Seen in “Who wants to be my partner” – Behind the scenes of the show

It all started in May 2022 during a lunch between Circle associates. They then realize that they are all fans of QVEMA and simply decide to apply!

And there, everything happened very quickly. Our vision, the sports shoe project that we come to defend and the products are popular. We are passing the first phase.

A few days later, we complete a file with our figures, the strategy, the partners involved, the business plan. We shoot an application video in less than 24 hours.

Then several weeks followed without any news. We went through all the emotions, we imagined all the possible scenarios.

It was in July that Romain Trebuil, founder and CEO of the Circle brand, received a call.

Great news. Circle caused a sensation and convinced the jury. We are selected.

It is Romain, founder and CEO, Solène, artistic director and Martin, commercial director who will present the project to the jury.

The appointment is made in September for the filming of QVEMA Season 03. In August, we have a meeting with an advisor from the channel to prepare our appearance on the show.

It's total euphoria in the team and we have to keep it a secret. There must be no leaks so as not to “derail” the project.

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We then begin to work on the pitch: what priority messages, how to convince the jury and make investors want to join Circle? How can we transmit our values ​​and above all make millions of athletes want to get involved in our mission which is to make the world of sport more responsible? It's three weeks of intense preparation to be ready for filming: we modify a term, we change a turn of phrase, we reverse the speaking order of our trio. They repeat, over and over again. Until the day before the shoot. The pitch becomes a sweet melody that our trio has appropriated.

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The big day finally arrives. The whole Circle team came to support Solène, Romain and Martin from 5am!

Meet on the set in the near Paris suburbs. It's a mixture of excitement and stress. A unique stress, never experienced before. These are 5 investors who will discover the Circle project that we have been leading for 2 years. And it is our Circle trio who will meet 5 personalities with unique and inspiring entrepreneurial experiences. It’s a total discovery in both directions.

Last rehearsal with the show's coach Aram Attar, makeup, hair, moment of concentration.

5-4-3-2-1.

The Circle trio pushes the door of the stage to find themselves in front of the 5 investors: Eric Larchevêque , Anthony Bourbon , Delphine André , Jean-Pierre Nadir And … Blaise Matuidi .

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Let's go for 1 hour 40 minutes of pitch, discussion and questions and answers. It's up to us to convince them to join us in this adventure.

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The first 5 minutes are the pitch of Romain, Solène and Martin. Then the other 90 minutes are a series of questions and answers with the members of the jury. Then comes the time for the jury's deliberation. It's a surprising moment. It’s the great silence that settles in a second. The jury deliberates. Our trio remains standing, in front of the jury, without saying anything, without moving too much, without really knowing what to do. And suddenly, a first investor speaks. Then everyone reflects on their thoughts and informs them of their decision.

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During filming, the entire Circle team is installed in a backstage room and watches what is happening live via a television screen. It’s the emotional elevator. In short, a great moment of team sharing. We then achieve two things. These 100 minutes of filming will be reduced to 10 minutes during the broadcast. We will discover the final result at the same time as the public. And that is very emotional!

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Between filming in September 2022 and broadcast in January 2023, we no longer control anything, we don't know what's happening. We count the number of weeks left before the release month. We are patiently waiting for news from the M6 ​​channel: on what day in January will it be broadcast? This is the big question.

Because nothing beats the testimony of the trio who pitched to the jury, here are some of their secrets

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How do you prepare for a shoot of this scale?

Roman:

"The day before, I disconnected from the screens and went for a run to let off steam and clear my mind. I didn't revise the pitch. This way I was able to get a good night's sleep and be in pretty good shape D-day."

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Solène:

"I revised until the last minute. No respite on my side, I didn't keep an eye out all night!!

My main objective was to spread the message of eco-responsibility, whatever the result. I wanted to explain to viewers the harmful impact of sports shoes on our planet. Point out that sneakers that are made of petroleum-based plastic never disappear. The project that we came to present provides a solid alternative."

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Martin:

"I also studied the day before until late in the evening. I must admit that it wasn't the best night of my life, I was looking forward to it!"

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When filming finished, what happened?

Solène:

"We took care of recovering the decor that we had created for the show, we brought everything back to Paris to our offices. Then we went straight back to work! We had a big event planned in the evening with a room Parisian sports club. The whole team mobilized again and we all set off together to prepare for the event, with joy and good humor."

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Roman:

"That day was an incredible team day. From 5 a.m. in the morning to 11 p.m. in the evening, we didn't leave each other's side, carrying out QVEMA filming projects in the morning and then the opening in the evening at the Social Club La Montgolfière. was just crazy!”

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Can you tell us one thing that stood out to you on the day of filming?!

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Solène:

"It's very impressive to go on TV, learn your pitch, and have to answer surprise questions, in front of potentially millions of viewers. I felt like I was surpassing myself! And after having had this experience, I feeling ready to take on lots of new challenges that seemed impossible before."

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Roman:

"The Circle team's energy literally carried us before we walked on set. They seemed more stressed than the three of us combined and showed nothing to protect us."

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Martin:

“The tight organization of the entire production and the kindness of the jury. It was a nice surprise.”

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‍ What is planned for Wednesday January 25, the evening the show airs?

Martin:

"On the evening of the broadcast, we will meet as a team in a space at La Caserne where we have our offices to watch the show together. The mission will be twofold: to discover, to enjoy the moment AND to be behind our screens ready to welcome everyone situations and to find solutions if necessary. We are prepared to respond to our customers, to the entire community who will ask us that evening."

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Many thanks to M6 GROUP and to the entire production team who have always been kind and able to support us in all these stages! Ombline , Jeremy Henriet , Jonathan Curiel 🙌

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So, ready for the show and ready to support us?

See you this Wednesday, January 25 from 9 p.m. on M6 to discover the show and above all, the final decision...