Yesterday’s workshop at Theatre Asylum was a new one for me. We had two fantastic Press guests- Brett Chapin & Noah J. Nelson – who gave
their perspective on being pitched to cover your show.
In the last hour, attendees placed themselves into different scenarios and I played a person they were pitching. We had a lot of fun and I actually got to say all the things I want to tell people when hearing a pitch:
- get over your fear
- look for the signs of interest
- how to close (soft or hard sell)
- how to describe your show, and more.
Many participants were nervous at pitching in front of people (who wouldn’t be?), and I took a moment to explain how frightened I am the night before I teach a workshop. That surprised a lot of people, and I heard from the audience: “You’d never know it.” That, I said, is from years of self-producing and pitching my own work. You just have to get over the idea of pitching your own art. Fake it if you don’t feel it.
I left the workshop energized. Participants jumped at the end to connect with each other, to see how they can cross-promote, or just to talk about their shows. I feel everyone got a chance to talk through their pitch and we helped them find the interesting bits. So much so, in fact, that I changed the MAY 24th workshop to be another round of Pitching. Everyone needs it, and how often do you get to practice?
Here’s the rest of the schedule (all workshops 10am-1pm).
Don’t see a workshop that answers your question? Comment below & we can arrange individual instruction.
MAR 30 – Find New Audience on Twitter (basics included)
APR 6 – Standards & Best Practices for Social Marketing (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, etc)
APR 20 – Using Video to Promote Live Performance (includes You Tube/Vimeo)
MAY 11 – Marketing Strategy in the Thick of It
MAY 24 – Pitching Your Show to New Audiences
JUNE 8 – Standing out at a Festival without Being a Dick
Comment below or email [email protected] for more information.
