Learning How to Be a Project Manager

Project and Team Management was an amazing class. Nicholas Carver is a great professor and approaches team building in a wonderful and inspiring way. My original goal for this class, created in my Mastery Timeline, was to learn how to manage a project or a team. This month did not disappoint and I was definitely afforded the opportunity to do this. Nick taught the class the valuable skill to recognize the types of people we could work with. We utilized both the DiSC and Myers Briggs personality tests to be able to see how we can overcome potential obstacles within the character of a person. Most importantly I can recognize these potential obstacles within myself. We were also shown potential risks associated with a project and good practices to solve conflicts. I really enjoyed the team building exercises that gave us the chance to come together as a class and the multitudes of amazing guest industry professionals that reiterated his teachings.

 One of the industry professionals I was able to meet was Connor Smith, the founder and president of Studio18, a recording studio based here in Orlando, Florida. Shortly after the introduction, I took a tour of the facility and later that night I was awarded with an internship in the management track.  Being in the studio, I can clearly see the different personalities at play and witness first hand how management deals with them all. Aside from the Internship, I am currently volunteering for an event that Nick is directing, called Miami Nights. The event will showcase songs heard in Miami during the 80’s. Some include, Sade’s Sweetest Taboo, Tito Puente’s Oyé Como Va, and Gloria Estefan’s, Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, just to name a few. There will be a live band and singers covering the songs as well as dancers performing routines created for each track. I am given a chance to apply the skills learned during class. I can literally see how the Dominant, Influence, Steadfast and Compliant personality traits affect each other as we try to get the show ready. This class has met and exceeded my goals. The most important lesson I learned is: my personality is perfect for team management and this gives me validation that I am on the right track.

The Mystic Ladies of DC Event

What do music festivals, carnivals, theatrical plays, wine tastings, gaming events, or even church functions have in common? They are all considered events. Planning an event is not an easy task. There are several factors that play a major role in making an event successful.  Project managers and Event Coordinators are the professionals that dedicate themselves to making live shows spectacular and awe inspiring.

  As a kid growing up in New York, I remember waking up every Saturday morning to watch one of the best cartoons at the time, ThunderCats. One day, my parents took me on a trip to Madison Square Garden for an event. To my surprise, it was for “THUNDERCATS”! Here I am, 4 years old, sitting in a packed arena with hundreds of other kids, looking at my favorite cartoon characters live! This show brought a cartoon to life for ninety minutes. 28 years later, I still remember lifting my ThunderCat sword, with hundreds of other kids and yelling out "HOOOOO!" when Lion-o needed our help to destroy the evil Mum-Ra and save the day.

  As amazing as the show was, I had no clue what it took to make a show like that. Today, I am taking up the task of planning my very own event and feel that the following four areas: theme, venue, personnel, and marketing, are paramount in making the show successful.

Purpose or Theme

  What message are you trying to give or what do you want your event to be about? This may seem like an easy task but it isn't. Several factors play a part in breaking it down to the theme. Talent, budget, and venue are a few. Coming up with the right theme to gain an audience is hard enough but not being able to choose from many good ideas escalates the difficulty. You might love magic but you have no audience for it. Or you may love comic books but not have the right venue for it. I have chosen to marry the two and showcase the “Mystic Ladies of DC”, A Magic show focused on 4 characters from the DC Universe.

• Zatanna- a super hero stage Magician, whose illusion and spells are real.

• Raven- is a half Human half Demon hero; whose power is connected to her emotions and must struggle constantly to keep them in balance.

• Circe- a Greek sorceress who is in constant battle with Wonder Woman and the Amazonian's.

• Death- from the comic Sandman, Death is one of the Endless and embodies death personified similar to the Grim Reaper.

 

 Venue

 Where will your show be located? Finding a Venue is not that difficult, booking one on the other hand is a different story. Some venues are booked months in advanced or can change last minute. You also have to be conscious if the venue fits the theme. You do not want to have a burlesque show in a family oriented area or a book reading next to an area where live bands play.  For my Event, I have access to three locations.


Full Sail:
The Library- has partnered with our class to help make events possible. They donate the space, crew for set building, and a hundred dollar budget.
Pros-

• Receiving help from the film crew for set building is great.
• Getting a hundred dollar budget to start comes in handy also.

 Cons-

• It is the smallest of the three venues
• It will have to be a free event

 The Treehouse- a venue built for small concerts and live performances
Pros-

• It is ready and built to have a performance there. Lighting, Sound, Stage, tables and chairs are all set up and the vibe lends itself for an event.

 Cons-

• They are not partnered with the class, so no outside help will be given, no budget, and I have to go through the proper channels of reserving the time.

ACME Comics

 This venue has a great room for events. The class instructor has a connection with the owners of Acme that lend him time and space to have appropriate events.

Pros-

• A comic book store with an auditorium for events. This is perfect for the show since my magic show is comic inspired.
• They have an established audience. Acme has hosted several student projects and thus created a following of people who anticipate events.
• We can charge for the show. Events start out as a loss because you invest your money upfront. I can hope to recuperate something from the ticket sales.

 Cons-

• There is no budget and no crew help. I will have to find both to make this event happen.

 

Personnel/Talent

 No man is an island, so help will be needed to get any event up and running.  Working on a team helps so you can play off each other’s energy and talents.  When finding a partner or team, make sure to select people who are equally enthusiastic about the project and each bring some skill that compliments yours. In this case, I have partnered with a classmate that has a passion for magic and is proficient in audio. He brings an insight to the team that I do not posses.  Continuing to collect others that wish to help and have a skillset will make things easier.


 Below is a small list of job titles that most event teams need:
Producer                                           Director
Ushers                                                Runners
Audio director                                  Lighting director
Set-building                                      Choreographer
Costume designer                            Make-up artist


 Aside from the event crew, you have to look for the “Talent” for your show. Singers, bands, stunt performers, magicians, what ever your show is about, you have to find the star of it.  For "Mystic Ladies of DC",  I need 4 female magicians who do not mind to take on the persona of comic book characters. Apart from talent agencies, there are other resources that can help you find what you need. The internet has many sites that let you search for talent like Gigsalad, (a site that acts like an online portfolio for performers). You could also post want ads on free sites like Craigslist, which is a tactic used by most casting companies. Luckily, in my case Full Sail has a Casting Department that can assist in looking for what I need.

Marketing

 From business to products, Marketing is crucial.  In the case of events and live shows, the lack of marketing can ruin everything. You depend on people coming and seeing the event, which was the whole reason for putting it on in the first place. Target your marketing to the demographic you’re trying to reach. Flyers, Social Media, and "word of mouth" are common marketing strategies. Thinking creatively and coming up with other solutions to get the word out is a great skill to have. OrbitMedia.com has some great tips and other good ways to market your event. For Mystic Ladies of DC, I plan to use either venues website to promote it. I will also make a website for it and link several social medias to it. One out of the box strategy will be to create a “parody trailer”, with me (a 200 lbs. Hispanic guy) dressed up as one of the suggested characters and use YouTube and periscope to broadcast it live.
  
All in all, I plan to have fun and use the experience to showcase what I did through the process.

A Great Resource to Start Your Business

 Do you have an idea for a great business? Can you improve upon an idea or concept that is already out? Have you ever wondered what you need, where to look, or who could help you start a business?

Well, If you need help starting up a business as an Entrepreneur, a great free resource is the US Small Business Administration website known as SBA.gov. This website has many valuable tools that can help guide you in the right direction. With the right attitude, diligence, and patience, you will be able to find the majority of the answers you need. SBA offers articles such as, "Determining if you have the qualities of an entrepreneur", to a helpful tab that houses archived courses. Small businesses can even find a section that lists local development centers that will assist in different stages of the start-up process.

 Small business development centers or SBDC's are located in almost every state, with some being sponsored by Colleges or Universities. On the site, you can search by state and filter by type of development center. The SBDC offers classes, workshops, forms, councilors and even mentors. Local Chambers of Commerce representatives often network with the development centers to extend their to help or guidance to small business owners. Many of the services offered in the centers are free or discounted which are extremely helpful to a start up.

 Today, we have the "NOW Generation". Armed with technology at their fingertips and instant gratification with the click of a button. The overall concept of "paying your dues" has been lost or forgotten. Our ancestors were stoic, they knew and understood that they had to plant seeds to reap a harvest in the future. With the SBA, and sites similar to it, an entrepreneur can collect the seeds of knowledge needed to eventually start a business. This website is one of many resources out there waiting for people with a concept, the drive and the motivation to excel.