Friday, October 15, 2010

Current Entertainment Business Issue




Movie Pirate from India


Movie Pirates

Ever since sharing files and documents on computers was possible, movie theft was too. The exception here is that movie theft has grow to horrible heights. It is quite easy for anyone to download movies off the Internet, whether they are coming from Youtube, BitTorrents, and media sharing programs or just sending them in general.

The issue now is that movie pirating is advancing while technology is. The pirates have become more efficient and lucrative with the movie pirating. Movie pirating is international and there are over 1,000 peer-to-peer websites just in the United States that allow illegal movie sharing and downloading. There has been a dilemma with determining which sites are legitimate and which ones aren’t.

The Paramount executive is trying to crack down on the piracy and influence other companies to build a better security system. The MPA trade group is also lobbying for tougher legislation on intellectual property theft and resale around the world.

Movies are uploaded everyday and are offered in every language. The pirates have even been able to improve the visual and sound quality of the movies themselves.

Paramount believes that if you release your product earlier, it is easier for pirates to hack and redistribute.

“Cyberlockers operate hand in glove with sites dedicated to linking consumers with such pirated content. Separating the linking sites from the content-storage sites helps thwart officials from cracking down on the immensely lucrative operations.”

Pirating is a million dollar industry that is on the rise. The money comes from advertising and membership fees. People will pay the small fee to pirate as many movies as they want.

I have friends that are experts and receiving the movies from pirates. I myself have learned how to do it. I don’t think it is right, but clearly companies need to make a big move in the security of films. Anyone can learn how to pirate.

Interview With A Broadcasting Leader





Steve Marks, Sinclair Chief Operating Officer

For my interview I chose a professional that works in the broadcasting business, Steve Marks. He currently works for Sinclair and is Chief Operating Officer.

What made you go into the entertainment business?

Marks: Initially thought I might want to be a comedian, or a sportscaster,
so I gravitated towards things that involved entertainment.

How did you get involved in the entertainment business?

Marks: Initially I did stand up comedy in clubs in New York, but I majored in
Communications in college and graduated with a BFA degree, I had hoped
to land a job with some thing that had to do with entertainment, or
advertising.

What aspect of the entertainment business are you involved in?

Marks:  I run a group of over the air broadcast stations for a company called Sinclair. My involvement is as Chief Operating Officer. I am responsible for the day-to-day activities of the company.

If you were to recommend anything to an aspiring entertainment business
student, what would you recommend?

Marks: There are a host of different categories when you are talking about
entertainment, my aspect is on the business side of it, my job is to
make our company more profitable and more attractive to prospective
share holders and advertisers, from the business side of it I would
recommend getting a job , or internship with a local media outlet, could
be radio, tv, cable etc.

What are the keys to staying successful in the entertainment business?

Marks: Key in any business is hard work, there are no short cuts, again
would depend on what aspect of the business your in, typically people in
the entertainment business have interesting personalities, they are
typically confident, have big egos, and are use to success, you have to
be able to converse at that level.

The entertainment business is an extremely competitive field, who are
your main competitors? What do you do to stay on top?

Marks: I like to run my business as my business I treat it like I own it, I
am concerned about my competitors but only to the extent that I can take
advantage of any weakness they may be displaying at any given time, so I
try to stay current from a business aspect. Short of that I worry about
my company and what I can do to try to make it better. I do not spend
a lot of time worrying about competitors. I am aware of them, but I tend
to concentrate on what I have control of my company. I do not have control of what my competitors do, I might influence it, but I
can’t control it.

What are your thoughts on leadership and the business environment?

Marks: Leaders hire good people, they realize that strength comes from who
they surround themselves with, and it is important to lead by example.

Have you used personal branding in order to get your name out?

Marks: No, I have not.

Do you use media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogs
to promote your business? Do you think they help?

Marks: Yes we do, any media used properly ie the right message should have
some benefit.

What do you think the greatest downfall about the entertainment business?

Marks: Hollywood can’t control spending, much like baseball cant control how
the Yankees spend money on free agents. Hollywood spends too much on
their product, cost have to be controlled.....never happen....but here
again that is just one aspect of the entertainment business. The fact of
the matter is people will always look for an entertainment outlet, and as
long as people will have the need to be entertained regardless of how
they choose to get that entertainment speaks well for the industry,
there really is no downside. The consumer is always looking for some form
of entertainment.

Marks works with a broadcasting company, which supplies several channels. I hope to work with the Scripps Networks, which also supplies several channels.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Interview With An Entertainment Business Owner

David Hersh, Owner of The Real Score


I interviewed David Hersh, a television show owner and previous minor league baseball team owner. He owns the television show called The Real Score and owned minor league teams like the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the Portland Oregon Beavers, and the Memphis Chicks.




What made you go into the entertainment business?

Hersh: I fell into it by accident. I started broadcasting in college, especially with Radio. After college I got involved with baseball entertainment.

What aspect of the entertainment business are you involved in?

Hersh: Television, but have been involved in all forms of sports and concert entertainment.

If you were to recommend anything to an aspiring entertainment business student, what would you recommend?

Hersh: Imagination. Think outside the box. You can never expect the traditional to work.

What are the keys to staying successful in the entertainment business?

Hersh: Flexibility and creativity.

The entertainment business is an extremely competitive field, who are your main competitors? What do you do to stay on top?

Hersh: Always be willing to change. Never rest on your morals. Its not about ego. Everyone is your competitor. You never know where the next idea is going to come from.

What are your thoughts on leadership and the business environment?

Hersh: That’s what separates the men from the boys.

Have you used personal branding in order to get your name out?

Hersh: Owning a minor league baseball team, the only thing they know is your name. There are good and bad that go along with personal branding. It proves to be a test.

Do you use media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogs to promote your business? Do you think they help?

Hersh: Yes, everyday. They help get your name out there and help my tv show get recognition and followers.

What do you think the greatest downfall about the entertainment business is?

Hersh: That people think its too easy. They don’t understand that entertaining people is hard and so is selling tickets.

By interviewing David Hersh it made me realize how much it really takes to get involved in the entertainment business. It proves to be a difficult field that only the lucky get to be a part of. 

Click Here To Check Out The Real Score 

Current Entertainment Business Issue





2012 Olympic Stadium in London, England

In 2012 the Olympics are set to take place in London, which means that an Olympic stadium will be built. There are two entertainment business companies that are trying to use the Olympic stadium for concerts after the 2012 Olympics. The two companies are: Live Nation and AEG.

Live Nation is the world's largest concert entertainment company and AEG owns the 02 (former Millennium Dome). Live Nation has performers like Lady Gaga, Madonna and U2 and AEG has performers like Usher, Justin Timberlake and Prince. The two companies partner up with the most famous singers in entertainment and have both proven their talent in order to get the stadium.

The two companies know that the stadium will prove to be an amazing concert venue. A lot of money will come from the venue itself. The competition has just now started to heat up and the negotiations include large numbers.

Article: http://bx.businessweek.com/entertainment-industry/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fc.moreover.com%2Fclick%2Fhere.pl%3Fr3254548690%26f%3D9791

This article is breaking news in the concert entertainment business. The two competitors have the most famous stars in the entertainment business performing for them. This stadium will create heavy tourism to London from fans all over the world. This venue will provide worldwide entertainment. It will be interesting to see who wins the bid and the numbers that surround the negotiation.

When to big companies like this compete over a landmark venue, attention gets drawn. This stadium will prove to be one of the biggest venues and having one companies name will prove who the bigger company is. This competition is not just about the stadium, but who rules the concert entertainment business.

By being the owner of the 2012 Olympic stadium in London the company that wins will gain bragging rights and credibility for concert entertainment. The concert entertainment business is one of the most competitive businesses in the world, but along side them are the television entertainment business and the movie entertainment business.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Dreams

If you didn't already know, I want to work with a lifestyle channel.

I am getting my Master's from Full Sail University in hopes that this will provide me with the educational support to become part of a lifestyle network.

Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel
The one dream job that I aspire to, is the one that Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel has. She is a video journalist who travels the world showing people lots of different countries and towns.

I have some ideas for what I want to do and hopefully one day Scripps will want to hear them.