Project-Based LearningMediaEntrepreneurship

Student Project: Turn a Graphic Novel into a Multi-Platform Pitch

cclassroom

2026-01-27 12:00:00

10 min read

A classroom-ready assignment: adapt a graphic novel into a TV/streaming pitch, social campaign, and merch plan modeled on The Orangery’s transmedia approach.

Turn a graphic novel into a real-world pitch: a hands-on student project that teaches storytelling, entrepreneurship, and modern marketing

Teachers and students are under pressure to build meaningful, career-relevant projects without reinventing the lesson each year. This assignment solves that: a step-by-step curriculum that guides learners to adapt a comic or graphic novel into a professional pitch development package — including a TV/streaming pitch, a short-form social media campaign, and a merchandising plan — modeled on the transmedia success strategies behind studios like The Orangery and its 2026 WME partnership. It’s practical, scalable, and built for the creative industries of 2026.

Why this project matters in 2026

In late 2025 and early 2026 the entertainment ecosystem continued to consolidate around transmedia IP — IP that is designed to move between comics, TV/streaming, games, and consumer products. The Orangery’s January 2026 signing with WME highlighted a clear industry signal: agents and studios are actively buying IP that can expand across platforms. For teachers, that means an opportunity to teach marketable skills: adaptation, pitch creation, social-first marketing, and product design.

“Studios and agencies now prioritize IP that’s platform-agnostic — a strong core story plus clear plans for expansion into streaming, social, and commerce.” — Industry synthesis, 2026

This assignment trains students in four high-value competencies aligned with modern creative careers: story expansion, audience-first marketing, entrepreneurial product thinking (student entrepreneurship), and professional pitching etiquette. It’s classroom-ready and mimics real-world routes — from source material to deals with agencies like WME.

Learning objectives & standards alignment

Analyze a graphic novel for themes, character arcs, and transmedia potential.
Develop a TV/streaming pitch (series bible, pilot synopsis, visual mood).
Create a short-form social media campaign optimized for discovery in 2026 platforms.
Design a merchandising plan that considers branding, ethics, and revenue models.
Demonstrate entrepreneurship by building a go-to-market plan and budget estimate.

Project overview: three deliverables

Students produce a portfolio with three coordinated pieces that together form a transmedia pitch:

TV/Streaming Pitch Package: logline, one-page series concept, pilot treatment, series bible excerpt, and a two-minute sizzle/storyboard.
Social Media Campaign: a 4-week content calendar for short-form video, three mockup posts, influencer brief, and a distribution plan with KPIs.
Merchandising Plan: product sketches or mockups, target price points, ethical sourcing notes, a basic revenue model, and licensing pitch copy.

Why these three?

Each deliverable answers a question a modern buyer asks: Can this be dramatized for streaming? Can it find an audience on social platforms where discovery happens? Can it be merchandise-enabled to create recurring revenue? Together they demonstrate a mature transmedia IP thinking and make student work industry-ready.

Required tools & classroom resources

Pick accessible, school-safe tools — many have free tiers. Balance creative tools with business templates.

Script & pitch: Google Docs, Celtx, or Final Draft (education licenses)
Visuals & sizzle: Canva, Adobe Express, or Figma for moodboards and storyboards
Short video editing: CapCut, iMovie, Premiere Rush
Social mockups: Canva, Later, or an in-class template
Merch mockups: Placeit, Printful mockup generator, or Figma templates
Project management: Trello, Google Sheets, or a shared LMS
AI assistants: use responsibly — generative tools for ideation and drafting; always require citation and student editing

Week-by-week lesson plan (6–8 weeks)

Below is a tested schedule you can adapt by class length and student level. Each week includes teacher prep and student outputs.

Week 1 — Source analysis & transmedia mapping

Teacher prep: select the graphic novel (ensure class rights or use public-domain/teacher-created comics). Create a transmedia potential worksheet.

Activities: Read and annotate. Identify core themes, protagonist arcs, and world rules.
Output: 500-word analysis + a transmedia map: scenes/characters that can move to TV, social, and products.

Week 2 — Adaptation choices & target audience

Activities: Decide adaptation tone (serialized drama, limited series, animated), age rating, and platform fit (Netflix-style, HBO-style, streamer niche).
Output: Target audience brief, one-sentence logline, and three adaptation choices with rationales.

Week 3 — Series bible & pilot treatment

Activities: Teach series-bible structure: season arc, episode map, character dossiers, visual references.
Output: 2–4 page series bible excerpt + 5-page pilot treatment.

Week 4 — Pitch deck & sizzle

Activities: Build a 6–10 slide pitch deck. Create a 60–120 second sizzle using storyboards or a simple video edit.
Output: Pitch deck PDF + sizzle file or storyboard PDF.

Activities: Teach short-form content best practices for 2026 (vertical video, interactive stickers, AR-friendly hooks). Map a 4-week campaign with KPI-driven goals.
Output: Content calendar, three produced mock clips or annotated scripts, distribution KPIs.

Week 6 — Merchandising and go-to-market

Activities: Discuss licensing basics, ethical manufacturing, price elasticity, and bundling. Build mockups of 3–5 products.
Output: Product mockups, cost + retail price estimate, basic licensing pitch & revenue split model.

Week 7 — Final pitch presentations + industry feedback

Activities: Mock pitch day. Invite local creators, agents, or use virtual guest speakers — leverage local community hubs to find reviewers. Use 6–8 minute presentations followed by Q&A.
Output: Final portfolio and revised one-page executive summary.

Group roles & scaffolding

Group formats teach collaboration and mirror industry teams. For groups of 4–6 assign:

Showrunner/Lead Writer — oversees narrative cohesion and series bible.
Producer/PM — timeline, deliverables, budget estimates.
Creative Director — visuals, moodboards, sizzle aesthetics.
Marketing Lead — social calendar, influencer strategy, KPIs.
Merch Designer / Biz Lead — product mockups, cost model, licensing copy.

Rubric & assessment (sample)

Use a rubric that rewards professional polish, creativity, and industry thinking. Suggested weighted categories:

Story & Adaptation Logic — 30%: fidelity to source + expansion choices.
Pitch Quality — 25%: clarity, hook, and deck strength.
Social Strategy & Content — 15%: platform fit, creativity, production quality.
Merch Plan & Business Thinking — 15%: feasibility, ethics, revenue model.
Presentation & Professionalism — 10%: delivery, Q&A, teamwork.
Reflection & Revision — 5%: student reflection on learning and iteration.

Practical templates & checkpoints

Provide students with starter templates to accelerate progress. Essential templates:

One-page pitch/one-sentence logline template
Series bible excerpt template (characters, tone, season arc)
Pitch deck slide set (logline, world, characters, comps, budget ask)
Social content calendar (platform, hook, CTA, asset type, KPI)
Merch costing spreadsheet (material, MOQ, unit cost, retail price)

Classroom examples & case studies

Use contemporary industry moves as case studies. The Orangery’s early-2026 deal with WME is a strong discussion starter: an IP studio that launched graphic novels with a clear transmedia roadmap attracted agency representation that can open doors across streaming and consumer products. Show how a comic’s distinct visual identity becomes a selling point for both streaming (visual style) and merchandising (iconic motifs).

Example student case (brief): A student group adapted a 120-page indie comic into a 10-episode streaming pitch. They kept the protagonist’s interior voice but shifted the timeline to expand character arcs across season one. Their social plan used short clips of a central visual motif and an AR filter tied to the hero’s mask. Their merch included ethically-made enamel pins and a limited-run zine, with a crowdfunding pre-order to validate demand. Local makers were used to keep MOQ low and margins transparent.

Legal, ethical, and business basics (must-teach)

Before adapting: confirm copyright. If students work with existing published comics, teach fair use boundaries and require permission or public-domain materials. If students create original comics for the project, document authorship and create simple agreements that specify ownership and revenue splits (use school template).

Quick checklist:

Confirm source rights or use originals/public domain.
Require written consent for any third-party assets (music, artwork).
Teach basic licensing language: term, territory, product categories.
Discuss ethical merchandising: sustainable materials, fair labor, and representation.

Advanced strategies and 2026 trends to include

Keep the assignment current by integrating these 2026 developments:

AI-assisted story expansion: Use generative tools for ideation, but require students to critically edit and cite AI inputs. Teach prompt design as a skill for accelerating treatment drafts.
Short-form discovery ecosystems: Platforms that dominated 2023–25 evolved. In 2026, algorithmic discovery favors interactive hooks and AR elements — design social content with immediate interactivity. See work on short-form algorithms and playful interfaces.
AR/VR sampling: Low-barrier AR filters and short immersive demos help translate panels into experiences. Consider simple AR mockups as bonus deliverables and consult field workflows like the PocketLan + PocketCam playback setup for live demos.
Direct-to-fan commerce: Print-on-demand and digital collectibles are tools for testing demand. Teach students how to validate concepts with pre-orders before manufacturing — tie this into broader microbrand revenue systems.
Industry pathways: Use real-life examples like The Orangery + WME to discuss how IP-first studios operate. Invite local agents or use recorded interviews to demystify pitch expectations — local community forums can help locate guest critics.
Sustainability & inclusion: 2026 buyers increasingly demand inclusive storytelling and responsible merchandise — embed these checks in rubrics and source sustainable suppliers where possible (see sustainable-goods guidance).

Tips for busy teachers

Use modular grading: grade the series bible deeply and give lighter feedback on mockups to manage workload.
Peer critique days reduce teacher feedback time while building revision skills.
Curate a “toolkit” of 6–10 links/templates and reuse across cohorts.
For remote or hybrid classes, use asynchronous video pitches and a live Q&A panel.

Extensions for entrepreneurship and career readiness

Turn the project into a mini-startup lab. Encourage groups to:

Create a one-page investor pitch and explore seed crowdfunding.
Develop a basic five-step go-to-market timeline and a projected first-year revenue forecast.
Draft a professional outreach email to a literary agent or boutique transmedia studio (students can actually send these as a class exercise if permissions are cleared).

Common pitfalls & how to avoid them

Over-ambition: Keep the initial scope modest — a strong pilot + clear season plan beats an unfinished 10-episode outline.
Tool overwhelm: Limit software choices. Master one editing tool and one mockup tool.
Copyright mistakes: Always include a legal-check checkpoint in Week 1.
Lack of cohesion: Ensure the social and merch plans reinforce the show’s core hook; include cross-check milestones.

What success looks like

Students finish with a cohesive, portfolio-ready package: a purposeful logline, a convincing deck, a short sizzle, actionable social assets, and a realistic merch plan. Several outcomes elevate the work:

Student pitches that could be presented to a studio or agent.
Validated market interest via a pre-order or test social campaign metric.
Students can explain rights and basic licensing terms in plain language.

Classroom-ready checklist (one-page)

Choose source material & confirm rights
Assign groups and roles
Distribute templates (bible, deck, merch, social)
Set weekly deadlines and peer-review schedule
Schedule a pitch day + invite industry reviewer

Modeling the assignment on studios that prioritize transmedia — like The Orangery, which demonstrated how graphic-novel IP can scale into streaming and products, and captured agency attention in its 2026 WME deal — helps students see a clear pathway from classroom project to industry opportunity.

Final practical checklist for teachers

Begin with a 1-hour orientation that explains industry outcomes.
Require an early rights check to avoid legal surprises.
Teach pitch decks by deconstructing real ones (redacted industry examples).
Reserve one full class for rehearsal and Q&A before pitch day.
Use guest feedback to give authentic industry context.

If you want a ready-to-print packet — including the series bible template, pitch deck slides, social calendar, and a teacher rubric — we’ve built one based on this lesson plan. It’s classroom-tested and updated for 2026 market realities (AI, AR, and the direct-to-fan commerce layer).

Call-to-action

Ready to run this project? Download the full teacher packet, editable templates, and a sample grading rubric. Try it with one class section as a pilot, invite a local creator as a guest critic, and share your student pitches with our community for feedback. Build real-world skills in pitch development, graphic novel adaptation, and transmedia IP entrepreneurship — and give students a portfolio piece that speaks to studios, agents, and industry partners in 2026.

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