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EBMS – What I Expected and What I learned

When I first created this list the company that I originally envisioned utilizing was altogether changed entirely. As we learn and grow we begin to change our vision. Now that I have altered my end goals the company that I was originally going to create has been morphed into the standards and practices that I will use to train and educate my staff.

For the Mastery Class I was under the assumption that we’d be consumed by basic mindless group activates that would be difficult as we would change around a lot and simply not have enough time to focus on material, but instead focus on trying to get pleasantries and scheduling issues out of the way. Fortunately, the first group project enhanced our situation and allowed us to meet and greet and learn more about each other while giving the power to us (the students) to meet and create our own objective for the meeting. I really enjoyed this aspect.

Executive Leadership really gave me a lot more information that helped me deal with many conflicts in my current position. I felt that there were so many barriers with communication but instead it was more of a clash of personas that wouldn’t fit. I was able to navigate through different methods that would ease the butting of head and encourage cooperation.

In Project and Team Management I was really concerned the class would simply be a bunch of group projects and busy work. Surprisingly they focused on the concepts to improve one’s self to work more effectively in a group setting as opposed to focusing on how one would influence others.

In Business Storytelling and Brand Development I was surprised that we focused on the importance of personal brand development first. It really made a difference to focus on personal brand as the new markets are demanding history, story, and origins. Creating a personal story and marketing it only improves your company brand and can even help employers when they are searching for you. It simply allows you to define yourself since many search for you before they even decide to interview you.

Surprisingly the initial concepts that I had written were pretty sound for the Entertainment Business Finance course. Initially I was looking to find techniques used by similar companies in order to incorporate their successes in order to benefit my own company. I found it very beneficial at the beginning to research another company and see how they reported their success and profits. It definitely gave me more information than I had originally anticipated and encouraged me to pursue stock options and the information they provide more thoroughly. 

Instead of solely researching costs of similar companies we were encouraged to research the things and costs to begin our own business. I originally thought that’s all I’d be doing, but thankfully I feel much more prepared by going through step by step and figuring out all the materials that I will need to make my own dream a reality. I always had it in mind to sit down and write it all out but just kept giving myself excuses that I should do other things to improve my business instead. I believe now that I was making a mistake. I feel much more satisfied now that I have my list which I’m sure will only continue to grow.

I was really hoping to get a stronger hold on negotiating for loans in our Negotiation and Deal Making course. The class did prepare me in a very general sort of way for this type of negotiation but focused much more on pay raises, and entertainment/talent negotiations. Considering the fact that my establishment will be dealing with a lot of live entertainment than it will be helpful. I mainly will be having my talent sign contracts instead of employing them as hourly employees. The course didn’t really meet my expectations of broadening my viewpoints on merging or sponsorship opportunities as it just focused mainly on negotiations from a broad perspective.

I originally wanted to improve my interactivity skills with artists, balancing entertainment with budget, and improve product key words and social media authenticity in the Product and Artist Management course. I think that I was a bit off track when assuming what I wanted to get out of this class but thankfully I took away much more than originally planned. I took away so much more in-depth information on artist contracts and relationships. This will allow me to manage and organize the talent that I will be hiring to premiere in my interactive entertainment venue, Daddles.

In Advanced Entertainment Law, I originally wanted to gather more information on copyright laws, government contracts, and international IP laws. I think I was actually able to cover all three of these objectives in one way or another during this class. It just wasn’t as in-depth as I had envisioned. It did give me the outlets needed to look up the information myself and I have continued to find new avenues of protection and rights that I will use for years to come.

I really enjoyed being given an example contract and deciding what is good, bad, and what we as a manager would negotiate with. Although I will not be managing an artist directly, my company will be creating and negotiating contracts for the talent that we will be hiring to perform in my venue. This will be very helpful in that respect as I will be dealing with a variety of performers and performances themselves that require specific environments, and set ups in order to perform. The biggest thing I took away from this portion was that it is more important to read through exactly what a contract offers rather than what it leaves out.

For my Entertainment Media Publishing course, I originally wanted to decide on distribution, decide on media format, and refine the style and alternatives for world distribution and comprehension in their native languages. I must say this really is the first class to meet each one of these objectives quite thoroughly. This was when my focus was on a different company and product though. Even though I these lessons didn’t directly deal with my end company it dealt with a separate subsidiary that I created to aid in marketing, advertising and the actual show that is performed within the club. I was able to find distribution companies that utilize Netflix almost exclusively. It put to rest my original thought process that I could directly deal with Netflix. Now I have a list of multiple companies that I can use to distribute my product through multiple streaming sites as well as cable and broadcast networks.

Thankfully my previous degree in Internet Market really prepared me for the needed assets for the Digital Marketing course so I felt very comfortable with what would be provided for this course. My original concept from month one has indeed changed but my original expectations still ring true for my new concept. I wanted to simply improve marketability, adjust or refine my target market, and find the best route. Since beginning this course I assumed I would know most if not all the content we would have covered considering that most other students wouldn’t have the taken the internet marketing degree. I was definitely mistaken. So far, I have taken more finite details away with more in depth details needed to take my business to the next level.

During Business Plan Development 1 & 2 I was honestly astonished at how well it tied the entire process all together so neatly and so expeditiously. I was honestly concerned that the work I had completed in the previous months wouldn’t really be utilized and then I would spend two short months rushing to try and haphazardly throw together a plan at the last minute. I was so ecstatic that I was able to piece together the bits and pieces of previously completed classes to create a unique piece of art for my Business Plan. I’m so happy that I can now refine this even more in the coming months and improve upon the plan and marketing strategies to create a successful plan.

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BPD - What I Expected vs What I Learned

When I first created this list the company that I originally envisioned utilizing was altogether changed entirely. As we learn and grow we begin to change our vision. Now that I have altered my end goals the company that I was originally going to create has been morphed into the standards and practices that I will use to train and educate my staff. I originally wanted to finalize my company Identity. This consisted of refining and cleaning up my company’s mission and vision, and the approach I was going to take towards my target markets.

Even though I changed my company these goals were still achieved within the duration of the course. I was so ecstatic to solidify my mission and vision in the lines of how they should be written. Really condensing the mission to the bare bones of what we want to bring. This allowed me to focus on the overall broad goal so that I can adapt the message to reach each of the target markets as they jump from 20-34 to 44-65 year olds.

My second goal was to plan out my product delivery. This didn’t need to be addressed as a bar and café are pretty blatantly deliverable through their goods and services. I was able to finalize how I would present my product and figure out the methodology of how the services would be executed. I was very happy to revert to a stage production style seating as it removed countless issues of people coming into the show half way, not knowing what’s going on and interrupting the entertainment itself.

Lastly, I was able to launch pages, organize data, research alternatives, and actually complete the needed legwork before I would open my doors. I learned how time consuming these things can be in the front end but once you have the recipe created it’s so much easier to repeat again and again.

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A Brief History in the Hosts of Horror

Whether you’re face to face with Aliens, Mummies, Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Ghouls or Ghosts you’ll always need someone to show you the way. Thus, the introduction of the Horror Host was created, but where did it all begin? It all started with a promotional package of movies called Shock!, which consisted of 51 feature length films. So why was this promotional package of films so important? Well, in the packet it specifically goes into detail on how to host the films whether it was a live viewing or on a television network. It went into detail about how to participate with the audience, contests, and theming that the stations to utilize. It promoted synergy within the station by utilizing the other programing, like suggesting the live news program to interview a different monster every week to promote the show. This promotional package did so well that they made a second catalogue grouping called Son of Shock. These are inevitably the beginning of a new style of programing that no one had ever seen before.

 Some of the United States’ famous horror host are Chilly Billy, Ghoulardi, Vampira, Elvira, and Zacherly. Each one bringing something a little more unique to the table to make their programing that much more enticing. Although some of these host’s programs eventually became syndicated and shown across the country, each one started out on local channels. Now we see them as essential horror icons of nostalgia’s past. I can personally say that I remember vividly the first time I saw Elvira light up the screen and spew some sarcastic remarks before the begin of a film. Not to mention, her sense of eye-catching “style” that comes with her character’s persona. In order to truly appreciate the genre, art, and effort that goes into a horror host program we really need to dive into the history and style of the great performers that dawn the robes and makeup to guide us through tales of terror and macabre motion pictures of ghosts and ghouls.

 In a world filled with creatures and features Chilly Billy Cardille rose to fame as the classiest horror host to be seen. He wore a suit and tie but as time went on so did his formalities as he traded his suit in for a tux. The thing that really set him apart was his fast-talking nightclub crooner act mixed with skits from his two lovely assistants, one castle keeper, and a little prankster. The mod squad 60’s style is what gave his act flair and his innuendos is what he will really be remembered for best. It felt more like a variety show with a horror twist added on, it was fresh it was new, but it also gave that good old monster vibe. It was interesting to watch him perform each and every task that the Shock movie package suggested but as his own crooning character. This is why we regard him as one of our top most influential horror hosts.  

 Next on our list we have the one and only Ghoulardi the fanatical mad scientist. He hypnotized us with his warping spinning frame while he entertained and set off the “Boom Booms.” You would often find him smoking away and slaying time by blowing up things. It became so popular the fans began to send in spooky items for him to blow up on live TV. Nothing beats a night of fright and explosives and this mad scientist just couldn’t resist. The man behind the lab coat was Ernie Anderson and actually was under contract with the local TV station. Tim Conway actually got his start on Ghoulardi writing with Ernie for his skit portions of the night and boy can you tell their absurdist comedy clicked. It was truly Ghoulardi’s relaxed antihero persona that ended up being his defining characteristic. It allowed viewers to feel like they could kick back and watch his intoxicated self, perform prop gags galore between the film, blow things up and puff away on his cigarette.

 Although her career as a horror host was short lived, she really became the model for all horror hosts. It did help that she was one of the very first to have a horror hosting show, even though it only ran for one year in 1954. Her look was derived from Morticia Adams but tighter with a neckline that plunged even deeper. Her hair flowed long and black as she cascaded and seemingly floated down the fog filled hallway, candelabras on either side, and just as her face came up to fill the screen she lets out a blood curling scream to begin the show. Vampira formerly known as Maila Nurmi, was a young actress with an impossible figure of 36-17-36. She originally worked as a model for men’s magazines, and at nights a burlesque dancer. The popular comic The Adams Family was booming in the 50’s and although the characters didn’t have names yet their style and taste for the macabre was alluring. Her breakthrough actually came through at a Halloween party in 1953 when she crafted a prototype of her Vampira character dawning the tight black plunging dress, and the rest was history. It truly was her elegant, gothic, horror filled, yet sexy style that enticed viewers and set the tone for horror hosts to come.

 You can see Vampira’s handiwork in another famous horror host who took her act and cranked it up to eleven. You probably know her as Elvira, Mistress of the dark. This sharp toungued, quick witted, dark, valley girl really put a face to horror hosts. She is remembered for her style, look, and a sharp mind to keep all the boys at bay. Formally known as Cassandra Peterson, she began her career with a trip to Las Vegas and became one of the youngest showgirls ever at the age of 17, with written permission from her parents of course. There she actually dated Elvis for a brief time and posed for Playboy. After this she joined The Groundlings improv troupe to improve her acting, it was here that she was picked up to hose Movie Macabre and dawn the black beehive wig to cover up her strawberry blonde locks. When you think of horror host you think Elvira mainly due to her popularity and sass that she brought about the old films she was showing and quickly became broadcast nationwide instead of just a local channel. After this she got her own movie, Elvira, Mistress of the dark. This lead to more and more programming and even a sequel to her film. Thanks to Elvira horror hosting was once again risen from the grave to creep upon a modern generation of viewers.

  Lastly we end our list with Zacherly, the cool ghoul who embodies the perfect stereotype for a horror host. His character was always in character, you always believed that he was a real ghoul. He staked his “Dear” when he got upset and pulled them out when he was happier. His snarky words, to quick witted mumblings he embodied a Renfield-esk character quick to maim those who defy him. He was also the first to utilize film splicing to make himself appear in the film as a body on a morgue slab or, in “The Mummy,” a mysterious figure in a fez behind a beaded curtain. It made his film worth watching because they were unique and added that extra twist of disbelief. This is what made him such a fantastic horror host for every generation to learn from.

 Today we have new hosts who are utilizing the new forms of distribution and media to reach more markets. With so many advancements it great to see the old techniques and concepts have still remained the same. A new trend setting host goes by the name of Johnny Necropolis a dead crooner who encourages sophistication, inebriation, and swank when visiting his Cinema Cemetery. His style feels like a blend of Vincent Price and Sinatra. He also provides more information surrounding the film instead of solely talking about himself. It is a fresh new look at an old programing style. A huge new asset that he brings is classic films in HD for free via YouTube. This is something that is so simply yet so difficult to find. The copies are almost always artifact. His style emulates Chilly Billy, Elvira, and Zacherly all rolled up into one. He adds less cleavage and more class at higher qualities.

 Sources

Cardille, B. (n.d.). Bill Cardille History. Retrieved January 22, 2017, from http://www.chillertheatermemories.com/BillCardille.html

Cassandra Peterson. (2016, June 13). Retrieved January 22, 2017, from http://www.biography.com/people/cassandra-peterson-17175750#elvira-mistress-of-the-dark

Dealer, J. P. (2013, January 12). Cleveland's Ghoulardi went on the air 50 years ago and cast his spell over the city. Retrieved January 22, 2017, from http://www.cleveland.com/tv/index.ssf/2013/01/clevelands_ghoulardi_went_on_t.html

Grimes, W. (2016, October 28). John Zacherle, Host With a Ghoulish Perspective, Dies at 98. Retrieved January 22, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/arts/television/john-zacherle-dies.html?_r=0

Lowbrow, Y. (2015, October 16). SHOCK! A Fabulous 1958 Universal Studios Horror Movies Pressbook |. Retrieved January 22, 2017, from http://flashbak.com/shock-a-fabulous-1958-universal-studios-horror-movies-pressbook-42958/

 Poole, W. S. (2014, September 02). The rise and fall of Vampira, dark goddess of horror. Retrieved January 22, 2017, from http://boingboing.net/2014/09/03/the-rise-and-fall-of-vampira.html

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EMP - What I Expected vs What I Learned

When I first created this list the company that I originally envisioned utilizing was altogether changed entirely. As we learn and grow we begin to change our vision. Now that I have altered my end goals the company that I was originally going to create has been morphed into the standards and practices that I will use to train and educate my staff. Thankfully for this class it only meant smaller changes to my end result. Since publishing videos on etiquette and publishing videos on public domain feature films are distributed relatively similarly it made it quite easy to continue on the route originally laid out.

 I originally wanted to decide on distribution, decide on media format, and refine the style and alternatives for world distribution and comprehension in their native languages. I must say this really is the first class to meet each one of these objectives quite thoroughly. I was able to find distribution companies that utilize Netflix almost exclusively. It put to rest my original thought process that I could directly deal with Netflix. Now I have a list of multiple companies that I can use to distribute my product through multiple streaming sites as well as cable and broadcast networks.

 After refining my content, I was able to refine my multiple forms of media that I will deliver. Although my character Johnny Necropolis will be utilizing social media and releasing different media content, the main form will be video. Finally, refining the form of worldwide distribution proved to be much more difficult with the original concept, but thankfully minimal translation will be needed as the hosting content of 5-6 minutes per episode will be the only thing needed to mainly be translated and subtitled. The films I will be showing are mainly subtitled already in multiple languages, so I wouldn’t need to redo the translations again. I am very happy to have found the corporate website for Netflix and if it wasn’t for this class I wouldn’t have found it so quickly. Now I have my format, distribution, and a company to assist in translation.

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AEL - What I Expected vs What I Learned

I feel like I was a little bit over ambitious with what I originally wanted to get out of this class in month one. I was honing in on niche criteria that would take much longer than four weeks to really understand. Thankfully, this class did provide me with the broad strokes needed to further my own research that is needed to create my own business.

 When I first created this list the company that I originally envisioned creating was altogether changed entirely. As we learn and grow we begin to change our vision. As a result, the original company has now morphed into the training program that I will be using to educate my employees for my new endeavor Daddles. With that being said many of my goals still correlate with my new company but simply on a broader scale. I originally wanted to gather more information on copyright laws, government contracts, and international IP laws. I think I was actually able to cover all three of these objectives in one way or another during this class.

 I really enjoyed being given an example contract and deciding what is good, bad, and what we as a manager would negotiate with. Although I will not be managing an artist directly, my company will be creating and negotiating contracts for the talent that we will be hiring to perform in my venue. This will be very helpful in that respect as I will be dealing with a variety of performers and performances themselves that require specific environments, and set ups in order to perform. The biggest thing I took away from this portion was that it is more important to read through exactly what a contract offers rather than what it leaves out.

 I also loved the fact that I got do dive deeper into trademark law especially with how to execute and enforce my rights. I especially like that we were taken through the process of filling out the forms needed for trademarks and copyrights. Since I will be creating so much content for my establishment it’s important to protect each portion so that my brand identity and establishment are not diluted.

 Last but not least I was able to dive head first into liability. This is something very unexpected but so necessary, especially for a venue that will be dealing with alcohol. After researching real cases, the issues and possible accidents became much more tangible. It was a shock, but a good one, to see how liable I am for my patrons even after they leave my establishment. Thankfully, Florida is more relaxed on holding the companies liable for incidents caused by their consumers after they leave their establishment.

 All together I believe I was able to cover all three goals with broad strokes. Now that I have my footing I can move forward with turning dreams into realities. I will still need much more practice and research but with time I can make this work.

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PAM - What I Expected vs What I Learned

When I first created this list the company that I originally envisioned utilizing was altogether changed entirely. As we learn and grow we begin to change our vision. Now that I have altered my end goals the company that I was originally going to create has been morphed into the standards and practices that I will use to train and educate my staff. I originally wanted to improve my interactivity skills with artists, balancing entertainment with budget, and improve product key words and social media authenticity. I think that I was a bit off track when assuming what I wanted to get out of this class but thankfully I took away much more than originally planned. I took away so much more in-depth information on artist contracts and relationships. This will allow me to manage and organize the talent that I will be hiring to premiere in my interactive entertainment venue, Daddles.

 My company focuses on classic arts like magic, singing, dancing, vaudevillian acts, tasseography, palmistry, and tarot as forms of interactive entertainment. Live entertainment has become such a rare commodity solely because quality interactive entertainment has been on the decline. Recent technology has reached absolutely fascinating feats and has furthered our interactivity to a previously unattainable global scale. Unfortunately, this technology has deterred close proximity interactivity. People are so focused on their technological devices that they forget to look up and interact with the people around them. We want to bring people into intimate groups and immerse them with personalized entertainment.

 When dealing with so many different forms of performers it’s important to maintain consistency. I will be featuring two different types of entertainers, casuals and regulars. Setting up two separate contracts will be the best decision and after reviewing the types of provisions the entertainers normally get. I was also able to be introduced to so many platforms and technological innovations that go along with social media and marketing analysis. I was able to understand and comprehend tools and strategies to help create effective campaigns and track them every little step of the way. This is the biggest takeaway that I’ve encountered in the class and being able to legitimately walk my company through the process with the needed forms and documents made this a successful learning experience.

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NMD - What I Expected vs What I Received

I originally wanted to improve my rapid decision making skills, dive deeper into company merging opportunities, and negotiating sponsorship opportunities. I really wanted improve my day-to-day decision making skills because I tend to get far too wrapped up with the minute details. My original company has changed since forming this list as well, meaning that I would need to change what I wanted to get out of this course as well. Recently, I was really hoping to get a stronger hold on negotiating for loans. The class did prepare me in a very general sort of way for this type of negotiation but focused much more on pay raises, and entertainment/talent negotiations. Considering the fact that my establishment will be dealing with a lot of live entertainment than it will be helpful. I mainly will be having my talent sign contracts instead of employing them as hourly employees. The course didn’t really meet my expectations of broadening my viewpoints on merging or sponsorship opportunities as it just focused mainly on negotiations from a broad perspective.

 I have to say that I did learn much more terminology for techniques that I was already utilizing. It was a nice way to make my professional career more organized and allowed me to see what others were referring too, especially when networking with others. I think the keys that I really took away from this course is “Find Common Ground, Remove the Person to Find the Problem, & Organize Your Outcomes.” When it comes to finding common ground a negotiator must search for a “win–win” scenario first if they plan on getting someone to work with them. I believe I took away more information on how to converse with people and not solely focus on my goal. It’s important to understand what both parties want in order to move forward. I’ve also found that many times people utilize strong emotions to convey or hide their own message. Sometimes you just have to cut through the layers of emotions and focus on the problem instead. I find this very common in lower levels of business where employees front emotion to intimidate and push to get their way hoping that others just back down so that they can achieve what they want. You can’t react to their emotion you must focus on the problem and what they want to achieve in order to figure out how it can align with your interests.

 I really enjoyed learning more about contracts, the legal terminology, and the organizational techniques and skills that I can utilize to premeditate my negotiation. For me it’s all about preparation. I want to initiate the negotiation as it gives me the time to pre-plan all the possible outcomes and how I can prevent, misdirect, and counter in order to be successful. Personally I do plan things every time, even performing the smallest of tasks like talking to the front desk before check-in to ensure I get the room I desire, or before speaking to my management company in order to make sure I get more out of my rental contract, or sometimes even when ordering food over the phone to ensure the order is perfect and I arrive at just the right time. I honestly have a love-hate relationship with surprises. I seriously just don’t want to have any hiccups come along the way that I didn’t already anticipate. Things might not go the way I want them to during a negotiation and I understand that but I’d like to have my course set so that I can get back on track for my end goals.

 I plan on implementing my new skills to organize my business strategies, negotiations, and contracts so that they benefit my organization while also giving benefits (if not the illusion of benefits) to my talent and employees. I am able to now implement a basic contract for my talent so that it is very clean and clear on what they are expected to do. I can implement the game theory negotiation tactic to assist my own negotiations with talent, clients, and investors to ensure that I can both create and maintain my establishment. Lastly, I can clear emotions from my operational problems in order to improve efficiency. On the other hand, I can also utilize emotions in order to create connections and mutual benefits or the illusion of them in order to improve moral and get more from my employees and talent.

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DMK - What I Expected vs What I Received

Thankfully my previous degree in Internet Market really prepared me for the needed assets for this course so I felt very comfortable with what would be provided for this course. My original concept from month one has indeed changed but my original expectations still ring true for my new concept. I wanted to simply improve marketability, adjust or refine my target market, and find the best route. Since beginning this course I assumed I would know most if not all the content we would have covered considering that most other students wouldn’t have the taken the internet marketing degree. I was definitely mistaken. So far I have taken more finite details away with more in depth details needed to take my business to the next level.

I was able to take the Lynda Course: Small Business Marketing Fundamentals . This really allowed me to takeaway even more finite details to improve my marketing from a small business standpoint. I was always a bit put off by the fact that a lot of big brands simply have the money to improve their digital marketing and crush the competition. This course really helped me re-evaluate how I as a small business has a leg up. When marketing, target market is key and as a small business I wouldn’t necessarily be able to shell out the cash needed to get the detailed finite details on the daily lives of thousands of possible targets. So how do I have the leg up? As a small business we interact and see our target market on a daily basis, we are a part of the operation and interact with the market consistently. This gives the company 10x the amount of information we could purchase online. I never would have directly thought of things this way but it most undoubtedly is true. Not only does it improve my customer relation by asking about my consumers but it assists me with how I can market to that specific target even better.

Another aspect I didn’t necessarily pick up on originally is researching my In-Direct Competition. This goes hand in hand with figuring out my target market. When a company goes to market their own company they look at the competition but what many fail to do is look at the in-direct competition that is after the same market. Finding companies that are marketing the same target as I am can prove beneficial when it comes to looking for ways to stand out amongst a crowd. Now even though this company I am researching does not provide the same service or product that I do it falls into the same “lifestyle” that the consumer is involved in. Finding the most information about this is crucial for success.  

The last thing I took away was a very important website titled Moat. I knew that we can search for SEO through websites but finding the display ads was simply delightful. I will be utilizing this important piece of technology when researching competition along with seeing all my own ads grouped together to see if they unify my brand message.

In conclusion I am very excited to see how this course will open me up to new experiences that I otherwise had no recollection of before. It will only improve upon my weaknesses and benefit my new endeavor that much more effectively!

Moat measures real-time Attention Analytics. (2016). Retrieved September 11, 2016, from https://moat.com/

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EBF - What I Expected vs What I Received

Surprisingly the initial concepts that I had written were pretty sound. Initially I was looking to find techniques used by similar companies in order to incorporate their successes in order to benefit my own company. I found it very beneficial at the beginning to research another company and see how they reported their success and profits. It definitely gave me more information than I had originally anticipated and encouraged me to pursue stock options and the information they provide more thoroughly.

Instead of solely researching costs of similar companies we were encouraged to research the things and costs to begin our own business. I originally thought that’s all I’d be doing, but thankfully I feel much more prepared by going through step by step and figuring out all the materials that I will need to make my own dream a reality. I always had it in mind to sit down and write it all out but just kept giving myself excuses that I should do other things to improve my business instead. I believe now that I was making a mistake. I feel much more satisfied now that I have my list which I’m sure will only continue to grow. I didn’t get too far into depth on staffing my business, but with writing out everything needed, I found out that I couldn’t possibly perform all the tasks with just myself and a co-founder so we most definitely will be hiring at least 2-4 other to assist and rotate.

When first filling out this form I wanted to create an entirely different company, but after some research I found that the possibility for profitability and sustainability would be slim to none. The company I was originally creating was more of an infotainment corporation. Although this was a marvelous idea I believe that the sustainability would be rocky and require much more fundraising then actual selling of “goods” making the entire company hinge on the likelihood of repeat donations. Although many businesses have a foundation in this, my original idea would have more than likely turned into a For-Profit Charity with limited “goods” to sell for a profit. In the end I believe that this class was really the turning point for my focus. It showed me that my new vision Daddles is a much more sustainable and profitable route to take. After a while I believe that the other corporation may just end up being transformed and developed into Daddles’ Training materials to teach our brand culture and way of business.

In conclusion, this class was not much of what I was originally expecting in the best of ways. I found it so beneficial to actually perform the tasks needed for getting my dream to transform into a solid reality. It pushed me as needed to keep moving forward and actually feel accomplished with improving my business. Most classes deliver their outlook on themes that we should utilize to improve our business ideas, but this one really booted me in the bum to focus on the most essential parts that I must perform in order to be a success. It’s easy to get caught up in the small details and creative side of our original idea and I think this class served its purpose to perfection by snapping its fingers in the students face in order to get them to focus on the facts.

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The Shrinking Span of Attention

Now as we all know with each generation comes the older generations complaining that, “kids now a days don’t know what fun is, they can’t even sit still enough for us to explain it!” Yes, we all know that attention spans are shrinking down from the past normal 30 seconds all the way down to a mere 4 seconds. Now this is nothing new. We have all known that our attention spans are shrinking and humans need more stimulation to remain at attention than ever before. We’ve done this by trying multiple different things, such as interactive media, multi-screen media, integrated advertisements in social media, and etcetera.

Now we have companies like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, and Vine that encourage quick and fast sharing and media. YouTube is now a staple for every company and allows you the freedom to post as long or as short a video that your heart desires. Twitter, another staple in social media, limits you to 140 characters (not words), and 30 seconds of video. Instagram, the social media of photo sharing, is allowing users to post video as well, but only for 15 seconds. SnapChat allows for photos or video but only for 10 seconds. Then we have Vine a company that allows users to create stop motion videos and edit on the fly but limits the videos to a mere 6 seconds.

So can we safely say that attention spans are being shortened and this will continue in the future? I would have said yes but a couple interesting articles have made me question this theory. The biggest hitch in this theory is that Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, founders of YouTube, are betting against this trend with their latest venture: a new social sharing video app called MixBit which gives users 16 seconds, a full 10 seconds longer than micro-video network Vine and a single second more than Instagram's video offering. But MixBit goes even further with its social tools by allowing people to create hour-long videos by splicing together up to 256 of those 16-second clips (or parts of them). We can obviously see that they purposefully chose one second longer in order to literally “one-up” their competition. MixBit isn’t looking to brand itself as a time-wasting app that you glance at during your awkward introverted grocery line check out experiences, but instead offers users preference, choice, and personalization. The main difference is the fact that there is no autoplay. This is making it look more like the YouTube App, showing a series of thumbnails, so viewers can pick and choose what content they want to enjoy.

Now just last week, Instagram announced an update to their application’s video limit. Big surprise right? Now Instagram has picked up where MixBit left off by increasing their video length limit by 400%, safely putting them at a tie with Twitter’s length. Again we see a system that was built and established to encourage small and short interactions lengthen their media. Now I’m sure it wasn’t just only to keep up with competition so I did a little more research into why. Instagram simply saw over a 40% increase in viewer retention and interaction with videos. So they decided that vamping up their highly used system is good for business. Now this doesn’t immediately mean that viewers will watch more videos, it just means that there will be more capabilities for content, which in turn could mean longer dwell times and publicity. I’m personally excited to see the numbers come back and see how long viewers are being retained and how other companies will react to it as well. It’s time to change our attention spans and content is king!

https://www.engadget.com/2016/04/05/behind-instagram-video/

http://www.thewire.com/technology/2013/08/internets-attention-span-video-quickly-shrinking/68114/

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Mastery: PDL timeline goal

I must say that this course definitely went far beyond my original expectations. I was under the assumption that we’d be consumed by basic mindless group activates that would be difficult as we would change around a lot and simply not have enough time to focus on material, but instead focus on trying to get pleasantries and scheduling issues out of the way. Fortunately, the first group project enhanced our situation and allowed us to meet and greet and learn more about each other while giving the power to us (the students) to meet and create our own objective for the meeting. I really enjoyed this aspect.

The budget assignment is something that I’m going to take and apply it to my work in the future. Breaking things down to an even simpler form is crucial to truly evaluate all the possible pitfalls and true cost that a single project could incur. Pre-planning is crucial to the entertainment industry and taking a couple minutes to plan all the little details and back ups will ensure you for a planned and developed success.

I think the most important assignment so far that I’ve taken away from this class is the timeline presentation. I have struggled with deadlines and giving realistic expectations to certain projects and this really helped me plan my time to be as effective as I could be. Upon creating the assignment and taking it step by step and breaking the “Task at hand” down into smaller sections make a somewhat daunting task easier to achieve for me personally. Having those small victories and accomplishments is what keeps my personal motivational drive up and sometimes its hard when you have such a “End Goal” to achieve.

I am happy to say that I’ve learned much more information from this class than intended and it turned into something I didn’t expect it to be. I hope everyone else found this as satisfactory as I did and I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors.

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Products Worth’a Look is a preview on a simple video provided to test the style of future videos within the company and test how to generally bring infotainment. 

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Maxwell or Greene

I’ve been slowly observing my own work environment while analyzing how each of our “leaders” utilize different forms and styles of leadership tactics. I started noticing that a lot of them blend the two (Maxwell & Greene) and switch back and forth depending on a person’s personality type. They utilize personalized leadership based upon others’ wants and needs. I’ve also found that although Greene’s Laws are more upfront, direct and mistaken for pure egomania they can be very effective for certain people. The Maxwell style on the other hand is more nurturing, but require more time and effort. I definitely noticed that there are many more Greene style leaders than Maxwell and it really hit me this month that its simply because when it comes to Greene, you can pretty much just understand the techniques and skills and apply them like a cookie cutter. Its just more “black and white” when it comes to techniques while Maxwell takes more time and experience to navigate your way through leadership, but can be very rewarding if your course is guided correctly. I feel that more gravitate towards Maxwell for long term leadership but lean towards Greene for the short term.

 This was a great learning experience in the classroom as it gave me the tools needed to understand the strategies my fellow coworkers and managers were utilizing day in and day out. It also helped me learn how to combat negative connotations and decisions they had made or possibly would make in the future. Understanding why has really allowed me to take leadership decisions less personally and more analytically. Having been on both ends of the stick has really helped me visualize and strategize my own techniques more effectively for the right now and the near future. I also found that I am much more accepting of Greene strategies in the workplace and they can prove to be highly effective within certain scenarios.

 Although I will be founded in the Maxwell style of leadership when enhancing my own company in the future I will definitely lean on Greene strategies to make those quick fixes to get my team on track with my Maxwell strategies and end goal.

 I have been using what I have learned this month and subtly introducing both Greene and Maxwell strategies into the workplace. I found that when you’re a leader on the “Position” Maxwell level it is best to set your foot down and make your presence known. The Greene “Pack leader” mentality can significantly help you gain respect especially when utilizing the Boldness law. People are drawn to strength and confidence and the more you emulate this the more people will be drawn, especially when you have people that are just following you because they have to. It can be necessary to push these Greene strategies to establish your ground as a new manager so these people don’t walk all over you.

 I believe to be a truly successful leader you need to be versatile and utilize both forms of Leadership. I will heavily utilize the Maxwell Level and Style lessons with my future company Ettaché. It is especially important to quickly reach the “People Development” level of Maxwell so that I can continue to bring brand consistency. I don’t care if I am doing the content creation or a team of ten employees the viewer shouldn’t be able to ever tell. I want a consistent and reliable brand identity and to achieve this most effectively, I will be focusing my effort on the “People Development.” In order to achieve this, I need to initially recruit people that are strong leaders themselves and instill my company’s mantra within them. Think of this the same way you might imagine any Disney experience. Although there are so many different facets of the company the main tradition of Disney is embodied in each and every employee, making the experience diverse but consistently “Disney.” Second I have to focus on positioning each of my employees in the position they will succeed. Think of this step as placing your best guest relations expert behind the scenes in accounting, he might be able to pass by doing the job but he won’t give you the “above and beyond” excitement or talent that he would if he was positioned correctly. Finally, I have to instill the sense of “Ettaché Tradition” within every employee, and teach them to carry this mantra to other employees under them. This continues the cycle of and makes my company self sufficient in producing strong leaders and truly successful.

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12 MONTH GOALS

M1 – Mastery

1.    Narrow Field of Interest

a.    Study Related Fields

b.    Test Fields to find Strong or Weak Points

c.     Weed out the Fields I’m poor in and combine Strengths

2.    Focus on Positive Skills

a.    Find & List a Set of Skills I’m Talented with

b.    Continue to research more techniques to improve the skills

c.     Utilize online Tutorials and Lynda to continue my momentum.

3.    Enhance Negative Skills

a.    Find & List Set of Skills I need Improved

b.    Research and Test alternate techniques to achieve same goal

c.     Utilize online Tutorials and Lynda to gain more experience and visual representation

M2 – Executive Leadership

1.    Refine Big Picture Outlook

a.    Research Big Picture techniques

b.    Implement them into day to day items and tasks

c.     Watch more online Tutorials and Presentations on Widening viewpoints

2.    Improve Decisive Decision Making

a.    Research Leaders who are consistently decisive

b.    Review what made these leaders consistent

c.     Implement their techniques to improve and form my own

3.    Focus on Global Appeal and Relations

a.    Research global companies and how they keep their Uniformity

b.    Implement these techniques to improve an easy Global transition

c.     Continue to view tutorials and other global business models to take the best points from

M3 – Project & Team Management

1.    Improve Group Management Skills

a.    Research techniques to improve group participation & efficiency

b.    Implement the best techniques into current work scenarios

c.    Practice proper delegation techniques

2.    Learn proficient conveyance of messages through media

a.    Research different Applications that use Multi-Media Messaging

b.    Create Accounts and test Usability of Applications

c.    Practice Public Speaking techniques

3.    Focus Strength of Leadership

a.    Practice and Research Motivational Techniques

b.    Promote Clearer Communication

c.    Research Great leaders and Styles they used

M4 – Business Storytelling & Brand Development

1.    Focus on Brand History

a.    Research Established long lasting Brands Foundational Platforms

b.    Utilize tutorials on strong branding

c.    Refine Strong Brand foundational methods

2.    Focus on Identity

a.    Study Unique brands

b.    Study Established Familiar brands

c.     Refine Target Market

3.    Focus on Brand Future

a.    Research Possible Global Target Markets

b.    Utilize Tutorials on how to set up Global E-Commerce

c.     Research Government Contracts

M5 – Entertainment Business Finance

1.    Look for Financial Advantages

a.    Research Successful Free Media Companies

b.    Research Successful Subscriber Media Companies

c.     View Tutorials on advantages and disadvantages of each form

2.    Focus on Financial Planning

a.    Research Costs to run similar companies

b.    Research ROI within the first year compared to following years

c.     Research Staffing and costs of Global Expansion

3.    Learn how to Monetize Company

a.    Research options of Free media versus Subscription based

b.    Study companies that utilize Sponsorship opportunities

c.     Utilize Tutorials on different Monetizing techniques in Social media

M6 – Negotiation & Deal-Making

1.    Improve Rapid Decisions

a.    Research Scenarios and Examples of when to make Rapid Decisions

b.    Practice Distancing Myself from personal connections and focus on facts

c.     Look up Tutorials for Better Decision making & Practice in Every-day scenarios

2.    Merging Advantages

a.    Study examples of positive Mergers that benefitted both company and customer

b.    Create Pros & Cons List of Why Merge

c.     Research Competition and Similar Companies that would align to Merge

3.    Sponsorship Opportunities

a.    Study most beneficial and profitable Sponsorship Opportunities

b.    Utilize tutorials on different techniques and ways of Sponsorship

c.     Practice Sponsorship on a smaller scale to personally find pros and cons

M7 – Product & Artist Management

1.    Improve Conveying messages while giving room for creativity

a.    Study Successful relations between Artist and Company (Creative companies)

b.    Practice Techniques to improve communication

c.    Layout Possible Scenarios and fixate on the important aspects that must remain the same (Allows you to understand where to give creative freedom)

2.    Balancing Creativity vs Budget

a.    Research creative companies and how they manage these too

b.    Practice and combine successful techniques on managing this fine line

c.    Model practices utilized by the Disney Imagineering Department

3.    Improve Vocabulary of Key Words vs being overly descriptive

a.    Research Keywords and Buzz Words

b.    Start Implementing these words into communication and record how an individual might perform after using specific words

c.    Practice and Create a word bank to utilize

M8 – Advanced Entertainment Law

1.    Understand more Copyright Law

a.    Research Local country vs Global Copyright

b.    Immediately start copyrighting my work as I finalize it

c.     Watch Pros and Cons of Copyrighting and educate myself on Importance of renewing

2.    Understand Government Contracts

a.    Research Successful Companies with successful Government Contracts

b.    Research different countries compatible for Contracts

c.     Pros and Cons List of Government Contracts

3.    Refine legal rights worldwide to fit multiple countries

a.    Research Worldwide or country to country copyright laws

b.    Build pros and cons of the laws

c.     Evaluate if we need to have Legal rights of materials if we use free media

M9 – Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution

1.    Decide on Distribution method

a.    Compare Different Methods of Distribution

b.    Create Pros and Cons of Each

c.     Test and implement other’s work to see evaluation

2.    Decide on best form of Media

a.    Implement the top two forms of media for a test trial

b.    Evaluate forms of media that are easily adaptable

c.     Refine which is best for the company or if a blend of multiple is best (Blog, YouTube Channel, App, Online Learning Platform)

3.    Refine form of World Wide Distribution and Media Alterations

a.    Study Global companies and see how their campaigns and media change

b.    Research Techniques to convey the same message in different forms

c.     Implement, evaluate, and execute in one form of media then make alterations to judge time and skills needed.

M10 – Digital Marketing

1.    Improve Marketability

a.    Research Competitors and find their market

b.    Study our own brand and create Customer Examples

c.     Create Ads Broad for ease of Worldwide use

2.    Adjust or Refine Target Market

a.    Research Specific Niche in the Market

b.    Compare Broader Selling Point (Companies or Governments that can utilize our product)

c.     Create Multiple Niche Markets & expand

3.    Find Best Advertisement Route

a.    Research Different Advertisement Styles

b.    Compare Market (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic)

c.     Create Example Ads and Test Styles

M11 – Business Plan Development

1.    Format Company

a.    Create a Mission and Vision

b.    Create Media

c.     Create Branding and Logos

2.    Organize Distribution

a.    Create Accounts/Sites/Channels Needed to release media

b.    Place and Organize content onto Sites

c.     Publish and Promote Media

3.    Organize Selling Points

a.    Create Marketing Plan

b.    Organize attack on Target Markets

c.     Create Pros and Cons list of why our Company

M12 – Business Plan

1.    Finalize Identity

a.    Create and Solidify Logo

b.    Refine Mission & Vision

c.    Refine look, style and approach to each market

2.    Plan out Product Deliver

a.    Create Strategy for delivery

b.    Create Plan to stay ahead of demand for product

c.    Institute and begin Content Library to re-utilize materials

3.    Launch Career

a.    Gather Extensive Data of first couple months

b.    Adjustments to small Kinks or issues that arose after launch

c.    Propose Concept and Established brand to Investors

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Paving your own path to success is the ultimate thrill and best route for true success. 

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