Peter Desberg is professor emeritus at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award and Outstanding Professor Award. The author of 23 books, he has been quoted by such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today and The New York Times, and has consulted for companies including Apple, Boeing and Toyota in the areas of pitching and persuasion, corporate presentations, and using storytelling and humor in business presentations. Jeffrey Davis is a professor of screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and served from 2009-2019 as the department chair. As a consultant, his areas have also included writing, pitching, and employing storytelling and humor in business presentations. In their new book “Pitch Like Hollywood: What You Can Learn From the High-Stakes Film Industry,” they offer inside tips on how to craft pitches that seal the deal―no matter what industry you work in―and banish presentation anxiety forever. (Amazon, 2022)

“Pitch Like Hollywood” – From impromptu elevator pitches to full-board presentations, sales and marketing professionals face an “audience” daily―often with make-or-break consequences. As the person delivering the performance, you need to know you have a good pitch and are able to maintain composure throughout. There are no better coaches than clinical psychologist Peter Desberg and writer/producer Jeffrey Davis to help you polish both pitch and performance. With experience and insights from both the film industry and the corporate world, they understand the pitch process. Regardless of what business you are in, they explain how to up your game ―by incorporating elements of a classic Hollywood pitch: driving emotion, piquing curiosity, and ultimately winning over decision makers with powerful persuasion and performance. They guide you through the entire process, from defining the fundamentals to designing effective presentation strategies to overcoming stage fright. “Pitch Like Hollywood” is divided into seventeen chapters, including Pitch Basics, The Roots of Pitch Panic, and Creating the Pitch. In Chapter 1, Introduction, they explain that the goal of the book is to help you prepare, practice, and present a pitch because even though you cannot plan for everything, it is always better to be prepared. This way, no matter what happens, you will be able to think on your feet and get through any unforeseen obstacles.

Pitching can be nerve-wrecking and intimidating. Whether speaking to an audience of one or a team, being prepared can make or break your pitch. Peter Desberg and Jeffrey Davis give insider tips for successful pitching, including what to expect from a pitch meeting to how to deal with setbacks. This book is a master class on giving successful performances at board meetings, sales calls, or whenever else you want to make a case to get the results you want. It empowers and motivates those who are new to pitching as well as seasoned professionals who could use a refresher course. The focus is primarily on what Hollywood executives want and expect from a pitch but this type of advice can be useful when meeting with executives in any industry. The language is down to earth and straightforward and the chapter layouts make the subject matter easy to follow. Highlights include Chapter 15 – Practice Strategies, specifically Distraction Training (distraction exercises) and Practicing Breath Control (breath control exercises) and Chapter 8 The Pitch Panic Cycle, which consists of five stages: Making Predictions, Experiencing Anxiety, Providing Evidence for the Prosecution, Multitasking: Hit or Myth?, and Making Mistakes. “Pitch Like Hollywood” is a resourceful and informative business guide to pitching that is full of advice anyone can use. It may be specific to the entertainment business, but the information it contains is universally helpful regardless of the audience.

“…one of the obstacles you’ll face is that people don’t like change. Even if you have a better idea, there’s comfort in the status quo when we know that it works.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.