I once attended a seminar about the economics of making movies led by Perry Lanaro, the vice president of corporate finance for Paramount Pictures. If anyone knows how films become green-lit, it’s Perry. He’s in charge of spreadsheets at one of Hollywood’s top studios.
When someone asked him about the best way to pitch movies, Perry said something interesting: “Don’t pitch a movie. Create a ‘property’ that the studios will want to make into a movie.”
He was talking about creating compelling characters, brands, stories and concepts. Perry was essentially saying that if we focused on good ideas, the movie would take care of itself. Don’t just shop around your ideas. Create good ones that compel others to approach you.
You may not be making a movie, but there is an important lesson here for all of us. Focus on creating quality ideas, and you won’t have to work so hard to promote them. Good ideas spread. They can’t help themselves.
