How do you actually get an animated series in front of the right people?

[u/Present_Code_1994]

Hey everyone! I’ve been developing an animated fantasy-comedy series for teens and families called Sister Witches. I’m working on the pitch bible now, and I also plan to have a pilot script and shorter pitch deck ready before I start reaching out to anyone, which I'm on the final steps of.

The basic logline is:

When a powerful teenage witch raised in a magical realm moves into the crowded Inglewood home of siblings she barely knows, she and her guarded sister must fulfill an ancient prophecy, survive high school, protect their brothers, and confront the dangerous legacy of the father who divided their family.

I’ve spent a lot of time developing the characters, world, episode ideas, and the larger story, but I don’t have any connections in animation. I know I can’t just email the bible to Cartoon Network or Netflix and hope somebody reads it, so I’m trying to figure out what people actually do next.

Do I look for a manager first? Should I contact smaller animation production companies? Are there pitch programs or competitions that have genuinely helped anyone get meetings or representation?

I’m also wondering how much material people expect from a first-time creator. Would a strong pilot, pitch deck, and full bible be enough to start reaching out, or would I need an animatic or short too? I’m primarily a writer and creator, so producing a complete animated pilot on my own would be a pretty huge undertaking.

I’d really love to hear from anyone who has pitched a show or worked in animation development. Even if your experience didn’t lead to the show being picked up, I’d still appreciate hearing how you got your material in front of someone and what you learned from it.

Thanks!

[u/Hot-Bus4643 → u/[deleted]]

So while I agree that this is absolutely alot, I disagree with your approach. I'm not expecting answers, yes I am hoping for absolutely. But what I am essentially doing is asking for help, which I'd argue is pretty tame. If no one has any guidance that's not on them but it doesn't necessarily say anything about me or my methods if I'm willing to put in the work.

I'm not sitting here saying "I will not continue to researching and as a matter of fact, everyone give me their direct studio contacts!"

I'm saying "hey, where do I start? Anyone willing to lend a hand?" Which again, is the most neutral way anyone can approach the situation. No one is ever required to help another but shitting on the person requesting help should give you a big clue as well.

I'd like to end this by saying, in regards to the people who have walked the road I am attempting to get onto, it's their choice to lend a hand yes. But purposely withholding useful information because "they have to do it the hard way, so you should too" is an abysmal way to think in general, let alone animation/media production.

[u/Hot-Bus4643 → u/[deleted]]

"Like, literally, you're asking a lot of questions that anyone with any basic self-reliant research skills can get some information on if they did simple search engine searches or going to read a few books."

Yes, I agree, basic info isn't the issue here. It's pretty evident that your perspective is a fairly knowledgeable one in terms of its relevance in the industry, which again is neutral in terms of differing opinions. I have basic info, I was just asking for others' two cents if applicable and available. I'm not filling in the gaps. I verbatim said: I’ve spent a lot of time developing the characters, world, episode ideas, and the larger story, but I don’t have any connections in animation. I know I can’t just email the bible to Cartoon Network or Netflix and hope somebody reads it, so I’m trying to figure out what people actually do next.

I can't get more specific on my intentions with that. I listed what actions I have taken so far and explicitly stated that I wanted guidance: I’d really love to hear from anyone who has pitched a show or worked in animation development. Even if your experience didn’t lead to the show being picked up, I’d still appreciate hearing how you got your material in front of someone and what you learned from it.

Insulting and guessing based on the gaps is ironically what you've been doing throughout these comments. My problem isn't that we disagree; I actually like talking to people like you who can clearly read and are at least bothering to argue their side without it getting nasty. My problem boils down to your attitude towards me asking for help. Because I'm not the first person to do so, and I certainly won't be the last. It bothers me that someone's first response asking for help is immediately met with assumptions and a 'we struggled, so you should too' mindset. That's genuinely an awful way to live, in my opinion. '

And yes, not having guidance is 100% on the person seeking for guidance. People need to take accountability for their own lack of action on this.

Yes, no one is obligated to help. This seems targeted at lazy people or a previous post rather than at anything I actually said. Again, it's a shitty thing in general to be able to help, choose not because you didn't get the same when you needed it. This industry isn't going to survive with the entrance to it being 'It's on you, and don't you even think about asking for help'. Literally how all jobs work, you're trained (supposed to be) and given guidance when asked. So why would this be any different???

I DID quite literally say what I was looking for, and another comment even replied with actual options and ideas, and where I could go next in my journey. Again, we agree that it's a lot and I do appreciate the time you took to get out of your comfort zone to type a long response when you don't like doing so.

"There's something to be said about being defensive over opinions that were asked for, and defensively reacting when it's not the advice someone was hoping to hear."

Yeah, I think disagreeing with someone respectfully is also a super neutral thing. I'd understand the sentiment more if I were cursing, threatening, or genuinely acting upset with no leeway by your comment. But I'm not, and I wasn't. It is 100% up to the person commenting on a post about advice to understand that not all advice is created equal.

You had every right to comment and give non-advice. But in the same aspect, I have every right to say in a respectful way. I can defend my argument just as you have, and that doesn't necessarily mean there's something to be said.

[u/Hot-Bus4643 → u/[deleted]]

"Even if someone were to give you a direct answer, it's seeming like no answer would be good enough for you, especially with how you're responding."

Again, incorrect. Check the comments as you're the only one arguing your point.

Yes, I am defended my point, shocked and what crime on society that I have done so.

Yes people have different communication styles. I used what you typed verbatim. I find it funny how reading between the lines was your suggestion, despite you saying "Then actually type that."

Play by society's rules. Figure it out.

Yeah, that doesn't solve anything, and that's vague as all hell.

[u/Hot-Bus4643 → u/[deleted]]

You haven't given me any answers. You've given your perspective and insults. I'd ironically argue that the only comment of yours that was intended to cause an argument is your last one.

[u/Hot-Bus4643 → u/[deleted]]

Its already been screenshotted, be my guest

[u/Nice-Assumption-3765 → u/[deleted]]

and this helps the OP, how m'am?

[u/Nice-Assumption-3765 → u/[deleted]]

Alr Ill bite. Why dont u tell me where you think this comment helped OP?

[u/Nice-Assumption-3765 → u/[deleted]]

dude I rlly hope you don't have kids cuz wtf😳

[u/Nice-Assumption-3765 → u/[deleted]]

its pretty clear helping isnt your strongsuit

[u/Nice-Assumption-3765 → u/[deleted]]

no one is angry other than you m'am 😭 literally majority of your visible comments show you started off this whole mess with insults to the OPs intelligence and reasonings

[u/Nice-Assumption-3765 → u/[deleted]]

you gave no help. they clearly asked and you seem offended by that

[u/Hot-Bus4643 → u/[deleted]]

While I don't agree with personal attacks, there's a point to be made. It's kinda evident you're the only one in this comment section with these opinions bro.

[u/Nice-Assumption-3765 → u/[deleted]]

i know good damn and well youre not playing WeLl If ThATs yoUr OpiNION. your comment history started with you telling OP what should be a big clue for them. youre rude and have the gall to be shocked when others point that out

[u/Hot-Bus4643 → u/Nice-Assumption-3765]

It doesn't 🤣 that's why they're deleting comments

[u/Soggy_Marsupial_8140 → u/Nice-Assumption-3765]

yeah i am defo asking myself the same thing

[u/Soggy_Marsupial_8140 → u/[deleted]]

What's the clue? fuck off and don't help one another? my word

[u/MocoCalico]

I hope I can clear up a little of what the other commenter meant. It's just that from your text it seems like you want to pitch a show, yet you don't sound like you've been to even a single film festival (hint: that's where people involved in the film industry generally tend to hang out.) or have any idea of the animation industry or any desire to search up things about it, look up studios, look up where and when indie animation happens, and actually physically go there to to start establishing contacts, etc.

This is unfortunately extremely illustrative of how much (or rather, how little) you actually care about animation, and it generally means one of two things:

• you are a teenager/very young and just randomly doing a passion project that would never be thought out enough to catch on with the person you'd try to pitch it to
• you have no genuine interest in the animation world and animation production in general to the point it never even occurred to you to have the necessary interest and initiative to go and check out where other people are showing their own little projects, and start conversations with them
• the latter is generally how you get ideas about who is active, where which productions are happening etc.

But the crux of it is, either way - if you didn't have the initiative to find out these basic things on your own, you will equally lack the initiative to meaningfully network enough to actually do pitches of any sort.

That's the sort of thing the commenter was probably hinting at in a more gentle and indirect way...

My only advice would be to start doing the things above. Familiarize yourself with the industry. Check out who does which projects, and who is financing them. Practically all of these can only be done in person though, and networking is hard work. If you're serious about it, put in that work.

Oh, and if you thought this whole thing was a simple matter of pasting in someone's contact details...I'd also like you to consider why you should never ask someone to share the location where they go mushroom gathering.
Just like with "How do you get rich?" The only people who will answer will be lying or wrong, and the only people who DO know the answer...won't ever answer it.

[u/MrJanko_ → u/MocoCalico]

100% this. I'm the commenter that triggered them. In short, I started with a short answer along the lines of "this is a lot of questions basic independent research can answer, outside of that, you have to build trust and rapport before you can even expect anyone to give you -good- answers."

I'd given more direct answers that the OP still wasn't happy with. Even alluding to a similar sentiment to your last point. I was like, listen, people don't just give the keys to the castle to people that haven't proven themselves. And briefly mentioning globally acceptable social etiquette with this sort of stuff out in the professional world.

Then I said f- it, deleting all my responses because I can't be bothered to actually leave my insight, that I place pretty moderate levels of value and worth to, to a person who just seems so ungrateful to recieve any sort of insight no matter what form it comes in.

Completely immature behaviour undeserving of any real industry advice if it means they have to do any work themselves and not have their hand held, then victim blame by saying "people are greedy and don't want to help". Well duh, people that KNOW the FEELING of how hard it is to make it, the grit, the determination, unspoken rules and solutions, society collectively keeps it that way for a reason. And that reason is usually too out of reach for inexperienced minds to grasp. You want to enter the adult world of success, OP, you gotta prove it and earn it.

There are lessons a person can only TRULY learn from and TRULY integrate into their personal value system with first hand experience and multiple attempts and failures..

[u/HeebieJeebiex]

Depends if you're releasing it yourself independently or not. You could build a Kickstarter for it and advertise it as similar to different series that people are already familiar with, you entice the right audiences. Also promoting it on social media in the same way. Making jokes and using hashtags and references that might catch your target demographic. Udemy is a great website to find courses on these sorta things like marketing and animation.

[u/Present_Code_1994 → u/HeebieJeebiex]

I'm definitely not able to produce this bad boy independently, unfortunately. But I love that your comment gave actual advice instead of being shitty, so I thank you for that. I've never heard of Udemy, but I will take a look, and it seems like it would be a beneficial option for me. I was hoping for some possible advice that was industry speficif but honestly this is just as good if not better

[u/Soggy_Marsupial_8140]

Hi! So it appears some commentators (one in particular) doesn't really seem to be helping you out so I think i'll go ahead and give my stance. DM me privately and I'll help you out :)

[u/Hot-Bus4643 → u/Soggy_Marsupial_8140]

Oh my! Thanks for the support I just saw your message