Hot Pitch Party Tips from Last Year’s Winner!

Hot Pitch Party Tips from Last Year's Winner!

One of the most frequent questions we get around this time of the year is what has happened to previous winners of our Pitch Party contest. We caught up with Brian Smith and the team at Toronto's Eggplant studio who won in 2007 with their entry King of the Universe and also got second place with their Monster in a Box two years ago

“Our first Pitch Party entry from '06, Monster in a Box, was optioned by Decode Entertainment,” says Smith. “Last year's winning entry, King of the Universe, opened a lot of doors. We met with Sony Pictures' feature animation division, a division of Disney, and have had ongoing talks with broadcasters, production companies and talent agencies. We're optimistic that it will be picked up in the next little while.”

Smith tells us that those important meetings allowed his team to discuss their other projects as well. “For example, at Sony Pictures, their primary interest in that division is feature length—so we left them a feature length script we're very excited about.” Another advantage of entering is raising your profile in the industry: “At Eggplant, we have a great reputation for producing award-winning music for animation, but this has allowed the industry to see us in a new light—as an originator of ideas,” he adds.

When we asked him to offer some advice for this year’s brave batch of Pitch Party contestants, Smith says it’s really important to come up with an idea that is simple to convey. “The best idea you've got may not be the best Pitch Party idea you've got. If it can't be conveyed in the space of a business card, it doesn't matter if it's the next Simpsons!”

Natasha Parrish, who came in second last year with her Deidra Daydreamer concept, also wrote to remind us that you don’t have to be the Top Prize winner to get some attention! “I had wonderful feedback on my entry, so right know I'm working out some of the story kinks to make it ready for pitching.” She also entered Baton Rouge’s Red Stick Festival event, has polished her live pitching techniques and is ready to take on the big studios in 2008.

There are only three spots left for this year’s Pitch Party. To find out how you can be a contestant and get your idea reviewed by a top list of industry professionals, visit www.animationmagazine.net/pitch_party_08.html.

Posted from Animation Magazine ~ By Ramin Zahed.