Anatomy of a Pitch Session

I haven't been pitching much recently, mostly because of the number of Pitch Bibles that I've been writing for other people. But I did pitch a show last week and I'd like to share with you, what I did - and how it went.

What's the show about? Secret Stuff. I can't tell ya. So don't ask.

I started by contacting the studio's Executive Producer. It's not hard to figure out "Who's Who" in any particular organization. We spoke on the phone - and I confirmed what they were looking for: This particular company wanted action/adventure/comedy for Boys aged 8 to 12.

BINGO! That's the target audience for the show I wanted to pitch. (Every company is different - what works for one, will be wrong for another.)

We set up the appointment. I arrived at their studio 10 minutes before the meeting and checked in with reception. (Never be late! They can be late. YOU can't.)

The pitch started with the usual small talk. Then we segued into the business. I worked from the Two-Pager (which in this case was One Page). I pitched the concept. BINGO! They got it right away. The Pitch Bible itself - while 'leafed through' during the meeting, really wasn't needed. They got the idea from the single-page presentation document. The Pitch Bible became a "leave behind".

(I left 3 bound hard-copies of the pitch and an electronic copy on CD. They have offices in multiple cities and would need to transmit the pitch to various locations for consideration.)

They have nothing like my show. As far as they know, there's nothing like my show on the market. Its something very rare in this day and age - a totally original concept. And it is a perfect fit for their demographic. From there on, the meeting was about potential broadcast markets.

This is as good as a Pitch Meeting gets. Will it become a Development Deal? Time will tell and some things move slowly. But it was a good meeting: I pitched a show - they "got" the idea. It doesn't get any better than that!

Fingers Crossed!

To summarize - When I made the appointment, I confirmed that I had the kind of show that they were looking for.

The pitch was concise. They got the idea of what I was selling, as soon as I started to pitch it.

The pitch material was well prepared: Well written (and spellchecked) with art and graphic design. Also - printed on presentation-grade paper and bound. As well, I brought an electronic copy (PDF) with me for easy duplication and transmission between offices.

Bottom Line: When you're pitching, you're competing with the 'big boys' so you have to be on your game.