At that point it would have been very easy for me to let my bruised ego do the talking, to just keep trying to convince them the material I’d prepared was in fact worthy of another episode. A younger version of me may very well have done that. Actually, younger versions of me did do that, which is why this time I made sure I’d learned from my previous mistakes. This time I played it smart. I knew I had a “yes.” It may not have been the “yes” I’d wanted or expected, but it was definitely a “yes.” All I had to do to close the deal was know when to shut up.
To make the sale I’d have to settle for selling the idea and not the exact story I’d pitched. So, rather than being defensive and possibly end up talking them out of saying “yes,” wasn’t it better to let my pitch basically be the first draft and let the brainstorm that was now occurring in the meeting be the first revision?
This calculation turned out to be right on the money. The pitch was successful. I got the job. Not only that, they bought the next two episodes I pitched them. Why? Because I pitched my personality, I was always well prepared, and I was open and flexible enough to let that “yes” take whatever form it was going to take.
Know Your Audience
Another very important part of pitching involves not just pitching your personality, but also understanding the personality of the person you’re pitching to. Obviously, if you’ve never met the person before, there’s no way of knowing what they’re like, but if you’ve had the chance to get to know them even a little bit, then you owe it to yourself to specifically tailor your pitch to the aspects you know they will respond to (to whatever extent that’s possible).
Recently I was working on a project at Walt Disney Imagineering, which is the part of Disney that builds the theme parks, and found myself pitching to an executive I’d pitched to several times before. Now, because WDI has such a tried-and-true creative process and such a rich tradition, you typically follow a certain protocol when you pitch there, using a style of storytelling that is very unique to what they do.
In this case, however, I didn’t feel confident the traditional approach would work. Why? Because this particular executive is extremely adept at figuring out what you’re going to say ahead of time and, once he does, tends to cut you off before you’ve had a chance to fully explain it. This doesn’t mean he’s no longer interested in your concept. It’s just that in the blink of an eye, he’s two steps ahead of you, which inevitably leaves you scrambling to get out from behind the eight ball.
I knew the standard dog-and-pony show wasn’t going to work this time, so instead, I decided to bring in three people who were supporting me on the project and use them to tell my story. Rather than formally pitching, I kept the whole thing conversational, sort of backing into each part of the pitch by saying something like: “John and I were discussing the first part of the experience, and his idea, which I really liked, was to do X, Y, and Z.” We’d then talk about that aspect of the project for a while, and then I’d somewhat stealthily move on to the next part of the pitch by steering the discussion in the direction of another one of my supporting players.
The resulting conversation was not only very enlightening, but also very effective, as I kept this very smart executive engaged in the story throughout the entire meeting, and most importantly, convinced him to provide funding for another round of development on the project.
SURVIVAL GUIDE SUMMARY
11. Pitching Stories
Things to Remember:
•Pitching is a necessary evil. You must be able to express your ideas verbally as well as on paper in order to give potential employers confidence that you can do the job.
•The most important thing you’re selling when pitching a story is yourself. So pitch your personality.
•A pitch is a performance in which you are both the actor and the main character.
•Memorize your pitch, then perform it as though you’re saying the words for the first time, just like a good actor.
•Hone your pitch so you use as few words as possible. Try to make it no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.
•When pitching with a partner, figure out ahead of time exactly who is going to say what and when.
•Be open and flexible. Anything can happen once you get in the room.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•What’s your natural storytelling style? Are you big and gregarious? Quiet and soft-spoken?
•How do you tell stories to your friends or family members in everyday life? Develop an approach that is similar.
•Is there a hook to your pitch you can use to start it off right? A personal anecdote, for example, or a metaphor that frames the theme of your story and sets the tone for the rest of the pitch?
•Which parts of your story can be edited out in your verbal presentation? Look hard at each beat as you rehearse and only include what’s absolutely necessary.
•Who are you pitching to? Have you pitched to them before? Tailor your pitch to receive the most favorable response possible.
12. Writing for Hire
Up until now, most of what we’ve been discussing is writing original material on spec. “Writing for hire” or “writing on assignment” is when you either get paid to write someone else’s story or when you pitch an idea and the buyer pays you to write it (as in the TV example in the previous chapter).
Writing on spec
