A Lesson in Sales and Marketing from Ken Rotcop

I'd never heard of Ken Rotcop till this evening.

You probably havnen't heard of him either.

But you've heard of Walt Disney, E.B. White, and Hanna-Barbera.

And you've heard of Charlotte's Web.

The story of how the book became the animated feature film, reprinted from The Writers Store.com is a gem whose moral is: Keep It Simple, Silly!

And know your audience, your competition, and yourself.

Enjoy.

Jay

A Personal Success Story from Ken Rotcop
by

Word had gotten out that E. B. White had gotten on in years and was ready to sell his classic book about the spider and the pig for a movie.

The bidding war came down to the Disney Studio and Hanna-Barbera.

Joe Barbera, besides being a creative genius, was a terrific salesman. But he couldn't convince White to sell the book rights to him.

So, out of frustration, Joe asked me to intervene. I was Creative Head at the studio at the time. I stared at the phone in my office wondering what I would say. Finally, I called White at his home in New England. "Mr. White, my name is Ken Rotcop. Joe Barbera asked me to give you a call."

"Mr. Rotcop, I have pretty much made up my mind to go with the Disney offer."

"Well, I can certainly understand that. I loved Walt Disney's 'Peter Pan' and Walt Disney's 'Cinderella' and Walt Disney's 'Bambi' and Walt Disney's 'Snow White'!"

"If you're trying to get me to change my mind, Mr. Rotcop, you're NOT doing a very good job!"

"Well, Mr. White, here's my point. If THEY make the movie it will be forever known as Walt Disney's 'Charlotte's Web.� But, sir, if WE make the movie, it will, for all eternity, be known as E. B. White's 'Charlotte's Web.� In the print ads, in the trailers, on the posters, all the publicity, and, of course in the movie itself: NOT Disney's 'Charlotte's Web,� E.B. White's 'Charlotte's Web'."

There was silence on the other end, then, "Have Mr. Barbera send me a contract."

WE made the movie. It was a smash hit.

And that's how I stole 'Charlotte's Web' from Walt Disney.

The lesson learned? Know something about the person to whom you're pitching, know everything about your competition, and know your craft inside and out.

With E. B. White, I took a shot and dealt with the man's ego. With Disney Studios, I knew their penchant for absorbing ownership of the material they produced. And, thirdly, I knew we could do a damn good job if given the opportunity.

The Writers Store