Created in partnership with Microsoft.
Perhaps the most foundational adage, when it comes to storytelling, is that any decent spinner of yarns should endeavor not to tell at all, but to show. Presenting details and information in such a way that an audience is able to absorb it through intimation—at their own pace, as a story reveals itself gradually—is what sets apart amateurs and experts. A similar thing is often true of getting creative projects off of the ground. You can explain to someone two dozen times what makes something exciting. But if they aren’t on the same frequency as you, nothing is more effective than being able to show them the story and the world in which it takes place.
“Being able to visualize what you’re doing is huge,” says VICE filmmaker Jackson Garrett, creator and host of our YouTube series Offshore. “When I pitched it, that wasn’t enough to get it greenlit immediately. Sometimes, people don’t know exactly what you’re going for. You have to lay it out for them. ”
In order to get his point across, Jackson turned to some loyal companions—the apps that make up Microsoft 365 like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint—to bring Offshore to life. “I pitched an entire first episode, beat by beat, in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, showing what you would see on the green screen and what you would see in the studio. That’s ultimately what got it across the line.”
So renowned and widely used are apps like PowerPoint, Word, and Excel that it can be easy to take them for granted. On web and mobile, these apps are free to use, making instant, remote collaboration not only possible but fluid and enjoyable for anyone, anywhere in the world, whether the operating system they’re running is Windows or not (as long as they have an internet connection).
So much of the culture that we absorb every day—from YouTube shows, to podcasts, movies, novels, and advertising—took its formative steps out into the world in a Microsoft 365 app. In a way, the software could be thought of as an advanced technology that reveals ideas that would otherwise remain as invisible and as intangible as words whispered on the wind. In fact, in the Middle Ages, hordes of baffled villagefolk would no doubt have balled up their fists and screamed till they were blue in the face about PowerPoint, denouncing it as witchcraft.
“You can tell somebody your vision but they can’t always visualize it,” says Jackson. “You have to make it easy for them to see what’s already in your brain. If you don’t have the right tools to do that, they’re never gonna see it. PowerPoint helped me get there.”
Jackson wears many hats at VICE. One moment, he’ll be drumming up ideas for new shows and series, many of which he’ll go on to present himself; the next he’ll be ensuring the bottom line is looked after in his role as our accountant. “I like to say I’m crunching numbers during the day, making content at night,” he smiles. While there can be no doubt that this is unusual—there aren’t many documentary hosts whose advice you’d want to listen to when it comes to your taxes—the two worlds that Jackson straddles have more in common than you might think.
“Accounting and production are both about storytelling, in different ways,” he explains. “Accounting is about telling a story about the business and helping you make decisions based off the numbers. The production side is telling a story on-video, on-screen, trying to teach people something about their everyday life, or life in general.”
While the word- and image-based apps in Microsoft 365’s arsenal play a crucial role in helping Jackson articulate his creative ideas, Excel is no less important when it comes to getting them made. Numbers that add up can be as persuasive to commissioners as the most vivid moodboard or perfectly crafted synopsis. “People seem to be scared of numbers,” Jackson says. “I’ve heard that a million times from producers or people working in production. But if the numbers don’t work, you know, if it’s not logistically feasible, it’s never going to get off the ground.”
While some creatives look down at Excel, or short circuit when confronted with a spreadsheet, Jackson’s unique role at VICE has him rhapsodizing about its qualities: “I feel very passionate about Excel. It’s a very misunderstood tool. As accountants, we’re super-users, but I think people would be shocked if they knew how much of the world is set up in Excel spreadsheets. Reports are done in Excel to the very highest levels of government, and for corporations, no matter how big they are. Excel is the backbone of what we do, and it’s hugely creative at times. It can be so robust if you know how to use it correctly. It’s hugely powerful.”
Like many creatives, Jackson first started heavily using Microsoft apps while he was at college. The ability to continue working with them now with Microsoft 365, even after graduating, is hugely important to him, allowing him to carry over projects, skills, and habits without missing a beat. “Storytelling productions get done when passion meets organization,” he says. “Without the organization, no one’s gonna believe your idea can get done.”
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The post The VICE Guide to Pitching: Presenting Your Vision appeared first on VICE.
