Pitch Book Notes Week 8

Format for the Pitch Book (Leave-Behind):

Do it 8.5 by 11. There may be a need to photocopy and pass it on.

Illustrate situations rather than straight character designs.

7-10 page leave-behind.

Trust the person to read the material and fight the urge to read through the long drawn-out back-story.

Have confidence in the content rather than the packaging.

If it’s a comedy, explain how and why it’s funny.

Don’t tell them that it’s hilarious, convince your audience.

Pitch book should include a page for each character, maybe a page or two listing supporting characters and some springboards showing how those characters are put together.

Finishing Well

It's not enough to finish the checklist, to hurriedly do the last three steps and declare victory.

In fact, the last coat of polish and the unhurried delivery of worthwhile work are valued all out of proportion to the total amount of effort you put into the project.

It doesn't matter how many designers, supply chains, workers, materials and factories were involved--if the box is improperly sealed, that's how you will be judged.

Seth Godin

Remember the notion of “impute.” You do judge a book by its’ cover

Presentation:

The idea is big; the presentation doesn’t have to be.

Clarity and brevity. Not so much text.

Verbal pitch must be concise and to the point.

Sell your understanding of your character and environments.

Limit yourself to 10 to 15 minutes.

A logline should give an instant picture of the show.

Briefly rundown the main characters and what a typical episode will be.

Research: Don’t pitch inappropriate things to inappropriate people.
Leave behinds keep them short. Rehearse your pitch at least a few times

Don’t just read from your script. “ If that’s what you’re going to do, then you should just mail in your pitch.”

Fear, scarcity and value

The things we fear are probably feared by others, and when we avoid them, we're doing what others are doing as well.

Which is why there's a scarcity of whatever work it is we're avoiding.

And of course, scarcity often creates value.

The shortcut is simple: if you're afraid of something, of putting yourself out there, of creating a kind of connection or a promise, that's a clue that you're on the right track. Go, do that. 

Seth Godin