Month 1 - Executive Leadership

For our first leadership class assignment, we were given the task of analysing our strengths and weaknesses in terms of key skills. I found that I was effective in: Influence, Problem Solving and Vision however I needed to work on my Attitude in the face of adversity, People Skills and Staff Development. To develop these skills I devised a plan of working with the International Film Society at Full Sail, an organisation I helped found in 2008. I laid out a 6-step plan that included ideas such as developing my photography portfolio through working with models and producing different genres of video work so as to work with different types of people. Looking back on this now, it’s interesting to look at this past year in hindsight and see how things have changed due to circumstance.

Throughout my 6 activities further down this blog, you can see how I tried to tackle each of my areas of improvement.

Month 2 - Project and Team Management

For Project and Team Management, our main focus throughout the class was our largest project and Leadership Portfolio activity. We were tasked with creating an event for a local non-profit organization that would benefit them in some way. My group decided to work with an organization I have history with – the Pink Dragon Ladies. This organization is a dragon boat racing team based out of Tampa that is comprised solely of breast cancer survivors. I personally did a documentary on them in June 2009.

My team, “Save the Breasts Inc.” decided, as they recently have a book out, to hold a launch party for them. In this activity I learnt how to successfully plan out a project from start to finish and how planning can take a considerable amount of time. It became clear however that thinking everything through in advance bolsters correct event management especially if you are leading the event.

Month 3 - Business Storytelling and Brand Development

For Business Storytelling and Brand Development, we created a Turning Point video that documented a significant turning point in our lives. I learnt that the most significant point in my life was the point when I realized that I could make money doing something I loved. That there is no single point in your life that defines you, but that the way you conduct yourself around others is a conglomeration of everything you have ever done. I learnt that it was important to stand back and to evaluate yourself every now and again; you’ll be surprised at what you learn.

Month 4 - Entertainment Business Finance

For Entertainment Business Finance, we were tasked with seeking out and interviewing a financial expert or someone within the financial industry. I decided to do this in person, as I don’t enjoy interviewing someone without being able to see him or her face-to-face. In the end, I interviewed two people from Charles Schwab in Orlando about brokerage accounts and ended up opening an account there. The point of the exercise was to encourage personal financial leadership. Being a person who has always been responsible with money, I thought it was important to take the next step and start learning about investments.

Month 5 - Negotiation and Deal Making

For Negotiation and Deal Making, we were challenged with going out into the world and finding a negotiation to have with someone. I was working on a music video at the time and had the opportunity to negotiate prices with taxi cab drivers so we could include them within the video. In the end I had to convince my director against using a cab because of the price they were considering charging.

I learnt that solid research could be used to distract almost as effectively as it can be used to empirically support. That with the little time I had been given to prepare, a phone call was far faster and more effective than time spent searching the Internet. A tactic I will bring with me from this negotiation is to plant seeds of doubt within the mind of your opponent. Hit them with small problems that irk away at the gloss of their ideal situation. Then when you propose your alternative it can seem far more attractive despite not being entirely what they wanted. Provide them with small cracks in their dreams and you are more likely to smash it. Overall I felt very accomplished after this experience and definitely have another tool to add to my negotiating utility belt.

Month 6 - Product and Artist Management

For Product and Artist Management we were presented with the option of either interviewing someone who was working within the product or artist management industries. As luck would have it, during that month I was working on a project for the Ford Motor Company that you can read about in activity 4 below. For the project, I created a video detailing my involvement including an opening that involved me talking or interviewing myself. This project allowed me to analyse the activity I was doing in my own time. If we hadn’t have been tasked with the creation of this video I believe I would have completed the project for Ford without reflecting on what I had accomplished. I learnt that it is important to always review everything you have done to solidify your personal gains.

Month 7 - Advanced Entertainment Law

For Media Publishing and Distribution, we created our distribution plan for the media we were creating. In my case I was working on the release of a film and I learnt how to effectively plan the distribution of an independent film. This will be crucial in my future career goals of becoming a film producer. I learnt specifically that you should approach it much in the same way you would a business plan. To compare and contrast a film much like you would a business.

Month 8 - Media Publishing and Distribution

For Media Publishing and Distribution, we created our distribution plan for the media we were creating. In my case I was working on the release of a film and I learnt how to effectively plan the distribution of an independent film. This will be crucial in my future career goals of becoming a film producer. I learnt specifically that you should approach it much in the same way you would a business plan. To compare and contrast a film much like you would a business.

Month 9 - Digital Marketing

For Digital Marketing, we were set the question – “Is the Internet making us stupid?” We then had to blog about our thoughts on the issue. For my blog I went about the issue analytically, quoting Einstein and referring to the definition of stupid. In the end, I surmised that the people afraid of the Internet are those who are afraid of losing their edge. The Internet must be embraced, however it is not the end all to the world’s problems. I learnt that we all have differing views and that although you may fundamentally agree with someone's opinion, you shouldn't throw it to the side without first conducting research.

Month 10 - Mobile Marketing and Commerce

For Mobile Marketing and Commerce, we were tasked with conducting our own market research. In this class, I learnt to first analyse which questions would be important for the goals I was seeking to achieve. Then how to effectively question the correct spectrum of people. I then learnt how to present the results in a way that helped conclude or disprove my assumptions. Despite it being focused upon the mobile world for the boundaries of the class, the lessons I learnt from this assignment can be applied to market research across the board for any subject.

Month 11 - Business Plan Development

For Business Plan Development, we were set the task of writing a paper comparing and contrasting differing opinions on business plans. After reading many blogs and comparing many thoughts, I found that although business plans have to be similar at their core, they can be as varying as the businesses they are detailing. Another interesting concept is the idea that some businesses just happen. They don’t require extensive planning or conceptualising they seem to raise and grow by themselves. This was definitely the exception to the rule however and not the typical course for a company.

Activity 1- Running the International Film Society

I, along with three other international film students, founded the International Film Society in 2008. The concept was to create a democratic student production company comprised of people from all walks of life. Throughout it’s existence, IFS has thrived as an organisation with tremendous contacts within the Full Sail filmmaking community. As a co-leader throughout 2008 and 2009 I assumed a sole leadership position in 2010 as the other older members left through graduation.

As of November 2011, IFS has around 70 members and we produce projects consistently month after month. My experience at IFS has been invaluable. It has allowed me to produce numerous projects and meet hundreds of interesting people. If I could chose one benefit that IFS has had on my career, it would be the contacts that I have made that will serve me throughout my professional life.

I am currently in the process of handing leadership of IFS over to a new generation of students at Full Sail; this is posing its own challenges and lessons to learn from. I discuss them in more detail in activity 6.

Activity 2 - Producing The Woman Who Smiles

In February 2010, I produced a short film entitled “The Woman Who Smiles”, it was a short script written by a member of IFS. The script is about a burlesque dancer and is a silent film with a poetic monologue running throughout. I managed a crew of 35 through 8 weeks of pre-production. The production was intense and there were several first experiences for myself. My key crew were all female which was a new experience for me and we had to create an 8-foot moon for our burlesque dancer to dance on. I learnt how to effectively manage crew that had never worked on a production before and how to adjust their tasks to things more suitable for people with differing experience levels. One key issue I had to deal with was due to the length of pre-produciton. It occurred across a few graduations and so key team members had to be replaced. Myself, along with my other key staff managed this effectively and no hiccups occurred during this period.

Activity 3 - Producing Coffee and Apple Pie

Coffee and Apple Pie is the largest production I’ve ever produced. With a crew of 45 and a budget of $2000, I learnt an extensive amount on this production. A friend of mine wrote it and I was given the opportunity to produce the piece. To begin I negotiated with Full Sail and they donated 35mm film and equipment for the production. This is a huge deal as 35mm is expensive to both shoot on and develop. Secondly, we held two fundraising bake sales in which we raised $735 in two days. For myself this was a huge achievement, as a large amount of the money was raised at the end of the first day because I went to the different departments around Full Sail and sold person to person within the offices. I followed this up with Thank You notes to the different departments so as to show our gratitude.

Production itself took 2 weeks with 4 shoot days spread out across them. We built a set that was lit to perfection and we are currently in the editing process at the moment. I am excited for this film to be completed so that I can begin shopping it around to different film festivals.

Activity 4 - Production Managing The Great Fiesta

Ironically, during Product and Artist Management, I was presented with the opportunity of production managing a commercial for the Ford Motor Company. 

While not the largest production I’ve ever produced, it certainly was the most intense. We had 3 weeks to plan, write and shoot a 5 minute Ford Fiesta Movie to be shown at the launch of the new 2011 Ford Fiesta in Orlando. The project was being written and directed by an old teacher of mine – Andrew Campbell. He had been my producer on my film final project and so knew my leadership ability through first hand experience. On this particular project, I was presented with many situations that challenged my leadership ability. I was responsible for managing several shooting locations and keeping them happy despite them seeing dollar signs due to Ford’s involvement. In addition to this, I had to remotely manage two of the shoot days due to being in class during the hours of shooting. By effectively delegating specific duties to my 1^st AD and Production Coordinator the shoots could be conducted successfully despite my absence. 

I learnt a ton from this experience and it is a huge addition to my resume.

Activity 5 - Producing Orlando Health Fundraiser Video

My most recently completed leadership activity included another large corporate entity. Shortly after completion of “Coffee and Apple Pie”, Lee Ann Fleming from the Orlando Health Foundation contacted me. She was interested in creating a video for their internal team member giving campaign to promote donations. I went along to a meeting with her and then over the course of an hour came up with the concept for a video they could use. I then used my little black book of contacts and put together my dream team of crew to produce this thing. I took on the role of Producer/Director and over the course of two days we filmed 14 interviews. I then mailed a hard drive with the footage on up to my editor in NYC. Remotely I guided her through what Orlando Health wanted for the video. Through confidence in my leadership I was able to delegate to someone out of my direct control the final say on the edit. Having worked with Krystal my editor for a long time now, I had full confidence in her ability. Once Krystal was finished with the edit, she mailed it back down to me and it is currently with Claire for audio post work and Kevin for graphic effects.

I have been in constant contact with Orlando Health during this long drawn out experience. However, as they aren't paying us for the video they have been patient and mindful of other commitments. I am excited to get the final project completed and delivered to Orlando Health.

Activity 6 - Producing Zombies are Real and a Self-Evaluation

My current leadership activity is an on going endeavour. With plans for moving up to New York City in the New Year, I am slowly winding down all my commitments within Orlando. This is perhaps one of the harder sides to leadership – leading others to take over your position. 

With my final project with IFS, I am producing a film entitled “Zombies are Real”. Being the first horror film I’ve produced it has a lot of firsts in terms of learning how to manage special makeup effects and scheduling and budgeting for them. I am also training a new management team for IFS to take over once I finally leave. Instead of just leading, I am reminding myself constantly to explain what I am doing to the people who are taking notes behind me. As odd as it may sound however, this is helping me in my leadership style also. It prompts me to question why I do things and perhaps find more efficient or effective ways to undertake something. 

We are still early on in production, however I have already learnt so much that I felt this activity outshines other recent endeavours I have undertaken. Much like our assignment in Month 1 of the program was to analyse ourselves, I am finding this production will be more a reflection on my entire experience at Full Sail than the production of a short movie. I am excited to see where it leads me…