CMC 2025: Finn's Pitching Experience

Hiya! I’m Finn, a 2D generalist at Brighton Zoo. I’ve been with the studio for just over a year now and, as a cartoon-obsessed man-child, I came in with a handful of show ideas I’d always dreamed of developing. Thankfully, while working as an animator, a colleague encouraged me to take one of those ideas and turn it into a pitch bible.

After many-a late night and weekend hunched over my drawing tablet, I finally finished it, booked a meeting, and pitched the idea. To my delight, my bosses Dom and Juliet took an interest and started mentoring me through the process of turning it into a fully polished pitch bible.

Right around then, CMC released their Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is pitch callout, so I threw it in - and wouldn’t you know it, I got through!

I’d never been to a media conference before, and I had to adapt fast. Pretty sure I was the only one wearing a tie, so I felt a little like I was on a school trip - rocking a satchel and lanyard combo didn’t help. Despite this, I had an amazing time. I hadn’t even shown Odd Jobs to my flatmates yet, so getting to share it publicly for the first time was insanely satisfying.

Going with my Brighton Zoo colleagues meant there were plenty of opportunities to: meet new people, get great advice (share some too), and to attend inspiring sessions. The opening keynote by Frank Cottrell-Boyce really stuck with me - about reading to children, how they learn, and showing them the range of careers in TV. That message resonated with Odd Jobs and its core idea: empowering young people to explore paths they didn’t know existed.

The Animation Assemble panel tackled big topics - AI, the lack of UK feature animation, and made a strong case for supporting young producers. A favourite session was The Art of Character Creation it was wild watching a panel spin an audience-pitched character into something genuinely sellable. Counting the days until Bernardo the Frog debuts in 2028.

Finally, the PYMWYMI pitch panel. The response to Odd Jobs was surreal in the best way. As animators, we’re “silent performers,” so being on stage was a big shift - but I’m grateful to the Brighton Zoo folk for letting me pitch to them over and over again in preparation. Odd Jobs is about being ignorantly optimistic in a world that keeps telling you what you can’t do - especially when you’re young. It’s tough out there, but that’s exactly why it’s worth trying anyway. If you’ve got an idea, give it a crack - it’s a lot of fun.

Massive thanks to Brighton Zoo and CMC for the opportunities. I’m excited to show you what Odd Jobs becomes.

Cheers!

Finn