Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership
Starting at Full Sail was a high point of my life. Finally, I was able to attend the school of
my dreams and start my journey to greatness within the entertainment
community. The first course was, I
guess, sort of a primer or indicator of what was to come. From the beginning Mastery became my
blueprint of how I would design and maintain my study schedule. Working full-time and being a graduate
student all while maintaining and providing for the “perfect” family is a
stressful undertaking. Mastery helped me
to prepare for that major shift
What I learned in Mastery I used and applied to, not just my
school affairs, but work and home as well.
One of the most influential conversations that helped me make it through
was with my first professor. I was down
and unsure about my decision to pursue my graduate degree. What she told me was very simple, but it
made all of the difference with my journey.
She stated simply that “well, since you started, you might as will
finish it.” Classic
Executive Leadership
I must admit, It kind of hard to actually remember this
class. I’m not suggesting that this
class did not make an impact on my studies, but it was not one of my favorite
classes. So, anything that I say about
this class would be a fabrication. As a
trained journalist who takes ethics seriously, I will not compromise my
integrity.
Project and Team Management
Now, finally to the meat and potatoes. I was very excited to begin this class. This was a subject that I could use within my
field. Not just in my future career, but
I could use at that present time. During
this class, I was the Athletic Video Coordinator for Savannah State University. Working at a Historically Black College or
University with limited funds meant that I was running a department that should
have been staffed with at least three to four individuals along. However, due to my standing at the school and
I was sort of a legend in the Mass Communication program because of my talent
in video and audio production, a great number of student sought to work with
me. So, I had about 10 – 12 full-time
student interns. Although I managed
others before, managing others within my profession with a mid-major Division –
1 athletic program was a big deal.
I learned in this class that there was more to my job than
just shooting videos. I was actually
dealing with, or supposed to be dealing with project and team management. My problem was that most of my interns were my
friends and I had not learned to separate the job and friends. I had a team that I had to manage and
projects that needed to be done professionally. This class helped me to learn
and apply time management and how to plan a project from beginning to end. But, most importantly, it taught me how to
delegate and how to train my team and trust them to do the job. Putting the best person in position to get
the job done is key even if that meant being lead by them. A very hard lesson indeed.
Business Storytelling & Brand Development
I had very little knowledge of branding before this
class. I was not clueless, but I was
focused on the wrong things. I actually
thought that I could dictate and influence I wanted others to think about my
product. Well, maybe a little, but in
general there is more to it than just that.
The major lesson in this course was “your brand is NOT what
you think or say it is, your brand is what others think or say it is.” WOW, this concept blew me away. Instantly, it changed the way that I
approached my products. I learned and
apply the rules on logos and color. I
never knew that color was a major tell in brands. I can remember the TEDTALK assignment and
what I learned from it. The successful
brands all have a powerful story. All
brands has a who, what, and how. But,
the truly successful companies all have a WHY.
And, it is the WHY that is most important
Entertainment Business Finance
OK, this course was NOT fun for me. How I made it is still a huge question in my
mind. I’ll say this, I HATE MATH. Again, I HATE MATH. But, surprisingly, this course was not all
math. It was loaded with information
that I really needed to know. Now, I
have a working knowledge of finance, but I’m still hring an accountant.
I have already used this course in my professional
career. In my position as a department
head, I had to budget and justify all monies used by my department. I had to show returns in regards to our
weekly coaches’ shows in relation to what was being spent. I had to do all of this in a timely and
professional matter.
Negotiation and Deal-Making
I really enjoyed the role-playing exercises in this
course. They allowed me to actually
place myself in a simulated business deal.
Getting the most bang for the buck is paramount to success in the
entertainment industry. The video
project with the tennis player was a good learning tool. It showed that all the little things are
important too.
As an artist manager, which I am now that I have signed on
to manage former national recording artist looking for a career resurgence,
negotiating is something that I will be doing every day. Enough can not be said about the importance
of a properly made deal. It is the
difference in being in the red or in the black.
What I enjoyed the most is learning about game theory. Up until this class I knew nothing
about. This is a definite plus.
Product and Artist Management
This was by far my favorite class. This is because artist management is what I
really want to do within the industry.
The thing is, I used to be an artist myself until I met other artists
that were immensely more talented than myself.
This is not what deterred me from pursuing a career as an artist. It was actually other artists that took note
of how I conducted business. So, they
were asking me to assist them. And, just
like that, I found my true calling.
The thing that stuck out with me about this course was
studying successful artist managers.
These were the movers and shakers that really made that industry
fluid. Nothing could happen without
them. One of my favorite managers of all
time is Sean “Puffy” Coombs. I followed
his career since he cornered Andre Harrell in an elevator and by the time they
got to floor where Uptown Record was housed, Puffy was the National Director of
A&R. This is my calling. I truly believe, and this sounds arrogant but
so be it, that I am just as good, if not better, as Puffy. My investor calls me a talent magnet because
of the top level talent that I produce and record in my studio.
Advanced Entertainment Law
Important. Important. Important. This was hands down the most important class
that I took. Knowing what can and cannot
be done is the difference between success and failure. I actually want to be an entertainment
lawyer. But, now I’m so burned out that
I don’t think I’ll do it. But, I always
have been a fan of the law. I keep
myself current on the old and new laws.
As an avid reader and news junkie, I tend to favor books and articles discussing
legal issues. For this class, I was
already read up and waiting to jump it.
Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution
I was
ready for this class because I was interested in publishing because I am
planning to add a publishing company to my current dealings. And, I am also a
member of BMI. As far as distribution
goes, I already have knowledge of this subject having worked with independent
artists and labels. This is class was a
great source of information that I did not have a full understanding of.
The lessons
from this class are being used every day by my team tasked with the
re-structuring of my investor’s current company. We are filing trademarks and copyrights
currently and plan to move on to running our own indie label within the next
two years. Until then, we are using
every channel of distribution that we can to get our product to the
market. A couple of those outlets I
borrowed from this course
Digital Marketing
This is another important course that I was not too friendly
with. I mean, I know and appreciate the
importance of marketing. Without it
you’re just shooting in the dark. But,
marketing not what I like to do every day.
However, I learned a lot about the subject and can how an intelligent
and knowledgeable conversation about it.
I can guide my clients through it because it was something that I had to
take seriously.
What I learned was kind of amazing actually. My favorite was Key Performance
Indicators. To be honest, there is
something sexy about KPIs. I think
because KPIs reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your selected
campaign. By paying attention to KPIs, you
allow yourself to be able to adjust your marketing campaign as needed. However, I will HAVE to hire a
professional. But, I will stay in the
loop. I have the knowledge to understand
it now.
Business Plan Development and Final Project Business Plan
Forgive me if I go off of script and lump these two courses
together. But, this is the industry and
I’ve learned from this program sometimes you have to go against the grain. Or, it’s like my Intro to Film professor used
to say, “to break the rules, you have to know the rules.” Basically, you need to know how to break the
rules. There is a right way. This class scared me to death, but it was the
one that I looked forward to taking the most.
My investor gave me a project. He
said that if I wanted the money to do my thing, I had to write a viable
business plan to do so. Problem was, I
did not know how. These classes saved
me. I gave him my project and he was
impressed. Although this is not the
final plan, my class project is the core of what we are doing. I am currently revising the plan to totally
fit our vision. And in two weeks, we
have an appointment with an area bank to secure the funds needed to make this
transition. THIS IS SUCCESS for me. Full Sail has been one of the best
experiences of my life. When I finally
physically hold my degree, I will have
to try not to cry. I won’t try to hard,
however.
Thank you FULL SAIL.
