Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
You have just a few seconds to grab their attention and convince everyone in the room
that your story is worth telling. How you describe it, visualize it, sell it, and sell yourself
can all work for you or against you.
First, be honest and decide if you are the best person to make the pitch. If you get fl us-
tered speaking to a group, then let someone else do the talking. Not everyone needs
to be part of the formal presentation so play to your strengths.
Talk to the “gatekeeper,” a key contact who is setting up the meeting and ask him or
her to tell you who might attend. If you can, fi nd out their titles and what infl uence they
have on the process. Then do your homework.
The World Wide Web is a wealth of information. Check out the backgrounds of each
person who may be in the meeting.
• Try to get a recent picture of each person.
• What types of projects do they like?
• What projects have they worked on?
• Where did they grow up?
• What college did they attend?
• What projects are in their catalog? Do they already have an animated fi lm about
two talking zebras? Oops, your project is about two zebras so think about how
your project fi ts into their plans.
• Get your facts straight and then double-check them. Just because it is on the web
or IMDB does not make it true.
Why is this important? If you can fi nd a relevant personal connection, then you can tap
into that with a casual chat, discover mutual acquaintances or interests. But be careful.
You want to stand out just a little more from the other pitches and be remembered in a
good way. Your pitch should always be short and to the point, not too deep or detailed,
or it can get boring. You want a balance of well rehearsed but not memorized, engag-
ing, and delivered with enthusiasm but not clownish and with confi dence and passion
for the project.
This business is all about relationships, so you want to connect with the people in the
room.
Preparing for the Pitch
Make sure you know your story. Research your idea and know what else is out there
that remotely resembles it. Is there a character, city, situation, movie, or game that is