Entertainment Masters Journey

A new beginning..

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:01:00 +0000

I am about to complete my college path-line (at least for now). It’s been a long 5 years, going to school no stop, with one thing in mind “I will live out my dream”. Associates in Public Relations, Bachelors in Entertainment Business and a Masters in Entertainment Business later, I have sure learned a lot about the industry and about goals, my determination and myself. It’s very scary, yet exciting starting a new chapter in my life. This journey has been everything I could ever ask for and more.

I came to this state not knowing a single person, not knowing where I would be in 3 years. I have had opportunities that I could only dream of, opportunities that have blown my mind. I have networked every chance I have got, volunteered, interned and have worked my way to landing one of the best experiences that I could ever imagine.

I am now interning for “Orlando Calling” a major festival coming here to our own backyard, Orlando. Melvin Benn, the owner of Festival Republic that happens to put on the biggest festivals in the entire world (Glasonbury, Reading, Leeds, etc) has brought something new and exciting to a city that needed to bring back its music scene. I am beyond honored…. to have been chosen to work such a festival. The experience I have been getting and the people that I have been working closely with are those contacts that will really help me live out my passion. I am only in the beginning stages to do what I want, but I will continue to work hard and push myself to really live out this dream. (Artist's playing "Orlando Calling" Bob Segier, The Killers, Civil Twilight, Kid Rock, Blake Shelton, O.A.R, The Pixies, and many more!!!)

The feeling a live festival brings to me is something I want to bring to millions one day; there really is nothing else like it.

While interning, I will be working at a local venue called “Taste” in college park. I am the “Social Media Manager & Events Promotion” (which mean I book all the talent and make sure all the sites are up-to-date). So far it has been a crazy but awesome first “real” job in the industry. It’s only part time for now, but it is something else to put on the resume, and work I actually love doing.

I am about a week away from graduating, and it blows my mind how fast time as really gone. I have a lot to look forward to here in the next couple months and I am excited to face these new challenges that life is about to throw my way.

One thing is for sure; I will stop at nothing to live out my dreams. I have come so far already, and only will continue to grow.

Financing....what?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:14:00 +0000

While there are many financing opportunities available in for small business, you need to be able to choice the correct one that would best benefit your business.

The OFN or Opportunity Finance Network- Specializes in helping low wealth and low-income people join the economic mainstream. They help all the rural and native markets get financing for there businesses. They believe that everyone should have access to the opportunities that others do. They want to help the local communities that are struggling and the future generations after that.

I think the OFN is an awesome concept. A lot of people struggle to find the right funding for their business. It’s great when companies like this that have the good values really believe in the upcoming of a community and will support other peoples ideas.

Another companies that is all for helping out is the AEO. Association for Enterprise Opportunity. They want to help those “underserved entrepreneurs” start their businesses. So far they have helped over 2 million entrepreneurs succeed in bringing there ideas to life.

There are many more along the same kind of lines that do the same work that these other two do. They all seem to have many of the same restrictions. Like being in the “hot zones” of rural areas that have high poverty and unemployment rates. Another thing while viewing these websites that seemed to be popular for being about to get help from these guys is “a new markets tax credit”, “bank enterprise awards”, “Native American” or “technical assistance”.

I think it is great that associations like this exist but then again what about all the other people out there that cant get finding for a business that can potentially help the community just because they are not of Native American decent or they dont live in a rural area? They also seem to take a good percentage, before they even decide to help out. It sucks, but those people that have nowhere else to go, what are they suppose to do? What about all the rest of the population? Shouldn’t there be “Small grants for students” or “People who just got fired after working at the same place for 15 yrs” I feel that the associations should broaden to whom they are willing to help out.

Of course there should still be some restrictions. It should be a legitimate idea, and have everything they need to prove it would work. But I don’t think that they should deny anyone just because they don’t match the “rural area” or what ever other restrictions these companies may have. In my opinion, we are all supposed to be helping each other better the communities and make more jobs. Lets start on that, and make the economy better again.

You must really want it.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 01:18:00 +0000

I learned a lot of valuable information from the experts in the field and the ones that I researched in the past. Start with the idea, and expand from that. That was great start to the business plan. I have had this idea for as long as I remember. I did my research, I made sure I had the correct information, and made sure that my business idea was unique and had the opportunity to stand out.

I made sure to look at the business plan in a “critical light” as Dave from Growthink had mentioned. Make sure to know the backgrounds, 100% believe that I am right for this venture. And after researching many things about this industry, I know that I am absolutely the right person for the venture. Whenever it comes to actually want to get investors for my Idea, how to find the right audience, proving that the idea will work, and having a marketing plan are all super important in landing the right investors for you.

Experts are really the way to go. Look at there past mistakes, and make sure you do not do the same thing. Make yourself believe that you are going to be successful, and know 100% of what you’re talking about and then you can pursue others to believe the same.

Having the idea in the dream is where you start, after that its all up to you to make it all a reality. You must know the right words and direction to push yourself in. Most of all DO YOUR RESEARCH. Know what you are getting your self into. You must really truly want it.

Banditt Productions

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:22:00 +0000

First off, I will give you a little background on what my company is and what I hope it to become. The company will be called “Banditt Productions” and here is the description.

“Banditt Productions, LLC, ensures that 100% of career management needs are taken care of for artists/musicians. Unlike most artist management companies, BP offers the total package, a 360 deal, which offers management, promotions and booking for the artists. By having one contract instead of multiple, the artists can focus on their musical careers, instead of the stress and confusion of having to manage many different contracts with different companies. Banditt productions will be taking a unique approach to this company by working primarily with indie female artists. With this concept it will be sure to expand the interest into a wider market for this genre. BP will be also focusing a lot on live entertainment and having many female driven music festivals throughout the year. The location for Banditt Productions will be in Orlando, FL, but will be able to work with bands/artists all through the United States.”

What sets me apart from my competition?

SWOT

Strengths- Having the unique 360-deal concept. A lot of bands to not know the first thing about how to get their careers off the ground. We will take care of everything for them to the promotional aspects of the industry to artist development. We want to make sure that they never stress out and focus 100% of their careers. We feel that because of this an artist will have the chance of getting further in their career.

Another, key strength is being female oriented. We know the amount of talent female artists have is amazing, and yet seem to be the lesser artist in most cases. Well, we are directing everything around the festivals and company being fully female oriented.

Weaknesses- Breaking into the music industry and having artists that are not that well known yet can be quite hard. There are hundreds of new companies each year that are trying to break in and sign the best artists. It may be a difficult task to get our name really out there and brand the company.

Another, major weaknesses is the location of where we will be basing our company. Orlando has not been the best place for the music scene, even though it is getting better there will be a lot of work to get recognized in the near future.

Opportunities- The Company Festival Republic will be now putting on an annual festival every year in Orlando, FL. This will be good for Banditt Productions because of the reputation that Festival Republic has. We could have the chance to either get some of our artists to play the festival or promote our company at the festival itself.

Secondly, there has been a sudden interest in more female artists. This could be good for Banditt Productions, considering many will have the style of Taylor Swift or other female indie-artists.

Threats- the declining of the industry in the past few years has hit hard, and we feel that it is harder for new artists to really get to the top. We do not want to be one of the companies that do not succeed because of this. This could be a cause to hold Banditt Production back from being successful.

A threat that could possibly push the company forward is the fact that we are branding ourselves differently. We are bringing new concepts that are new to the industry and that are something that has never really been done before.

Experts are the way to go.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:09:00 +0000

When starting a new business, you must first have the idea. Once that falls into place you have to do your research and create a business plan to allow yourself to get others interested in the company to hopefully invest. Many people out there are such experts in this field of creating the perfect business plan such as Donald Trump, Oprah, Kevin O’Leary and many more. The certain expert I will be discussing is the co-founder of Growthink “Dave Lavinsky” he is very successful and an expert in creating the perfect business plan and capital.

Growthink is a company that is geared towards helping other entrepreneurs become successful. They help anything thing from small new businesses to fortune 2,000 companies. I really enjoyed reading about Growthink, the company is all about positivity and integrity and is all about making sure they “get it done” and “get it done” right.

In a video about Growthink on the company website, David discusses many reasons about the importance and key components of developing a business plan. Some of those business plan basics he mentioned about investors and about how you must keep up to speed with the times. He mentioned that they look at business plans in a more critical light; they want to know your backgrounds, know that you are right for this idea. They are more likely to invest in YOU then your actual plan. You have to have the confidence that it will work, do your market research, and being 100% that if it makes sense for you to even start a business at this time.

Another important thing that really stuck out throughout the video, David said that you must do everything to convince the investor, really sell the idea to them. Find the right audience, what is the importance of the opportunity that would make them more interested in investing in your company. David also mentioned many times that no longer are business plans just an operational document, but a marketing plan, proving that the idea will work.

While studying David and Growthink, I learned many new great ideas about writing a business plan. Growthink would be a great company for a new start up business to look into, they really know what they are doing and most likely are going to be the reason for helping you get just the right investors for your certain company.

http://www.growthink.com/content/david-lavinsky-growthink-and-entreprenurship

http://feedroom.businessweek.com/?fr_story=a6be55484f395148180836b4e80cb8d042fb2c8e

The Social Media Storm

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Sun, 22 May 2011 17:13:00 +0000

The social media storm just keeps getting stronger and more demanded in the marketing world. Over the past two years social media has been one of the primary places to market a companies products. I only see this trend to continue as more items move digital and technology continues to take off.

There are many companies/ artists that have great strengths in the social media marketing fields, but there are a few who seem to be ahead of the game.

One of the best companies, that I have seen utilize social media so far is Zappos.com. Zappos is only an online retailer that sells mostly shoes, but clothes and some accessories as well. They are one company that really puts effort into making relationships with their customers, which really drives their successes. Zappos is using catchy and fun sayings to get you to be apart of their company. If you happen to go to their Facebook you will see such things as be in a “Like-Like relationship with us” making you want to like their page, not basically begging like some companies do. It makes you feel as though as you have that option to like them if you want to.

Some companies make you sign up for emails and such before you can like the Facebook page or other pages, here they just let you know that you will receive good deals and “exclusive content” if you would like to sign up for the email list. I really also enjoy the fact that you are able to share what you like about the company on the page. You get to see what others think about the company and really interact with other fans of Zappos.

I have to say the coolest thing, is the fact that they have the “fan of the week” which really engages users to interact with the company. Everyone likes to feel important and having that changes to have their picture on the page and have thousands of people see you is that little fifteen minutes of fame everyone wishes that they could have.

Zappos really knows how to engage the fans with the product and you can see that they take all of the feedback from the customers, constantly updating the social media sites to make the fans happy. It is so smart for a company to reach that “emotional connection” with the fans and really interact with them. This will only be positive and keep them coming back for more.

Please take my survey!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Sun, 22 May 2011 16:46:00 +0000

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Mon, 09 May 2011 02:35:00 +0000

Looking back when I was a MySpace fanatic, I would have never thought that there would be anything better than that. Now that MySpace is completely irrelevant and Facebook and Twitter has taken over the world, its crazy to think what is coming next. Twitter and Facebook have changed the marketing world as we know it. When promoting bands before I would walk around shopping malls, parking lots, and anywhere else that I could find people carrying hundreds of flyers, posters and anything else I could carry to get people to come to shows.

This is no longer the case, I mean sure there still is some guerilla marketing, but bands typically stay to the social networking sites to do most of it. I am going to talk about a good friends band of mine. The bands name is "Action Item" a year a ago, they were barley known, and didn't have quite the amount of fans and popularity as they do now. This is all due to digital marketing (and getting on good tours of course). Every day the band would be on their own personal social marketing websites along with the bands site constantly adding fans, talking to them personally, and relating to them in every way. Fans eat this up. They love the fact that a "band guy" they adore would be willing to talk to them and @ reply them on Twitter or comment them back on Facebook. The connection that the social networking sites brings is so ingenious.

The band is now being played in the top 10 on radio disney, going on even bigger tours and have there birthdays and band name a trending topic in the twitter community. They have built a community, not just a fan-base. These fans go all out for the band, making sure they purchase every single merchandise item, or song the band releases. Smart marketing? I think so. Everyone wants to feel important one way or another. This is the best digital marketing that I have ever seen done by a band before. I think it could even work with a product in certain ways. Constant interaction with the consumers is what is going to make or brake a lot of brands in the future. Twitter and Facebook have taken over the marketing world, and people need to jump on the boat before its too late.

Show people how much you want it.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 06:28:00 +0000

There is nothing like a dream. I have wanted to work in the music industry since I was 15 years old. Starting out bring a merch girl is so different from today. Tonight I had amazing talks with my great friend who is currently interning for the A&R rep from Atlantic Records and someone who has also started his own company. "Gold Coast Music Group" I really admire the fact that he has started this company and is living out his dreams.

There is so much to be said about the people that really make their dreams become a reality. I am not the type of person to ask for any favors. I am a firm believer in the type of people that are career driven, and know exactly what they want, and what they want to do with there lives. There is something to be said for this type of people. I am blown away daily with certain folks that really do want to make something of themselves in this business. It makes me happy because of the facts of how much I have done already, and how much I am willing to do.

I always admire the people with the most passion to live out their dreams. There is really something to be said for those who are busting ass interning for free 45 plus hours a week. It shows drive, passion, love for what they do and it really excites me, considering it is a rare quality. I know what I want and I will achieve it sooner than later. I am one of the hardest working people that I know, and I will stop at nothing to live out my dreams. I am beyond stoked about Orlando Calling, and cant wait to see what becomes of this.

"If you have to tell someone how bad you want it, then you havent showen them how hard you have already worked for it" John Mayor

Keep the ball rolling.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:15:00 +0000

These past 4 months have been insane. Opportunities, left and right. My internship at WFTV has just recently ended. I learned a lot from the experience. It was really crazy being in real life business meetings, working with clients and working events. I even got to be apart of a important training session that is required for most major entertainment companies. I have realized though, that my true passion still lies in music. Television was great, it really was. In the end it is just not for me. I don't have the drive and passion for it, to the extent I do, working in the music industry. It was good for me though, I learned a lot about sales & marketing, plus it is an amazing reference for my resume.

Last week I worked "Florida Music Festival" for the second year in a row. It was awesome seeing everyone that I worked with last year. This year instead of stage managing (which I loved) I did registration. It was really great being able to meet all the bands that were coming and signing in. Plus it got super hectic, it was nice to so this instead considering I got to see more bands play, instead of being stuck at one single venue the entire time. The industry panels had a lot of really important people speaking at them this year. I networked my butt off, I am now completely out of business cards, and got a lot of good contacts in return.

The one that I am most excited about is Melvin Benn, owner and creator of "Festival Republic". This company is the main company that puts on all the major festivals in Europe and is now currently bringing a festival to Orlando. The festival will be in the scale of ones here in the United States like Coachella and Bonnaro. Which is insanely huge for the Orlando music scene, it will be bringing in extremely big names and also be having around 70,000 music fans per day. Well, last week during FMF I got to speak to Melvin and Paul Lovett whom is also a big part of the festival. I got to have a meeting with him today, about how I wanted to contribute and work with the festival. It went REALLY well. I see good things coming from this in the near future. They are awesome people, and I am super excited about being apart of something this huge. All that I have been working for, I feel can finally pay off, and take me in the direction that I need.

I did miss going to class on campus, but now that I have returned, I realize that I have way too much on my plate right now, so I will be switching back online. I am a busy busy girl and am pushing myself for my dreams to become a reality. I am really hoping this opportunity with Orlando Calling goes somewhere. Until I know for sure, I am still meeting just the right people to further my career. It is crazy madness when you see things going great for you and everything you ever dreamed of.

Experts and Me.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:50:00 +0000

Eventually in the near future, I want to open my own business. I have wanted to ever since; I was 15 years old and started booking my own shows. I am very much a leader and would love to be my own boss someday. Back then, I didn’t really think about everything that I might encounter when I own my own business. After reviewing the 3 podcasts on iTunesU, I learned some very valuable information that will help me out in the future.

The first podcast I will be discussing is “The Music Law Podcast with Mark Quall” in this podcast he will discuss the information needed when signing an “artist/manager” contract. This was extremely useful information considering one of the main services my company will offer is artist management.

Right off the bat Mark made a really good point about how sure you must be about each other when signing the contract. He said that its almost like “getting married” you must trust each other fully and believe that one another will help each others career. Another great advice point Mark gave was the clause that allows a artist manager to sign other contracts on behalf of the artist. It is called a power of attorney. Though this is awesome there is some restrictions. Some may include a one-night contract for the artist to appear somewhere or play that would be okay. But for a manager wanting to sign something that would require the artist to go on a 3 month long tour that is not all right. Mark gave me a lot of good advice when it comes to signing contracts with an artist. I will be referencing his podcasts in the future when it comes to the point of signing contracts.

The next two podcasts are with Gordon P. Firemark, he does podcasts once a month called the “Entertainment Law Update”. The first podcast I listened to from Gordon is all about copyrights, trademarks, fair use and net profit suits. This is valuable to me in many ways. Copyrights are important for my artists to have and I need to know how to trademark my logo.

Gordon may a big point about artists copyrighting their work before the put it on the Internet. You don’t want to give someone the change to infringe your work before you can get it copyrights on it. It would be horrible to write a hit song, and then only have someone steal that song later on. He said it’s just a small fee so just do it before its too late! If you have a logo that you need to trademark than go through the process of searching if there is anything out there like yours, if not that register it! You want to make sure no one can copy this either. A trademark is important aspect of your company. You want to brand your company as much as possible. Having others know that seeing that certain logo, it is your work, and you get credit for it.

Lastly, in the second podcast Gordon discusses Idea theft. Something that has happened many times to many people, if you have an idea and this idea is worth patents then do it. It may come in to handy later down the line to make sure no one can copy your idea. He said that “idea theft is a tough road” and many have went down this in the past. Make sure your above the competition, and you have good followers so even if others copy you, you’ll still be on top. I learned a lot of valuable information in these podcasts. I will now use these to look back on for information when needed. It will take a lot of hard work to start my company. But I am ready for the long journey.

Practice makes perfect.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:58:00 +0000

I absolutely love learning. Its always great to find new ways of doing things. New ways of doing good business. Artist management is something that I have always been interested in as soon as I could remember. It really does help looking at what past managers did and did not do. I feel like if we do not look bad on history, we really will just repeat it, so case studies on past failures are always a great way to learn exactly what NOT to do when managing an artist. Putting together an proposal of an actual live concert event really shows all the work that goes into doing so. I was amazing at the cost of things, and how many people it would really take to put on an excellent concert. I can't wait to be doing so in the future.

It really is quite amazing how much artist and product management relate to each other. I never would have thought that they had so much in common to one another. Its good to, because I realize how much I really like product management, I never thought that would happen=)

Throughout my experience at Full Sail, I have had to make many presentations and business-planish type projects. I think it is great. It has really helped me show off my skills at my internship at ABC. I have had to put together presentations for them, for clients. They enjoy the fact that I know how to put together a good one fast and one that looks visually awesome. So Im glad that this months class, has us practice on making more keynote and presentations.

Practice really does make perfect. I hope to someday be an expert in my field, and be able to look back and see all the things that contributed to it. Plus, its awesome to have all these awesome projects that I have done on file. I really do hope to have one of the best artist management companies out there.

West Coast, East Coast....GOLD Coast Management

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Gold Coast management group is awesome new artist management company that is right here in Orlando, FL. The CEO and owner of the company is "Sean Sheahan" who is also the assistant to the very popular A&R Rep at Atlantic Records "Steve-o Robertson" founder of Paramore. Sean was very awesome about letting me come meet him and ask him a few questions about what it really takes to be an artist manager and everything I may need to know if I choose to follow this as a career.

Here are the questions that, I asked him during our meeting:

How long have you been an artist manager for?

Sean has been an artist manager for about 4 years now. Sean moved down here from Boston, MA to attend Full Sails Entertainment Business program. Shortly after graduation, Sean meet Steve from Atlantic Records and began meeting his connections through him. Sean made sure that I knew how important "networking" is. It was how he meet Steve in the first place. He just recently started Gold Coast Management this year and is doing very well.

How did you meet your connections?

NETWORKING!!!! It is honestly the best thing that you can do, Sean said. He always has a business card ready and is ready to give them to anyone who might be good for his career. He has worked and interned at many local events to make a lot of these connections.

How do you go about picking out a band that you would like to manager?

Sean said that it is slightly a long process. You have to make sure that the artist has some sort of a fan base already so that it is an easier transition when getting the management deal in place. Also he likes bands that use a lot of social networking sites, and really engages with there fans. "It really is the best thing you can do these days, fans love the emotional connection" (Sheahan) I totally agreed with that one. The best marketing for a band is word of mouth, if your great with your fans they will tell there friends and on and on...

How many bands are you managing now?

Currently Sean is managing 3 bands. All from different states. The newest member to the Gold Coast family is a band from Iowa, called 'The Anytime" whom has a really great "club rock" sense to there music, it is very catchy and he believes they will go really far. He is currently working on re-branding the band. Getting them a new photo-shoot and new layouts for there social networking sites. This is all to go along with there new album "Crave" that was just released on i-tunes. He is also currently booking them shows for a tour that will come through FL later this year.

If me and example of some of your duties as an artist manager?

Sean says you must have a true passion for this, because it is a lot of hard work. Most artists know nothings about branding themselves, getting there merch, booking tours, dealing with finances, booking hotels on the road, dealing with contracts of potential labels or other clients such as MTV, that may want to use a song on a TV show. So since the artist knows nothing about any of this it is all up to the artist manager. It can be very time restraining and stressful he let me know. "You are the go-to guy" Sean, said. He let me know that you got to be ready to work hard and be keept on your toes at all times.

This was a really great experience for me to sit down with Sean, and learn a little more about the management process. I am really glad that I now have him as a contact and will be able to ask him any questions I may have about the management process. I am really excited to continue to learn more about this, because I am really hoping to be an artist manager one day.

Business cards really do come in handy.

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:35:00 +0000

On Monday this week, I went to visit the lady I will be interning for Sherill Gall. Waking up more than 2 hours early, making sure I had the best possible outfit (probably the most professional dress I have ever worn) I was more excited and nervous then I possibly have ever been. Lucky, it was only about a 10 minute drive, with barley any traffic at all. I drove up to the building, in big letters it said " Channel 9 ABC" I snapped a picture of it, uploaded it to my Facebook/twitter excited that I was finally there!

I took a deep breath and got out of my car, went inside to the front desk to check in. It took about 10 minutes for the secretary to even get me checked in and finally call Sherill down to come and get me. She took my picture and my license, and I got a visitor badge ID (cant wait for the real one). Waiting impatiently in the lobby, Sherill finally came down to get me! I gave her a firm handshake and introduced myself, she was very kind and seemed very excited that I would be interning for her. We went up to her office and pulled up my internship papers that the school sent her for me, then asked me to tell her a little about me. I normally really hate this question, I mean how do I sum up my life and show how enthusiastic and passionate I am about this career path in about a paragraph? I took a deep breath and just let my personality shine through. I feel as though I nailed it, I was very likable, and made sure to mention all my past accomplishments and why I wanted to intern there. (It helped that I did research on the company before hand)

She started, to explain to me all what the job would entail. She let me know that this is my internship and I will get what I put into it. I will mostly be working with the sales/marketing department, attending meetings with clients, selling media to different outlets, doing marketing plans and other certain events. Sherill does want me to explore all areas though, making sure I intern with account executives and the production crew, she let me know that she does this because she wants her interns to get the most out of the internship as we can also, she has actually hired her last 4 interns to work for her. Talk about awesome. Seeing the studio and everything that I would be doing made me wish that it was January 10th already! I am really excited and need to go out and buy some more professional clothing! I will be attending real business meetings, I need to also look the part!

Needless to say, it was an awesome experience for my first day there. I am really excited to work with Sherill and learn about working for a company like abc.

On to some more good news......Last night, I went to a local show at the plaza in downtown Orlando. My good friends that I have been friends with since I moved here, had their first shows last night. I was stoked enough that I would be seeing my extremely good friends play, I had no clue what would be coming next. I was waiting in line for a drink, and started talking to a guy about the show, then we got on to the topic of what I do and go to school for. To my surprise he ended up being the V.P. and A&R representative of Atlantic Records. He was really awesome and I enjoyed our conversation, thankfully I had my newly made business cards on hand. I will continue from now on to NEVER leave the house with out them. I mean hey! You never know who your going to meet. Good first impressions with everyone is a must, these people could just be the tool you need to truly live out your passion.

I am happy things are falling into place, I am excited to see where the next couple months take me.

Until then...

Sarah McNeal

A little good karma!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:39:00 +0000

A bit stoked on life at the moment, this has officially been one of the best weeks of my life. I went for a job interview yesterday, I need a little extra cash to start saving up for when after I graduate. I killed the interview, and stayed after talking to the owner of the store (Beard Papas/Haggen Dazs), she hired me on the spot! We talked about the actual position that I would be doing, and also if I could help her with her social media marketing, which I get payed additional for.

She wants me to basically plan the entire grand opening of the store. I get a budget, have to contact multiple media outlets, set up a foursquare and twitter, and get to find the entertainment and come up with certain deals/promotional campaigns that they can start marketing! Really excited to work for a boss that is open to new ideals, and where I can add my creative ideas to her restaurant. Yesterday was awesome to say the least.

Today, almost even better. I got an email back about the internship I applied for at Channel 9 ABC. Accepted! I get to meet with her Monday to talk about all the details of what the internship will entail. She also seems very laid back and relaxed, she was open about the hours I would work and how long I wanted to stay at the position. Its a position for sales & marketing and online social media. I can't WAIT to learn about what I truly want to. Plus, its at a television station, I get to explore my newly found intrest. (she did mention a lot about nelson ratings) I so excited, so sorry if I seem overwhelmingly happy. I just really like when things go how I want them to, and especially if they involve my passion. More info on the internship after Mondays meeting.

Until then....I'm high on life=)

Sarah Mcneal

The Walking Dead, should we be worried?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Elizabeth McNeal) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 05:26:00 +0000

Okay. First off, I would like to welcome you to my crazy never ending journey on my road to success. I have been involved in the music industry since I was 15 years old, managing, booking, being a house mom, anything I could possibly do to be apart of the industry I love so much. I finally took the leap and enrolled in a school that finally offered a degree that would not bore me to death.

Two years have passed and I have learned an incredible amount of stuff that I originally didn't know about the Entertainment industry....like my love for television, the production behind it, and my obsessive compulsion to constantly check nelson ratings. I even recently subscribed to Entertainment Weekly newsletter (and bythenumbers.com is number 2 on most viewed) I really never thought that I would find a love for something this much in a industry that I once knew absolutely nothing about. Don't get me wrong, I still have a great passion for working in music. There is nothing like seeing your favorite live band, the feeling you get (well at least the feeling I get) cannot be replaced by anything in the world, but can you live out two passions that are pretty different from each other? I'm a bit torn on that.

Besides my crisis, I recently have found a new favorite show on television "The Walking Dead". It's brillant, the cinematography is insanely beautiful, the acting is on spot, the writing is creative and surprisingly orignal and not to mention the nelson ratings for AMC are at the highest they have ever been for an original television show. Why! On earth would you want to change anything?!?

Well, today I read a very displeasing article about the creator, Frank Darabont, firing his entire writing staff! Um, hello! You have 13 new episodes that you need to start writing, plus if it's gold don't change it! Ever since I have got into television, I have been disappointed with more than half of the shows that the networks have been throwing our way, finally something amazing, coming from an amazing comic book. Is it really smart for Darabont to fire his entire writing staff, after a super successful first season? Obviously, NO! But apparently he is known for being hard to work with, and from now on wants to only hire 'freelance' writers for the show. I see some angry people in the writers guild, dont you!? I'm not exactly sure where this will all end up. Hopefully the show will not just be another disappointment next season. I know I'll be watching for more news on what happens with the show.

Hopefully I'll also be able to make up my mind on what I love more. Any advice? Can you have two passions and pursue them both?

Until next time, watch "The Walking Dead" if you haven't, you won't be disappointed. Especially if you love Syfy geeky stuff as much as I do.

Sarah Elizabeth McNeal