A RANT aimed at brands commissioning pitches...

I've heard several pitch horror stories lately and I want it to STOP.

Running a creative business is hard enough without dealing with shitty pitches and tender processes.

If you're about to commission a new pitch, consider these tips:

MONEY - Say how much you've budgeted for the project. It shouldn't be a secret. Transparency about money is crucial for long-term partnerships.

COMPETITION - Share who else is pitching. This vital info helps businesses to decide how they're going to approach the pitch and to decide if they even want to participate.

TIMING - Is this a real project with a real deadline and real need? If not, don't waste anybody's time and energy on non-pitches. Remember the people on the other side - nobody wants to do meaningless work. It's soul-destroying.

FEEDBACK - If a business has invested thousands in a pitch, the least you can do is explain properly why they weren't successful. A cold email stating, "we've decided to go in another direction" with no further information isn't good enough.

I could go on, but rant over.

One final thought, how about doing things differently and eradicating the pitch altogether? That really would be refreshing.