Anderson Entertainment needed more than a great pitch.
Anderson Entertainment was securing investment and broadcast partners for a series the late Gerry Anderson was developing at the time of his death. The creative was never in doubt. What commissioners increasingly wanted was evidence of an audience.
Commissioners want proof, not just promise
Anderson Entertainment is famed for Thunderbirds, Stingray and Captain Scarlet. It was working to bring Firestorm, a series Gerry Anderson had in development when he died, through to production — which meant convincing investors and broadcast partners.
The difficulty is structural rather than creative. A pitch now has to answer a question about the audience, and an independent producer rarely has the research resources of a studio to answer it with.
A route to audience evidence for independents
We developed a methodology aimed specifically at independent production companies: a way to establish what children’s attitudes, behaviour and consumption actually are, and what that means for a proposed show.
The point was clarity a commissioner would accept. Because the data is first-party, continuous and independent of anyone with a stake in the commission, it carries weight that a producer’s own conviction cannot.
Data as part of the pitch
The team could look at potential demand for the show before committing further development spend, and take that evidence into conversations with investors and broadcast partners.
It changes the nature of the meeting. The creative still has to be good; the difference is that the audience case no longer rests on the pitch alone.
It’s become more and more apparent that today a creative pitch, even with a proof of concept, is no longer sufficient when pitching to TV commissioners. Data & insights into audiences and why your proposed show might work for them – now need to be part of your pitch. It’s brilliant that companies like The Insights Family are available to provide us with solid and reliable data to support our creative endeavours.
Your next commission
Take audience evidence into the pitch.
Tell us the show and the audience you believe is there, and we’ll show you whether the data agrees.