If you artist ever think of giving up or hesitate to pitch a great idea...
Stephen King's story "Carrie" was rejected up to 100 times total and now, he is the "King" of horror who set a standard in both literature and horror cinema that very few have reached.
Like the picture says. Yuko Shimizu kept knocking on every door she came across and good on her for that. EVERYONE knows who Hello Kitty is even people who aren't anime fans.
"Home Alone" was initially panned and people laughed AT it because everyone the premise was too ridiculous to be funny in a good way. Even the actors who played Harry and Marv had no faith in it hence why their acting was over the top. Now, this movie is not only a staple in the Christmas holiday lineup, it's a globally beloved film that sparked a few sequels, a TV series and a franchise that is still relevant.
John Carpenter's "The Thing" was initially a miss in theater's, but much like the Thing creature itself, it grew and grew in popularity to the point of being labeled a masterpiece and the best example of how phenomenal practical effects can be. It also went on to inspire many other medias especially survival horror ones.
"The Legend of Zelda" was initially rejected by Sega and even after it was a hit with Nintendo, creating a sequel and spinoff were very tricky. However, the people behind it didn't give up on it and the iconic installment "A Link to the Past" was created, the franchise finally found its wings and took off. It went on to become one of Nintendo's golden children and almost all of its games get replayed including the original 8-bit one.
Initially, the idea of Transformers having a cartoon at all was rejected and not taken seriously because they were initially just toys. Hasbro initially "how the heck do you make a story out of these toys?"... Well, it turns out that you can make several stories out of them. It is still one of the biggest toylines and cartoon media in the world. And new stories are still being made.
So my advice to every artist and author out there, even if you are sure you are going to be rejected, pitch anyway and keep pitching. Someone is going to eventually say yes. A winner is just a loser who didn't give up. What matters isn't what the naysayers tell you either because their skeptical or because of pride. What matters is that you have a great story to tell and the world need that. Maybe more than ever with the way Hollywood is going. Big corpos only have as much control and say as we give them, and the greatest weapon to fight them with is our persistence especially when they have no ideas to work with and really want money..
That's why I don't give up on my ideas unless I can't even get them down on paper myself. Maybe they will say no, but you know what? I'd rather hear it from them again and again. I'd rather be annoying than a quitter. I will knock on every door to my work out there even if I have to knock on the same door ten times. Someone eventually says yes.
Plus, if we want the Transformers or anything to change for the better, we have to fight for that change. Not sit back and mope.
So don't give up. Fight for yourself. After all, did Optimus Prime give up even when the big loud dogs kept barking "no"?
