7 PR lessons from AMC’s ‘The Pitch’

Recently, I spent a Sunday afternoon (yes, go ahead and laugh) catching up on season one of the unscripted reality television series, which premiered in late April on AMC and had its finale in mid-June. Each episode pits two top U.S. advertising agencies against each other to win the business of a new client.

So, while others yell obscenities at the TV during football games, I direct loud words at the screen during “The Pitch,” offering my personal evaluation from the couch of the agencies’ campaigns and pitching performances. I caught one episode while visiting my parents, and my dad made it through about half of the hour-long show before heading out, saying: “This is way too stressful. If this is what you do at work, why would you want to watch it on the weekend?”

Because I love a good pitch—on or off the clock.

As I’m sure many of my colleagues and PR/ad friends will agree, those of us in the industry get a huge rush from preparing and delivering a big pitch—like that mix of nervousness and excitement athletes feel before a big game. To us, pitching is a challenge, and it forces us to stretch and test our creativity and skills.