. . . in Brooklyn (!).

Usually it’s hard to get a Producer to go below 42nd street so why in the name of Williamsburg would I want to go to Brooklyn to see a show?

And just how did I hear about this show in a borough far, far away?

They emailed me a pitch.

The show that I want to see this week is . . .

Insectinside, from the flying theatrical players at Grounded Ariel . . . in Park Slope.

I get a lot of emails every week about shows, so what made Insectinside, “an original full length piece that weaves storytelling, aerial, and dance within a fully realized theatrical arc”, stick out?

The first sentence of the email wasn’t a “Hi, how are you?  How are things?  I’ve got a great new . . . ”  It was . . .

Dear Ken,

I am a friend of FRIEND OF MINE and he forwarded your information to me because he feels that you would be excited to know about our new show, Insectinside.

Simple, old-fashion referral salesmanship that’ll work 9 times out of 10, as long as that name you use means something to the recepient.

Then the pitch went on to mention how their performers were veterans of Cirque, Pilobolus and The Met.

But that wasn’t the what sold me on getting on the subway.

What did it was that the Artistic Director of the show . . . didn’t want me to take the subway.

The end of the invite included a paragraph offering me free tickets, a glass of wine, VIP seating, and . . . wait for it . . . complimentary car service to/from.

Fancy, right?

The AD was smart enough to take my biggest excuse for NOT seeing the show away from me.

And beyond that, they made me feel all important-like, for only $50 or so, and at the same time, they made themselves look all important-like by offering something to me that has a higher value than it actually costs.  It made me think, “These guys respect and value their work enough to spend money on getting people to see it.  This must be important.”  I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to get this offer, but it sure made me feel that way.

When composing a pitch to producers, investors, or even your parents . . . the best thing you can do first is put yourself in the place of the person getting that pitch. Ask yourself, “What’s the biggest objection they are going to have?”

And then do whatever it takes to turn it around on ’em and make that objection the exact reason why they’ll want to do whatever you want them to do.

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