Pitching to the BBC

The course I attend at university required us to create a pitch and to practice it in front of another. I joined this particular module late so missed the session and didn't get to practice last week. Oh well, what better way to catch up than to pitch my idea to the commissioning editor of the BBC.

Nick Sherman was attending our university to give a talk on commissioning and pitching for the BBC. The information from the talk was invaluable and I for one very much appreciate the time Nick spent to come and pass on his knowledge to us.

At the end we had the opportunity to have a go at pitching ourselves. My tutor had encouraged me to go for it and I figured I'd give it shot either way (nobody else did, mind). However theres something in those three little letters, B B C which is crippling. Im normally ok at public speaking, I was well prepared with slides and a written copy of my pitch. It wasn't a total disaster, feedback was positive and commending for me to stand up in front of the large group attending the session and Nick with my idea. However I did crumble and turn into a bumbling fool, not even a minute in which was quite embarrassing and probably uncomfortable to watch.
So overall - a terrifying experience.
However it was a great chance to have a go a such a thing and definitely a good thing to know what it feels like for future reference.
Nick did take my written copy of my pitch and very kindly discussed it with his colleagues at the Beeb, sadly I shan't be directing any of my own stuff in the near future for them, however it was very kind of him to take the time to look into my pitch following the event and to contact me with feedback.

So a positive outcome and some experience gained.