Intentions
Over the next 12-months, my intention for my Mastery Journey is to increase my skill set in multimedia creation, self-awareness, and professional standing in order that I may secure higher paying jobs, run a multimedia firm, and create high quality works integrating my talents into a whole. What I hope to learn includes copywriting, new media standards, and entrepreneurship.
Mastering copywriting and APA methodology serves a two-fold purpose. Primarily I’d like to use writing to understand my own thought process and enhance my self-awareness. Simultaneously, I will increase my ability to construct marketing copy, by learning how to communicate value to buyers more succinctly to select and serve the right clients more effectively, with the right products and services.
By learning and creating with new media standards, I will update my portfolio, allowing me to attain higher paying opportunities and demonstrate the ability to produce high quality content for the creator economy. I hope to increase my production rate, quality, and cultural impact. My goal is to create a show that can be monetized and distributed across many networks and potentially be sponsored on major networks initially, and then to create my own network.
Creating my own network segues into entrepreneurship. My intention is to create jobs for the underserved and to assist in the repair of Black America, but also in global unification. In my time on earth I’ve seen the renaissance culture of African Diasporans be eroded into sex drugs and violence. While understanding that the latter are parts of life, I’d like to introduce a balance that has been systematically taken out of our culture to our own demise, creating phenomena such as the school-to-prison pipeline, which fills publicly traded prison systems with minorities.
In tandem with that goal, in my lifetime I’d like to help fight the human contribution to global warming, decrease the carbon footprint, do my part in ending starvation, saving the soil, and the coral reefs. Overall, I am here to assist in raising the consciousness of humanity through transmutation of light and sound energy.
Inspiration:
In 2019 I released an album entitled "Quantum Helix: Fractal Galaxy," in attempts to elucidate my insights concerning the concept of God, as energy and consciousness broken into hierarchical structure across the cosmos. It was an outgrowth of a lifetime of studies of the Merkaba, Hermetic Qabalah, Rastafari, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Self-Hypnosis, and Quantum Physics. The image shown above depicts the main character, myself, inside of CERN's particle collider, superimposed with iconography which illustrates consciousness in the center, overlayed by the star of david in the form of 7 hermetic principles, 10 aspects of all phenomena and 10 worlds as per Nichiren Buddhism.
The core concept is that of an Intergalactic, Interdimensional Wave of conscious-energy that we refer to as god, the all in all, our reality. I've been approaching this realization due to conversations I've had with my father concerning the nature of our reality, since age 2.
2022 November 10th Inspiration:
KRS-One is the reason that I got into Hip-Hop. This video explains the 9 elements of Hip-Hop and is inspiring to me because it elucidates the rich history that created Hip-Hop. When I was young I always wanted to master the first 4 elements of Hip-Hop, and as I grew older I found myself heavily immersed in the other 5.
Mastery Milestone Goals and Plan: Meta Man
My goal is to run a successful media company.
1. I’m going to start working on another album
2. I’m going to do videos for highlights of my previous albums
3. I’m going to link my socials to stores.
4. I’m going to create animated paintings and add my new paintings into the website.
5. I’m going to finish my business plan.
6. I’m going to do shows.
7. i’m going to make more promotional media
MAN630-O:
Week 3: Leadership Mastery Journal Post;
When I was a child, my father would always say, “the higher a monkey climbs up the tree, the more of his butt you’ll see,” meaning in leadership all your flaws are open to view. This has always stayed with me over time. In a sense it has always been a subconscious driver in me not going into leadership and shying away from fame. For that reason, Maxwell’s advice in his chapter “The Price Tag of Leadership: Self-Discipline” resonates with me greatly. It is easy for me to see that I am a Maxwell leader, as opposed to Greene, because I do not desire leadership for the sake of power in and of itself, but recognize it’s need for the sake of survival when pairing the need for leadership qualities with my proclivity to break boundaries, and innate strangeness. I felt the need to re-read the chapter on “Creating Positive Change,” multiple times, after realizing how difficult the task of resurrecting Hip-Hop culture could be. I also see myself as a Maxwell leader because most of my work revolves around spirituality, and it requires conquering myself and serving others more so than dominating through sly tactics. Yet and still, I see great benefit in learning the techniques offered up by Greene, in tandem with Maxwell.
Empowering People
Maxwell makes a big point on empowering your team. From page 115 he began to relay a story regarding how when he left his church for 6 months, things went into chaos, because he hadn’t trained the right people to do the job. This resonated with me because I am attempting to build a system that can be used for generations, not just for myself but also for my contemporaries, and progeny. The point of me setting up my business and going to back to school to study business is to break a generational cycle, because my father never equipped me with the knowledge on how to run a business, nor with the business structure itself. He did have a strong work ethic but lacked the business acumen to fill out the paperwork and set infrastructure in place. Most of his work with me revolved around building character, mastering self and instilling a growth mindset. I thank my lucky stars for that. Nevertheless, with the advent of AI generated music and imagery, and streaming services paying pennies, the entertainment business has become even more challenging for start-ups.
Fostering Great Change
I resonated greatly with the axiom “PLAN AHEAD” as Maxwell espoused in Developing the Leader Within You 2.0, chapter 4. In order to survive I must determine who will use my platform and who will be affected by it. I must back up even further to predetermine the change technologically as well as culturally, lay the steps back out, adjust, and notify those key people. It’s highly important for me as I am in a state of transition, going back to music after a long while, pursuing art, and attempting to pare down my product line and reignite the service end. I know that I must set up a proper vehicle and understand how to offer true value to my clients, as I haven’t been able to really communicate that value it seems, or the paradigm with technology and changing styles in music has devalued my work, and in some senses increased it. Human generated art may be a novelty.
Hip-Hop culture is also in a state of constant change. It took a while for me to realize that my brand of Hip-Hop, though there from the beginning, with hits like Walk This Way by Aerosmith and Run DMC, has been marginalized as a subculture. Every now-and-again Rap-Rock comes back but only in the commercialized sense, not paired with consciousness and nor with science. I must do more to resonate with the crowd, and delegate the aspects, such as guitar playing, animating and web design, that take me away from my job as a leader, no matter how much I like playing guitar or doing the art itself, it seems I must apply Greene’s law number 7 to move further, faster; “get others to do the work for you”, but I will give them credit, which may be more Maxwellian. I also may need to hand off large portions my musical production to people who specialize in producing and hone my craft as a writer and organizer. My father would say, “give the dough to the breadmaker.”
Belief in People
I’ve heard, “you attract who and what you are.” Over the past year I’ve attempted to set up a team but have found myself at odds with people who demonstrate my own previously held weaknesses. While Greene would say “avoid the unhappy and unlucky,” in Law 10, Maxwell would stress “developing people” as a priority in chapter 5. I held the latter belief to my own detriment and success in various instances. My videographer failed to follow through on our video shoots over 6 times, and I’d already done his website as fair trade. We’d be working on a plan to clear out the basement and set up a studio, and I’d clean the back, to allow access to the basement, and it we’d never get to set up the basement. When I began to work with his brother, it seemed he was keener to do take the steps we had laid out, which highlights the efficacy of Greene’s law number 2; “never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies.” That is not to say that his brother was his enemy, but the decision maker with which he was constantly at odds.
The goal was to create a platform for uplifting Hip-Hop, through his video work and my musical and visual artwork, a media firm. But every time I’d go to get payment for hosting, or start to plan out and execute ideas, he’d have another excuse. It reminded me of a time I’d stood up another videographer 3 times (for a phone call albeit). The third time was the last and he hasn’t spoken to me since, and I deserved it. I could not be that cold as I understand that unreliability is typically a sign of “serving too many masters” - that something is wrong in that person’s life, so I attempted to motivate and educate my friend, to no avail. All I could do at that point is to enhance my own skillset and make sure that I was following through on the things I said I would do. So, while I know that I am mostly a Maxwell leader, believing in people’s power to change, I am sure that I need to develop more of Greene’s techniques in knowing who to ally myself with, how to motivate them, and law 27 – play on people’s need to believe to create a cultlike following.
Bibliography
Greene, R. (2000). The 48 Laws of Power. New york: Penguin Group.
Maxwell, J. C. (2018). Developing the Leader Within You 2.0. Nashville, Tennessee: HarperCollins.
MAN603
Project and Team Management
Learning more about project and team management has been a great experience. I'm actively applying these things to everything that I am doing as I write this. It really shined a light on why various projects succeed and fail, but also on the dynamics of the teams. Not only was it a dive into the subconscious mind, in learning more about personality types, but it also provided the practical tools necessary to communicate and generate ideas, plan, manage risk, structure time, and work with team members more effectively.
Week 1
In week 1 I started out confused about the method of brainstorming that was required. I was brainstorming from a design perspective, thinking about various ideas that would go into the final project. After review I noticed that the some of the other students were brainstorming the process of getting the project done. Nevertheless, it worked out in my favor because that brainstorm of ideas was necessary for the final video concept, while the other brainstorm was necessary for the work break down structure.
Week 2
By week 2 we began the work breakdown structure. At first it was daunting seeing the chart and working in a brand-new program, but then it seemed logical once the technical aspects of the program were conquered. It really built confidence to see the project laid out in a nice chart, like I could breathe easy knowing that I had planned from beginning to end. It only got better from there, because that built up perfectly into the next part of the plan, risk management and budget!
Week 3
Risk management and budgeting was a great relief as well. I was thinking about risk from the business plan aspect – operational, legal, competitive, etc. On thinking inside of the project, it really put me inside of the situations that can hold projects back and forced me to determine contingencies for real life situations that I’d been through.
As per budgeting, initially I’d thought I could do everything on a shoestring budget, but it forced me to think bigger and consider the value of my own time, as well as others. It seems I owe myself multiples of 30k for all the work I’ve done already, and this project costs upwards of 30k. Subtracting what I owe myself would still run 7k – so it gave me a better idea of what to push for. It really made me value my friends that helped me along the way for no money at all or for meager wages. I had to stop and thank my team when I saw the average salary for the work we’ve been doing!
Week 4
By week 4 my head was spinning with the workload, but then I realized it wasn’t as hard as it seemed, just a lot of things to check off, a few things to write, and compile, because most of the work had already been done. (Thank you, Lester!) Even though I’d read the book, and listened to it on audible, I found it difficult to pull citations about a music video from Verzuh. The book was still very helpful though, and I am feeling the need to change my project management methodology considering short-form content being more prevalent. I may need to experiment with a fusion methodology, scrum, or something more agile to deliver content in increments and build momentum and revenue. The great blessing for me was having to empty my mind of the things I’d been taught and to open to seeing them from a larger perspective of project and team management. Yet and still many lessons were reinforced to my benefit in delving deeper into personality types, writing an executive summary and tweaking the work break down structure.
In conclusion, I’m excited that my plan is now in action and the techniques are being applied to my other projects. I started to learn project management on my previous job and got into Kanban, but never fully understood it. I most certainly didn’t do a personality test for my team, and a risk management plan and budget. It really gave me something to present to my stake holders to onboard them. Although I can’t claim to fully understand it now, I have the tools necessary to successfully plan my endeavors. I’m excited to experience what’s to come!
MAR630
Brand Storytelling and Development
This month was very helpful to me in crafting my personal brand and my business’ vision. Before this it was hard to see the distinction between myself and my business, and I had neglected developing my personal brand which would benefit my business. Now I see how it all works together. The course assisted in structuring my thoughts and procedures as it relates to developing my brand identity and helped me in conceptualizing and actualizing a content delivery plan which has already begun to drive traffic back to my site organically.
Brand storytelling is extremely important to success in personal and professional life. I’ve come to realize that everyone is a brand whether they are consciously aware of it or not. Through one’s thoughts, speech, and actions we are all representative of energy frequencies and psychological states that our face becomes and icon for. Crafting this consciously is the work of a master. Like how "introverts" such as Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, or Yayoi carefully crafted their public personas, the most successful artists and companies have crafted their identities as intricately as the works of art and products they’ve created.
This is very important in this day and age of social media and information inundation because whether we like it or not, we are in competition. Cable TV is in competition with the internet, shoe sales are in competition with grocery sales, exhibits and concerts are in competition with Netflix, Hulu, and soon it must dance with the Metaverse. Now that I have a child and tons of responsibilities, I realize how much it means for someone to give attention to anything – it is very expensive. The strength of one’s brand story and development is tantamount to success.
This course made me focus on the value that I aim to provide with every communication. It was very beneficial to write those things down, and then extrapolate them into a content calendar. Dissecting the business model canvas, value proposition, channels, customer segments and the like on the brand strategy went straight to my subconscious mind. It was like being awakened from a nightmare into a sweet dream and then into the déjà vu of the waking world.
GEB6508-O
Entertainment Business Finance
March 26, 2023
Menes Kedar
GEB6508-O
Mastery Journal
March 26, 2023
Objectives Met
My objective in going on this journey was to learn how to run a business properly. This course may have been some of the most impactful and daunting aspects of that process. It was relieving to expand my mind to look at the numbers and revise my strategy. Reviewing financial statements clarified the inner workings of large companies. That satisfied my objective to know how a business should be run as far as manageable and vertically integrating revenue streams. Understanding the time value of money was eye opening because I initially felt intimidated or bored by tables of numbers. After I saw the usefulness of the value tables my entire attitude changed towards tables! I realize they’re my best friend.
What was learned
In week one the knowledge that all business is in the business of real estate was reinforced. I noticed that companies like Live Nation occupy territories in the same way McDonald’s would. I learned how business vertically integrate their services in practice. When reviewing Hybe I realized the possibilities of a record label to garner billions of dollars yearly. The time value of money was helpful to know but also delivered a nice burn to think about how much money will devalue in the future, and how important a dollar invested now actually is. Doing the break-even analysis and analyzing opportunity costs made me keenly aware of the weakness that lies in the strength that the versatility of my company. It brought home the fact that working in one area necessitates taking time away from another area. The Pro Forma statement was also like a huge does of reality. It forced me to think bigger about my project and process. Now I understand the targets that I truly must hit to have a viable company.
How it applies
The financial statements and annual reports apply to tracking all expenses and income. Time value of money applies to paying off debts early and prioritizing and rewarding upfront payments. Break Even analysis and Investment applies to forecasting and creating a profitable company, minimizing expenses, and homing in on the value proposition, but also knowing the upfront costs, time until solvent, and structuring the revenue streams properly. The Pro Forma Financial statement applies to planning ahead and making realistic predictions based on market analysis.
Digital Marketing
• My Original goal:
My original goal for this course was to increase my multimedia skillset, self-awareness, and professional standing to secure higher pay and integrate my talents to run my firm. I also wanted to learn how to create marketing copy and bring value to my followers.
• How was this Goal Met:
While the course wasn’t heavily focused on multimedia, I was able to learn more about keynote and see its power. This course allowed me to go deeper into professional communication, when discussing the marketing aspects of my business. It increased my self-awareness when it comes to time management and the vision of my brand. It forced me to figure out ways to communicate the back story, mission, and messaging of my company.
• What I Learned:
This course taught me a lot about how to communicate my ideas more succinctly and garner attention across multiple platforms. It highlighted how I should be posting and how to funnel traffic back to my site. It reminded me of the proper web techniques such as hierarchy. It also reminded me that less is best when trying to lead attention. I also learned to manage my time better. I noticed that I am trying to do too much. I tried to load on some events but needed to do the paintings to sell at the events and ended up missing the events and being late on my assignment. I’m realizing that I’m trying to do too much, but I’m not quite sure how to do any less due to my financial situation requiring that I must do more or determine the most effective thing and do that.
I also learned about great tools to use in market research such as Spyfu and others. The distinction between objectives and goals was interesting to decipher because I always thought they were the same. Learning how to setup a marketing campaign was priceless. It really took a lot of weight off my shoulders to pre-plan all my content as well, and I’ve realized I may have a blind spot in assessing opportunity cost.
• Applying the Material:
I’m in the process of applying all the material learned. I’m using the material to solidify my personal brand as well as my business. I was able to extract useful gems from the content in the eMarketing book by Rob Stokes. I’ve started to apply the meta tagging techniques, blogging about business topics, and homing in on the story that needs to be told. I’ve implemented hierarchy into the text on the website but have found that I may want to decrease the text even more and lean heavier on the multimedia story telling aspect.
MAN6447-O
Negotiations
Identify your original goals for improving your negotiation skills
My original goal was to get a grasp on business thinking in general and specifically the business that I’m running. I didn’t specifically have a goal for negotiations. I wanted to understand business communication, marketing, and storytelling so that I can apply the knowledge to various endeavors. Over the many months I’ve found that I’m attempting to run 3 different businesses, and having product and service ends of each makes it 6. In taking this course I’ve been able to identify my folly in negotiations over my lifetime. When I began my first company at age 15, I didn’t understand the value of small talk, and up to now I can’t say that I’ve fully grasped it. I was brutally honest to the point where an older gentleman recommended I read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.
How this course met my original objective:
This negotiation course met my original objective by furthering my understanding of my own communication style, or lack thereof. By analyzing the win-win situation it made me realize that business partnerships should result in a positive experience for both parties. For many years I’ve discounted my services for people who have simply taken advantage, and ultimately put me out of business. This course has met my original objective by showing me the value of understanding your client more to know their underlying interest and has shined a light on the various parts of a negotiation.
What I learned from the course content:
This course has shown me that there is a better way, and that I must be able to walk away from deals. That is not to say that I haven’t walked away from deals in the past, just that there are many others I should have. Learning about different communication styles was interesting and brought about many questions. I didn’t seem to fit in any one category, and I’ve noticed myself in each category at different points and situations in my life. The course really showed me that I should take a little bit more time to think before jumping into action, even though I feel like I tend to think too long.
How I will apply that content:
I will be more patient in identifying the bargaining position and underlying interest in each negotiation. I will also take a more methodical and creative approach to deals as outlined in the curriculum. Furthermore, I will take time to set up boiler plates for every aspect of the businesses that I am involved in and put myself in my partner’s shoes before stepping into the room. This week I was able to close a deal with my “inspirer” partner by taking the time to small talk, as shown in the Zamboni negotiation. I still did more than I was technically paid for, for the sake of the client we served, but I was happy that my impatience didn’t get the best of me and ultimately I was paid.
EBM591-O - Artist/Product Management
Menes Kedar
Project and Artist Management
EBM591-O
Full Sail University
Sun, June 25th, 2023
Overall, the Project and Artist Management course was a great way to pull everything that I’ve learned in the previous courses together. It was equally important to understand the soft and hard skills necessary to succeed in the entertainment business.
Starting with leadership styles was important in dealing with people of all different types. It was interesting to think about myself in various situations that I hadn’t imagined previously. The idea of merging different leadership styles towards an end goal seems like an awesome and important skill to master. Moving on to the skill to monetize an artist then becomes just as important, creating a business out of the relationship. Understanding audience, and all the ways to make money from the product is crucial to attaining profit. I’ve been stuck in the art aspect of my projects for too long and staying in the paradigm of having an expensive hobby.
Understanding the major players in the industry by week 2 put a spotlight on how expansive and vicious the system is. When getting into the backstory of the major companies and seeing how the largest companies began from splits and mergers it puts the unfriendly nature of the business into perspective. I tend to realize that the artists who are being managed are nothing like the business executives who manage them, at least in the early days. It really made me yearn for those easier times when you could just be talented. But even then, it wasn’t wise to just “be talented” because one still must be smart about business to not be taken advantage of.
Getting into week three and determining the audience is where things got a bit overwhelming, because this is totally stepping outside of the art realm, and thinking totally about what the customer wants. Thinking about demographics and psychographics is where everything comes together. Understanding how to target your products and create the marketing material for your product is where we either have a profit or loss. Narrowcasting down to a niche is difficult if you are a non-genre, multi-media artist, so this is still a challenge.
In conclusion, it seems I have a lot to learn, a lot to do, and I’m forced to go back into working in the corporate world to make ends meet. Maybe there’s an avenue to fast money through chicanery, but I’d have to assess the risk and reward to such behavior. I’ll need to fund my music with a dead-end job and quite possibly quit making new art for as long as it takes to have free time again. I’ll also need to team up with others who have a similar dream or objective to do art and find some way to share tasks and move faster. The truth is that life is about living, and living requires money, reproduction, and brutal competition.
Advanced Entertainment Law
Menes Kedar
Entertainment Business Master of Science
Full Sail University
Advanced Entertainment Law – BUL5629-O
Elizabeth Young ESQ.
July 23rd, 2023
My goal was to learn how to start and run a business properly. I was interested in producing marketing copy, professional writing, and to understand the process of sales. At this point I have gotten a grasp of the story of my brand. Advanced Entertainment Law is necessary, and these are all lessons best learned in books.
IP Protection & Industry Risk
Protecting intellectual property and avoiding industry risk by the first week was a great reminder to acquire trademarks and copyrights through official channels to prevent legal liabilities present and future. It’s important to conduct comprehensive research to identify and address any potential copyright infringements or trademark conflicts before they could pose significant obstacles to business endeavors.
Case Research & Contract Review
Analyzing legal cases and contracts was a very hands-on approach to its use and application. Focusing on case research and contract review is essential to surviving in the industry. Understanding contract clauses is crucial in negotiating beneficial outcomes for both parties. Being immersed in the legal language of various cases proved arduous but rewarding. Becoming aware of publicity laws and trademark rulings inform and inspire art directly in that they compel the artist to create “social discourse” to be in legal standing.
Business Protection and Expert Knowledge
Gaining the understanding that trademark laws can be applied to domain names was enlightening. Business registration was an important exercise and reconsider my company structure. Copyright and trademark registration is essential to eliminate that legal risk. It is important to prioritize the protection of intellectual property rights for business protection and growth.
Case Application and Reflection
Reviewing cases as they relate to the industry is key to understanding what precedent has been set concerning legal liabilities. Dealing with employment law is crucial in growing and staffing a business. Staying abreast of evolving employment laws and regulations ensures the business remains adaptable and well-prepared to address any workforce-related challenges that may arise while maintaining a compliant work environment.
The aspiration to run a successful business requires exploring marketing, professional writing, sales, and molding a unique brand story. I’ve come to appreciate the significance of Entertainment Law, learning valuable lessons from other’s experiences as opposed to being exposed to trial and error. Learning the importance of safeguarding intellectual property by acquiring trademarks and copyrights, ensures legal liabilities can be prevented. I gained a practical understanding of negotiating favorable outcomes and navigating legal complexities which inspire further creative work by analyzing case research and contract review. Prioritizing copyright and trademark registration is a vital shield against legal risk. Understanding the evolving employment laws, can ensure businesses thrive by fostering a compliant work environment.
Menes Kedar
Menes Kedar
Mastery Journal
Entertainment Business Master of Science
Full Sail University
Media Publishing and Distribution
Kimberly Craft
August 19th, 2023
Initial Goal:
My goal in pursuing an MS in Entertainment Business was to learn how to run my media firm properly. I was interested in producing marketing copy, professional writing, and to understand the process of sales. In general, I yearned to get an understanding of how business works, to apply it to any endeavor that I choose. My initial chosen path was to get a master’s degree in media design, to expand on my previous learning from my art and design bachelor’s degree. After much deliberation I realized that I was just digging deeper into what I’ve already done, and that I needed to challenge myself in order to grow. In the first few months I realized that I’ve been trying to force 3 separate businesses together (art music and design), when there are an infinite number of businesses inside each business that I was trying to run. After a year of minimal success at business, I needed to structure my thought process, but even more so I need to generate revenue and increase my reach. Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution has been exactly what I needed to address a lot of my issues, by laying out the game plan.
Meeting the Goal:
This course addressed my goal succinctly by getting directly to the point of what needs to be done, publishing and distribution. Understanding the various types of royalty payouts is crucial to being successful and not just having an expensive hobby. In the process of studying aggregators, I was able to find other revenue streams such as sync licensing, provided by TuneCore, the company I already use! To put this in perspective, I’ve been wanting to get into sync licensing for years, initially using Taxi, and more recently finding a swarm of other companies trying to profit from aspiring artists. There are indie creators selling courses on how to get sync licensing deals while offering “free” information and holding back the necessary information, which makes sense. Doing a search for a sync licensing agency brings up a lot of trash. I couldn’t seem to find my way through it. This course provided the missing link for me to focus on what I really needed to be doing in that aspect and more. I found money left on the table that I should be getting through ASCAP, as I noticed I needed to register as a publisher in addition to being registered as an artist to get my publishing royalties. I could go on and on, but all in all, I still need to go back through all this information all over again to really capitalize.
Learning and Application:
I am increasing revenue, and then getting an agent. An agent can negotiate bigger deals for an artist, but the artist first needs to show profitability.
I am utilizing the key elements for traditional publishing and distribution deals. Even though we are in the age of “Do It Yourself,” it is extremely important to understand the traditional model and utilize the key elements, such as the query letter and the EPK with a press release. After doing those assignments I know exactly what to send to a decision maker whether it’s for booking, management, press, publishing, distribution, etc. I was able to use this instantly.
Leave no money on the table. There are multiple sources of income from a single musical recording: mechanical income, performance right, synchronization licenses and print rights. I definitely missed out on a lot of income from all the times I played live.
Chapter 18 needs to be printed, memorized, and implemented post-haste. There’s too much to mention from the self-publishing music chapter. I’m still missing a few key elements like the business card and flyer, and I may need to set up another site for my music in general. My intuition tells me to create another brand for my music to separate it from my professional identity and grant myself creative freedom. This chapter is the gospel. This course essentially laid out a plug and play framework for my music business and requires massive action.
Business Plan Development
Menes Kedar
Mastery Journal
Entertainment Business Master of Science
Full Sail University
Business Plan Development
Steven Burhoe
September 24th, 2023
My goal in pursuing an MS in Entertainment Business was to learn how to run my media firm properly. I was interested in producing marketing copy, professional writing, and to understand the sales process. I had been neglecting to create an actual business plan and the business plan course got me to do it from the most logical and practical perspective. I’m still finding that I need to clarify my offering even more. The Business Planning course met my goal by presenting case studies of entrepreneurs that got the job done, by helping me reduce my offering to something more palatable and doable, and teaching me to structure the financing realistically.
Week 1: Analyzing motivations.
In week one, by analyzing the motivations of the entrepreneurs I concluded that necessity, proclivity, and opportunity are primary motivations for business startups. As an artist and musician, the problem that I solve is different from the problem I face. The problem that I solve is boredom, ignorance, and potentially depression, by providing entertainment, information, and upliftment, respectively. The problem that I face is customer reach, adequate monetization, and structural inefficiency. In laymen’s terms, my ads need to be targeted to the right people and send them to the right machine to monetize them, whether providing art and music or the services to develop as an artist or musician – but that is also a different company or system I’d need to further develop, and I may be succumbing to attention deficit disorder, or necessity.
Week 2: Meet your Audience.
In week two I realized the need to properly target my offerings and go where the people are. By analyzing the founder of Spank’s methodology, I became aware that I need to hit the streets and implement street vending for art and attend open mics for my music. By doing so, I realized that I need promotional media, faster signup options, but I also noticed an opportunity to solve the problems that I face as an artist and musician, for the artists that I meet. By providing design and marketing services to artists I may be able to make rent, and a better system is needed for that. My goal is to make it as a multimedia artist, and though I’m trying to escape design, it is logical to refine that business so I can sustain myself in the interim. In street vending I noticed that fine art may be too expensive to sell on the street. In other forms such as posters or tee shirts it may be plausible, but that may be a limited belief. I did meet a lead who was interested in larger scale works, but in my 8 hours I did not make a sale, though I did increase my following it was not beneficial for revenue.
Week 3: Operations, Technology and Management Cult
Starting with the discussion of the Zappos founder was an eye-opener. To see someone that was lauded as so great come crashing down was disheartening. The business seemed so cool at first, how they were all touting the company values. I need to develop my following, and I’m sure it begins at home, but my home is in shambles. After uncovering some of the pitfalls it really made me wonder what a healthy company would look like and how far the cult should be taken. In the process of applying for jobs recently they’ve wanted me to lie and act like it’s my passion to work on their assembly line and grow with them. Some don’t want anyone with an entrepreneurial mind, and they always ask me if my business would get in the way of the job, even while not offering enough to live off. In a sense, it hasn’t been profitable to have morals and principles, or even help people. Focusing on the financial aspect in this week, determining my daily operations, and constructing the organizational chart really revealed how many hats I’m wearing and is forcing me to prioritize. Either way, in this week I became 100% certain that I must create a cult!
Week 4:
Thinking about staffing in this week shone a light on how I could remove myself from the operations but also made my planning more realistic. The sales prices had to increase to cover the employees and the taxes. This has been the perfect visualization exercise. Nevertheless, I still feel a bit flustered and found myself wishing this class was front-loaded and then enacted in the following months, so it could be even more hands-on. There’s a program that’s serving me targeted advertisements that uses this process, but they don’t use federal funds. I really wanted to expand the sales excel spreadsheet to incorporate all the revenue streams that I’m building out, but that may be part of my issue with over-extension. I’m sensing what I need to study is funnel building, systems, fundamental thinking, and of course cult creation.
Final Project - Business Plan
Menes Kedar
Entertainment Business Master of Science
Full Sail University
Final Project – Business Plan EBM692-O 01
Bill Thompson
October 21st 2023
My initial objective in starting the Master of Science in Entertainment Business course at Full Sail University was to understand the ins and outs of the entertainment business and gain the necessary knowledge to run any type of business correctly. Because I am multi-talented and work in both the product and service ends of art, design, and music, I found it very necessary to understand business from a concord view, to gain a better grasp of what needed to be done regardless to the medium. The coursework was successful in illustrating all the weak point of my current business plan and highlighting the areas that I needed to work on.
Personal Development and Leadership
In month one, an important thing to remember was that grit is one of the most important factors to determine survival. “Fail Harder, Fail Faster” is the saying that resonates with that mindset. It’s very obvious when considering Darwin’s Law of survival of the fittest. In analyzing “Strategies for Finding Your Life’s Task” and establishing SMART Goals, it provided an excellent framework for my thoughts, for the execution of my tasks, and a great format for expression in my turning point video. This class also made me rethink my career path and with the help of Daniel Spelman I switched to Entertainment Business at the very last minute. There was something in that course that made me see that I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough, and that I really needed to think about what I didn’t know as opposed to doing what I already know.
Executive Leadership
The executive leadership course with Steve Adkins assisted in developing my personal brand. I realized that I didn’t have a strong personal brand developed. There’s still more work that I need to do in this department, to develop a strong “corporate-professional” brand, and an arts/music brand. Somewhere along the way when setting up the business I had neglected to set up another website to represent myself, in a corporate sense. Maybe I hadn’t considered it at all, living inside of the box of media and entertainment. Completing the Pareto Principal Spreadsheet created a new framework of operations for the coming months and highlighted the need for prioritization. I need to revisit this technique and prioritize my tasks once more. Reading The 48 Laws of Power and Maxwell’s Leadership book was transformational, to say the least.
Project and Team Management
The Project and Team Management course was where it started to get heavy. This is one of the weak points that I needed to home in on to get my projects completed successfully. Working with the project management software gave me a better sense of how things realistically get done, but I still wasn’t realistic in the project that I needed to get done. It is interesting considering the business mind verses the artistic mind and having to use them in tandem to achieve success. The business mind says, “this is a terrible idea” but the artist mind says, “this is brilliant.” They’re constantly at war in my mind, but the business mind usually wins. Maybe that’s the “rational mind,” considering return on investment. Brainstorming was a good practice, though I was considering ideas for the execution of my project as opposed to brainstorming various projects. Considering conflict resolution ahead of time was also important.
Business Storytelling & Brand Development
The Business Storytelling & Brand Development coursework is where it got fun again. I’ve been wondering how to tell my brand story, what should be told, and more. Completing a business model canvas, detailing key activities, value proposition, customer relationships, channels, etc. was vital to the startup. I’d considered some of these things but never had it in one place as a guide. This was very important for me. The team storytelling project was a setback for me timewise; I could have used that time to do my own thing and get further in my business. The brand strategy canvas was also vital tool in my development. Analyzing competitors in developing the brand identity was also very important.
Entertainment Business Finance
In Entertainment Business Finance the rubber met the road. I try to refrain from limited thinking, but the facts can’t lie, I missed a few pieces of data in this coursework that affected my grade. It seemed to get a bit jumbled at this point. It was helpful to understand publicly traded companies and expand my thinking to the tune of billions. When considering the companies that I’m competing with it was imperative for me to stretch my mind to a larger reality. Understanding the time value of money put things in perspective as it relates to the debt that I owe. Revisiting the business model canvas from a financial perspective was helpful, but getting a deeper understanding of Opportunity cost, and a spoonful of the Pro-Forma statement was extremely vital and sobering. I’m still considering what I should cut back on after reviewing this, considering the fable of the monkey with his hand stuck in the hole, holding on to something he should let go of.
Digital Marketing Online
The fun returned with Digital Marketing. Understanding Business Writing, SEO, SEM, social media, and Lead management was crucial. The format provided in this course was helpful for me to get a grasp on what I was doing. I could stay in this portion of the class for some extra time to put this into practice. Combining this with the tools from Project Management is essential to success. The strategies in the course have pushed my social media following and engagement a tad higher, though other aspects of my life are detracting from my productivity. Integrated marketing is vital to the performance of any project, and revitalizing the traditional aspects of my marketing has fostered new leads, new fans, followers, and sales.
Negotiation and Deal-Making
Negotiation and Deal-Making was a huge burn for me. I noticed how I had short-changed myself a lot of times in my negotiations. In times I should have gotten rich I gave discounts. I started to realize the people that I was doing business with were taking advantage of my kindness and expecting discounts. I started to notice the empty promises of future business, and the various manipulations people use to get more and more. Understanding the principles of negotiation was important in overcoming this paradigm and changing my customer relationships to be more beneficial to both of us. I realized in this course that I didn’t have anything against the field of design, I just don’t like the haggling part, or losing the excitement for a project after you get on the 10th revision. The dispute resolution portion was very interesting in considering the various individuals I worked with at the time weren’t so keen on communicating effectively, and it seems most of the world isn’t, quite intentionally.
Product and Artist Management
The course became fun again with Product and Artist Management. This is where the business and artist mind meet to create something that satisfies the creative and monetary needs. Understanding Transformational, coaching, and Democratic leadership is important in motivating individuals from different walks of life and with different personality types. Understanding leadership styles in general and being able to adapt is a skill that must be constantly sharpened. Reviewing the major players in the industry was a great reminder to get upline support. I hope one day that I can have a talent agency to take some of the job acquisition work off my shoulders. Identifying my niche in this course was vital. It dawned on me that I was marketing my new material to a crowd that hadn’t grown with me. For instance, pushing Rock and Roll to my hip Hop crowd.
Advanced Entertainment Law
Advanced Entertainment Law was more fun than I thought it would be and a source of creative inspiration. In looking over legal cases in entertainment, it made me consider how I would create works that added to the social discourse as opposed to infringing on a copyright or degrading a brand. That method of ideation is an entire genre of work and drives culture forward, parody and satire. Revisiting copyright law and trademarking put a few more items on my bucket list, because I have a lot of work to copyright. Reviewing contracts in this course was shocking to my friend who’s also in a business course with a lot less direct application, and it was a nightmare relived for myself. It is vital to get an understanding of the legal jargon used in these contracts. This course was like being armed with a bazooka. Putting contracts in place via automated sign-up forms is in progress.
Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution
The Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution course is pretty much my operations manual. There’s so much actionable insight in Kimberly’s book. I’ll have to put it into some sort of application to remind me of my next steps. Putting together a query letter was useful even though I won’t be sending anything to any agent anytime soon, because I realized I could use the query letter for other individuals. Getting the press kit done in this course was a weight off my shoulders. It really put things into perspective and gave me. A vital tool to keep shopping my product. Doing that made me realize that I need an entirely different website for my music project, and that my professional brand may be interfering with my musical brand, and vice versa. In researching the Aggregators and PODs I found opportunities with my aggregator that I hadn’t seen before, such as sync licensing, which I didn’t know TuneCore offered. Developing a marketing strategy for self-publishing was vital, but I realized the need for a large budget to make it work.
Business Plan Development
The Business Plan Development course was satisfying because it brought everything together. I was very happy to see the cumulative approach, because I was getting really burned out at this point. Putting everything into a one-minute pitch was challenging. A lot about this course forced me to make sure my business concept was legitimate, and with that armor I have acquired a few new leads, but still need to add a whole new section of my site for design services, because I’m obviously going to be designing for the rest of my life. In reverse, maybe I’m not thinking about my art and music business correctly or applying the learning to my product-based business if I can’t articulate the value proposition without adding in a service end. Nevertheless, rather than try to hack off parts of myself I figured I should incorporate it into the plan. I came to realize the problem that I had been facing is a systems issue that all artists face, and that should be the problem that I solve for others. Doing the financial statements added a huge dose of realism to the plan. I realized why companies tend to limit the amount of offers, not only because it helps with customer acquisition, it also helps with keeping the books, and quality high. In completing the financial statements, I had to assess the aspects of my business that were most profitable.
Final Project: Business Plan
Getting to the Final Project really highlights how fast time flies. I had to research dissociative identity disorder because it all just seems like a blur. Considering what to say to investors was interesting, because I don’t feel confident that I can get an investor with the current image of this business. It still seems a bit scattered, the psychology of the customer and the journey hasn’t been laid out properly. The image of the artist is lacking. There’s so much lacking I need to revisit the first few months to improve everything all over again. The elevator pitch was a great assignment to get the idea together, but I may have fallen back on my “service” end to solve the greater problem we all face as artists. That could mean a lot of money. I wonder how that would be done for a record label and visual artist. I need to do it again without the servicing end and give more thought to how the products are differentiated, utilizing the query letter we completed in Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution in combination with the press release. Reviewing management styles and going back over the spreadsheets was super helpful. I keep playing with the numbers, duplicating the spreadsheet, and adding different products to test the numbers out to make things more realistic.
Conclusion
Every course in the program was something that I’ll need to go back to and reference in the future. For this reason, it was a brilliant idea to set up this mastery journal to catalog my learning experiences. I just wish I had more time and application. I envision this coursework would be something that needs to be gamified and coded out in an online content management system.