Animation fans know Farnaz Esnaashari as the creator and executive producer of Shimmer and Shine, Nick Jr.’s popular show about twin genies that ran from 2015 to 2020. Now, the talented artist has launched a new venture, The Pitch Docs, an online platform that aims to connect creatives with industry professionals, promote collaborations and open new doors for the next generation of artists and storytellers.
“I spent 17 years at Nickelodeon,” says Esnaashari during a recent Zoom interview. “I began my career there as an intern and moved up the ranks to production assistant to supervisor to show creator. After Shimmer and Shine ended, I began developing one of the big legacy brands with Disney, and I also had an overall deal at Nickelodeon, and I was writing my first children’s book with Simon & Schuster. I had also turned in a pitch for a Barbie project, so things looked OK. But that was January of 2020, and then COVID happened. The studios were trying to figure out how to adapt their models to the new period, and they didn’t want to take risks, so I found myself without work for the first time since I was 13! But then I found work as a development executive for Pure Imagination and got hired at BRON Digital as senior development of creative overseeing three different project.”
Esnaashari’s wide range of experiences in the animation industry prepared her for the ups and downs of the business and made her realize how important it is to stay connected with her peers and colleagues. “I was going to launch a consulting service for myself, but then I realized that the problem is much bigger than me, so we need a wider solution,” she notes. “I started playing with this idea of creating a hug for high-level industry professionals who want to give back to the community. I wanted our hub to provide up-and-coming artists and creatives to have access to top-level professional. Our hub would connect these two different world and keep people active and able to exchange ideas and opportunities during a challenging period in our industry. I guess you can look at it as a visual rolodex for studies as well.”
The Pitch Docs users can scroll through the site’s database of industry professionals — including producers, musicians, artists, editors, showrunners and show creators — to track the right fit for their projects. Additional services such as editing, storyboarding, design work and scoring are also available.
Although Esnaashari’s venture only launched in February, she has already attracted a wide range of industry professionals from different areas of animation (visual development, character design, talent management, brand marketing, voice acting, music, etc.) to offer their services on The Pitch Docs. “We have about 35 people available on the site right now, but we’ve only relied on word of mouth,” she says. “Whether you want someone to help you with story editing or take a pass on your ideas, or do some actual design work, we hope you can make the right connection on our site.”
Esnaashari hopes that in the future, the site will be able to offer creatives a place where they can develop and pitch their show ideas. “It’s so important for first-time show creators to be paired with the right people,” she says. “We will also provide live Q&As for those who have questions about how to proceed with their ideas or take their pitch to the studios. I completely believe that if your heart is in the right place and your intentions are good, then people will help you figure things out, and let you know that you’re not alone in the animation community. We’re working towards breaking down some of the barriers and roadblocks that so many of us face on our journeys of creativity.”
To learn more, visit thepitchdocs.com.
