Pitch Like Hollywood: What You Can Learn from the High-Stakes Film Industry - Hardcover

Desberg, Peter; Davis, Jeffrey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1264268564 ISBN 13: 9781264268566

Publisher: McGraw Hill, 2022

Synopsis

Inside tips on how to craft pitches that seal the deal―no matter what industry you work in―and banish presentation anxiety forever

From impromptu elevator pitches to full-board presentations, sales and marketing professionals face an “audience” daily―often with make-or-break consequences. As the person delivering the performance, you need to know you have a great script and are able to maintain composure throughout.

To help you perfect both pitch and performance, there are no better coaches than clinical psychologist Peter Desberg and writer/producer Jeffrey Davis. With experience and insights from both the film industry and the corporate world, they understand the pitch process.

In Pitch Like Hollywood, they show you how to up your game substantially ―no matter what business you’re in―by incorporating elements of a classic Hollywood pitch: driving emotion, piquing curiosity, and ultimately winning over decision makers with powerful persuasion and performance. They take you on an insider’s tour of the entire process, from defining the fundamentals to designing effective presentation strategies to overcoming stage fright.

With chapters that include Persuasion Boot Camp, The Pitch Panic Cycle, and Creating the Pitch II (The Sequel), Pitch Like Hollywood provides a front-row seat in a master class on giving great performances for any audience, every time―at board meetings, sales calls, and whenever else you want to make a case to get the results you want.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Desberg is professor emeritus at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award and Outstanding Professor Award. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the area of stage fright and performance anxiety. The author of 23 books, he has been quoted by such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today and The New York Times, and has consulted for companies including Apple, Boeing and Toyota in the areas of pitching and persuasion, corporate presentations, and using storytelling and humor in business presentations.

Jeffrey Davis is a professor of screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and served from 2009-2019 as the department chair. Davis has also written and produced trade shows for Dick Clark Productions and counted among his advertising clients Dell Computers, Toyota of America and Honda. His has more than 30 credits to his name, including Night Court, Remington Steele, and documentaries for A&E, Discovery, and The History Channel. As a consultant, his areas have also included writing, pitching, and employing storytelling and humor in business presentations.

From the Back Cover

"Pitch Like Hollywood is a fantastic read and an even better resource. It turns the necessary evil of pitching into a much more calculable opponent. Sorry, Hollywood, but in today's entrepreneurial climate, pitching is now truly industry-agnostic, as tech startup 'Demo Days' slide into the common vernacular, Kickstarter campaigns flood our social media feeds, and Shark Tank is the new American Idol. Desberg and Davis have done a phenomenal job demystifying the art and science of the pitch by not only breaking down the emotions leading up to and during the act, but also unveiling the many paths to success—across a diverse set of industries and personality types. If you plan on needing to convince anyone of anything in your lifetime, I'd highly suggest picking up this book!"
—Kourtney Lyons, former content strategy manager Herschend Entertainment Studios (co-owners of Dollywood)

"This gem of a book is the most amazingly comprehensive guide to pitching I've seen. If it's success you're after, you could read 30 other books and hope to glean helpful tidbits…or you could read this one and be assured you have a solid strategy."
—Warner Loughlin, personal coach of Amy Adams, Ryan Reynolds, and Kyra Sedgwick

"This book has more than a collection of 'How I did it' anecdotes. The research and industry stories are wide-ranging, and more important, they are useful."
—Karin Argano, VP of corporate training and technical support, Yamaha Motorcycles

"Lively and thoughtful. Desberg and Davis deliver read-worthy strategies for improving business as well as personal communication. The format is entertaining, and the skills are immediately applicable to daily business challenges. This book helps you visualize successful and interesting presentations by demonstrating options for 'telling' your story, not 'selling' your story.' "
—Susan Blifeld, corporate training consultant, Yamaha

"Above and beyond everything else about this remarkable book, I'm impressed by the authors' refusal to take the usual 'Here’s how I do it' approach. They gather various opinions and the latest research about the aspects of pitching. I constantly encourage my staff to use their own intuition and gather as many points of view as possible."
—David Beck, general manager of Premium Financing AIG

"With their combined experience in screenwriting and psychology—and decades of practice coaching writers, executives, and industry insiders—Peter Desberg and Jeffrey Davis bring a unique wealth of knowledge to their subject. Far more than a 'how to,' Pitch Like Hollywood is an in-depth exploration of everything about this maddening art form, from body language to brain functioning. There's no better place to understand the complex interaction of message and messenger than here."
—Stephen Galloway, dean, Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts

"The authors have probably been dining out on some of these disarmingly insightful stories for years, so it's good to have them here in such a practicable context. We deal with aspects of pitching and persuasion every day, whether we’re talking to a friend, colleague, or significant other. Especially when we're just watching or reading the news and trying to untangle what narrative we’re being sold. I laughed and learned from these guys. Who knew that the Hollywood pitch isn’t that much different than trying to pitch anywhere else? Pitch Like Hollywood gives fresh meaning to the verity that we tell stories in order to live, and it shows us how to tell those stories more powerfully."
—Rick Schultz, music critic, Los Angeles Times

"Buy this book if you ever have to convince anyone, of anything, in any industry. Seamlessly interweaving witty and essential truths about the power of persuasion, Desberg and Davis tap into their respective expertise as a clinical psychologist and a successful screenwriter and educator to show us the way to success. An insightful and practical guide, the authors add their unique perspective to the field, focusing on three areas that haven't yet been given their due in other works—Persuasion, Stage Fright, and the Hollywood Pitch—teaching us why they matter, and providing simple-to-understand, yet easy-to-engage exercises to finely hone our pitching skills."
—Paul Gertz, NETWORK Entertainment, Canada

"A psychological approach to pitching makes so much sense. I found the information about persuasion something I’m going to use in every pitch. It's also nice to see that a pitch doesn’t have to be boring."
—Samantha Ring, content manager, Apple Streaming

"Desberg and Davis have astutely observed that, in politics, it's not enough to be smart, you have to be effective in the art of persuasion. Whether winning votes, advancing policy initiatives, or distinguishing your platform of ideas from that of your opponents, strategic engagement is the name of the game for candidates, elected officials, and even government employees who must win the support of politicians. This book provides valuable tools and strategies to improve the effectiveness of a political pitch, and that’s a 'winning' formula.
—Beth Krom, council member and mayor of Irvine, CA (2000–2016)

"Having done countless pitching throughout my career as a filmmaker and having heard many of my film students' talk about their projects, I've read Peter Desberg and Jeffrey Davis's book about pitching with great interest. Success in show business, same as in any other business, greatly depends on the persuasive power of the person who is trying to convince others about his or her idea, or product. I was glad to see that the authors put special emphasis on enthusiasm and positive attitude, which are very crucial. Without practicing and improving these 'skills' your pitch will most likely not be successful. 

One of the most important differences between this book and other books on pitching is that the authors clearly understand that while you are pitching your project, you are also selling yourself. The interested party is buying your personality first and then the idea that you are pitching. This book is rich in detail, and it offers a comprehensive view from both sides: the one who is pitching and the other who is listening and has the power to make the crucial decision to buy your product, or not.

After reading the book I found several practical suggestions on how one can significantly improve and develop his or her pitching style. The authors also cover important topics such as intuition, anxiety, effectiveness, credibility, foreseeing potential problems, and successfully closing the deal. They offer practical advice and strategies to readers who want to master the art of persuasion. While they list a lot of useful exercises, my personal favorite is the one that says that it all starts with practice, and as we all know, practice makes the master."
—Jeno Hodi, multiple award-winning director, writer, and producer, founder and managing director of the Budapest Film Academy

"A joy to read. Not only amazingly informative and deeply researched but laugh out loud funny. It seamlessly integrates the personal experiences of successful industry professionals with the profound insights into human psychology of Daniel Kahneman's brilliant Thinking, Fast and Slow. Who would have guessed that a deep dive into his concepts of Cognitive Ease and Cognitive Strain would provide the key to any successful pitch? This book belongs at the head of the class."
—Stephen Ujlaki, producer and dean of the School of Film and Television (LMU) 2010–2018

"When I was working abroad developing corporate campaigns for Olympus Cameras, I was always pitching across cultures. Had Desberg and Davis's enlightening book been around, it would have been a valuable tool of the trade."
—Gregg Fox, former creative director, Dentsu Advertising (Tokyo)

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw Hill
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1264268564
• ISBN 13: 9781264268566
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352