Day 365

This post is about never giving up on your dreams..... 

Today, September 15, 2015, officially marks one year since I moved from Massachusetts to Florida, to earn a Master’s degree in Entertainment Business at Full Sail University.  While my entire journey through the degree program is documented on my Tumblr, I would be remiss if I did not discuss the significance of this anniversary.

After calling Massachusetts home for our entire lives, my brother and I filled a Budget truck with our personal possessions and embarked on a 1,300-mile trek, spanning the entire East Coast, in search of new beginnings and opportunities.  However, my path to Full Sail University started over a full year before my first day of class.  In 2013, three years removed from completing my undergrad at Worcester State University, I was living just outside of Worcester, in Webster, MA, and working in telecommunications for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections.  While the job was tedious, the pay was sufficient and I worked alongside great people but it was not what I wanted for my life.  I wanted something more.  I needed something more.  I needed a challenge.  I needed to chase my goals, make my dreams become reality, or, for the rest of my life, I would always regret not taking the chance.

In High School, I was known by my personality and my creativity.  During senior year, I joined our High School TV Station as the sports anchor for New England Sports.  Many students thought I was the highlight of the weekly broadcast.  In my opinion, my goal was to do the best I possibly could.  When we taped segments on Tuesday for a Friday broadcast, I took the extra effort in previewing the next upcoming game.  Instead of talking about “old news” in the world of Sports, I focused on what was ahead because who wants to hear about Monday night’s Red Sox win when they lost three games straight heading into a weekend series with the Yankees. I enjoyed working in front of the camera, and putting just as much work behind the camera.  I always wanted to get involved in the Sports and Entertainment industry, but getting in would be the tough job.

For whatever reason, I was not sure what degree program I wanted to pursue when I started at Worcester State. Therefore, I was undeclared.  It turned out to be the best decision I ever made because, after two years of completing all of my elective courses, I decided to pursue Communications and finished my final two years with top-notch grades, and a 3.4 GPA for the program. After graduating, it was difficult finding a job in the industry.  I had an audition with the Cranberry Baseball League near Cape Cod, which went well, but nothing ever materialized from that venture.  I continued my internship with Charter TV3 in Worcester and assisted on selected events over two years after graduation, but career opportunities were not available. 

In the summer of 2011, I came across an advertisement about getting involved in Pro Wrestling, and learning about the business end on a grassroots level.  This was the opportunity I always wanted and was not going to pass up the chance to learn and gain experience in the industry.  I drove over two hours to Bridgeport, CT, where I met Dan Mirade, promoter of the Millennium Wrestling Federation, an independent wrestling company based out of Melrose, MA, and worked my very first show that night as security.  Three months later, I worked as a camera operator for their anniversary show before sliding over to merchandising, activations, and event promotions for the next two years.  Even though the events were quarterly, I had some of the best times working these events.  I am always thankful to Dan for giving me those opportunities and I remain in contact with him.

However, in true form to my stubbornness, I needed more.  I needed a challenge.  The gig with the MA DOC kept a roof over my head, food on my plate, clothes on my back, money in my bank account, and made ends meet, but I still was not satisfied.  The independent wrestling events, while fantastic and insightful, were not enough for me either.  I wanted to get back into school, earn a Master’s degree, and push forward with my career goal of working with WWE.  I learned WWE rebranded their developmental into NXT, and were filming television shows at Full Sail University in Orlando.  At the time, I was not familiar with NXT or with Full Sail.  However, through extensive research on the school, I knew immediately that this was the place for me.  In September 2013, I traveled to Orlando to partake in a “Behind The Scenes” tour of the campus and was truly amazed at what I saw.  Originally, I intended to start in the Entertainment Business program in March 2014 but I had to postpone my start date until September 2014.  Again, that decision worked out for the best.

On September 15, 2014, in the peak of Hurricane season for Florida, I hopped out of our Budget truck into that wonderful humid air and knew this is where I belonged.  One week later at Orientation, I met new faces and started networking with my future colleagues in the Entertainment industry.  September 29, 2014, was the start of a degree program that is now just three weeks away from culmination.  All the friends I made, all the networking I have done, all the opportunities I have had, and all the experiences I lived, would not have happened had I remained content, playing it safe in Massachusetts with a tedious job that made ends meet.  There is an old expression that “good things happen to those who wait,” but I believe in “good things happen to those who go out and earn it.” I took the biggest gamble of my life in moving to Florida, to earn a Master’s degree, to chase my dreams, and refusing to accept regret.

Looking ahead to day 366 and beyond, my mentality remains the same.  And, I would not want it any other way.  

Business Plan Expert Views

When discussing business planning, there are fewer with as extensive of a background as expert Tim Berry.  Currently the “business plan expert” of Entrepreneur.com, Berry has formulated quite the resume in the field, having earned degrees in Business, Journalism, and Literature from prestigious universities such as Stanford, the University of Oregon, and the University of Notre Dame.  In addition, he is an author – penning several books on business planning and entrepreneurship, as well as a former journalist – having written articles for Business Week, Financial Times, and other publications, and currently blogs on his main blog – Planning Startups Stories (Berry, T). Berry is keen on a business planning method entitled “P-R-R-R cycle,” which stands for “Plan, Run, Review, and Revise,” and is a practice used routinely when running a business to sustain smooth operations (Berry, T). 

            Along with Berry, business plan expert Taylor Johnson is an experienced Entrepreneur, having founded three successful businesses including Uncle Chen’s Cuisine, Christina’s Design, and Kids and Co. Johnson has over 20 years of knowledge and expertise in the field, currently penning informational pieces on the Business Plan Today website.  When it comes to the elevator pitch, Johnson comprised a list of seven easy steps, which include team management, financial projections, and market analysis, are helpful in explaining the company business plan in a timely manner (Johnson, T). 

             The suggestions I intend on using for my business plan is providing in-depth analysis on my elevator pitch, breaking down all aspects and finding the proper balance of having a well-informed pitch without over-saturating the business model.  In addition, market analysis is another key aspect within the business plan, as these statistics provide valuable insight to investors about the competition within a particular industry.  For a seed company, there are countless questions, goals, and objectives and gaining incredible knowledge from business plan experts is a great asset in answering those particulars to investors.

Berry, T. (n.d.). Business Plan Expert. Retrieved August 7, 2015, from http://timberry.com/business-plan-expert/ 

Berry, T. "Help With Business Planning." Tim Berry. Web. 7 Aug. 2015. <http://timberry.com/businessplanning/>. 

Johnson, T. (2014, November 5). The Ultimate Elevator Pitch: Get Funded in 7 Easy Steps. Retrieved August 7, 2015, from https://resources.businessplantoday.com/funding/ultimate-elevator-pitch-guide/ 

Technology Has Impacted Reading For Children

Technology has drastically changed over the last 15-20 years.

When I was a child, PlayStation did not have a number. The best video games were played on Nintendo and Sega and they certainly were not as detailed and realistic as they are today. In fact, DVDs were just emerging as the next big thing, with VHS tapes slowly fizzling out. There was no such thing as DVR. If you were not home to watch it, or set the VCR to record, then you missed out on your favorite show. In fact, things such as watching movies with high-definition quality lived only in our imagination. Tablets did not exist, which was fine because I enjoyed reading physical books from cover-to-cover.  I still do, but it is slowly becoming obsolete. This is where the problem lies.

Children reading from tablets instead of hardcover books is not the only issue with the advancements of technology but, for this purpose, it is our primary focus.

An article on the Social Times website, dated June 14, 2014, provides vivid detail on the positive and negative effects of technology on the brains of children. The positives include the ability "to ascertain between competing facts, make decisions more quickly, heightened cognitive and analytical skills."  Despite these abilities due to the improvements of technology, characteristics such as "patience, shorter attention spans, and a need of instant gratification" hinder the minds of young children. The article also focuses on penmanship for youth, where "children who first learn to write by hand are better at generating ideas and retaining information."

For as marvelous, extraordinary, and imaginative technology is, it can also become harmful to the developing minds of children as well as people of all ages. In 2010, writer Nicholas Carr published in an article, which thoroughly discusses the internet and how is "re-wires" the brain by disrupting an individual's focus.  "The depth of our intelligence hinges on our ability to transfer information from working memory, the scratch pad of consciousness, to long-term memory, the mind’s filing system." Ultimately, while reading books sustains focus, imagination, and concentration, the internet causes interruptions and the inability to store information long-term. In addition, the brain is shattered - paying attention to hyperlinks, advertisements, and other disruptions on the page that it takes much longer to finish an article than it normally should.

As someone who wants to start his own business in the Entertainment industry, most specifically in publishing and creating creative content for the target audience of children and teenagers, I want to shift the attention back to physical hardcover and paperback books. While Kindles and iPads are tech-savvy, those technological gadgets provide distractions, because consumers are able to access social media websites, streaming services, and other applications on such device. As important as learning to type on the keyboard may be, penmanship and cursive writing is vastly more important. I believe the confines of a book can keep a youthful mind concentrated, which will allow them to focus and invest on the story, spark their creativity and imagination as to how the story will progress, and expand on their vocabulary.

There is more to life than constantly staring at screens and relying on technology.

Go ahead. Grab a novel, and dive into the story.

In closing, the video below from Discovery News recaps just how amazing and beneficial literary fiction books are for the human brain:

Arenas, Attendance, and Activations

Building an audience can be tough.

It is even tougher to build an audience when the team might be moving out of town.

This was the dilemma the Sacramento Kings faced just a few years ago when the Kings were almost sold and moved to Seattle. Uncertain of whether the franchise would be changing addresses, Phil Horn, the Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service,  and his team still had to be prepared to unleash a brand new marketing campaign.

In a video interview with the Sports Business Education Network in July 2013, Horn shared with host Troy Kirby how the Kings fans rallied around the team to pack the Sleep Train Arena in an effort to keep the franchise in Sacramento. Ultimately, the Kings remained in Sacramento and will be welcoming a brand new building in 2016. According to Horn, the new venue – which will be known as the Golden 1 Center – will feature more fan interaction and the fan experience in the VIP suites will increase, through the use of iPad tablets to order concessions and merchandise, as well as Wi-Fi capabilities, and various camera angles of the game from multiple television screens within the suites. 

However, renovations and updates will manifest within the current Sleep Train Arena before the move, with the expansion and renovation of VIP areas and suites. In regards to the relocation in 2016, Horn stated he has already engaged in conversation with consultants about arena configurations,. In terms of seating and sightlines and how the changes in seating might affect current season ticket holders, Horn knows the NBA has “many Best Practice scenarios and we have great blueprints to work from. We do not have to reinvent the wheel.” Horn channeled from personal experience with seating, having attended San Francisco 49ers games at Candlestick Park and now at Levi’s Stadium.

Horn and Kirby discussed several other topics, from variable and dynamic pricing (Horn favors keeping the games affordable for fans, but understands the increase in price and the demand for games when the more competitive and popular opponent comes to town). In addition, Horn wants the Kings to “limit secondary ticket markets so games remain affordable, and to give season ticket holders the best opportunity to resell their tickets for games they cannot attend.”

Still, the Kings are doing better at selling tickets, as Horn labeled them “as leading the NBA in new full season-ticket sales.” The new season-ticket campaign “the Cap City Kingdom,” and the “Long Life the Kings” slogan bring a one-two combination of freshness and a revitalization to a franchise that almost changed residences. Horn still embarks in conversation with former season-ticket holders, who reminisce about the team’s history. Kirby compares the disconnect of former Kings fans with the current team to a divorce between two people, to which Horn agrees. 

Personally, I witness the importance of fan engagement at every WWE NXT event I work in the Student Initiative. The NXT brand is the hottest entity in Sports Entertainment right now. The crowd attendance continues to increase, and the brand awareness is expanding exponentially, which has led to the debut in new markets throughout the state of Florida. At each event, the interaction with the audience – from the talent to the staff – continues to be of most importance because our priority is putting smiles on people’s faces and giving them the best experience possible. This has led to the brand continuously growing outside of the Florida market, from New York to California and other states in-between.  From autographed merchandise, photos, and programs, to meet & greet opportunities, to social media contest giveaways, the activations are endless.

I believe these activations and added incentives contribute to the success and expansion of the brand. Beyond the in-ring product, which is top-notch on its own, the interaction the fans get with the Superstars creates ever-lasting memories. It is these positive experiences that the fans reflect upon and decide whether or not they will spend their hard-earned money to come to the next show in their market. I already had an good understanding of fan engagement before this internship but, these last few months have provided me with real world experience about just how vital fan engagement truly is.

Sponsorships

In the world of Sports Marketing, sponsorships have become vital as the agreements generate revenue and spark the engagement between the business and consumer. 

Industry Liabilities

In Summarizing the textbook, Law In Sport, intellectual property “is the body of laws that protect the creative aspects of the sport industry. The law also protects the commercial aspects of a celebrity athlete’s persona, but not facts or statistics that are already in the public domain.” Furthermore, litigation is often the result of those who infringe on the intellectual property of an organization. With modern day technology continuing to produce digital media at an accelerated pace, issues with intellectual property is bound to occur more frequently than ever before.

Fan Loyalty and Engagement

In today’s technology, the barriers between sports teams and their respective fans are essentially broken down.  Through Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media, the interaction between athletes and their loyal fans has never been any stronger.  That connection is a huge factor in how fan loyalty and engagement is vital to sports organizations and how it drives an increase in revenues.  Whether it is a partnership with other sponsors, establishing youth foundations to encourage exercise and healthy living for children, or designing loyalty programs for the passionate fan, the number of avenues to further establish an interpersonal relationship continues to rapidly expand.

Various Negotiation Methods

Negotiating might sound simple, simply because everyone negotiates about something in their daily lives, but the process is much more complex and can mean all the difference between a successful negotiation and not coming to an agreement. Whether through strategies and tactics, conflicts and cultural concerns, or entrepreneurship, it is important to have a thorough understanding of how to effectively and efficiently come to a mutually beneficial agreement.