Saturday, December 12, 2015
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Your Luggage... Is it Protected???
“When your luggage is lost, stolen, or tampered with, AKQYS
protects you.” This tag line pulled from the AKQYS (pronounced Ahh-kiss)
website sums up this product perfectly. AKQYS is a luggage tracking
company based in Florida. Their product is a tracking device that not
only tracks where your luggage has been, but if it has been opened. If
that isn’t enough, they also offer a secondary device, a camera, which
activates when the luggage is opened to see who is peeping inside of it.
This brainchild of Felix Mercado came about from a horrible
experience he had when traveling with an airline. We all know the feeling:
slight panic sets in, you look around your immediate vicinity, and then you
begin to search your bags and wonder, “Did I leave it at home or did I pack it
away with the other bags?” The truth is, you will never see it again. You have
just lost your laptop… Utter dread sets in. This scenario was the exact case
with Felix, his luggage was lost, but more importantly, an invaluable item that
he used for his livelihood had vanished forever.
One Million Cups is an initiative created at Rollins College
located in Winter Park Florida, which allows startups and businesses the
opportunity to present themselves to listeners, students, and potential
investors. As a student attending Full Sail Universities Entertainment Business
program, I was given the chance and the pleasure to witness Felix and the AKQYS
team present this ingenious idea first hand. Our Product and Artist development
class was given an assignment that related to the presentation. The following
are the questions from the assignment and how I chose to answer them.
1. What did you think of the business concepts?
I felt,
overall, that the product was a great concept. It serves a purpose, solves an
issue, and caters to a certain market that lives a particular lifestyle.
2. Are they viable and something the market might want, or are
they ill conceived or misplaced?
Both the product and
business are definitely attractive, and are something the market needs. Mercado
showed how luggage theft, loss, and invasion of privacy are an epidemic. He
also compared how his product “trumps” the others.
3. Do the presenters appear to have a good understanding of
their target market(s)?
Felix was the only presenter. He clearly understood his market
and whom he was trying to pitch his product to. The AKQYS team is targeting the
travel industry, or the travel security industry, to be more specific.
4. Do they know their product/service inside out?
They definitely knew their product. Mercado spoke about
everything from the functions of the device, patents, and even privacy. He
clearly understood the specifics of both his devices and his services.
5. What did you like or dis-like about the presentations?
The AKQYS presentation was great. They know their product, are
passionate about it, and clearly communicated their vision using a well made
keynote. Felix as a speaker was engaging, charismatic, and confident. If I had
to be critical and choose something I did not like about the presentation, it
would be the lack of a physical version or prototype, for us to see. However, time
did not lend itself for physical prototypes to be showcased. Here is a LINK to see the devices in comparison to luggage.
6. Do you think that pitching at One Million Cups is effective
marketing?
I think One Million Cups is great place to share your idea,
engage in feedback, and practice presenting your product. I do not see it as an
effective marketing plan...yet. One Million Cups is growing and spreading to
other areas in central Florida. I can see it becoming a viable marketing source
in the near future.
7. If you found any of the concepts appealing, what would you do
to "take them to the next level?"
Felix Mercado has his finger on
the pulse of the industry and appears to be on the right track to success. The
AKQYS website is functional, the marketing plan is sound, and the potential
partners he described are perfect. There is not much I could suggest to him
that will take him to the next level. However, I did feel the site could be
evolved to include a marketplace where the device can be purchased. He did
mention that a marketplace was in the works. Simple and ease of use is the
motivation behind their products so the option to subscribe to a newsletter for
updates and the ability to pre-order is the focus at the moment.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Major Players Review: United Talent Agency V.S. Brevard Talent Group
Major Players Review:United Talent Agency v Brevard Talent Group
Edward SanchezFull Sail University
Product and Artist Management
Christine Winn
The United Talent Agency (UTA) and Brevard
Talent Group (BTG) are two agencies that offer similar services in the entertainment
industry. One is a highly known worldwide name that caters to highly known
celebrities. The other is based out of Florida and serves industry
professionals who are not as famous. Both offer similar management services to
their clients. Let’s compare them to determine what essentially sets these two
companies apart; who they are, what exact services they offer, and their target
market.
UTA:
- A premier global talent agency who has offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Miami, Toronto, London, Malmö founded in 1991
- Considered a Hollywood powerhouse
- In the late 1990’s, considered an upstart challenger to William Morris Agency and Creative Arts Agency (two significant names during that time)
- Represented Jim Carrey for the Cable Guy and made a 20 million dollar upfront deal
- They cater to motion picture, television, music, digital, broadcast news, theater, video games, fine-art, live entertainment, and books
- UTA has over 100 agents, each having more than 10 years experience, and operates exclusively by referral
- They are recognized for offering film finance, film packaging, branding, licensing, endorsements, corporate consulting, venture funding, and strategic advice from startups to Fortune 500 companies.
- UTA owns the news and reality based agency Bienstock founded in 1964
- UTA Founded and co-owns a marketing firm called United Entertainment Group which handles branding
- Partnered with Delta, Oakley, Barbie, DreamWorks, WebMD, American Girl, Fisher Price and Zynga to name a few
- They have over 500 clients, a few high profile clients include:
o
Singer Songwriter- Mariah Carey, 50Cent, Kanye West
o
Actors- Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Kevin Hart
Martin Lawrence, Barbra Streisand
o
Filmmaker & Screen Writers- The Cohen Brothers, Judd Aptow, Peter
Morgan
o
TV writers, Creators, & Producers- Sally Ann Salsano, Shane Dawson, Chuck
Lorre
- The New York based firm United Entertainment Group caters to corporate clients such as Frito-Lay, AT&T, Starbucks, Nestle, and Avon. They offer services such as brand development, property development and multi-cultural marketing
- They have strategically hired several of the top performing agents in all fields who have brought in highly recognizable clients to the agency
BTG:
- Florida based company located in Orlando
- Incorporated in 1989 by President and Founder Traci Danielle
- Small Business with less than 5 Agents
- Over a 150 clients
- Affiliated with EQUITY and SAG- AFTRA
- BTG serve Actors and Voice Over Artists
- Several notable credits BTG has worked on are:
o
Film- Ace Ventura 3, Bad Boys 2, Baitshop, Battle Los Angeles,
Dolphin Tale, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, GI Jane, The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button, Transformers 3, Waterboy, and Phone Booth
o
Television- All My Children, Army Wives, Bold &
the Beautiful, Burn Notice, CSI Miami, Dawson’s Creek, Vampire Diaries
o
Commercials- AARP, ADT Security, Bud Light, Bush
Gardens, Carnival Cruise Lines, McDonalds, Pepsi, Universal Studios
After comparing them, it is simple to notice the
difference between the two companies. They each serve the grand purpose of a
talent agency in the entertainment industry, which happens to represent the
client to the best of their abilities. UTA caters to a larger market and offers
clients further exposure with additional services. The expertise brought in by
United Talent Agency is also a sizeable difference. UTA has recruited high
profile agents with over ten years of experience who have represented
established clients. Their contacts alone are invaluable and would be a boon to
any company. However, with UTA being so large, one can assume that a number of clients
fall by the wayside or fail to attract the attention they may need to grow.
BTG on the other hand remains a much smaller
company. They do not offer the exposure, partnerships and expertise as UTA, nevertheless
it’s easier to walk in the door with them. A fresh actor will have an optimal
chance of being represented by BTG and will receive a personalized experience.
A manager breaking into the business might also find it much easier to intern,
or even land a job with Brevard Talent Group. As a budding “green” artist
manager, I would ultimately prefer Brevard and gain experience. Using BTG as a
springboard, I would find and nurture talent and develop a stellar roster to
show UTA for a possible job in the future.
References
(1) ABOUT US. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2015, from
http://www.unitedtalent.com
Finke, N. (2006, September 13). 2nd UPDATE: Jim Carrey Fires
Long-Time UTA and Long-Loyal Nick Stevens.
(2) "The Fix Is In" For CAA To Sign Jim. But Nick Gave
Ari Advice On How To Bag Carrey. Retrieved December 2, 2015, from
http://deadline.com/2006/09/exclusive-jim-carrey-fires-agency-574/
(3) Finke, N. (2006, September 13). 2nd UPDATE: Jim Carrey Fires
Long-Time UTA and Long-Loyal Nick Stevens. "The Fix Is In" For CAA To
Sign Jim. But Nick Gave Ari Advice On How To Bag Carrey. Retrieved December 2,
2015, from http://deadline.com/2006/09/exclusive-jim-carrey-fires-agency-574/
(4) Graser, M. (2007, September 9). UTA, Moses taking brand
stand. Retrieved December 2, 2015, from
http://variety.com/2007/scene/markets-festivals/uta-moses-taking-brand-stand-1117971708/
(5) Submission Info. (2015, February 8). Retrieved December 2,
2015, from http://brevardtalentgroup.com/submission-info/
(6) Brevard Talent Group located in Orlando, FL. (2015, December
2). Retrieved December 2, 2015, from
http://profile.infofree.com/biz/FL/Orlando/Brevard Talent Group/11132552819263
(7) BREVARD TALENT GROUP, INC. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2,
2015, from http://www.companies-florida.com/brevard-talent-group-inc-gx41/
Mastery Journal: Negotiations and Deal Making
Mastery Journal:
Negotiations and Deal Making
FullSail University
What
a month! Negotiation and Deal Making was an incredible class. The instructor
Elizabeth Rockhill Counsman, Esq. is a fabulous instructor who is very
knowledgeable on this subject. We learned topics such as: the difference
between Positions and Interests, what are Dirty Tricks and how to recognize
them, why Mutual Benefit is imperative, the benefits of being Prepared, how to
use Objective Criteria, what a BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated
agreement) is and most importantly, Separating the Person from the Problem. My
goal for this class, was to understand how I personally perform in a
negotiation setting so that I may build the skills needed to become a more
successful negotiator. Ultimately, This class delivered that and more.
Initially,
this class was not what I expected. I assumed the focus would be on case
studies and papers. Instead, Mrs. Counsman used scenarios in which we role-played
specific negotiations. The purpose of these scenarios was to understand how we
would handle the outcome of each deal. We had one role-playing exercise each
week with a worksheet that accompanied it. The worksheet challenged us to
review how the concepts she taught us were applied to the issue. I truly
enjoyed getting into character and observing how the other students would play
their roles. Having a chance to learn this way gave us the opportunity to apply
the lessons she taught and evaluate what our strengths and weaknesses were. It
was easy to see from the first negotiation, that the selfish mentality of
winning, losing, and bartering came into play. For some students, it was a
competition and would ask, “how do you feel you won”, in reference to the
outcome of the negation. Strangely however, the outcome was beneficial to both
parties and in essence both were winners.
A
great example of what we learned is the Orange story. Two kids are arguing for
an orange, the mother in her wisdom intervenes and figures out that each child
wants the Orange. She determines that the solution is to split it in half.
Using this solution both children are 50% satisfied with there half of the
orange. Mrs. Counsmans showed us that, understanding the interest (why they
want it), in the orange would aid in achieving a solution where both children would
be 100% satisfied. In this scenario, one child wanted the orange peels to make
a cake; the other wanted to eat it. With this knowledge, the more obvious solution
would have been to give one child the peels and the other the fruit. Sadly, this
concept is lost when parties are in a negotiation. This is mainly due to
factors like negative emotions, perception, and lack of preparation, which strongly
affect the outcome. Elizabeth educated us that the person is not the problem.
We must separate the person from the issue and focus on finding a solution to
the concern that benefits both parties.
The
concepts learned will undoubtedly be in my negotiation tool bag for years to
come. I feel extremely confident stepping into a mediation or negotiation now then
I have ever been. I will continue to read the resources that were available to
me during class. Utilizing these new skills and experiences to resolve issues
amicably and with a mutually beneficial outcome will make me a well-rounded
individual overall. I ultimately feel that I reached my goal stated in my
mastery journal and ready to use what I learned in any situation.
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