Pitches be Crazy with Mike Sharman

Here’s a riddle: What takes a tenth of a second to occur and can make or break your startup? No, it’s not the computation performed by your tech product’s proprietary algorithm. It’s a first impression, and the Princeton researchers who discovered how quickly we form them also found that our first impressions don’t change much after getting to know somebody for longer. Join us this month as we dive into the Do's and Don'ts of a perfect Pitch. To help us tackle the subject is Retroviral's founder Mike Sharman. With more than 11 years agency experience, Mike has successfully implemented business-supporting traditional and digital communication campaigns for both established brands and startups in the consumer and b2b technology / finance, and entertainment sectors - from conception and design to campaigns that have been classified as 'truly viral' (Nando's Last Dictator Standing) Co-founder of Retroviral, an award winning digital communications agency that creates online word of mouth for brands using bespoke strategy, social media, and web tactics. He is also co-founder of Webfluential – a platform that establishes relationships between consumers and brands through influencers. Mike was named one of the Mail & Guardian's top 200 young (under 35) South Africans in 2013. Mike loves making 'stuff go viral'; you will have seen his work on RocoMamas #ElectionBurger campaign as Retroviral is the lead creative agency for the Smashburger brand. Retroviral was also Nando's digital agency from 2010-2013. Retroviral executed the online comms for all the #5GumExperience parties and most recently, it was the seeding agency behind the Douwe Egberts yawn-activated coffee vending machine. From strategising the Kreepy Krauly Wrangler concept, to writing, shooting and seeding the BraaiPhone for Castle Lager, Retroviral has created some of the most memorable local, digital campaigns over the past 7 years. You do not want to miss this. Mike's book "The best Dick" will be available on the day :-)