Casting to the People Pitch Deck Teardown: A $72B Vision

Executive Summary: The Democratization of Hollywood

Casting to the People (CTTP) presented this deck in November 2014, positioning itself as a disruptive force in the entertainment industry. The core thesis is that the current casting process is a closed loop that excludes the vast majority of qualified talent. By leveraging mobile video technology and a crowdsourced filtering mechanism, CTTP aims to open the gates to the '97% of union actors' who are currently unrepresented. The deck is a classic example of a 'billion-dollar vision' built on a simple, repeatable micro-transaction model.

Slide 00: Title and Vision

The cover slide introduces the brand with a 'fist raised' logo, suggesting a revolutionary or populist undertone. The subtitle, "Crowd-curated casting for TV, Film and Commercials," immediately defines the niche. Notably, there is a footnote for "Patent pending technology," which serves as an early attempt to establish a defensive moat, though the specifics of this patent are not detailed later in the deck.

Slide 01: The Problem

Union Actors: 97% are unrepresented and cannot access premium roles. · Aspiring Actors: Lack of connections prevents entry into the industry. · Casting Directors: They suffer from a small talent pool and poor filtration systems. · Social Reach: The industry ignores an actor's existing social media audience.

Slide 02: The Solution

The solution is framed as a mobile crowdsourced casting application. The slide breaks this down into three pillars: Maximize Talent (opening roles to the 97%), Mobile Audition (video uploads via smartphone), and Crowd Curate (using the crowd to filter the best talent). This slide effectively bridges the gap between the problem and the product.

Slide 03: The Product

This slide provides three mobile mockups showing the user journey: Mobile Optimized (a list of roles like 'Progressive Commercial'), Audition from Phone (a selfie-style video interface), and Crowd-Curation (a voting interface where users can select 'Previous,' 'Next,' or 'Vote for this one'). The UI appears consistent with 2014 design standards, emphasizing ease of use.

Slide 04: Market Size (U.S.)

The market sizing uses a nested circle diagram to show expansion potential:

5,000 Active Represented Union Members (The current elite). · 155,000 Active Unrepresented Union Members (The immediate target). · 1.1+ Million actively pursuing acting in the U.S. · 150 Million 'fame seekers' (The total addressable market).

This slide sets the stage for the four-phase revenue model that follows.

Slides 05-08: The Four-Phase Revenue Model

These slides are the financial heart of the deck, all based on a $3 per role submission fee. Phase 1 (Slide 05): Targets 160,000 Union Actors. With an average of 5 submissions per month, the projected annual revenue is $28.8 million . Phase 2 (Slide 06): Expands to 1.1 million Aspiring Actors. At 4 submissions per month, revenue jumps to $158.4 million . Phase 3 (Slide 07): Targets 20+ million 'Fame Seekers' interested in walk-on roles. At 2 submissions per month, revenue reaches $1.4 billion . Phase 4 (Slide 08): Scales internationally to 1 billion people in India, China, and beyond. The projected revenue is a staggering $72 billion .While the math is simple, the jump from 1.1 million to 1 billion users represents a massive leap in operational and cultural complexity that the deck does not fully address.

Slide 09: Use of Proceeds

The company is asking for $3 million . The breakdown is specific:

Legal: $500,000 · LA & Toronto Expansion: $400,000 · Reserves: $400,000 · Product Development: $350,000 · Events: $250,000 · Casting Directors: $200,000 · Marketing: $200,000 · Salaries: $180,000 · Product Design: $150,000 · Hosting & Storage: $150,000 · Accounting & Insurance: $150,000

The slide notes an anticipated burn rate of $50,000 per month , suggesting a 60-month runway if no revenue were generated, though they aim to hit Series A objectives within six months.

Slide 10: Market Adoption and Press

This slide lists planned events in New York, Hollywood, and Toronto. It mentions partnerships with SAG-AFTRA and Central Casting . It also features a mock-up of a Wired article titled "The Future of Film Has Its Head in the Crowds," written by the CEO, Aiden Livingston. This is a clever way to show thought leadership, even if the article is self-authored.

Slide 10 (Repeated Numbering): Non-Profit as PR/User Acquisition

The deck introduces Ryan’s Academy , a non-profit arm providing free online acting classes. The strategic value is two-fold: it acts as a lead magnet for the main platform, and students who complete lessons receive a 'boost' in the CTTP algorithm. This creates a gamified ecosystem that encourages platform loyalty.

Slide 11: Competition

The competitive matrix uses two axes: Quality of Roles (High to Low) and Number of Submissions (Too few to Too many). CTTP positions itself in the 'Goldilocks' zone: High Quality, Crowd-Curated Submissions . They distance themselves from Craigslist (low quality) and Actors Access (too many submissions), suggesting their curation is the key differentiator.

Slide 12: The Team

Aiden Livingston (CEO): Author of 3 books on marketing, consultant for brands like Facebook and Chanel. · Jonathan Beirn (COO): Founder of three companies in fashion, art, and energy. · Mitchell Correia (Head of Product): Background in TV/Film production and previous startup experience.

The team appears to have a strong mix of marketing, operations, and industry-specific knowledge, though technical engineering leadership is not explicitly highlighted.

Slide 13: Closing

The deck concludes with an Andy Warhol quote: "In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes," reinforcing the 'fame seeker' market segment. It provides contact information for the CEO.

What Works Well in This Deck

The revenue model is exceptionally clear. By anchoring the entire business on a $3 transaction, the founders make the path to $28 million seem attainable and grounded. Investors generally appreciate a simple, high-volume transaction model over complex enterprise sales cycles. The problem statement is also highly relatable; anyone who has followed the entertainment industry knows about the 'gatekeeper' problem, and the '97%' statistic is a compelling hook. Finally, the Use of Proceeds slide is one of the most detailed seen in early-stage decks, providing a line-item budget that shows the founders have actually calculated their costs rather than just picking a round number.

What Is Missing or Weak

The most significant weakness is the lack of technical detail regarding the 'crowd-curation' algorithm. If the crowd is simply voting, what prevents the system from becoming a popularity contest or being gamed by bots? For a 'patent-pending' technology, the mechanism is left entirely to the imagination. Additionally, the international scaling in Slide 08 feels like 'spreadsheet theater.' Projecting $72 billion in revenue by assuming 1 billion people will pay $3 twice a month is a massive extrapolation that ignores local competition, payment infrastructure in emerging markets, and the sheer difficulty of global user acquisition. The deck also lacks traction metrics ; there is no mention of a beta test, current user count, or existing relationships with casting directors who have agreed to use the platform.

Lessons for Founders

Founders can learn from the Phase-based market expansion strategy. Instead of just presenting a massive TAM, CTTP breaks the market down into logical steps (Union -> Aspiring -> Fame Seekers -> Global). This makes a giant vision feel like a series of manageable milestones. Another takeaway is the strategic use of a non-profit arm for user acquisition. By framing education as a way to 'boost' one's chances of success, they create a value-add for the user that simultaneously feeds their data engine. However, founders should be wary of over-projecting . While a $72 billion figure looks impressive on a slide, it can sometimes undermine a founder's credibility if it isn't backed by a rigorous go-to-market plan for those specific territories.