Lianne and I were asked to take part in an improv pitching contest. We were given a title, Suicide Wings, genre and 10 minutes. Lianne’s genre was ‘Lifestyle’ and mine was ‘History’. Normally we work as a team but in this case we were to face off against each other.
Lianne pitched a high-flying competition reality show where men and woman learned advanced aerobatic manoeuvres like barrel rolls and tail slides. At the end of each episode, one of the moves would be judged by a Blue Angel, and the worst performance would be eliminated until one pilot is left and earns their Suicide Wings.
It was a very funny pitch and the audience loved it, especially when Lianne was asked about the stakes in the show and she replied deadpan – “Death.” When prompted by the broadcaster about the look of the show, “So, it’s a cross between Top Gun and ...” Lianne replied “Canada’s Worst Driver.”
I pitched a historical documentary series about a formally unknown elite group of animal trainers from Britain who trained birds to attack opposing armies. Each episode would cover a well-known battle from history and tell the story about how attack birds turned the tide of the engagement for the British, going back as far as the disappearance of Rome’s Ninth Legion which necessitated the building of Hadrian’s Wall – which was originally made of glass and looked more like a giant window...
When asked to clarify the timeline and how the shows would look I said it was “It’s like Battlefield Detectives on History Television, every episode will focus on one battle and how the suicide birds directly influenced its outcome. For instance, during Waterloo, Napoleon was absent from the field at the critical moment in the battle. Historians have argued where he went and why, but we have now learned through recently uncovered documents that he was carried off by a giant albatross...”
Needless to say we had a lot of fun entertaining a room full of industry professionals, and earned a silly prize each. Lianne got a Barbie (Evelyn will love it!) and Jeff got a squeaky steak (Alex will love it!).