Blogs tagged "pitching"
July 2019
CMC 2019: Report – Successful Pitches – The Secret History
Tim Patterson from T1M Consult introduced the panel and invited them to share their experience with pitching and their tips on what it takes to make a pitch successful. A strong recurring theme throughout the session was tenacity. Takeaway: Keep it simple: have a sense of humour and be tenacious! Commissioners have many things they need to navigate internally, put yourself in their shoes. Pitching is a relationship that takes time, commitment and nurturing in order to make it work. Don’t get attached to one idea, be flexible and develop a very thick skin – there’ll be a lot of no’s before you get the yes. Detail: Chris Dicker reflected on how 'Becca’s Bunch' came to fruition. He discussed how…
CMC 2019: Report – First Timers Reception
The First Timers’ Reception kicked off with an impromptu walking tour of Sheffield, as delegates chatted their way through the town to the impressive location of the City Hall. Once the ‘newbies’ had gathered (and found the reception!) presenter Chris Jarvis began, making sure to include useful tips that were both reassuring and engaging for all. Takeaway: Do download the CMC app to plan your sessions effectively. Don’t forget to use the #tcmc whenever you share anything on your social channels. Do attend the opening and closing sessions. Don’t forget to take notes, you’ll never remember everything! Do turn up early to sessions, they can get very busy. Don’t keep to the same few people for all three days, broaden your social…
July 2018
CMC 2018: Report – Commissioner Conversations: Disney and Sony
The session began with a presentation by changemaker Holly Churches, a post production coordinator working on Thomas and Friends. Holly works with charity KEYPR (Kids Entertainment Professionals for Young Refugees), raising money for children’s charity UNICEF. Takeaways: The commissioners and acquisitions teams are keen to hear about great content and have open door policies The main focus is on animation but commissioners are open to live action content. Detail: Sarah Muller from Sony was the first speak at the session, discussing her new role at Sony, running their three channels – Tiny Pop, Pop and Pop Max. Sarah explained that her vision for the channels will always revolve around content, as they want to offer their audiences the absolute best.…
CMC 2018: Report – Commissioner Conversations: Nickelodeon and Turner
In a session sponsored by A Productions, the ‘big cheeses’ of animation from Nickelodeon and Tuner got together to discuss how to get your project on their desks, and once it’s there, what it takes to seal the deal. Takeaway: Nickelodeon and Turner generally look for content that is character driven, non-prescriptive, and communicates a sense of adventure. The companies are very interested in the production of local content with ‘global legs’. Be creative: there are no set rules on how a piece of content needs to manifest itself. We have entered the era of the ‘networked society’ and content is no longer restrained to a linear series - games, clips, shorts, etc...are all options as well. Detail: As per…
CMC 2018: Report – The Art of Animation Design
Takeaway: Ideas can come from unexpected sources. Stay true to yourself and don't fake it. Take opportunities that come your way. Detail: The session was opened by Changemaker Javid Rezai, who discussed LGBTQ+ representation in Children’s TV. Javid talked about how the television shows he watched as a child shaped him in a number of ways, and that he continues to see the influence of this. Javid said that more LGBT representation is not only important to those kids, but rooted in the goals of tolerance, and will speak to every child. Leigh Hodgkinson Author and illustrator Leigh Hodgkinson discussed with Kath Shackleton her journey from working on the first series of the BBC’s Charlie and Lola to being the creator…
July 2017
CMC 2017: Report – Meet The Commissioners: PSBs
The session began with a presentation by changemaker Yasmin Lodhi: This session aimed to demystify the Public Service Broadcaster commissioning process – walking the audience through the stages of pitching, development and production for PSB TV shows Takeaway: Each PSB has a different approach to children's coverage, depending on their remit Consider language when pitching to S4C Talk to people and do your research! Detail: Channel 4 First to the floor, Dom Bird, Head of Formats, Music & Education, Channel 4, discussed the fact that C4 do not have any kids' channels currently, raising the question of what the channel is mandated to do. Children’s policy is of course informed by remits imposed by Ofcom, he said, and C4’s takes…
CMC 2017: Report – Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Prospective show creators got in the den (a really big stage in front of a really big audience!) to pitch their ideas to the dragons (your friendly neighbourhood producers). After a five-minute pitch, the panellists bid for the show-creator’s time in a three-month 'chat' period Takeaway: These broadcasters get a lot of pitches and they get them often. It’s really important to have a handle on what makes yours unique. Know the marketplace. At the end of the day the broadcasters are looking for strong characters and stories with the potential for comedy and pathos. The stories, what the show is really about, should shine through. Awesome animation is awesome, but at the end of the day it’s all about story. The Dragons: Eryk…
CMC 2017: Report – Tuesday Workshop: Pitch Perfect
In this workshop a panel of industry experts were on hand to share their experiences of pitching and provide helpful tips on how to pitch and develop skills. Each member of the panel had unique experiences they were able to bring forward to the session. Takeaway It all starts with the pitch and the characters – know your story Flexiblity of ideas, allowing them to be tailored for different platforms Don’t fixate on the one project that you think is going to be your golden ticket. Mickey Rogers, Director, MRM inc., began by sharing her knowledge with the delegates through a number of useful points and tips beginning with: “One of the most important things about pitching is authenticity”. She gave…
June 2012
‘Shape It, Pitch It’
Shape it Pitch it. Hubs A, Wednesday July 4th, 1-5pm. ‘Shape It Pitch It’ is a unique opportunity to work with highly experienced producers, writers, execs and consultants to develop your ideas, says session producer Dinah Lammiman. Experts include Debbie Macdonald, formerly programme director of Nickleodeon UK, Barry Quinn, CBeebies Development producer and Tim Bain, writer on CBBC’s Dennis and Gnasher. Through a process of building exercises, re-iterative pitching and intensive clinics you will learn how to nurture and feed the good ideas, reinvent the bad ideas and identify and pitch the best to the best. At the end of the afternoon some participants will present their idea to a panel of guest commissioners, including top execs and commissioners from…