3 years down the track on this European adventure. In 2016 I remember standing outside Old Trafford at the Mecca of world football… feeling very small… but excited about the possibilities.
Now, I stand again before the gates of Troy… this time at West Ham United FC and the excitement of the possibilities still feels the same… although now I don’t need the Trojan horse. I can now go in undisguised.
The last 3 years have produced 6 major European projects that I can draw from when chatting about future projects with clubs. The response to the Dream Scene concept has been very positive.
I cant give enough thanks to my business mentors Simon Bird and Felcia Semple for helping me shape my pitch before I set out on this European exploration.
They helped me refine, not just an attempt to get a painting commission, but to offer Clubs a multi faceted, marketing, licensing and fan engagement project that would benefit several departments of these enormous clubs.
The image of me, a tiny ant standing in front of these massive stadiums, symbolises exactly the situation I have been in. These clubs are not just football clubs, they are global brands worth billions of dollars. And I am some weirdo artist from the other side of the world, standing up in their porridge with a 2 minute window to firstly get their attention, in hope that they will ‘see’ and buy in to, my vision.
It took months to refine my pitch and get that first 2 minutes RIGHT. To get not only the creative concept worded correctly, but just as importantly, the business and marketing plan that lies behind it.
We did presentation role plays which were embarrassing and painful to do, but by the time I got to the first meeting, it was already in my ‘muscle memory’. AND… someone mentioned the ‘Power pose’!!
Adopt a posture of victory, ala Usain Bolt post 100 metre victory and hold it for 2 minutes before you go in to a meeting. Apparently it releases endorphins and adrenaline that make you feel like you’ve won before you start. Sounds a little ‘hippy bullshit’ but it is based in science and body chemistry. AND… it works!! So I nip into the loo just before a meeting… make sure there’s no one in there… and give a big YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS. If someone came in on this scene… they’d throw me out of the building.
So the end result of all this preparation and 3 years of practice really showed up in yesterday’s meeting at West Ham United FC. I met with members from their, retail, licensing, marketing and TV departments to discuss the potential of a Dream Scene project for their 125th Anniversary next year. The meeting was informal and fun, so the ideas flowed from everyone in the room. Not so much me trying to sell something, more us all being equally excited about the possibilities and bouncing off each other about the best way to realise its potential.
They left the meeting excited about how they were going to “sell” it in to the board members and chairman on my behalf. So… although it isn’t over the line yet, each step can only be as good as you can make it to help it progress to the next.
Its nice to be drop the disguise.
3 years down the track on this European adventure. In 2016 I remember standing outside Old Trafford at the Mecca of world football… feeling very small… but excited about the possibilities.
Now, I stand again before the gates of Troy… this time at West Ham United FC and the excitement of the possibilities still feels the same… although now I don’t need the Trojan horse. I can now go in undisguised.
The last 3 years have produced 6 major European projects that I can draw from when chatting about future projects with clubs. The response to the Dream Scene concept has been very positive.
I cant give enough thanks to my business mentors Simon Bird and Felcia Semple for helping me shape my pitch before I set out on this European exploration.
They helped me refine, not just an attempt to get a painting commission, but to offer Clubs a multi faceted, marketing, licensing and fan engagement project that would benefit several departments of these enormous clubs.
The image of me, a tiny ant standing in front of these massive stadiums, symbolises exactly the situation I have been in. These clubs are not just football clubs, they are global brands worth billions of dollars. And I am some weirdo artist from the other side of the world, standing up in their porridge with a 2 minute window to firstly get their attention, in hope that they will ‘see’ and buy in to, my vision.
It took months to refine my pitch and get that first 2 minutes RIGHT. To get not only the creative concept worded correctly, but just as importantly, the business and marketing plan that lies behind it.
We did presentation role plays which were embarrassing and painful to do, but by the time I got to the first meeting, it was already in my ‘muscle memory’. AND… someone mentioned the ‘Power pose’!!
Adopt a posture of victory, ala Usain Bolt post 100 metre victory and hold it for 2 minutes before you go in to a meeting. Apparently it releases endorphins and adrenaline that make you feel like you’ve won before you start. Sounds a little ‘hippy bullshit’ but it is based in science and body chemistry. AND… it works!! So I nip into the loo just before a meeting… make sure there’s no one in there… and give a big YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS. If someone came in on this scene… they’d throw me out of the building.
So the end result of all this preparation and 3 years of practice really showed up in yesterday’s meeting at West Ham United FC. I met with members from their, retail, licensing, marketing and TV departments to discuss the potential of a Dream Scene project for their 125th Anniversary next year. The meeting was informal and fun, so the ideas flowed from everyone in the room. Not so much me trying to sell something, more us all being equally excited about the possibilities and bouncing off each other about the best way to realise its potential.
They left the meeting excited about how they were going to “sell” it in to the board members and chairman on my behalf. So… although it isn’t over the line yet, each step can only be as good as you can make it to help it progress to the next.
Its nice to be drop the disguise.