Week 10 EOC: The End

The class room experience hasn’t really changed since week 5. We still watch seemingly pointless clips and I still feel extremely confused on how to write a good business plan. I’m told not to be specific with numbers but I’m penalized in my final plan for not being specific. I’m told I can but don’t have to follow the questions given in the course shell to create my plan. I follow the questions because I have never written a business plan nor do I have any first hand resources to assist me. I get penalized because I’m “completely lost” in some areas, but was never shown how to properly do it. Overall I got a B on the project no gripes on that end but I don’t really feel like I learned how to effectively write a business plan. I have learned how to better break down the services I provide and how to market myself. This class has the right idea but I feel it was executed properly.

Week 9 EOC: Tennis Clinic

     Rob Johnson had a dream. It didn't involve the daily hustle and grind of a news room. Rob was working for An Orlando newspaper but he found peace on the tennis court. Rob just wanted to play tennis. He decided to ultimately quit his job and work at a resort as a tennis instructor. On paper this was great, he would charge $50 an hour the hotel would get 10% and Rob could get paid to indulge in his passion. He even invested $500 for custom "Coach Rob's EZ Tennis Academy" t shirts.
    Now lets start with the good. Rob was chasing his passion or so he thought. He already got in good with the resorts, and he had a quasi brand in motion. He was actually addressing a need in the market.
     Now the bad. Rob didn't take into account that most of his adult clientele would not seriously be interested in tennis but in the wasting time before they would venture off into other more popular resorts. As for his clientele that were children, they are children its hard for them to focus on tennis in the land of Disney World. Another thing he did not take into account was the weather of central Florida. tennis is an outdoor sport and the weather of Florida is quite sporadic, hot, humid and ultimately the average amateur tennis player won't want to play in it. Rob wanted to play tennis buts that's not what he was doing, Rob was in sales and education.
     This article was a very real situation and showed the importance of doing research and planning before you jump into your "passion." Rob's lack of research and planning cost him money yes but ultimately 4 years of his life, and time is not something you can get back.

Week 7 EOC: My resume and optimal resume

In my opinion optimal resume is a great tool if you have not started to build your resume. Unfortunately for those who have done the painstaking work to get the resume in tip top shape optimal resume is not of much use. That being said I would encourage everyone who is struggling with formatting and content to enter into the resume to try optimal resume. Not only is it fairly simple, but it gives you the opportunity to have it screened by professionals who know what employers are looking for in the resume of a potential candidate.

Week 6 EOC: How do I see my role starting in the industry

Upon graduation I will be in a strange place. For the first time in 20 plus years I will not be obligated to be in a classroom environment. Scary thought to the say the least. that being said i will be venturing into my first real career experiences in my field. I see myself playing the background if I'm blessed to land a gig where I am not freelancing and in charge of all aspects of the project. What I mean is basically being a grip or production assistant, and on the audio side holding a boom or setting up a session. In this scenario I understand that I am an auxiliary and there to assist the lead as well as make things smooth for the crew basically I would be the ultimate underling. I feel that my big break will come while freelancing. I feel that I will get more work in that arena as well as building more projects for my personal portfolio. This will allow me to be seen and take credit for all aspects of my work as well as show my ultimate customer service, which in turn I'll lead to more jobs which will hopefully lead to me starting my own business.

Week 5 EOC: Midterm Evaluation

My classroom experience this quarter has actually been more enjoyable than previous ones. I have a new focus and thus have learned something’s that I missed out on when I previously took this class. I sometimes get agitated with the stories and seemingly pointless stats being thrown around because it takes away from the time in class that we get to do our work towards the project. The stories aren’t that bad they are just long and we cover a lot of subject matter in this class and time is of the essence. For me the time spent out of class is a little hectic seeing that I’m in portfolio presentation. I have not neglected my duties for this class I feel that I have went a step above by choosing a different location to run my business I cant really get local help I am limited to the internet and phones calls which aren’t as good as actually being in the city and physically seeing the needs you intend on addressing. The only issue I actually am having is with some of the more “artistic assignments” where the use of Photoshop and Illustrator come into play; I’m an audio student! Overall I’m doing well in this class and keeping up I am missing a few things but I have completed majority of what has been asked of me.

Week 4 EOC: Executive Summary

To be content is to be futile ALWAYS go higher.That is the mantra of Up N Up. It all started  in 2005 with a group of individuals who wanted to always show progression. From that came personal and professional trials,tribulations, success, failure, and a few college degrees.The creator of the idea (Grover Cleveland) saw more than a group of friends trying to stand out he saw an honest creative living. Grover (who graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Audio Production from The Art Institute of Las Vegas) went back to his home town and got connected with the educated creatives he trusted the most, his friends.
     Cleveland Ohio has a rich artistic culture filled with music, film, and photography. Thus there are companies in place to handle many of the higher profile clientele. That leaves a very large gap for those looking to get audio, video, photography. That's where Up n Up Media LLC comes in. We specialize in  the consumer who has an amazing vision but not the amazing budget to bring the vision to life. The beauty of it all is that they wont have to sacrifice quality or professionalism. 
     The most attractive thing that will captivate the market is the fact that its young ambitious creatives open to learning new things and a willingness to serve. All backed with a solid education.

Week 3 EOC: Where are you now and where are you going?

In the famous words of Winston Churchill " Success is not final, failure is not fatal, its the courage to continue that counts." I have had set backs but just like a rubber band I snap back.Right now I am a professional fighting as a student to get a degree at The Art Institute of Las Vegas. I am an adept, specialist of audio as well as customer relations. i am currently in Las Vegas. In just a few short months I will be in Cleveland Ohio taking up a position at Diamond Flower Studios Ltd. as the Vice President of Artist Development as well as the on site studio technician. From that position i will be building connections to lead to my next venture in life. I might even go back to Cuyahoga community College to take classes in visual effects. I just have to always remember that success is a process.

Week 2 EOC: Get Some Copyright Law Under Your Belt

     “All film deals are built on the foundation of intellectual property. Film Contracts are used to protect and/or effectively transfer such intellectual property rights as copyrights, trademarks, rights of publicity, or rights in ideas.” The following are websites that further die into the tricky subject that is intellectual property.

1)   http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/centers/ttlf/law/us/ip/

 This website is a good source for all the laws and acts that concern the protection of ideas and tangible property since 1962.

2)   http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_IAP10206

This site speaks about the issues concerning intellectual property issues in social media. It takes from different college professors and individuals who have experienced these issues first hand and offer tips on how to avoid problems.

3)   http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/steveorjoey/news/?a=41001

This site is my personal favorite on the matter. It talks about one of the most famous comic book companies in the world; Marvel Comics, and there creator Stan Lee’s inability to profit from is intellectual property.

4)   http://www.hg.org/intell.html

This site gives a wordy definition on Intellectual Property as well as links to various governmental institutions in place to help protect such property.

5)   http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82302.html

Finally this site gives a definition of Intellectual Property in more understandable and relatable terms.

Week 1 EOC: Sacrafices

As an audio professional the thought of a “steady job” is almost a thing of legend. There are also so many areas that can be explored for earning a potential living in the field. At the end of the day it comes down to who you know more than your skill set which actually evens out the playing field. As of right now I have already made many sacrifices. I have left my beloved home in Cleveland where I had a stable house hold and all my friends, to Live in Las Vegas where the weather is nice majority of the year but the city is fast and the people are rude. I made those sacrifices just for an education to be used as a key to get into the industry. While being educated I’ve sacrificed my time my money, and my health just for a degree that I haven’t earned yet! So as far as what I’m willing to sacrifice for this career of mine is actually more than what I just mentioned. I’m willing to pack up and leave my residence, yes break my lease. Willing to leave my girlfriend, yes abandon our relationship. Leave my family (again), yes have them wondering if I’m still alive. Basically I’m willing to sacrifice any and everything, and I plan on sacrificing any and everything because your legacy is not determined by you after you die it’s determined by those who remembered you. I want to be remembered as the scrappy intelligent little black guy who sacrificed it all in hopes of living comfortably doing what he loves.