I've recently discovered this great website and went through some of the threads in this forum. Currently, I'm entertaining the idea of developing ideas for animated shows myself and pitching them to networks. I've already come across several websites and other sources (books, videos etc.) on the topic which answer most of my questions, except for one. This question would be:
How / Where do I pitch in Europe?
I know this might sound stupid, but hear me out. Pretty much all the articles I've read so far are about doing things in the US. I now know how to do all these things... in the US. That's great and all, but unfortunately, I don't live in the US and I also don't have the money to go there. I know that there are many European animated shows (e.g. from France), but how does the process work in Europe? Can I just do the same things there as well? How do animated shows originating in Europe get picked up?
Some of you might answer the question by bringing up events/festivals some of which take place in Europe. But are those the only place, the only possibility to pitch one's ideas? I believe there has to be another way. Things don't work in Europe like they do in the USA, so I do wonder how creators from Europe approach these things; moreover, the pitching process.
To make it even more precise: big, international networks like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Disney XD etc., you name it, have branches worldwide. Let's say I, who lives in Europe, wants to pitch an idea to one of those networks. Let's go with Nickelodeon in this case. How would I go about this? Because it's just one of the many branches of Nickelodeon whose mainsite is in the US. If I was living in an European country like, say France, can I do the same thing I normally could in the US? Can I approach the responsible people and then later pitch my idea at Nickelodeon France's site? Or does this work differently? And what if I'm aiming for an international animated show?
I appreciate all answers regarding this topic and would welcome advice / suggestions by those who live in Europe and already have experience in this or at least have some knowledge about this.
With kind regards,
Kainorian
Good question
I'm european too, et je cherche une réponse à la meme question que vous en fait
My 2D animation in : Children's Tv Funny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIbCXLTFuPQ&list=PL1X6Mnias5LwDfOMx3ywvI...
Salut!
Regarde ça: https://www.reddit.com/r/animationcareer/comments/89ze8s/on_pitching_in_...
Je crois que ceci pourrait être utile, mais malheureusement ce n'est pas en Français. J'espère que ce n'est pas un problème pour toi.
Salutation,
Kainorian
(P.S. I'm not from France. I actually had someone translate this for me.)
I live in the UK and have been looking to pitch a developed animation somewhere.
Unfortunately, from what I have read, most places only accept solicited pitches, which is to say pitches they have asked for. How to get these people to ask for your pitch is completely beyond me, and I have kinda fallen flat on my face. The only hope that I had was to pitch it directly to animation production companies, but even then it is RARE to get any responce or get people to actually look at your work.
Lastly, people suggest getting a litterary agent, but I can't see how this will help. It seems most litterary agents I have tried to get in contact with do not accept pitches, or if they do, they are as silent as the priduction companies!
the only thing I can suggest is try to litter a basic idea to anyone you can, kinda like a kid out of school sending out resumes for his first job. Go for the studios that do similar work to your idea, and hope that they get back to you.
sorry I cant be any more help than this. It is a topic I am still searching for the answer to, so if you find out, let me know! and vise versa!
Cheers
Oz
Hey, Oz!
I posted my thread on additional sites, one of them being Reddit. Someone who works at Nickelodeon actually answered me and according to them pitching via teleconferencing (e.g. per Skype) is becoming more and more common nowadays.
Here's a link to the Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/animationcareer/comments/89ze8s/on_pitching_in_...
I'm still looking out for answers on the sites I posted my question, but so far the only replies I got are the two on this site, one of them being yours, and the replies on the Reddit thread. I also tweeted a French creator of an animated show, but they didn't get back to me, unfortunately. I'll try to contact a few more people in the industry and will inform you if I should get any more answers. Apparently Direct Messaging isn't possible on AWN.
I'd keep an eye out for that Reddit thread - you never know when new answers might get in!
Have a good one!
- Kainorian