Jumpstart.

For emerging creative firms ready for the next level.

Do you run a studio in motion, production, experiential, sound design… or does it run you?

Perhaps you are finally ready to lead your business with more focus and simplicity while your studio stands out, wins better clients, charges more, and produces its best work ever.

Welcome to Jumpstart: the only industry-specific accelerator program where consultant (and former owner) Joel Pilger personally leads you through a transformation.

How to Apply

At a Glance

Let go of the mindsets holding you back
Learn and apply next-level concepts
Modules and Worksheets (lifetime access)
Live weekly Q&A with Joel Pilger and your fellow owners
1-month free trial in Confab alumni group

“Don’t think it’s an easy process – Joel will challenge and push you to your limits. But hey, it’s truly worth it.” – Pat at P2

Application-based. USD 3-7K investment.* Limited seats.

In this accelerator you will:

✓ Apply the specific concepts Joel used to grow his studio to $5MM/year

✓ Identify and focus on what you love doing most

✓ Carve out a unique position in the marketplace

✓ Develop new business based on your expertise

✓ Build relationships with better clients

✓ Upsell, negotiate, and win large-budget projects

✓ Empower your studio to produce great creative work

Evolve from being that small shop taking orders to an expert creative firm commanding premium pricing and industry respect.

Relax knowing your transformation occurs in a private, safe space where you and your peers can ask any question, admit your weaknesses … and gain the solutions to move you forward with purpose, direction and confidence.

Limited seats are available. If you believe Jumpstart is a fit for you, apply to see if you qualify to join the upcoming class.

How to Apply

“The Jumpstart return on investment is a no-brainer.” – Dallas at Defacto Sound

Structured. Relevant. Applicable.

“Joel helped guide us to understanding who we are as a studio, what we’re good at and – better yet – why our clients value us. Our success rate skyrocketed once we gained that understanding and focus.” – PJ at Laundry

A MESSAGE FROM JOEL PILGER

I was stuck for 7 years waiting for my studio to get a shot at the big-time…

And yes, that studio was Impossible Pictures, the famous miracle-making studio that broke all the rules and forever changed the creative landscape in Denver, Colorado.

But in the first 7 years of running my business, I struggled to grow my team beyond one part-time animator and generate more than USD $200K in revenue… despite my 80-hour work weeks and frequent all-nighters.

But then over the next few years, I suddenly grew my studio to a team of 25 full-time superstars generating over USD $5MM in revenue. We had a blast working with great clients like Discovery, DISH Network, Pepsi, Ford, and Starbucks, producing great work that won so many Addy, Promax, and Emmy Awards that I lost count.

What changed?

In that 7th year, I had an epiphany: all my past success was holding me back from future growth.

Once I recognized that my problem was a mindset, I began the process of unlearning what I thought was true so I could learn what was actually true: a set of counterintuitive concepts embraced by owners at all the industry’s top studios.

Now it’s your turn

I invite you embrace these concepts in Jumpstart: get back in touch with what you love doing most, carve out a unique position so your studio stands out, connect with the best clients, sell them your best ideas, and produce the great creative work you’ve always dreamed of creating.

Schedule

Ongoing

The Website “Roasts”

Each week a member website is critiqued from a prospective client’s perspective. Once you see your studio’s positioning, messaging, and portfolio in this new light, you can’t unsee it.

KICKOFF

The 7 Ingredients

NEW: What’s the reason running a thriving creative business is so challenging? There are seven of them.

Week 1

Identify Your Genius

What is the source of your studio’s greatness? Let’s identify it. Now delegate everything else… so you can focus on it.

Week 2

Carve Out Your Positioning

Is your studio one of many… or the-one-and-only? Craft the messaging to always stand out, break through, and be respected as the expert.

Week 3

Marketing the Modern Creative Firm

Discerning the nuances in the Creative Firm Sales Cycle is what empowers emerging firms to pursue all those previously elusive (i.e, bigger and better) opportunities.

Week 4

Breaking the Feast-or-Famine Cycle

NEW: In a COVID world, sales is changing. Now is the perfect time to take the stage and create community so your sales pipeline is never empty.

Week 5

Your Best Opportunities

Why do you accept any given project? Master the critical dimensions that empower you and your team to define – and act on – what matters most.

Week 6

Fewer Proposals, More Projects

Why does the proposal process waste so much time? Master the better way to weed out misfits and leverage your role as the valuable expert.

Week 7

High-Ticket Sales

What if you could coax your clients to reveal their maximum budgets… while also strengthening your role as the trusted guide? Get ready to master the Perfect Sales Process.

WEEK 8

Commanding Premium Pricing

Charging high prices is not about the quality of your work, it’s about negotiating, implementing policies, and eliciting the buyer’s emotions.

“Thanks to your advice in Jumpstart, I now know what kind of outreach to do. We just did a sales trip and sealed the deal with a *huge* new client.” – Phil at Two Fresh

Curriculum

→ Video Modules
8 battle-tested concepts

→ Structured Learning
Each week’s Module builds upon the previous concepts

→ Worksheets
Download, process, and apply

Live Weekly Q&A

→ Live Discussion and/or 1-On-1 Consulting with Joel Pilger**
A “done with you” approach applied to your needs

→ Perspective
See how your peers are overcoming obstacles

→ Reinforce
Watch replays anytime

Community

→ Accountability
Partner with a peer to help you stay on track

→ Network
Build relationships with like-minded owners

→ Qualify for Confab
Join the exclusive group of leading owners

Make the leap.

Apply

The next Jumpstart begins late January 2021.

To qualify for Jumpstart, please begin by watching Joel Pilger’s latest webinar, How (Some) Studios are Crushing It… Despite COVID. In the webinar, you will find instructions for how to apply for enrollment.

Watch Webinar

* Limited scholarships available, please inquire.
** Live Weekly Q&A and Jumpstart Community included with Classic enrollment, 1-On-1 Consulting included with Elite enrollment.

Your journey from order-taker to leading studio starts here.