Reflection Assignment

During my Entertainment Business masters degree program at Full Sail University, I learned the ins and outs of the Entertainment Industry. I was fortunate enough to analyze and explore the worlds of Entertainment Business Finance, Branding Development, Advanced Entertainment Law, and more.
Obtaining a Masters of Science degree at Full Sail University was an incredible experience for me. The program’s curriculum has enhanced my ability to work effectively in the film and video production business, as well as the entertainment industry as a whole. Furthermore, the purpose of this post is to summarize all the courses that I took during my Entertainment Business Masters program.     

Full Sail

Month 1 – Media Literacy and Research

In my first month at Full Sail University, students were required to take a Media Literacy and Research class. This is an introductory course that is designed to enable students become more proficient in conducting research, time management, and communicating in a professional manner. Additionally, students learn about online etiquette, as well as how to develop effective presentations by using applications such as, PowerPoint and Keynote.

Month 2 – Executive Leadership

During the second month into my masters program, I took the Executive Leadership class. I was really fond of this course because it analyzed all the qualities an executive leader in the entertainment business field should possess. Also, I was able to examine various leadership styles and traits based on unique experiences of many leaders in history. 

Another great asset I gained by taking this class was the ability to polish my public speaking and presentation skills. Our course director put us through various exercise such as the Pecha Kucha, which is a form of presenting with the use of only pictures and a timed slide transition. This exercise enabled me to become more proficient, and succinct in my delivery. More importantly, I learned the importance of effective decision-making, mentoring, implementing organizational change, and managing relationships and personalities in order to achieve and sustain successful businesses.

Month 3 – Project and Team Management

The Project and Team Management course was probably one of my most exciting courses during my masters program at Full Sail University. During this course I was able to develop a solid understanding of the principles behind project management. These principles include the creation of a project plan, the execution and development of a project plan, budget management, team management, creating realistic and effective project timelines, and also being a competent team leader who has the ability to inspire, and motivate.

I had the opportunity to practice these principles by participating in highly effective class exercises that required being part of a team, as well as leading various teams. Also, even more productive is the fact that each student had to develop, and manage a real project during this course. This triggered me to create a documentary about ballerinas, in which I managed from preproduction through post-production.

Month 4 – Business Storytelling and Brand Development

In the world of entertainment everything is centered around storytelling and branding, therefore, this was a class I could not wait to take. In this course student learned the essence of building a strong presence in both business and consumer market. We also analyzed various techniques and the reasons why some brands are extremely iconic, while other are diluted in the market. This course truly lived to up to all my expectations, and I gained a lot more than I had anticipated.  

Month 5 – Entertainment Business Finance

In my opinion, there can be no business without Finance and vice versa. Understanding the finance and financial decisions of a company has always been important to me, and I was able to grasp the foundations of this world.

This course taught me how to identify entertainment business opportunities, fund entertainment business plans and projects develop financial strategies, pro forma financial projections and more. This course takes a real world approach to finance, rather than focusing on exercises that one may never utilize.

Month 6 – Negotiation and Deal-Making

In my Negotiation and Deal-Making class, students were tasked with mock negotiation exercises. The purpose of these exercises was to enable us to develop a strong business presence, enhance product development, and also grow our companies. We learned various negotiation techniques, deal-making structures and outlines, and how to draft deal memos and contracts.

The majority of our exercises were based on real life cases/scenarios that had been negotiated in the past. With the help of this class I was able to drastically improve my negotiating skills, and self-awareness.

Month 7 – Product and Artist Management

The Product and Artist Management was very insightful in terms of addressing various issues and scenarios that have occurred in the entertainment industry. In this course I learned strategic artist management and product management techniques. Also, able to analyze current issues affecting artists and product management, along with various problem-solving techniques.

Month 8 – Advanced Entertainment Law

In my Advanced Entertainment Law class, I learned various principles regarding law in the entertainment industry. Some of these principles include, intellectual property, evolution of entertainment law, protection of rights in the digital domain, role of changing technology, and trends affecting entertainment law.

Similar to my negotiation course, we analyzed several case studies based on real life industry cases that had been settled or that were still in court. This enabled us to explore, and approach these cases from multiple perspectives. I would say the ultimate lesson I derived from this class was to always consult an attorney or seek advise from a third party before signing any agreement.

Month 9 – Entertainment Media Publishing

The Entertainment Media Publishing course analyses and breaks down the problems plaguing media publishing and distribution such as, piracy, social media, digital rights management and so on. During this class I was able to learn both the traditional and new digital publishing and distribution methods. Most importantly I was able to acquire adequate strategies for protecting and monetizing my creative contents based on the traditional and digital publishing and distribution channels.

Month 10 – Digital Marketing

My Digital Marketing class focused creating highly effective marketing plans related to the entertainment industry by solely utilizing digital platforms and techniques. During this class I became proficient in digital advertising and promotion by understanding the methods of measurements and analytics, search engine marketing and optimization, social media and consumer engagement, media planning, buying, and campaign management, as well as mobile trends and technologies.

Month 11 – Business Plan Development

From the early stages of my masters program at Full Sail University, every student had to create a business idea that they were required to continue developing through the program. During the Business Plan Development class, students were required to create a standard business plan including three-year financial projections.

Based on the requirements of this project I was able to combine all the skills such as business management, branding, entertainment law, as well as technical knowledge that I had developed over the course of the program. By the end of this course I had developed a professional business plan for my company, which essentially earned me an A, grade in the course.

Month 12 – Final Project: Business Plan

I would refer to my Final Project: Business Plan course as the 2.0 version of the Business Plan Development course. In this class, students had to complete the financial sections of their business plan, as well as develop projector presentations for their final business plans. Each student then had to present their final business plans to a panel of academic angel investors that ultimately graded these business plans based on various categories that a potential investor would analyze.

Additionally, I learned how to develop and executive summary during this course including other aspects of finance. The business plan presentation was a great avenue to showcase all the skills that I had developed throughout the program, and I am truly grateful to all my instructors who took the time to enlighten me about the methods of entertainment industry. In general, this was a truly humbling experience.