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

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"

"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""

"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"

“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"

"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!

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

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

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.

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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

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.