Thread by @eboli_pedro

Hey folks! On this thread I`m going to post the entire #cupcakeanddino (now on Netflix!) original PITCH BIBLE.

A lot of people ask me about pitching their shows, and I thought I`d share a bit of my personal experience and lessons learned along the way. (It`s no crazy beast!)

After a nice catchy cover, tell us what your show`s about.

More importantly (in a kid`s comedy) WHO your show`s about.
Who are we watching, and WHY WE CARE to watch these characters. What do they have that`s interesting, unique, fun and emotional. Give it a beating heart.

Then, off to give more info on the characters. I wrote a LOT on these pitch bibles, more than I would today. But I was insecure and wanted to make sure I`d convey everything. Still, your main characters should get the PRIME treatment. What are their hopes, dreams and drive?

If you got more than one main character, make it clear how these two or three mains are different from each other. Find differences that create conflict.
The space that separates me and you is where stories live. How are we different, and how can we live, love or fight together?

And here`s the side cast! They should make your world more colorful, and provide even more conflict to our world

CONFLICT DOESN`T NECESSARILY MEANS FIGHTING. It`s just different dispositions and world views that make interesting and unique dynamics.
(And yup, Vicky was a squid!)

As you can see (anyone still here?), the side cast of Cup and Dino changed A LOT over 2 years of development. Once my genius creative partner Mark Satterthwaite came on board with eOne, we had to figure out better, more complimentary dynamics. Poor Hugo wasn`t born yet here! :(

Since we paired the pitch with this weird clip I made previosuly:
vimeo.com/52352927
I thought a page on the look of the show would be helpful.
I guess I was worried how the show would work?
In the end, a lot of the look was changed anyways! So I`d take it out today! 100%!

Then comes the stories! You gotta them, even if they never get used for realsies. They serve to show your concept finally in action, and have to stimulate the imagination of whoever is hearing your pitch, to actually see a show in their heads. Ideally, see even beyond your pitch!

More stories! The mustache one ended up morphing into the pilot (The Manly Man`s Club), but I`m glad we KILLED most of these. They show some heart (I was aware I had to), but they rely a lot more on gimmicks than more matured episodes of the show. (Some here are...embarrassing!)

End with a "thank you", cause you`re polite and happy to be there!

That`s it!
It`s no beast! It just takes a bit of practice and a bit of luck, in the end of the day. As you can see, the final show changed a bunch but that`s part of the game of development.

Some thoughts--

1- DO MULTIPLE PITCHES - don`t do just one and hold on to it like it`s the greatest idea ever. Like learning anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it. I`ve done a dozen show pitches in my life, and I find this to not only be true, but also ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL

2 -KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS - they are the life blood of your pitch. As you can see, a lot of stuff changed AROUND Cup and Dino since the pitch. But the HEART of the show - the relationship between two different but loving brothers - stayed the same. That`s sign of a solid foundation

and 3 - You`re not just pitching a show, you`re pitching YOU - at first, YOU ARE YOUR SHOW. So find a personal angle that inspires your idea, and make it unique because it`s coming from you. Also, BE A NICE PERSON, be kind and polite, and be someone who people WANT to work with.

That`s it! Thanks if you got this far!

I really thought it would be fun to share these, and thought about it for some time. I finally got the push to do it once the super creative @genegoldstein posted some of his pitches. So thank you, Gene! Sharing is nice, and everyone wins!

(One last side note:
The pitch I showed is the long form pitch (or "leave behind") that you give for people to read on their own. If you are presenting a pitch orally, USE AS LITTLE TEXT AS POSSIBLE. You want them to listen to your words, look at fun visuals, and not read text!)