My First Televised Pitch
Not long after my husband’s death, I was given the opportunity to pitch at the Banff Television Festival. This could be my big break. God knows I needed a lucky break as I didn’t have a job or a business or a husband anymore. Just bills, uncertainty, and a young son who trusted me to make everything okay.
I would pitch my movie script to six hundred of the “movers and shakers” in Hollywood and around the world. This could make a world of difference and launch a new chapter in my life and career.
Or … it could go the other way … and I could ruin my reputation forever. My pitch would be shown on TV. My neck went into spasms of fear. I kicked myself (again) for agreeing to let a documentary filmmaker capture the unscripted moments building up to my pitch on stage.
A lot was riding on just 20 minutes. If I humiliated myself on stage, my fumbles would be captured on unforgiving film. If I blew it, even people who weren’t in the live audience could laugh at me when they watched it later on TV.
I practiced and practiced … and practiced. Time was up. I walked onto the stage, blinded by the spotlights, and looked out at the sea of hundreds of faces. For a moment, time stood still.
And then … I pitched my movie. As I painted a vivid picture of my characters and their hero’s journey, the audience was captivated. They leaned forward in their seats, hanging on every word.
The audience loved my story! I was amazed, relieved, delighted. What would happen next?
My agent fielded offers on my behalf. I stumbled across this photograph last night, and it shows what happened right after my pitch, with my agent, Jenny, seated beside me, negotiating on my behalf.
Playback reported:
“Aurora Winter came under the spotlight. Winter’s “Lost Rituals” pitch created an all-out bidding frenzy.
The coming-of-age story caused Michael Spivak (then vice-president production at Global Television) to ‘want to go all the way’ on the project, and sparked Gary Randall (then Spelling Television president) to bid US$40,000 for the second draft, as did Ferns (with ‘Spelling’s money’).
Dromgoole joined the fray to link with Global against Randall, Ferns and the CTV Television Network. Simulation license fees – $250,000 – were also bandied about by CTV and Global, with Stan Thomas, as vice-president programming at CanWest Global, pronouncing: ‘We’re a creative broadcaster, we pride ourselves on working with young writers. We’re not passive anymore – the pursuit of Canadiana is very important.’ Ears pricked visibly.
When the dust settled, Atlantis was the winner.
As a footnote, Winter will join Atlantis as director of development July 1, and is bringing the projects she has in development as a writer with her when she makes the move from Whistler to Toronto.” – Mary Maddever, “The Pitch is Wild”, Playback Magazine
To recap, that 20-minute pitch sparked a bidding war, launched my career in film and television, and generated six figures. It changed my reputation and made me a little bit famous in my industry. My pitch aired on national television as The Big Break and was later used to teach the art of pitching at the Banff Film School.
That one pitch changed the trajectory of my life—a pretty colossal result for a single 20-minute presentation. That was the dawning of my understanding of the power of the right pitch. The right words at the right time to the right people changed my life—and can change yours, too.
It was the beginning of a whole new chapter of my life. I was able to provide for my little family and do creative work that I loved.
That day taught me that there is nothing more economically valuable than the ability to communicate. If you can communicate your ideas, you can become absolutely unstoppable!
A couple of things to accelerate your success:
FREE book for you! Thought Leader Launch: 7 Ways to Make 7 Figures with Your Million-Dollar Message by Aurora Winter. Yours free (for a limited time). Details here: https://www.thoughtleaderlaunch.com
Take your communication skills to the next level with our Million-Dollar Message training and September 25 – 27 event: Your Book, Your Business, Your Speaker Spotlight, or our Thought Leader Mastermind. Details here: http://thoughtleader.media
Aurora Winter, Speaker, Trainer, Author www.AuroraWinter.com
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Aurora Winter is available for media interviews. Watch TV clips and see show topics here: https://www.aurorawinter.com/media/