FOR 38 YEARS NOW, various incarnations of the Banff World Media Festival have brought the most interesting media executives from across our quick-stepping media landscape to the postcard perfect, heart of the Canadian Rockies.
And every year it has been a totally unique experience (although I was sad to see the bus trip BBQ outing disappear).
It reminded me of the best days of high school, were everyone got dolled up in exotic expectation (but few actually got satisfied.) This year Banff hosts some 1,800 delegates, from more than 25 countries, presents roughly 175 speakers, with 200 buyers hungry for content.
Kicking off the festival was a "Banff 101" plenary session, billing itself as the perfect answer to pressing questions like: should you bring a box of chocolates to woo a buyer?
It turns out that pitching content is a lot like hot blooded high school dating (see nostalgic reference above).
It's all about the moves and when to make them – and pitch experts Mark and Jeanne Simon, co-founders of SellYourTvConceptNow.com, were the nuptial coaches on pitch flirting, teasing, and when to make bold advances to spark your true romance deal.
Okay, it's a bit fluffy – but this is Brunico's virgin year putting on the festival and there were some fun, interactive points for newbies. (Plus my mother had a cat named Fluffy and it wasn't completely nuts.) The Simons have credentials…
Jeanne is the real deal.
Her uncle, Ben Thau, was head of MGM back in the day when Ben Hur was a box office smash. She was part of the legendary Corman Studios, and has film credits including Lethal Weapon 2 and TV kudos for over 500 produced episodes, including with Animal Planet (see Fluffy), Nickelodeon, ABC, TNN, and HBO.
Mark Simon claims over 4,000 movie, series and ad credits: and his sold shows have gone to networks as diverse as FOX, PBS, the BBC, France 3, and Disney.
So back to the gist…
Like dating, pitching is nerve-wracking, and the Simons are big on perfecting your pick-up line – which should probably not be "How you doin’?" from Friends.
Plus they want you to know that content buyers are not mean.
"Unfortunately, you also need to pretend you're listening to them."
To successfully pitch your idea you have to know that: you're not bothering them, they need new shows to succeed, they're not more important than you (I think this is about self-confidence), buyers are stressed too, and they actually want you to be fantastic!
Unfortunately, you also need to pretend you're listening to them, and once in awhile you'll find one that is pretty smart, creative, and keen to risk being part of the next big thing.
Frankly, a lot of this seemed like common sense… but maybe my wife would disagree.
For example, the pitch-fevered audience was coached to make a connection with the network buyer, build rapport, show your passion for their company, come with something nice to say about their programming, research some common ground (hobbies, schools, geography, sports), and do all this without coming off as a crazed stalker.
Also, employ a little small-talk to start, don't go for the big moment right away – after all it's likely that your prospect buyer has just heard another pitch only a few minutes ago – give them time to transition to you.
Whatever you do, don't simply memorize your pitch, but do come prepared with a hook. Again, I thought some of the offered hooks sounded more like sinkers (at least as dating lines) but they're the experts… not me (see wife, above).
So use this one they suggested, "If I had to rate your network from 1 to 10, I'd give it a nine, and the 1 that you're missing is my show!" and then get back to me.
On the other hand, in my view, if it makes the buyer laugh maybe it's worth the shtick, unless of course you're pitching a tragic drama.
Another grabber hook was, "I created this show because…" and fill in the blanks, e.g. because I hate my boss, or had twins, or whatever.
Again, I'm no expert, but I did take a shining to one simple hook approach that went something like, "What if…" , in that it could be pure invention but would get certain attention.
Like, "What if I had 10 million online followers, would you be interested in my project?" or "What if I've just acquired perpetual rights to The Bible, would you be interested now?"
Being old-fashioned, I think the option where you answer the question "What is your show about?" is more than reasonable.
And as my wife says, "people won't always remember the details of what you said, but they'll remember how you made them feel", works too – so show some emotion if you can be honest about it.
Other little nuggets (not from my wife) included: if you're pitching a reality show never talk about the rules, always ask "What do you think?" and don't be afraid of a "no", if you get a "no". Then ask what they're looking for and ideally have a second pitch ready, be clear about your funding and distribution needs (apparently 80% of pitches flop on this), never hand over printed materials at the start, don't whine about your investment to date (it's either a good concept or not), and most important – if you hear "yes" shut the f#%k up!
Having been in the buyer's seat once or twice back in the rabbit-ears era, there may also be a few truisms to add: welcome input, be polite, don't stomp on the buyer's ego, never show nerves or do the pee-pee dance, and be calm when you ask about follow-up.
In my sum, this was a great warm and fuzzy session to set the festival tone — and it was honest about our industry's tough love too.
All's still fair in love and pitching!
(Ed note: Come on, Bill, no “pitching woo” joke?)
Bill Roberts is a long-time Canadian TV executive who is also a freelance writer, radio personality and town councilor. He is in Banff for Cartt.ca to cover the Banff World Media Festival.
