Mark Simon Books

LIVE LECTURES

LIVE LECTURES – Available for Booking

Why take the time to work your way up in your career, when you can Start At The Top? Mark Simon will inspire you with tales of how he accidentally sold his first book with one call, how he landed a job with Steven Spielberg in just 15 minutes, how he landed Disney as his first animation client, how he sold his first training program to the largest realty company in the world, Keller Williams, and more.

Mark will push you to try things and see the world in a different way. Get ready to leap-frog your career!

60-90 minutes

Everyone has a story, but is it ready to be told? What is your next step? How will I know when it’s ready? Pitch Master Mark Simon will guide you through the story of story and how to create a concept that will sell in Hollywood.Discover:

  • How to develop your idea
  • Where to come up with your ideas
  • Secrets to creative brainstorming
  • What to write
  • How to know what’s funny
  • What works in the educational TV market
  • Elements of a great project
  • Great log lines
  • What is your hook
  • The pitch

1 hour

Hollywood is a master of hooking viewers into movies and TV shows. Mark will use his decades of experience in the entertainment industry to show you how add the same engaging hooks into your book.
Discover:

  • How to grab your reader
  • How to start big
  • Begin your book with the same energy as a Hollywood blockbuster

1 hour

Mark Simon’s bullies tried to kill him and even attacked his family in their own front yard. Mark shares his harrowing story and how he beat his bullies.
Discover:

  • Mark’s nightmare, familiar to too many people
  • How he was ostracized in school
  • The then-new law Mark used to set a national precedent
  • The aftermath

1 hour

Ideas, like movie scripts, are never perfected, they’re just produced.

Hollywood artist and author Mark Simon shares his creative secrets to others who want to create something new, from a story, to a piece of art, a sales pitch, a proposal, a new device or anything new, and how to avoid ‘settling’.

30-60 minutes

You get an opportunity to pitch a movie or TV idea. You need to know what to expect in the meeting so you look like a Hollywood insider.
Discover:

  • The perfect pitch mindset
  • Who to pitch first
  • How to begin
  • Pitch templates
  • Your ‘What If’ pitch
  • Pitch do’s and don’ts
  • Gimmicks to avoid
  • How to make a connection
  • When to stop pitching
  • Questions you may be asked
  • How to follow up

60-90 minutes

Story is the key to success in all endeavors. Join Mark as he uses Story to guide you to greater success in all that you do.

Discover:

  • The story you tell when you walk into a room
  • What people remember most
  • How to make a lasting impression
  • How Mark Burnett (Survivor) used story to achieve success
  • Dozens of ways story can improve your life
  • The secret to increasing sales
  • Insider tips on getting more publicity
  • Surprising careers that depend on great story (medicine, law, etc)

1 – 2 hours

Film, TV, small screen video and graphic novels are different than scripts and books. They are visual forms of storytelling. Discover how to make your story more interesting, more exciting and easier to understand with master story artist Mark Simon.

Discover:

    • How every camera angle tells a different story
    • How camera movement affects the meaning of a shot
    • Tricks to control the emotion of your viewer
    • Common visual mistakes to avoid
and much more..
1 – 2 hours

Hit Makers Summit

Crash course to perfect your show and your TV pitch. Spend 1-3 days discovering all the secrets to make your show and your pitch a winner. We can customize the Summit to fit the needs of your event.
  • Build confidence in your pitch
  • Create a stronger property
  • Discover what the networks want to see
  • Perfect your pitch in a real pitch environment
  • Work 1-on-1 with development and pitch experts
  • Have fun and get energized!
  1-3 days
The best idea won’t sell without a great pitch. Learn what is needed in a great pitch and what to avoid. Then practice your TV pitch and get experienced feedback before you’re sitting in front of a network executive.
  • 5 of the Greatest TV Pitch Strategies of All Time are revealed
  • Interactive TV pitch practice
  • 3 Questions You MUST be Able to Answer in a Pitch
  • Critique of attendee’s pitches
  • Develop killer TV log lines and hooks Speakers include Mark Simon and Jeanne Simon, producer for Nickelodeon, TNN, Cartoon Network and Animal Planet.
  1.5 – 2.5 hours

What should you take to a pitch for a sitcom vs. a TV movie of the week? Follow up a great pitch with what executives expect you to leave behind. Find out…

  • When a Full Script Is a Must
  • What Goes On a One-Sheet
  • Why a Fully Produced Pilot Could Kill a Deal

Speakers include Mark Simon and Jeanne Simon, founders of SellYourTvConceptNow.com and producer for Nickelodeon, TNN, Cartoon Network and Animal Planet.

1 – 2.5 hours

Flying to Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Paris and other cities to pitch a show can be extremely time consuming and costly. Save time and money by pitching your concepts at TV conferences. These successful producers will teach you how to:

  • Land over 25 TV pitches in 1 day
  • Pitch to international companies in one place
  • Sign deals on the floor
  • What to bring

Speakers include Mark Simon and Jeanne Simon founders of SellYourTvConceptNow.com. Mark has landed over 35 pitch meetings in 1 day and he’ll show you how to do it too.

1 – 1.5 hours

For authors and publishers. With the right visuals and the right pitch, books can become hit TV shows.

Books that have become hit shows:

  • 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter starring John Ritter
  • Dave’s World a Dave Barry’s collection of books starring Harry Anderson
  • Life Strategies by Dr Phil led him onto Oprah and then his own hit show
  • She’s Just Not That Into You became a talk show with Author Greg Behrendt
  • Goosebumps
  • Dragon Tales (which Mark worked on)
  • The Magic School Bus

TV industry creators/producers Mark and Jeanne Simon will show you how to:

  • Develop a killer ‘Hook’ from your book
  • Pull the story from your words
  • Discover what Hollywood is looking for

The real money comes from sales because of your book, not of your book. Turn your pages into dollars.

Speakers:

Mark Simon and Jeanne Simon founders of SellYourTvConceptNow.com.

1 – 1.5 hours

Do you ever feel frustrated that you can’t get meetings without an agent? But you can’t get an agent because you don’t have enough credits? There is no need to feel bad after this lecture.

  • Understand why agents seldom work with neophytes
  • Land pitch meetings without an agent
  • Meet dozens of top executives in one day
  • Look like an industry insider even if you’re a newbie

Mark Simon has landed over 35 pitch meetings in one day, without an agent, and he’ll share his secrets with you.

1 – 1.5 hours

Resume MYTHS Exposed

A presentation by Mark and Jeanne Simon authors of Your Resume Sucks! The Simons have worked on over 3,000 TV and film productions as freelancers and they have reviewed thousands of resumes.

They will reveal secrets about resumes that no employer wants you to know.

  • Discover How to Beat The Number One Screening Technique All Employers Use
  • 3 Tips for Entry Level Job Seekers That Make You Look Like a Pro
  • How the First Line of Your Resume Can Put You in the Top 1% Of Job Seekers
  • Avoid the Top 5 Mistakes on Most Resumes
  • Make Yourself The Right Person For The Job – without Lying.
“Just wanted to let you know that your form of resume has been great. I get a response to every resume that I send to prospective employers.”
– Margot McDougal

The lecture is based on Simon’s book, Your Resume Sucks!

12+1 Industry Secrets   This seminar answers the No. 1 question Mark is asked, “How did you get started?” Mark is a 20+ year veteran of working on movies, commercials and TV series. His industry war stories will inspire and entertain you.
  • Job search mistakes most people make.
  • 3 job search techniques that NEVER fail!
Mark moved from Texas to Hollywood fresh out of college. He had no industry connections and still quickly rose through the ranks of film-making and ended up working with such industry greats as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Tony Curtis, Antione Fuqua and many others.You can do it too.   Whether you’re an animator, writer, actor, director or a beginner, Mark will help you jump start your career. Watch a short portion of Mark’s Talk below as he tells the story of landing a job with Steven Spielberg.

All creative people have moments of creative exhaustion. Mark Simon has worked in Hollywood for over 35 years on more than 6,000 productions, and wrote 13 books along the way. Discover how he maintains creativity and avoids creative blocks.
Discover:

  • How one thing inspires another
  • Working with others on ideas
  • You don’t have to work alone
  • Find your creative state of mind
  • Where to find inspiration

1 hour

Are you putting together a business proposal? Writing a book or article? Website? Construction plans? Artwork? Are you more concerned with getting it done, or making it the best it can be?

Hollywood artist and author Mark Simon dives deep into creative endeavors and the balance of completion and perfection.

1 hour

If you need to pitch an idea, a product, a movie or a TV show, there are many potholes you need to avoid. Don’t make these fatal mistakes.
Discover:

  • How NOT to blow your next pitch meeting
  • The flow of a pitch meeting
  • What you need in a pitch
  • Pitch DON’TS
  • Questions you may be asked
  • How to follow up

60-90 minutes

Welcome to the ‘Gig Economy’. More than ever, people are jumping from job to job as freelancers.

There are a lot of pitfalls, and a lot of benefits to gigging. Follow Mark’s CRAP RIDE rules and discover how to be successful as a freelancer.

30-60 minutes

  • Want to win awards?
  • Want to pitch and sell your own animated series?

Discover the benefits of producing your own animated shorts from Mark Simon, a successful producer who has done dozens of animations and won over 40 awards for his work. His work has been seen on Nickelodeon, G4, Comedy Central mobile, Spike & Mike and soon on prime-time Fox after the Simpsons.

This presentation breaks down the benefits of producing animated shorts: portfolio pieces, festival screenings, publicity, pitches for shows, etc.

  • Animation too costly?
  • Don’t know how to get it done?
  • What do you do with it when you’re done?
  • Secrets to get free crews
  • Land better jobs
  • Successfully pitch your shows

Hear great war stories about his Timmy’s Lessons In Nature shorts as they were pitched and sold around the world on the way to winning Grand Prize in Nickelodeon’s first-ever Nicktoons Film Festival. The lecture is based on Simon’s top-selling text, Producing Independent 2D Character Animation.

This topic is relevant to all forms of animation.

Make over $100,000 per year as an artist.

Award-winning artist, business owner and best-selling author, Mark Simon, captured live at the National Caricaturist Convention on what it takes to be a THRIVING ARTIST .

Mark’s 85 minute, non-stop energy presentation is packed with insider secrets and industry stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

  • Earn 25% More Money – Without Doing More Work
  • 3 Career Mistakes Most Artists Make
  • How to Get Great Art Jobs
  • Fighting the Starving Artist Myth
  • How to Negotiate the Rate You Deserve
  • Turn Clients into Evangelists for You
  • Marketing Mistakes Most Artists Make
  • Secrets to Get Started as an Artist
  • Know Your Rights
  • Job Interview Tips
  • The Secrets to How Freelancers are Hired
  • Portfolio Presentation Tips
and much more..

Stop struggling!

Mark reveals how you can make more money faster and succeed in your creative career.

Click HERE for more information and to purchase Mark’s Thriving Artist lecture on a 3 CD audio set. Over 2 hours of inspiration for all artists.

  • Want to close more sales?
  • Want better sales presentations?

Whether you’re a salesman, business owner, writer or producer, you’re in sales and the passion you bring excites your audience and closes the deal.

  • Secrets to finding the passion
  • Tips for expressing your passion

Learn how to make your presentations more exciting and successful from a proven deal-closer, Mark Simon.

Learn the Ultimate Storyboard Artist Secrets from   Mark Simon, Author of the best-selling book Storyboards: Motion in Art Mark owns the largest storyboard studio in the Southern U.S. and has worked on over 3,000 productions for clients such as Nickelodeon, Disney, HBO, Universal and Sony just to name a few. You’ll learn what some storyboard artists never do.
  • How To Make Yourself Invaluable
  • What Demanding Directors Really Want
  • Time-Saving Tricks
  • 7 Easy Illustrated Camera Techniques
  • The Perfect Storyboard Pitch
  • Great Art vs. Great Story
  • 5 Tips To Fantastic Framing
  • Story Telling With Camera Angles
  • Using the latest software, Toon Boom’s Storyboard Pro.
The Workshop includes in-class assignments designed to push your visual storytelling. 1.5 hours to 5 days – depending on your needs.

Mark Simon, entertainment industry expert, gets thousands of dollars in free publicity every month. Discover his secrets and increase the exposure for your property.

  • What is Promotion?
  • Writing Press Releases
  • Social Marketing
  • 11 Steps to Get More Promotion
  • Putting on a Press Event
  • Media Kits
  • Where to Look for Promotion

Participants will:

  • Increase their business at no or little expense
  • Discover how to write successful press releases
  • Learn to create intriguing hooks
  • Find where to get more promotion
  • Master working with producers and publishers
  • Receive a workbook to guide their promotion

1 hour

Job Search MYTHS Exposed!

E-mailing resumes WILL NOT land you freelance gigs.

  • Job search mistakes most people make.
  • 3 job search techniques that NEVER fail!
  • 5 Steps used in hiring freelancers

Be in the right place at the right time and land more gigs.

Mark Simon has worked on over 3,000 gigs and has hired hundreds of other freelancers. He will share with you his tricks for landing more freelance jobs.

1 hour

Public Speaking Experience