Nick's Dir. of Development Explains Pitching to CSUF Students

Last March 5, Director of Development at Nickelodeon, Birk Rawlings, visited Professor Cliff Cramp’s Special Studies in Illustration class, which focuses this semester on “pitching.” The Nickelodeon Development team determines which new series concepts deserve the financial, creative, and managerial backing of Nickelodeon. Each year, artists, writers, and creatives present nearly 1,000 pitches to Rawlings and to his supervisor, who in turn select about fifteen to twenty concepts for in-house development. Out of these, three to six lead to a completed pilot episode, which executives review before greenlighting a season’s worth of episodes.

In a pitch, characters, their setting, and the engine of the story (often coming from the dynamics between the characters) constitute the “core creative.” To meet with Rawlings for a pitch, applicants must first demonstrate they have enough experience in the industry. Then, at the pitch meeting, following introductions, applicants have about 10 to 20 minutes to bring to life the core creative with drawings, descriptions, and a performance that borders on acting. The meeting ends with a Q&A to clarify some aspects such as what is funny about some characters. Oftentimes, the creator leaves behind a short document to help the Development team remember the look and important points about the concept of the series.

If Nickelodeon takes your pitch, next you must create a “show bible” for the team of artists who will create a show pilot. Nickelodeon's audience centers around girls and boys ages 6 to 11, and the channel broadcasts comedy almost exclusively.