Have you heard of "Montauk"? I bet you have.
Written by Producer & TSM Mentor, Jonathan Hogue
I came across a fascinating pitch deck the other day.
It was created over a decade ago for a science-fiction miniseries called Montauk.
The deck is filled with imagery from classic 1980s sci-fi and horror films, intentionally evoking a nostalgic, haunted ’80s aesthetic as it lays out the show’s original story arcs and characters.
The premise? A small town experiences a series of unexplained phenomena after a young boy goes missing overnight—events that stem from a mysterious scientific experiment happening right under the residents’ noses.
Sound familiar?
That’s right. Montauk was the original pitch for a little TV series called...
Stranger Things.
Reading this pitch deck now, over ten years later, is fascinating. At the time, the Duffer Brothers envisioned the project as a standalone miniseries, with no future seasons planned. Little did they know it would become one of the most significant pieces of original IP in television history—spawning multiple seasons, Emmy wins, live pop-up experiences, millions in merchandise sales, and even a Broadway spinoff (not to mention a certain parody musical that I happen to know quite a bit about).
They had a gold mine on their hands—and had no idea!
Despite the compelling deck and clearly exciting premise, the show was reportedly rejected by 15–20 major network executives (can you imagine how embarrassed those execs must be now?). Several initially showed interest, but only if the Duffers removed the child leads or reworked the series into a kids’ show. The execs were concerned that adult audiences wouldn’t take a horror series with child protagonists seriously.
The Duffers refused.
They knew the child-led element was the very thing that made the series unique, drawing inspiration from films like E.T., Stand By Me, and The Goonies. Still, there was a point when it felt hopeless, especially when every major network turned them down. Would anyone understand what they were trying to make?
All it took was one “yes.”
Shawn Levy caught the vision. He committed to bringing it to life, came on as executive producer, helped develop the series with Netflix (which was still in its infancy as a streaming platform at the time), and shepherded it through the final season—which just released this past month and shattered streaming records worldwide.
So why do I share this?
Because you have a Stranger Things inside you. A story only you can tell. A vision so specific that most people don’t quite get it—and maybe even think you’re a little crazy for believing in it.
Yes, Stranger Things ultimately evolved from the original Montauk pitch. The setting shifted from Long Island to small-town Indiana. Characters and plotlines changed. Future seasons emerged organically. Even during filming, character arcs were rewritten to fit unexpected performances (Steve was originally meant to die in Season 1—until Joe Keery proved too likable to let go).
Your vision will evolve too.
But like the Duffers, you have to stay committed to the core tenets of why you created your project in the first place. And you should only take a "yes" from the people who believe in those tenets alongside you.
This year, take time to identify your creative non-negotiables for your project. Write them down. Protect them. Pitch with them in mind. And see who shows up to the table.
Because you never know—the idea living inside you might just become the next great global phenomenon!
