September 4, 2012

StoryCode Immersion #6

Immersive Media Project Pitching

AGENDA

• Immersive Media Project Pitching Overview - 30 Minutes

• Pitch Workshop (5 minute pitch followed by comments)

Jennifer Warren / Andrew Leitch - Montauk Boys

Michael Broz

Josh Cook

Robbie Wilkins - One Day

• Assumes you have already lined up the pitch, getting the

meetings is a whole other conversation

• #storycode

OVERVIEW

• Primary goal - communicate the project’s vision

• Pitch audience - understand who you are pitching too

• The pitch itself - direct, clear, concise, with a concrete ask

• Pitch structure - what are the elements to a good pitch?

• Follow up - in a planned and organized manner

• Practice whenever you can - experiment with different

pitches

• Be over prepared but not robotic, think on your feet

PRIMARY GOAL - PROJECT VISION

• If successful the pitch audience will understand your:

• Story - what is the story?

• Audience - who is the target audience?

• Message - is there a meta-message the story conveys?

• Style - how will you tell it?

• $$ - how will it make money?

• Don’t lead with the tech or the number of platforms.

Lead with the story. The tech and platforms are part of

the style in which it will be told.

• Show excitement, pride, competency and commitment

PITCH AUDIENCE

• Know your audience (duh) - easier said than done

• Research the participants who will hear your pitch

• Understand what they are looking for - put yourself in

their shoes

• Tailor elements of your pitch to their interests and

concerns

• Your goal is to make them successful by supporting your

project - it’s simple human nature

• Know how much time you will have, plan to come in

under this time (leave time for conversation/questions)

THE PITCH ITSELF

• Limited time - make it short and sweet

• Focus on the most important, core and compelling

aspects

• Know your “elevator pitch” by heart

• Example: It’s the story of a suburban mom who becomes a detective. It targets

women ages 25 to 45. Storylines will explore life in the suburbs and the

realities of consumerism. It will be told episodically via customized

tablet/social video app. The business model rewards story evangelists

and monetizes users who want to go deeper into the story.

• Personal introduction of the story - show you are

passionate about it and why

• Video trailer (keep it short) - introduce the story,

characters, and style in which it will be told

• Highlight callouts - opportunity to show innovative

thinking here, especially in monetization and story style

• Have a prototype? Consider showing it here

• The ASK - you must communicate what you are looking

for with the pitch: funding, introductions, collaborators,

etc.

PITCH STRUCTURE

• Don’t go deeper until you stop and listen for clarifying

questions

• If there is an empty pause, probe for questions

• “What’s your first impression”, “Does this make sense?”,

“Are you working in platforms or stories like this?”

• This lets the pitch audience signal what they are most

interested in - you can then customize your pitch further

on the fly to find points of mutual interest

• Record every question you’re asked - these are a

valuable window into what people are most interested

in, and can highlight unclear elements of your pitch

PITCH ADVICE

• If you have a pitch deck move beyond PPT - consider a

tablet presentation if one-on-one or Keynote, Jux, Prezi

• Presentation must be “designed” - should feel of the

style of the story

• 10-20-30 Rule: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 point font

• Keep each slide dead simple

• Include a single prominent image or a few key words per

slide.

• Keep a pitch journal - each pitch is an opportunity to

learn and improve

PITCH ADVICE

FOLLOW UP

• Always send thank you notes/emails immediately

• Don’t bombard your target - one follow up after 3/4 days

is good, if they don’t respond wait another week

• Follow up email - keep it under 5 sentences (short and

sweet)

• Refer to something specific you discussed to remind the

target of your story, its name, and its value

• Include a relevant URL and single phone number and

email address (avoid information overload)

• Close with a specific question (“Would you be interested

in coming on board as an investor?”)

RESOURCES

• Projeqt, Jux, Hype, Prezi, SlideRocket, Google

Presentations - free tools to help create an immersive

presentation

• Delicious.com stack of new storytelling tools

CONTACT

mike@storycode.org

aina@storycode.org

www.storycode.org

@storycodeorg