The Art of the Pitch Panel

Thursday, September 5th from 6:00pm - 7:00pm followed by a community mixer from 7:00pm - 8:30pm

• Learn tips and tricks for creating professional pitch decks

• Gain insight into what makes a successful project pitch

• Using mood boards and concept art to build a visual style

• See examples of projects created with Shot Deck

• Q&A with industry professionals with real-world pitch experiences

All attendees will be entered to win a free one-year subscription of Shot Deck!

Event Timeline:

6:00pm - 6:45pm Panel for the public

6:45pm - 7:00pm Open for Q&A

7:00pm - 7:30pm Private session for Educate/Incubate Cohorts

7:00pm - 8:30pm Community Mixer (light refreshments and snacks provided)

This event is made possible through support from Oregon Film, Regional Arts and Culture Council, filmscience, Only Today and Shot Deck.

About the panelists:

RaShaunda Brooks is an artist, Libra sun, filmmaker, and community organizer. Brooks believes when people aren’t given room to express themselves, it breeds chaos and/or stagnation, but personal expression takes time to cultivate. When Black and Brown people are focused on survival, real creative expression cannot be prioritized, cannot thrive. These rich connections provide Brooks the room to hold stories of people who often don’t get represented right now in dominant white narrative; to share the lives of those who look like her.  She organizes under Y.G.B. (Young Gifted and Black / Brown) Portland, manages local duo Brown Calculus and is the Director of Partnered Media at Open Signal Labs.

Miró Merrill is a graphic designer, illustrator, and painter. She currently works at Blue Chalk Media, where she builds the visual identity for a wide range of projects. She has created style guides, collage graphics, and hand drawn illustrations for a wide range of video genres, including educational explainer videos, fully animated pieces, branded content, documentary films, and broadcast television episodes. Miró has also been involved in creating many pitch decks, each custom designed to fit the specific needs of the project and client. Miró feels very lucky that she can use her love for art, color, texture, and visual creativity at her 9 to 5. She also paints outside of work as a therapeutic art practice.

Cassandra Nicholson is a writer, director and producer based in Phoenix, Arizona. As a film event organizer and festival programmer, she's enjoyed celebrating the work of talented filmmakers from around the world and connecting them with passionate audiences. As the director of partnerships and outreach at ShotDeck, she's excited to help empower content creators of all genres and types with access to resources that will take their work to the next level. 

Amy Polansky joined the Blue Chalk team in 2018, and currently serves as Head of Production / Managing Director — essentially the air traffic controller for all operations. A production manager & producer by trade, she has spent her years in the creative industry in every stage of the process, from pitching to final delivery — and has been a part of some pretty amazing projects with some really incredible teams. Outside of work you can find Amy at the dog park or hopefully on a river somewhere. A proud Wisconsin native, Amy has a soft spot for supper clubs and ice cream drinks. You can take a look at some of the work she’s been involved in on her website, and can connect with her on LinkedIn or IG.