Seminars

LIVE LECTURES – Available for Booking

Our talks include (CLICK on a title to show details):

[sections]
[section title=”Concept Development and Story”]

Everyone has a story, but is it ready to be told? What is your next step? How will I know when it’s ready? Pitch Master Mark Simon will guide you through the story of story and how to create a concept that will sell in Hollywood.

Discover:
• How to develop your idea
• Where to come up with your ideas
• Secrets to creative brainstorming
• What to write
• How to know what’s funny
• What works in the educational TV market
• Elements of a great project
• Great log lines
• What is your hook
• The pitch

1 hour

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[section title=”What’s Your Story?”]

Story is the key to success in all endeavors. Join Mark as he uses Story to guide you to greater success in all that you do.

Discover:

• The story you tell when you walk into a room
• What people remember most
• How to make a lasting impression
• How Mark Burnett (Survivor) used story to achieve success
• Dozens of ways story can improve your life
• The secret to increasing sales
• Insider tips on getting more publicity
• Surprising careers that depend on great story (medicine, law, etc)

1 – 2 hours

[/section]
[section title=”Are You The Next Dr. Oz?”]
Who says medicine isn’t creative? Many doctors, dentists and practitioners have great ideas for TV show. But is that idea enough?

• What makes a great TV show
• How to build your profile
• 3 things most practitioners miss in their concept
• How to land pitch meetings

and much more..
1 hour

[/section]
[section title=”Visual Storytelling”]
Film, TV, small screen video and graphic novels are different than scripts and books. They are visual forms of storytelling. Discover how to make your story more interesting, more exciting and easier to understand with master story artist Mark Simon.

Discover:

• How every camera angle tells a different story
• How camera movement affects the meaning of a shot
• Tricks to control the emotion of your viewer
• Common visual mistakes to avoid

and much more..
1 – 2 hours

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[section title=”TV Power Pitch Workshop”]
The best idea won’t sell without a great pitch. Learn what is needed in a great pitch and what to avoid. Then practice your TV pitch and get experienced feedback before you’re sitting in front of a network executive.

• 5 of the Greatest TV Pitch Strategies of All Time are revealed
• Interactive TV pitch practice
• 3 Questions You MUST be Able to Answer in a Pitch
• Critique of attendee’s pitches
• Develop killer TV log lines and hooks Speakers include Mark Simon and Jeanne Simon, producer for Nickelodeon, TNN, Cartoon Network and Animal Planet.

1.5 – 2.5 hours

[/section]
[section title=”What To Bring To A TV Pitch”]
What should you take to a pitch for a sitcom vs. a TV movie of the week? Follow up a great pitch with what executives expect you to leave behind. Find out…

• When a Full Script Is a Must
• What Goes On a One-Sheet
• Why a Fully Produced Pilot Could Kill a Deal

Speakers include Mark Simon and Jeanne Simon, founders of SellYourTvConceptNow.com and producer for Nickelodeon, TNN, Cartoon Network and Animal Planet.

1 – 2.5 hours

[/section]
[section title=”Pitching at TV Conferences Seminar”]
Flying to Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Paris and other cities to pitch a show can be extremely time consuming and costly. Save time and money by pitching your concepts at TV conferences. These successful producers will teach you how to:

• Land over 25 TV pitches in 1 day
• Pitch to international companies in one place
• Sign deals on the floor
• What to bring

Speakers include Mark Simon and Jeanne Simon founders of SellYourTvConceptNow.com. Mark has landed over 35 pitch meetings in 1 day and he’ll show you how to do it too.

1 – 1.5 hours

[/section]
[section title=”Turn Your Book into a Hit TV Show”]
For authors and publishers. With the right visuals and the right pitch, books can become hit TV shows.

Books that have become hit shows:

• 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter starring John Ritter
• Dave’s World a Dave Barry’s collection of books starring Harry Anderson
• Life Strategies by Dr Phil led him onto Oprah and then his own hit show
• She’s Just Not That Into You became a talk show with Author Greg Behrendt
• Goosebumps
• Dragon Tales (which Mark worked on)
• The Magic School Bus

TV industry creators/producers Mark and Jeanne Simon will show you how to:

• Develop a killer ‘Hook’ from your book
• Pull the story from your words
• Discover what Hollywood is looking for

The real money comes from sales because of your book, not of your book. Turn your pages into dollars.

Speakers:

Mark Simon and Jeanne Simon founders of SellYourTvConceptNow.com.

1 – 1.5 hours

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[section title=”Pitch TV Without An Agent”]
Do you ever feel frustrated that you can’t get meetings without an agent? But you can’t get an agent because you don’t have enough credits? There is no need to feel bad after this lecture.

• Understand why agents seldom work with neophytes
• Land pitch meetings without an agent
• Meet dozens of top executives in one day
• Look like an industry insider even if you’re a newbie

Mark Simon has landed over 35 pitch meetings in one day, without an agent, and he’ll share his secrets with you.

1 – 1.5 hours

[/section]
[section title=”Your Resume Sucks!”]
Resume MYTHS Exposed

A presentation by Mark and Jeanne Simon authors of Your Resume Sucks! The Simons have worked on over 3,000 TV and film productions as freelancers and they have reviewed thousands of resumes.

They will reveal secrets about resumes that no employer wants you to know.

• Discover How to Beat The Number One Screening Technique All Employers Use
• 3 Tips for Entry Level Job Seekers That Make You Look Like a Pro
• How the First Line of Your Resume Can Put You in the Top 1% Of Job Seekers
• Avoid the Top 5 Mistakes on Most Resumes
• Make Yourself The Right Person For The Job – without Lying.

“Just wanted to let you know that your form of resume has been great. I get a response to every resume that I send to prospective employers.”
– Margot McDougal

The lecture is based on Simon’s book, Your Resume Sucks!

[/section]
[section title=Get a Job In The Entertainment Industry”]

12+1 Industry Secrets

This seminar answers the No. 1 question Mark is asked,
“How did you get started?”

Mark is a 20+ year veteran of working on movies, commercials and TV series. His industry war stories will inspire and entertain you.

• Job search mistakes most people make.
• 3 job search techniques that NEVER fail!

Mark moved from Texas to Hollywood fresh out of college. He had no industry connections and still quickly rose through the ranks of film-making and ended up working with such industry greats as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Tony Curtis, Antione Fuqua and many others.You can do it too.

Whether you’re an animator, writer, actor, director or a beginner, Mark will help you jump start your career.

Watch a short portion of Mark’s Talk below as he tells the story of landing a job with Steven Spielberg.

[/section]
[section title=”Producing Animated Shorts”]

Want to win awards?
Want to pitch and sell your own animated series?

Discover the benefits of producing your own animated shorts from Mark Simon, a successful producer who has done dozens of animations and won over 40 awards for his work. His work has been seen on Nickelodeon, G4, Comedy Central mobile, Spike & Mike and soon on prime-time Fox after the Simpsons.

This presentation breaks down the benefits of producing animated shorts: portfolio pieces, festival screenings, publicity, pitches for shows, etc.

• Animation too costly?
• Don’t know how to get it done?
• What do you do with it when you’re done?
• Secrets to get free crews
• Land better jobs
• Successfully pitch your shows

Hear great war stories about his Timmy’s Lessons In Nature shorts as they were pitched and sold around the world on the way to winning Grand Prize in Nickelodeon’s first-ever Nicktoons Film Festival. The lecture is based on Simon’s top-selling text, Producing Independent 2D Character Animation.

This topic is relevant to all forms of animation.

[/section]
[section title=”The Thriving Artist”]
Make over $100,000 per year as an artist.

Award-winning artist, business owner and best-selling author, Mark Simon, captured live at the National Caricaturist Convention on what it takes to be a THRIVING ARTIST .

Mark’s 85 minute, non-stop energy presentation is packed with insider secrets and industry stories you won’t hear anywhere else.
[half]

• Earn 25% More Money – Without Doing More Work
• 3 Career Mistakes Most Artists Make
• How to Get Great Art Jobs
• Fighting the Starving Artist Myth
• How to Negotiate the Rate You Deserve
• Turn Clients into Evangelists for You

[/half]
[half]

• Marketing Mistakes Most Artists Make
• Secrets to Get Started as an Artist
• Know Your Rights
• Job Interview Tips
• The Secrets to How Freelancers are Hired
• Portfolio Presentation Tips

and much more..
[/half]
Stop struggling!

Mark reveals how you can make more money faster and succeed in your creative career.

[/section]
[section title=”Selling with Passion”]

• Want to close more sales?
• Want better sales presentations?

Whether you’re a salesman, business owner, writer or producer, you’re in sales and the passion you bring excites your audience and closes the deal.

• Secrets to finding the passion
• Tips for expressing your passion

Learn how to make your presentations more exciting and successful from a proven deal-closer, Mark Simon.

[/section]
[section title=”Storyboard Master Workshop”]
Learn the Ultimate Storyboard Artist Secrets from

Mark Simon, Author of the best-selling book Storyboards: Motion in Art

Mark owns the largest storyboard studio in the Southern U.S. and has worked on over 3,000 productions for clients such as Nickelodeon, Disney, HBO, Universal and Sony just to name a few.

You’ll learn what some storyboard artists never do.
[half]

• How To Make Yourself Invaluable
• What Demanding Directors Really Want
• Time-Saving Tricks
• 7 Easy Illustrated Camera Techniques
• The Perfect Storyboard Pitch

designed to push your visual storytelling.

[/half]
[half]

• Great Art vs. Great Story
• 5 Tips To Fantastic Framing
• Story Telling With Camera Angles
• Using the latest software, Toon Boom’s Storyboard Pro.

The Workshop includes in-class assignments
[/half]
1.5 hours to 5 days – depending on your needs.

[/section]
[section title=”How I Got More Than $2 Million in FREE Advertising”]
Mark Simon, entertainment industry expert, gets thousands of dollars in free publicity every month. Discover his secrets and increase the exposure for your property.

• What is Promotion?
• Writing Press Releases
• Social Marketing
• 11 Steps to Get More Promotion
• Putting on a Press Event
• Media Kits
• Where to Look for Promotion

Participants will:

• Increase their business at no or little expense
• Discover how to write success press releases
• Learn to create intriguing hooks
• Find where to get more promotion
• Master working with producers and publishers
• Receive a workbook to guide their promotion

1 hour

[/section]
[section title=”Get More Freelance Jobs”]

Job Search MYTHS Exposed!

E-mailing resumes WILL NOT land you freelance gigs.

• Job search mistakes most people make.
• 3 job search techniques that NEVER fail!
• 5 Steps used in hiring freelancers

Be in the right place at the right time and land more gigs.

Mark Simon has worked on over 3,000 gigs and has hired hundreds of other freelancers. He will share with you his tricks for landing more freelance jobs.

1 hour

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Booking Info

If you have any questions regarding our events or you would like to book Mark for your event.

Contact Mark at:

• 407-370-2673
• marksimonbooks(@)yahoo.com