Memoirs of L.A.

Final Thoughts - "The Year in 13 Months"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 07:42:00 +0000

"The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed in these two: common-sense and perseverance." 

Owen Feltham

Final Thoughts
The Entertainment Business Masters Program was a very interesting, educational and a challenging experience. After a year of hard work, sleepless nights and sacrifice, all I can say is that it was worth every step of the way. There were times where I wanted to stop because of how everything in life becomes too much to handle, however, I did not give up because I knew that this was my future. One of the things that this program taught me was how to become stronger as a person because it made me dig a little deeper within myself to find that strength to persevere and step up to the challenges that life may bring.

From this program, I learned so many things from how to become a successful leader to how to put a business plan together. Each class having it’s own set of challenges that was always thrown at me giving me the opportunity to grow and improve as a person. All the instructors were helpful with some being more helpful than others. Despite all this however, each one of them taught me something new that made me more knowledgeable about the business and myself. I am thankful that I did this program and learned so much from my classmates and instructors. I’m glad I did this because I feel empowered to succeed and do great things in the industry.

Month 11 - Mobile Marketing and Commerice - ""Putting Everything Together"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 07:13:00 +0000

"The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today."

- Elbert Hubbard

Class Reflection

The Business Plan Development Class was a great class because it taught me how to put a business plan together. We finally were able to put everything we worked hard for in the past year in our plan. As for our leadership project, we had to write a paper in which we examine and summarize what two business experts had to say regarding business plans.

In doing this assignment, I chose to write about Guy Kawasaki and Jim Blansingame because of their knowledge and reputation in the business World. In looking into these two business experts, Guy Kawasaki is a venture capitalist that is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures and a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. As a very influential businessperson he is known to be a notable speaker and has written numerous business books such as The Art of the Start, and Selling the Dream. Similarly, Jim Blasingame is another recognized business expert who has extensive knowledge of business. As an expert, Jim Blasingame is one of the world’s foremost experts on small business and entrepreneurship. He was ranked by google as the number one small business expert in the world. In addition to that, James Blasingame is an author, keynote speaker, syndicated columnist and president of the media company, Small Business Network, Inc.

In writing and learning about Jim Blasingame and Guy Kawasaki both men have similar opinions and have provided great insight into writing a good one. One of the similarities they have is that they both value the importance of creating a business plan. Jim Blasingame says that creating a business plan helps bring about an objective mentality that gives a realistic view of a business whether its good or bad. On the other hand, Guy Kawasaki values a business plan because of the fact that it helps solidify objectives, strategies and tactics of a business. Another similarity they have is that both experts believe in creating a strong niche for their company in their business plan for the industry they are going for. In looking at their opinions, Guy Kawasaki believes that business people should make meaning for their business and provide a unique product or service that has a high value to a customer in their plan. On the other hand, Jim Blasingame expound on the idea that the way you deliver a product or service to people can make your business unique and that one should know the business infrastructure you need in order to deliver that service to people in your business plan.

In reading about these experts, I plan to incorporate what I learned from them in my business plan. One of the things that I will incorporate in my business plan is Jim Blansingame’s strong view on creating a strong market research section in a business plan. The reason being is because of the fact that in doing so it can show and illustrate to investors that there is a market for my company in the industry and that I have done my homework and research on my company’s market. Similarly, I also plan to include Guy Kawasaki’s idea in weaving a solid business MAT (Milestone, Assumption, and Tasks). The reason being is because of the fact that having solid milestones, realistic assumptions and objective tasks can help my company succeed. Moreover, I plan to incorporate Guy Kawasaki’s idea of creating a solid niche for my company in my plan by providing a unique service that has high value to target customers. This way, investors can see that my company has a place in the entertainment industry as a film production company.

All in all, this class and leadership assignment taught me a great deal of how Business plans play an important role in starting a business. The reason why business plans are important is because of the fact that they can help you get financing for your business, and in addition to that acts as an outline of whom you are and what the purpose of your business is. Moreover, business plans are created so that it helps explain and illustrate the business idea you have to others and persuade them to help you create that business.

Month 11 - Mobile Marketing and Commerice - ""Putting Everything Together"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 06:52:00 +0000

“The mobile phone is the gateway to an individual.”

– Tom Davis, Kenneth Cole

Class Reflection

Mobile Marketing and Commerce was a class where it taught us students the ways in which we can utilize the mobile industry as a marketing media tool to advertise our company. For our leadership project, we had to conduct a survey in which we had to survey people consisting the following questions:

1. What is your occupation?

2. Sex and age?

3. Do you currently own a mobile device?

4. Who is the primary user of your cell phone? What do you look for in a cell phone?

5. What would you like your cell phone or mobile device to do that is not currently do?

6. Which cell phone features do you struggle with using and what improvements would you like to see?

7. How do you feel about mobile advertising overall?

8. How do you feel when you receive unsolicited advertising on your cell phone? What if it is a coupon or discount for a place where you are shopping?

9. What do you primarily use your mobile device for?

10. Why did you choose your provider? What are your reasons for staying with them?

In doing this survey the main purpose of it is to address how the participants of the survey utilize mobile technology and how the information can be used for AXL Entertainment’s business ventures. In gathering the answers for the questionnaire, opinions of each participant vary and interesting insights were provided in how consumers use mobile technology.

In analyzing the survey, a lot of things can be seen in how mobile phones play a vital role in people’s lives and how AXL Entertainment can use this information in order to apply it to it’s business plan. In looking through the information, one thing I learned that is very important is that most of the participants careless about mobile marketing because they find it very annoying and irrelevant to what they need. In addition to that, they ignore it because they receive so many that they either ignore it, or delete it. In learning about this information, AXL Entertainment plans to do three things that will separate us from competition and maximize our use of mobile marketing. The first thing that AXL Entertainment plans to do is to gather information on our target market so that this way we know what kind of marketing will work or will not work. In addition to that, it will also help us determine where to post our advertisements that will get the most visits and views by our consumers. This is an important step because of the fact that it can help with the next step in which AXL Entertainment will create an interactive and engaging advertisement so that people can get involve and participate in our campaigns. The reason why creating good content is important is because of the fact that survey participants state that most of the time they ignore mobile advertisement because it was either annoying, irrelevant or uninteresting. If AXL Entertainment can create good content for its mobile advertisements then it can bring in more people to participate in our campaign. Last but not least, AXL Entertainment will create a fast way for people to opt-in or opt-out in our advertising campaign. This way we are not intrusive and can garner more people to participate.

All in all, the different opinions of each subject provided insight in the consumer use of mobile technology. In addition to that, the leadership portfolio assignment proved to be useful and is something that can be utilized in AXL Entertainment’s marketing campaign. Moreover, the class itself empowered me with knowledge of how the mobile industry can impact my business and help it succeed.

Month 10 - Internet Marketing and Web Search Opt - "The Power of the Internet"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 06:15:00 +0000

Internet Marketing

“Today’s marketing success comes from self-publishing Web content that people want to share. It’s not about gimmicks. It’s not about paying an agency to interrupt others.”
- David Meerman Scott

Web search opt

“SEO is a marketing function for sure, but it needs to be baked into a product, not slapped on like icing after the cake is baked.”
- Duane Forrester

Class Reflection

Internet Marketing and Web Search Opt was an interesting class because it taught us how we can maximize the search of our business online and market it successful online too. It was a class where we were taught how to strategize and develop successful marketing for our business so that we’re able to compete in the industry. For our leadership project, we had to write an article for the class blog, which demonstrates your professionalism, experience and expertise. The article we had to write can be on any topic related to digital media and the entertainment industry. Moreover we had to post it to the class blog.

In doing my the leadership project, I wrote the article written below:

INTERNET (R)EVOLUTION: THE PROS AND CONS OF THE INTERNET

Throughout history, the way information has been managed, shared and retrieved has tremendously improved a lot. In the past, information was sent and received through word of mouth, and documented on print such as newspapers and books. Then as time pass by technology has involved in a way in which it allowed information to be spread through ways such as the radio and television. In the last few years when the Internet came a long, the way information was distributed, organized, and stored has revolutionized the way in which people can access information. It raises questions of whether the Internet has diminished our ability to think critically or are we more informed than previous generations or possibly both? In looking in how the Internet has affected society, it can be seen that there is two sides to this argument.

In one hand of this argument, people argue that the Internet in some way has diminished our ability to think critically because of the fact that it distracts people from their main focus and limits their ability to concentrate. The reason why they argue this is because of the fact that there is so much information available on the Internet that one can access them really quickly at any time. Most of the time, the information on the web is for entertainment and social purposes. Some examples of these kinds of entertainment and social sites are Facebook, Myspace, Hulu, and Twitter. This concern is understandable because sometimes when people do work, they can easily be sucked into another website totally irrelevant to what their doing, hence slowing their progress down with their work. In an interview with Maggie Jackson written by Brandon Keim at Wired.com titled, Digital Overload is Frying Our Brains, Ms. Jackson points out that when one gets on the Internet and gets distracted, “ The degree of interruption is correlated with stress and frustration and lowered creativity.” Meaning that when we get on the Internet and don’t focus, we have less focus, which in turn affects how we think creatively, and critically.

On the other hand, the Internet has really revolutionized in how we all obtain information. In an article written by Steven Pinker titled, Mind Over Mass Media, he points out that, “The Internet and informational technologies are helping us manage, search and retrieve our collective intellectual output at different scales, from Twitter and previews to e-books and online encyclopedias.” In which it proves that the Internet is not making us stupid or lazy in a way, but instead makes us smarter and progressive. In a way, the Internet allows us to take inspiration from others and use it to create new ideas. Similarly, the Internet has allowed us to spread news fast so that news of events, and very important information are distributed to people right away. Like for example there are websites like CNN.com, Foxnews.com and ABCnews.com that provide news that people need to know to keep inform of what’s happening in the world around them. In which in a way helps people keep informed and prevent them to becoming ignorant. If it weren’t for the Internet and news sites we wouldn’t know anything about the presidential campaign, or about latest happenings like the BP Oil Spill.

All in all, the Internet is a very useful tool that allows us to manage, share, and retrieve information. In my opinion, I think that the Internet has really helped us become smart and move forward as a society. However, the way a person utilizes the power of the Internet is the factor that determines whether or not it’s beneficial to them or harmful.

Source:

Pinker, Steven. (2010, June 10). Mind over mass media. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/opinion/11Pinker.html

Keim, BRandon. (2009, February 06). Digital overload is frying our brains. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/02/attentionlost/

About the Author:

Amron Lopez is a filmmaker currently living in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from Full Sail University with Bachelors in Film. He currently is pursuing his Masters in Entertainment Business and actively interning at various entertainment companies to further his knowledge of the entertainment industry. You can view Amron’s blog on http://memoirsofla.blogspot.com/ and follow him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/AmronXLopez.

In doing this class and leadership assignment, I learned so much about how to create a website and maximizing the online search of my business and marketing it. I learned strategies and ways in which I can make my business productive online. Furthermore, this class gave me a deeper understanding of the internet can have an impact on any business endeavor.

Month 9 - Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution - "The How to Publish and Distribute Your Own Business"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 05:17:00 +0000

Media

“The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”

–Malcolm X

Distribution
"America... an economic system prouder of the distribution of its products than of the products themselves."
-Murray Kempton

Class Reflection

Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution was a class that taught us student about the different forms of media publishing and the different mediums in which we can distribute our work. It was a class that really got us involve in learning about issues that affect media publishing and distribution such as piracy and social media. For the leadership project, we were to write a formal business strategy in which we can digitally self-publish, promote, distribute and merchandise our own work.

In writing my formal business strategy, I included sections such as a mission statement, executive summary, company description, product/service, manufacturing and distribution, marketing and promotions and a conclusion. I also described in details my marketing and promotions of my business in my business strategy which included my company website, print media, broadcast media, online advertising, advertising specialties, informal marketing and networking. In doing so I want for my company to be able to advertise itself and be able to distribute my company’s work worldwide without relying on a major firm to distribute and publish my work.

In doing this activity and taking the class I learned that knowing how to publish your own work and distribute it could help your business save so much money. Having the ability to publish your own work and distribute it also gives you more power and creativity to do more without having to rely on a major publishing firm or distribution company.

Leadership 6

My 6^th leadership activity was the Gavert Atelier Salon Event called the “Mother’s Day On the Go Beauty Event.” This event was basically an event held at the Gavert Atelier Salon where stars enjoyed beauty treatments, cocktails and tunes by DJ Taryn Manning in the Beverly Hills salon. I got this gig because my friend was a publicist at Live Loyal PR whom sponsored and arranged this event. As one of the worker for the event, I assisted in helping set up for the event and making sure that gift bags were also given. However, the main job that I was given was to escort celebrities around the salon, give them a tour and tell them about the brand and products, and make sure that photographers got a picture of them. Some of the celebrities I escorted during the event were Naturi Newton and Rex Lee. I enjoyed this opportunity because of the fact that I was able to meet many celebrities and actually do a publicist job. Moreover, it allowed me to demonstrate my ability to communicate, practice social skills and network with different industry people.

2nd Annual Mother's Day Event - "On The Go Beauty" Pictures

Candance Cameron and her Daughter

Rex Lee from Entourage

Helena Mattson, Kayla Ewell and Naturi Newton

Sponsor

Tarynn Manning as the event DJ

Tarynn Manning

Me and Rex Lee (Lloyd from Entourage)

Me working the event. I'm in the picture, you just need to find me.

Bella Thorne from Big Love

Month 8 - Advance Entertainment Law - "The Legal Aspect Of a Business"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 04:08:00 +0000

“No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it”

Theodore Roosevelt

Class Reflection

Entertainment Law was a class that taught us students the legal aspects of any business. It’s a class that taught the legal affairs that are involve when starting a business. As for this class, we had to do a leadership assignment in which we had to research potential legal counsel for our Business Plan Development Company and interview them. In addition to that we were to look for an attorney who has the necessary education and skills to assist us with our business endeavor. In choosing whom to interview for my project, I chose to interview Mark Schneider.

Mark Schneider is an attorney at Costa Abrams and Coate, LLP. As an Entertainment Attorney, Mark Schneider’s practice focuses on film and television. However, his main job is to deal with producers of film and television shows. In his line of job, he oversees legal documents such as creating the company entity, cast contracts, crew contracts, and distribution contracts. Also if there were any legal matter he would be the person that the producer calls to ask advice from. Like for example he worked on films like Extract and Monster in which he took care of any legal paper works and issues. In his company some of his previous clients include but are not limited to Lucy Liu ("Ally McBeal," "Charlie’s Angels"), Bob Marley Music, LLC, The Black Eyed Peas, Pissant Productions/Amy Sommer.

In interviewing Mark, we discussed different topics about entertainment law and production companies. One of the topics we discussed about is the relationship that an attorney has with his clients, in specific the ones he has with Television and film producers. In discussing this topic, Mark explained that you really have to try to keep a positive relationship with your clients because most of the time you don’t deal with them in person. Due to everyone’s busy schedule, most of the time, you deal with through emails, and phone calls. As an entertainment attorney, his job is to make sure that I get what my clients need so that they can avoid legal issues. Moreover, your relationship with each client will be different from one client to another because each one has different needs. He stresses on the fact that it’s important to try to keep a good relationship with clients.

In talking to Mark, Another topic I discussed with him is how an attorney works clients. In talking about this, Mark explained that he works with his clients by doing anything they need done legally in regards to things like business matters, intellectual property law, contracts and agreements. However most of the time, clients come to them with the agreements that have been negotiated and all they have to do is put on paper as a contract. Also, depending on the project and difficulty of what they have to do that determines the prize of how much clients have to pay.

In my interview with Mark, an important part of our discussion that I really enjoyed discussing with Mark had to do with the subject of Intellectual properties. When I asked him what he considers a production company’s intellectual property and ways to protect it. He responded by saying that from his experience in working as a Entertainment Attorney what he considered important intellectual property for production companies are Logos and script. In regards to protecting a logo, he said that you should get a trademark protection for it so that no one can use it or steal. Then in protecting scripts, he said that production companies usually get it copyrighted. However, there are usually terms in which it agreements are made upon. But it differs from each contract.

Moreover, When I asked him how he assist production companies in obtaining rights to scripts. Mark explained that there are 2 ways in which he comes in and help out. The first way is basically the producer goes out and negotiates with the writer about getting the rights to script and then goes to him to give him the information about the agreement so that he can put it in contract. Then the second way is for the producer to go to the entertainment attorney and ask him to go do the negotiation and processing of the agreement. Mark also mentioned that the time it takes to obtain rights to a script varies for each one.

In addition to this, Mark also gave me advice about starting my own production company. He stated that I should learn as much as possible from different people to get ideas and inspiration from then. In addition to that, he stresses on getting an attorney because they will help you deal with legal matters and avoid legal issues. Last but not least, Mark stressed on being strong and never giving up because it’s a very tough industry.

All in all, I felt that this leadership project and the interview with Mark was a really good learning experience. I learned a lot from talking to Mark and in listening to what he had to say. The topics we discussed really opened my eyes and provided me valuable information that would be really useful to me in starting my company. After talking to Mark, I feel that the knowledge he gave me would really be useful because of the fact that there’s so much legal aspect involved with starting a business and acquiring materials for a project.

Month 7 - Product and Artist Management - "The Business of Managing Others"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 03:29:00 +0000

Britney Spears and her Manager

Class Reflection

Product and Artist Management was another favorite class that I had during the program. It was a great class because it made me realize that talent management is one of the things I might want to do as a career in the entertainment industry. For this class we had to do a leadership project where we had go out into the community and search-out a bonafide artist manager or product manager (someone who is earning a living in these fields), interview the manager with questions appropriate to the topic, and then submit a multimedia presentation detailing important aspects of management that will serve as valuable lessons for us all. However, due to such a busy with school, work and my internships, I wasn’t able to schedule an interview with a manager. So instead of interviewing a manager I asked the instructor if it was ok to interview the agent that I worked with, April Tombs, because agents are one of the closest people that mangers work with. In addition, April, as an agent can provide me insights of her experience dealing with the different types of managers. After pitching the idea, the instructor agreed and I was able to interview April Tombs.

The reason why I chose April Tombs is because she is a successful brand and talent agent in ICM and has a lot of experience with dealing with talent managers. Her experience at ICM will allow me to get insight on how it’s like to work with talent managers from an agent’s perspective. She is the perfect person to interview because of her experience in the industry. She has worked with many celebrity clients, which include, Audrina Patridge from MTV’s hit show “The Hills,” Dianna Agron from “Glee,” Beyonce and Megan Fox. Past projects she worked on are as followed:

Beyonce’s world concert tour called “I Am…” in 2009

Megan Fox’s Armani campaign.

Audrina Patridge clothing brand projects.

Dianna Agron’s “U” by Kotex campaign.

In doing the interview with April, I learned that talent agents are people that work closely with artist managers. That both the manager and agent are key people to making an artist’s career successful in the entertainment industry. In addition to that, I learned that agents find jobs for the artist while managers guide their careers and give them advice. Last but not least, I learned that there is a gray area between the manager and agent where they sometimes have to do each other’s duties. Like for example, sometimes a manager finds an artist a job and asks the agent to do the negotiating. Another example is when an agent handles all the travel booking for artists when in reality it’s the manager’s job.

The interview also made me realized that being a talent agent and artist manager can be both very challenging jobs. It made me realize that both requires so brain power in order to do because it incorporates so much skills. Not only do you have to deal with different people but you also need to multi task and manage multiple clients at a time. It made me realize that both jobs are very demanding jobs that occupy a lot of time because of the workload. However, their also jobs that are satisfying and allows you to work with different kinds of people each day.

All in all, the class was very informative and I was able to learn a lot about talent management. Likewise, the class sparked my interest in talent management because of the challenges the job brings. The reason why I am interested in doing it is because of the fact that I like the idea of helping an artist become successful by guiding their careers. I feel that I can totally do the job because of my knowledge and experience in working with agents, publicists and producers here in Los Angeles. In working with these people I have gained valuable skills such as my ability to multi task, be organize, and network that will help me in become a good artist manager.
Leadership 5

The other internship I got besides the one from ICM was from the Anderson Public Relations Group internship. The Anderson Group is a Public Relations firm is owned by Liza Anderson and is a well known public relations group known for their clients such as Eva Longoria, Michael Emerson, Ashley Bell and Kari Matchett. They are basically a firm that handles the image and publicity of clients. As an intern there I helped them pitch clients to magazines and other entertainment media outlets, help publicist’s assistants, and write client bios. In addition to that, I also was one of the interns who trained the new interns. I was put in that position because they felt that they could trust me to train new interns. As one of the intern trainers, I helped and showed the new interns how to pitch clients to different entertainment mediums, do pitch and secure, write client bios and use the different programs that publicist use such as Cision, Bacons, and Outlook. Moreover, I was the to go to person every time interns have questions. This internship was a great opportunity because it allowed me to learn about public relations and the role of publicist in an actor’s career. At the same time it allowed me to lead others and teach them the ins and outs of public relations.

Month 6 - Negotiation and Deal Making

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 22:13:00 +0000

Negotiation

"In business, you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate."

- Chester L. Karrass

Deal Making

"The art of deal is simple. You have to do the best for your client but at the same time you don't want to upset the person on the other side. After all, deal is just the first step."
- Mark Markson

Class Reflection

Negotiation and Deal Making was another class that I found very interesting because of the fact that it applied to the career I wanted to take up as either a Motion Picture Talent Agent or Talent Manager. For our leadership project, we were given two options and the option I chose was to go negotiate outside of class by creating a situation in which it relates to my future career plans, and then write a 2 to 4 page paper about my experience and write about what I learned about myself and about negotiating.

For this assignment I decided to negotiate with a colleague named Tom Keeling because he’s a producer’s assistant at Parks McDonald Company. The reason why I chose him is because of the fact that he wants to be a producer and I wanted to be an agent. In addition to that I chose this assignment because Agents and Producers play an important role in the Entertainment Industry. When making a movie, one of the things that need to be negotiated is how much actors are going to get paid in doing the film. In this kind of negotiation, a producer and an agent will negotiate and make a deal with each other in terms of how much money an actor will get for filming the movie and the terms of the contract.

For the negotiation situation we did, I negotiated as an agent with producer Tom Keeling the contract and pay of one of the actors I manage in the movie he is producing. In negotiation my goal is to make sure that I get the asking amount that my talent wants and make sure that there is no irregularity in our agreements. In addition to that we are also negotiating the accommodations for my actor while filming the movie and the promotional activities that the actor is required to do.

The negotiation overall went fairly well. When we first started, I began by first welcoming and thanking him for taking time to do this meeting. After that we began by first discussing the price amount that my actor wants for starring in his film. We had a disagreement in this part because my client wants two million to star in this film and Tom was only offering five hundred thousand, which was not enough. I explained to Tom that my client’s value is high because of the fact that he has previously starred in high paying movies before and is one of Hollywood’s fast rising stars. Tom in return stated that it was an independent film and that it was low budget that he can only offer five hundred thousand. He stated that the director and the actor insisted on working together in this project and that he’s just trying to work it out. I understand the predicament he was in and we started collaborating on other possible solutions. After a long discussion, we ended up making a deal where my actor gets five hundred thousand dollars for making this film and in addition to that a 7% cut of the film’s overall gross profit. After settling the amount my client receives for making the film, we went over the contract. In addition to that also discussed about the accommodations my actor will get while filming this movie such as a lodging while filming on location, travel expenses, and food. This part went smoothly and no disagreement had occurred. Likewise, when I asked about what he needed from my actor when it comes to promoting the film, we didn’t disagree in anything and all I asked was that we include accommodations for the actor too if he was to promote the film outside of the US. This also went smoothly and no disagreements occurred. In the end of the negotiation we went over the contract agreement and double-checked that we were on the same page. After that we summed it all up and finalized the deal.

In taking this class and doing the leadership assignment, I learned a lot about negotiating and how to make deals. I learned that negotiation is something that takes knowledge and great communication, and strategizing skills in order to do. It’s something that takes time to practice and develop. The leadership assignment negotiation I did made me realize that when you do careful research/preparation, control your emotions, and keep in mind the five core concerns, that you can have a successful negotiation. In addition to that, assignment taught me that negotiation is a two way street and that it’s not only about you but also the other person you are negotiating with. It made me see that negotiation is not a battle between two people but a team effort to reach a collaborative solution to a problem. Last but not least, I learned that negotiation is something that is very important to develop because it’s something that is useful in every aspect of our lives.

Leadership 4

The fourth leadership activity I did was with ICM. During the past month, my internship with Revelations Entertainment ended and I had to look for a new internship. I interviewed for a couple places and ICM was one of the two places that hired me. Just for background information, ICM is a major talent and literary full service agency that represents creative and technical talent in the fields of motion pictures, television, music, publishing, live performance, branded entertainment and new media.

In working at ICM, I found myself surrounded by people in the industry who deal with big names in Hollywood. I also found out that some of our clients included Megan Fox, Ellen Degeneres, Zoe Saldana and Mickey Rourke, just to name a few. As one of the interns, I was hired to work in the Global Branded Entertainment, and my job was to help out the assistants in the office and help with project initiatives they were doing. During my first month there, I worked hard and helped a lot in project initiatives. In addition to that, I was always putting together presentations for them and research. Then after 3 weeks, the department coordinator, Sally wanted to speak with me because she wanted to discuss about my work ethics. She said that she was impressed because of the fact that I always took initiative, worked hard, and rose above the situation compared to the other interns, that she wanted to ask me if I wanted to intern as an Agent’s assistant. The reason being was because April Tomb’s who was one of the main Branding agents didn’t have an assistant and wanted an intern to help her out with project initiatives and be her intern assistant. Sally was asked to choose an intern and she chose me because of my potential. I was so surprise because I didn’t expect that and I only been there for a couple of weeks. In the end of that conversation, I said yes to the offer and from then on I was April’s intern assistant who helped her out. Though, this may not appear like a leadership position, the fact that I displayed leadership skills and characteristics such as working hard, taking initiative and rising to the occasion showed to them that I had potential and rewarded me with a promotion.

Month 5 - Global Entertainment Business Strategy - " The Entertainment Business Oversea"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:38:00 +0000

In any business endeavor, a strategy is important because:

"[strategy is] a mental tapestry of changing intentions for harmonizing and focusing our efforts as a basis for realizing some aim or purpose in an unfolding and often unforeseen world of many bewildering events and many contending interests. [Its aim was] to improve our ability to shape and adapt to unfolding circumstances, so that we (as individuals or as groups or as a culture or as a nation-state) can survive on our own terms."

- John R. Boyd

Without a business strategy, it can affect your business in a negative way.

Class Reflection

Global Entertainment Business Strategy is an interesting class because it taught me how to strategize for expanding my market to other countries. It was a class that taught us students the value of learning about other cultures and how businesses differs from one country to another. For this class, we had a leadership assignment where we had to view a 30 to 60 minute podcast, webcast, video, or film related to the business. Then we had to provide a summary of the information of the video and give insign to how we could incorporate the information to our business strategy or career. In doing this assignment I decided to view a video seminar titled, Protecting Your Intellectual Property- The Policies and Technologies for Managing Risks, which discussed about the different policies and technologies that goes into helping assists businesses and individuals with protecting their intellectual properties.

In writing about the issue of piracy, I wrote about how piracy is a global problem that many businesses face. That it is an issue where intellectual properties are being stolen and used for the personal gain of others. How it is a problem that has greatly affected the different business aspects in the entertainment industry especially for production companies like the one I aspire to create. I also discussed the many consequences that piracy may bring about which includes but is not limited to loss in money, tax revenues and jobs. Also, in watching the video seminar, the discussion about piracy and intellectual properties was the most appealing as it provided insight on how it could affect my business and protect it from piracy. It brought to light different issues about intellectual properties, regulations and made me reflect about my business model when it comes to protecting not only my films but business as well. All in all, I thought that the video seminar was a good learning experience.

In taking this class, I learned so much about strategizing and preparing my business for marketing in other countries. This class taught me now to value people from other cultures and prepare so that I don’t do anything that will offend them. Moreover, this class brought to me awareness how a business can fail oversee if they don’t plan according to the target market’s culture there.

Month 4 - Business Finance - " Money, Money, Money"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 01:47:00 +0000

"Business is not financial science, it's about trading.. buying and selling. It's about creating a product or service so good that people will pay for it." 

Anita Roddick

Class Reflection

Business Finance was the most eye opening class that I took at Full Sail that really educated me about finance. For our leadership project, we were given an assignment where we have to interview someone in Financial Industry in order to learn more about finance and commercial banking. In doing the project I decided to interview Emilia Shakians, who is the Vice President/Branch Manager of the Wells Fargo at the Beverly/Fairfax branch in Los Angeles.

The interview with Mrs. Emilia Shakians was very educational and beneficial. In discussing about commercial banks with her, I learned about Wells Fargo’s products and services particularly in areas such as business financing, investments and services. In discussing with her about business financing, I learned the different kind of loans a bank offers and the different types of financing options that Wells Fargo has. In addition, the talk about investment vehicles that Mrs. Shakians discussed taught me about the different types of investments available to people and businesses. Furthermore, it also taught me the difference between them and how companies utilize these kinds of investments to fund their businesses. Also, the conversation about the different services that Wells Fargo provide in the bank and online taught me how banks are extending their services and providing consumers with options to cater to their financial needs. Through exploring the online website of Wells Fargo, I learned the different services they provide how it can benefit not only customers but businesses as well. All in all, the interview provided a clear view what commercial banks have to offer and their important role in personal and business financial ventures.

In doing the class and the leadership project, it has made me realize the importance of financial literacy and the various ways to get loans for a business. Moreover, the class gave me skill sets that will allow me to understand stocks and manage business money. In addition to that, the leadership project allowed me to get out my comfort zone in order to reach out and network with people in order to expand my horizon. Last but not least, the class thought me how to work smart with money.

Leadership 3

Lori McCreary and Morgan Freeman arriving at the Christmas Party.

The Morgan Freeman Christmas party I worked on and help organize for Revelation Entertainment was one of the most fun and interesting thing I did to display my leadership skills. The reason being is because of the fact that I got to help organize the event, attend it and meet a lot of industry people that can help me with my career.

In organizing this event, the assistants (Dani, Torin, and Phoebe), Kirk and I have been working on this for weeks in order to make it happen. During the month of November, we were calling different renters, asking for equipment rentals, sending out invitations to industry people, getting decorations, and caterers for the food. In addition to that, we were also preparing stuff for the premiere of Morgan’s film “Invictus.” In organizing the party we divided up the work and Kirk and I were in charge of sending out the invitation and confirming attendees, getting renting quotes for equipment, and getting decorations. It was a long process because of the fact that we were also doing our intern duties and sending out emails for invitations and confirming guests. However, as time went by things were coming together and eventually the event was finalized.
On the day of the event at Lori McCreary’s house, Kirk and I got to go to the event and met up with other interns who also helped out at the event. Hours before the event itself however, the assistants, interns and other workers were setting up the house and preparing it before the guests arrived. We were decorating, bringing in food, and setting up tents at Lori’s house, where the Christmas party took place. We finished just in time and during the event, Phoebe (one of Lori’s assistant), asked Kirk and I to kind of mingle, introduce people to each other, help out with anything the guests need and basically just have fun. During the party, I met a lot of people and talked to people from CAA, writers, directors, and other industry people. I was multi tasking a lot because I also had to make sure that things were orderly and help out the assistants too. It was a great evening because of the fact that I met people and network with people in the industry. In addition to that I got to meet a band called “Overtone” from South Africa who sang songs from the film “Invictus.” All in all, the event went really well and Lori, Morgan Freeman, and the assistants were all thankful for our help.

Month 3 - Business Storytelling and Brand Development - " The Branding and Story of a Business""

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 23:53:00 +0000

"Branding adds spirit and a soul to what would otherwise be a robotic, automated, generic price-value proposition. If branding is ultimately about the creation of human meaning, it follows logically that it is the humans who must ultimately provide it." 

-David Aaker

Class Reflection

Business storytelling and brand development was one of my favorite classes. The reason being is because of the fact that it teaches us, as business students, the importance of branding and how we can successfully advertise something through storytelling. In addition to that, it also teaches us that as people we should value the importance of branding ourselves through how we present ourselves in the work place and as people.

For our leadership portfolio, we had to create a “Turning Point” video in which we had to tell our story and a pivotal moment in our life that changed things. As for my turning point story, it was titled “99 to 1” and summarized my story of how I use to be a problem child because I suffered academically with school and physically with my asthma. In addition to that, it told how I overcame my obstacles and how I grew from that experience.

It also talks about how one should never give up and relates it to one of the most valuable lessons I learned from Jason Blanchard, who was one of the instructors from Full Sail’s producing class. In teaching us, Jason taught us his theory called 99 to 1. In which he explains that sometimes a person has to go through 99 rejections and failures to get that one success that was always meant for you. He explains that in order to make it in the entertainment industry and in life you got to persevere and be resilient in everything you do. If you get rejected or fail just go on and say 99 and try again. If you fail again, say 98 and try again. You just keep going and going until you succeed because one of those 100 attempts ought to a success story that’s waiting to happen. He explains that is like a process of going through the no’s to get that one right yes meant for you. That it is going through experiencing those failures that you grow and improve as a person. All in all, the basic theme through my story was that you should never give up despite obstacles and that it’s more about how you get back up than how you fell down that matters.

In taking this class, I learned so much about the importance of storytelling and branding. It made me realize how stories are powerful tools in helping my company succeed. Likewise, the leadership activity helped me realize how my own personal story can help shape my company and it’s success. In relating this to my story, it took some trial and error for me to finally realize who I was as a person and what I was passionate about. I made a lot of mistakes and it’s through those mistakes that I learned and grew the most. In creating my company, AXL Entertainment, our company goal is to give voice to stories untold. We aspire to make films that will tell stories about the power of the human spirit to over come adversary. We look into making films that inspire and tell about the different struggles that different people go through that help define them as individuals. I want to bring awareness and voice the different stories people have because what makes life interesting are the story that’s told from different points of view. Taking this class helped me identity what my company was about and brand it as a company that produces film that expresses human spirit and the inner strength of people.

Leadership 2

My second leadership activity was the “Revelations Entertainment Thanksgiving Soup Kitchen” held the day before Thanksgiving. For this event, I was one of the two interns put in charge with managing the event and helping organize it. In doing this job, the other intern, Kirk, and I had to coordinate things with the church such as schedules, food, and equipments. Likewise, we also had to coordinate things with donation for the soup kitchen from people and various businesses. It was a lot of responsibilities but it was exhilarating because we were doing things in such a fast pace and helping people at the same time.Though we were put in charge, we still had to report to the Producer’s assistants Dani, Phoebe and Torin with what we’ve been doing and do more things for them too.

Part of doing the job was to actually show up at the event and help coordinate stuff and be the go to person in case people have questions or need things. During the event, I was serving food, helping set things up and running errands throughout the whole day. Moreover, I was the person where the other interns had to report too so that they can get their volunteer hours. At the end of the day, the event went well and Dani, Phoebe and Torin were very thankful for the help that Kirk and I gave.

Month 2 - Project and Team Management - " The Challenges of Management"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 21:37:00 +0000

“The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.”

- Agha Hasan Abedi

Class Reflection

Project and Team Management was a very interesting and challenging class. For our Leadership portfolio we had to create a professional project proposal to present to a business company (The teacher) for a fundraising event. Then at the end of the month, the teacher will choose a proposal in which will win the deal. For this project, I got to work with fellow students Elliott Harris, Keith Griffin, Rashod Holmes and Blake Farmer. In creating this proposal we had to choose a leader and we chose Keith who did a great job. We also named our company group the “25^th Hour Event Planning.”

In working with the group we faced several challenges because of the fact that we were working from different part of the states. In addition to that we all lived in different time zones. However, with Keith’s leadership and in working together as a team and committing to the project, we were able to succeed. And in the end our project ended up being chosen as the winner.

From taking this class, I learned a lot of things about project and team management. In this class we were taught essential skills in order to become effective project and team managers. One of the things that I learned from this class is the importance of communication because of the fact that it played a key role creating our project. Without proper communication, we couldn’t have scheduled meetings and put the project together. In addition to that, another important lesson I learned is the importance of planning and strategizing. The reason being is without any proper plan and strategy, your business will get nowhere and goals are not going to be made. Last but not least, the most important lesson I learn is the importance of working together as a group. In working together, it made the project much easier to do and simpler.

Month 1 - Executive Leadership - " The Road to Leadership"

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 05:50:00 +0000

"Leaders aren't born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal."

- Vince Lombardi

Class Reflection
The first class that I had to take for the program was Executive Leadership. This class teaches us about leadership and how to become a better one. It taught us students that leadership is a characteristic that everyone can develop and that anyone can become a leader. In this class we were given two books that were required for us to read. The first book was “Developing the Leader Within You” by John C. Maxwell. This book was life changing because it taught me a lot about leadership and how to accomplish it. In addition to that, Maxwell gives excellent examples to support the point in what he’s trying to say. The second book that we got was “48 Laws to Power,” by Robert Greene. This book was very interesting and eye opening. It taught how to accomplish power and uses examples from history to illustrate how the laws can lead to power. However, my favorite thing about reading the two books is that they compliment each other because one talks about how to be a leader and the other teaches how to accomplish a position of power.
In doing the Entertainment Business program, one of the requirements in doing this program was to do a Capstone project that requires us to get involve in the community and demonstrate our leadership skills. We were given a choice to use any medium to document our activities and I chose to use a blog to document my involvement in the community and titled it “Memoirs of L.A.” For this activity, I decided to include in my blog a reflection of what I learned from the class and leadership assignment and my community involvement along the way. My objective will be to illustrate my progress as I begin on my journey toward becoming a leader in the entertainment industry. By the end of the entertainment business masters program, I look to have 11 entries with reflections and thoughts on my experiences while looking to produce a final presentation of my Leadership Portfolio along with my Business Proposal.
The first assignment we got for the leadership portfolio was from Executive Leadership. For the assignment given in Executive Leadership we were to choose an organization in which we will work for in order to demonstrate our leadership skills. In choosing the organization to work for, I chose to work with Revelations Entertainment.
Revelations Entertainment is an innovative independent production company owned and operated by Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary. This Organization integrates together artistic integrity with technological innovation as one of the most promising independent production companies in the industry. I chose this production company because as an aspiring filmmaker, the opportunities to learn and be mentored by a team of individuals who share the same passion and vision, as myself was something I felt I wanted to be a part of. As an intern at Revelations Entertainment, my goals are simple; to gain a deeper understanding and a better appreciation of the film entertainment industry, receive hands on experience, and improve my leadership skills by learning from the people of whom I work with. In addition, my experiences there will help mold me into a better leader, as well as a better person.
After I’ve finished the class I learned a lot about leadership. In taking Executive Leadership, I’ve learned so many things about how to become a leader. In participating in taking the leadership assessment skill test I learned that I am highly effective in problem solving, that I possess a positive attitude, make positive assumptions about people and possess a clear vision of what I want to accomplish both personally and professionally. I have also learned that I need to improve in certain areas such as prioritizing tasks in order to make progress, discipline myself to stay on track, and improve my ability to influence others to follow my vision as well as myself. The class was definitely life changing and it totally met my expectations of what the class was about. I feel that I can become a better leader after taking this class and I look forward to the rest of the program.

Leadership Activity 1

At Revelations Entertainment I was given the opportunity to sit in on production meetings and participate in problem solving sessions, assist in writing script coverage, and aide in the day-to-day tasks and activities of the company. I am also able to work on small projects with other interns, which will allow me to demonstrate my leadership skills and ability to create a positive change. During my first month at Revelations, one of the key things I had to do was train new interns as they come because everyone in the company was so busy that they relied on me to teach and train new interns. In doing this, I was able to teach new interns and display my leadership to them by leading with example.

This internship gives me an opportunity to improve on my communication skills by interacting with people in a professional environment. Furthermore, this internship allows me the opportunity to attend events that will enable me to create contacts and network with other people in the industry, which will be essential to have when I start up my own production company.

- L.A.

Playing for Kheps with Kheirra 'Kikomo.p' Peggs!

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:11:00 +0000

I had a chance to do a photoshoot with Kheirra 'Kikomo.p' Peggs in Las Vegas during Spring Break 2010. We went to the Promenade near Aria and shot all over the place. Here are the pictures from the photo shoot.

For more information about Kikomo.p and her work, click on the link below: http://kikomop.com/

-L.A.

My Endeavors

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:25:00 +0000

The Filmmaker

    "Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls."
            -Ingmar Bergman
I have always love how film has the ability to affect people at different emotional levels. Andy Warhol once said that, "People sometimes say that the way things happen in the movies is unreal, but actually it's the way things happen to you in life that's unreal. The movies make emotions look so strong and real, whereas when things really happen to you, it's like watching television -- you don't feel anything." I love this thing about film and that's why I decided to pursue a career in the Entertainment Industry. Throughout the time I attended Full Sail I had a chance to improve myself as a filmmaker and leanred a lot. Below is my demo reel that shows my work and exemplifies my abilities as a filmmaker. Enjoy!

Amron X. Lopez 2009 Demo Reel from Amron X. Lopez on Vimeo.
This is my short demo reel consisting of clips from various film projects that I have worked on. These were my roles for the following projects:
Dust and Mud - Unit Production Manager
Ice Fishing - 1st Assistant Director
Saying Goodbye 16mm Short Film - Unit Production Manager
Coffee and Pie - Unit Production Manager
Aether 35mm Short Film - Unit Production Manager
Disturbia Music Video - Director/Writer/Producer

Song: "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas
-L.A.

In The Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:16:00 +0000

Prologue
The Introduction
All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions, which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself.
~Ralph Ellison, "Battle Royal"

My name is Amron Lopez and I am from Spring, Texas. I am originally from the Philippines and was born on December 2, 1988. I spent most of my early childhood in the Philippines and later on moved to Guam where I went to elementary school. My family relocated to San Diego in 2000 where I went to Middle School at Mt. Helix Academy and started high school at Morse High School. I finished high school at Spring, Texas and graduated from Spring High School in 2007. After high school I moved to Orlando, Florida to attend Full Sail University to pursue my degree in film.
I graduated from Full Sail University in August 2009 with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Film. During the 2 years I spent in Full Sail I took accelerated classes and learned so much from the different instructors whom specialized in various fields in film production. I also had the opportunity to participate in various student film productions where I played the role of Unit Production Manager. As a Unit Production Manager, I was the one who guided the crew from the beginning to the end of the film production. Throughout the 2 years I was at Full Sail I evolved as a person and learned a lot about filmmaking. In doing the projects I have done, it made me realize and gain interest in the business side of film. Therefore, I decided to further my education with Full Sail by pursuing my Entertainment Business Masters Degree online.
On August 25, 2009 I made another move, but this time to Los Angeles, California so that I may pursue my career in film. In addition to that, I am pursuing my Masters in order to apply what I am learning from my classes to my job. I hope that throughout the experience that I have with the Full Sail Entertainment Business Master’s program that I will grow as a person.
.....................
The Full Sail Entertainment Business Masters Program was one that captured my interest because of the opportunity it presented. In doing the program, one of the requirements in order to graduate was to create two Capstone Projects, one of them being the Leadership Portfolio. The Leadership Portfolio project is an interactive medium in which I, as students, can document and showcase what I have accomplished as a leader in the industry. Students were given a choice on what medium we could use to put our portfolio together and I decided to make a blog titled “Memoirs of L.A.” As an aspiring Filmmaker and Producer, I will document my actions by posting a monthly reflection about the class I am currently taking, include my progress in community involvement, attach inspiring videos, and the original assignment I had for that month if one is available. My main objective with this blog will be to illustrate my progress as I begin on my journey toward becoming a leader in the entertainment industry. By the end of the entertainment business masters program, I look to have 13 entries with reflections and thoughts on my experiences while looking to produce a final presentation of my Leadership Portfolio along with my Business Proposal.

-L.A.

The Move

noreply@blogger.com (Amron Lopez) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:13:00 +0000

I previously had another blog but decided to move to Blogger instead as it has way better features. So any updates about anything can be found here.

-L.A.