th rewrite of an experimental script that would ultimately be my thesis at New York Film Academy. Bleary-eyed from staring at my phone, I decided to take a break from writing and turn to something that might feed my mind. After perusing for a bit, I stumbled upon Jeff Orlowsji’s documentary, “The Social Dilemma.” The film looks at the concepts around the addictive nature of social media platforms, something I think we all worry about in the back of our minds.

As the film's credits rolled, I sat on the couch thinking about how often I bring my phone within a foot of my face, and let its LEDs burn my retinas. As the film’s message rolled around in my head, I realized that since I was 11 years old I have been compulsively checking my social media, utterly compelled to reach for my phone whenever a conversation or hangout lulled, and feel a sense of fear and anxiety when my phone is inaccessible. I was totally programmed by my stimuli, and it got me thinking deeply about it’s presence in my life.

One of the first lessons you’re taught when you take up writing for film is “write what you know.” As the documentary lingered in my mind, I realized this is something I know intimately—the compulsion and need to constantly be tapped into my social feeds, receiving that dopamine hit from engagement and likes, and always glued to my phone. So I challenged myself to base my thesis around something I felt the need to talk about and quickly teamed up with writer Alex Morsanutto to begin work on the story that would become “The Big Pitch,” my directorial debut.

I wanted the film to center on the ethical choice a tech company makes when deciding just how addictive to make their app, knowing full well that social media is a root cause of depression, loss of productivity, and rising suicide rates in teens. Having been raised with social media as a formative part of my life, I wanted “Pitch” to say something about this dilemma. I hope the film makes people think about the choices that these companies are making for us, often at our detriment, and see how manipulative the forces behind their favorite pastime can be to their health, mentally, emotionally, and physically.