The Season! (NBA) Basketball

Well, as you all may know it is that time of the year! Basketball season is here and under way. With the preseason starting and players making come backs from injuries, there is know telling who will make a major break out. It has been brought to the media attention that Derrick Rose, a point guard that tore his ACL in a playoff game last year in 2012. With all the reticule that negative comments that have been thrown at him, he has been determined to show and prove that he is the elite and next big thing coming. With other teams like the New York Knicks, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets along with the Houston Rockets, these teams are determined to win a championship. With Miami being the top team defending their back to back championship, there are many teams gunning for them to knock them off the leading board. The very one team that feels like they feel will do so, would be the Chicago Bulls. It is a rivalry that will always go down in the books. My personal thought on this years season would be to never sleep on the Oklahoma Thunder, LA Clippers, and Houston Rockets. But the only two teams I feel that have a change on upsetting the Miami Heat will be the New York Knicks or the Chicago Bulls. Below is a small clip that was put together that showed some of the exciting moments in the game of basketball.

Do You Feel The Entertainment Industry Brings Out Unnecessary Problems For Artist?

As some of you may all know, Kendrick Lamar a rap artist from California, has stirred up quite a controversy within the rap game. He made it clear that there are only a certain number of rap artist that he feels earns his respect as an artist. However, Kendrick Lamar may have just gotten known for being a good artist within the last year, but people are surprised to know that he has been in the entertainment industry for over 3 years now. The question is, do people feel he has a right to make such a statement, calling himself the "KING OF NEW YORK." Does this bother "Jay - Z" and "NAS,"? These are two of the most talents rap artist in the game right now. But besides collaborating with hip-hop artist BIG SEAN, we would all agree that what he said to certain artist may have been needed in order to bring the hip-hop era back to life. We all remember that back in the early 80's and 90's, the battling between who is the best artist on the West coast, and the East coast ran superior trends across the globe. I personally feel that what Kendrick Lamar did, was brilliant. He made it noticeable that he was the best in the rap game, therefore he made it challenging for other rap artist to become the top artist. But, there was one particular artist that felt did not deserve to be a legit rap artist, and that individual was rap icon Drake. If you were not in attendance for the 2013 Cypher, here is a clip of what was said by Kendrick Lamar about Drake. It has been stated by a reliable source that Erykah Badu encourages Drake to come back in response in a lyrical type of setting stating, "Drake you have to come back boy, this HIP-HOP! Now as we all wait and see if Drake will respond, will it be at a point of transformation for others to continue this trending topic. If so I personally feel that the art of hip-hop will gather better respect and more attention in a positive way.

My Thoughts On My Last Post!

My last blog was based on research and how certain experts have made there lives easier due to the fact they have invested there plans and have continued to be smart on what they have blue printed. I have noticed that experts are becoming more and more independent. They have taken the time to become better entrepreneurs. It has been notified that the necessary steps to becoming a well known and well investor would be greatly noticed if you are an expert that has experience. One thing that I plan on using as a technique for my plan, would be to contact angel investors. The most important part that I feel I would need to make sure that investors understand would be the financial part of my companies plan! I personally feel that is a very crucial and important part because I want it to be known that my company is increasing in profit. One thing that I have learned would be to make sure that your financials are accurate. I have not had the opportunity to really change anything within my plan because I feel that there is no need for it. If I take the necessary steps that have been provided by these experts, I am confident that theses skills will be upheld. I also feel that by taking the steps in having good management skills will be a very good technique. It is important that my company continues to do research and learn valuable information for future work and to convince investors that we are a contented in the entertainment business era. In addition to what I feel that may be very important to investors when reading my plan would be the, the concept behind the plan. The fact that we are a family oriented company, I feel will eliminate doubt for the investors.

Business Plan Expertise

With the economy being so messed up in the United States of America, people are starting to become more independent. Civilians that are creative and have been growing up around the business aspect part of the world, are becoming better entrepreneurs. They are seeking quality investors, and learning the in's and out's of what a correct business plan should look like. Rather its through education or through a family business the new trend now is to become your own money maker. 
I was doing some brief research on "Business Plan Experts" and came across this website that gave me examples of people who favor in being or becoming proper suited "Business Plan Consultants with Venture Capital Expertise" experience. One person that I found very interesting was, Jon Copper a principle consultant. Jon has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, business strategy, planning, product management and marketing experience. He has started a number of companies in different industries, and worked with dozens of others to help develop plans and presentations for investment from both angels and venture companies. He has also taken the time throughout his life to  work on the global strategy team of Level3 Communications, and was a consultant at Accenture, and led a business development department of a motion picture production and financing company. Another person I found interesting was Jenifer Grant from New York, NY. She has had the opportunity to be involved with finance, strategy, and marketing in a wide variety of roles and industries for over 15 years. In addition to third-party clients, she developed plans and implemented strategies for internal new businesses within IT and investment banking during the corporate phase of her career. But before all of that, Jenifer structured and managed transactions in global merchant banking and derivatives, and held strategic planning and management positions within investment banking and IT functions at Bankers Trust Company. In order for these people to get to where they are now they had to understand that there are certain essential business plan components that you must follow in order for you to be successful and they are,

• Mission statement and/or vision statement so you articulate what you’re trying to create;
• Description of your company and product or service;
• Description of how your product or service is different;
• Market analysis that discusses the market you’re trying to enter, competitors, where you fit, and what type of market share you believe you can secure;
• Description of your management team, including the experience of key team members and previous successes;
• How you plan to market the product or service;
• Analysis of your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat, which will show that you’re realistic and have considered opportunities and challenges;
• Develop a cash flow statement so you understand what your needs are now and will be in the future (a cash flow statement also can help you consider how cash flow could impact growth);
• Revenue projections; and
• Summary/conclusion that wraps everything together (this also could be an executive summary at the beginning of the plan).

With these 10 steps to victory in developing and proper business plan to and investor, i believe you cannot go wrong. 

Artist Management/Manager and how important set up good entities and to not commingle funds,

Let me be honest and tell you that at one time I wanted to become an Artist Manager. It was imperative that I became something that took me out of my comfort zone. I wanted to test the waters, and truly see how my inner abilities to interact with others on a one on one bases. It takes a lot of hard work and true commitment when you have the title and are willing to take the role of building an Artist Management company. I have notice that there are roles and regulations when starting this type of company. One thing that I understand and I feel is very important when becoming an artist manager, you have to be very carful with choosing different types of "entities." A couple months back I ran into a lawyer that told me the importance of having certain different types of "entities." Having a "S.Corp" also known as an "S.Corportation" is much easier to manage. He also mentioned that the average commission base pay for a manager would be 15% to 20%. Most Artist Managers or Artist Management Companies can get funny or sneaky and try to take things off of the artists "net income" instead of there "gross income." One thing that I noticed that Artist Managers or the Artist Management company may do are, commingle funds. Those who do that are inner mixing that personal funds along with there business income. That can draw a lot of negative attention to the IRS and to your personal accountant. It is necessary to be very cautious and protective of what you put in and out when it comes to your income within the business you are running. I personally feel that whoever reads this may already know about the things that I mentioned, but I know there is someone out there that will read this blog and think twice about taking advantage of an artist when it comes to their income, or making sure not to commingle there funds!

The Model and Role "Model" Life

What makes a good model today? What kind of opportunities do they get that make them succeed? By being a model, is it fair to say they can live off of the income that they are currently receiving. These are frequently asked question's by people who are either prospective models and are inspired to become one from seeing other model's become successful. Or there are people who are simply just interested in asking a question that relates to the situation, just because they are curious. Personally, I feel that regardless of the job or career you are in, those questions are simply evolving into bigger and better "meanings." When an average person looks on T.V and says, "I want to be that type of person, when I grow up". Right then and there, they are looking at a "Model" also known as a "Role Model". Now we all know that being a "Model" and being a "Role Model" are two different things! But are they really? I would beg to differ because they both are both selling off their way to become better, inspirational, and leaders. One very inspirational individual that I feel fits the "Role Modeling" aspect of this blog would be Denzel Washington because he has the type of mindset that speaks out without words, meaning that his ability to perform not just in movies, but in colleges and outside of the acting era. He has the determination to never ever neither give in nor give up on something that he knows is right. He mentions that there is an old saying that states, "If you hang around the barbershop long enough you will eventually receive a haircut." This quote has a strong meaning because he did a speech that initialed the meaning of not "Falling Back On Anything, unless It's His Faith," if he was to fall he would want to fall forward, therefore he can see what he is hitting. That statement really spoke out in ways that made me personally feel better and more driven to never give in nor give up, because you never know when your break will come. Another individual that has the sense of achieving and being great would be, David Gandy, a male supermodel that has taken over the industry and has over came stereotypes. He has opened up the doors to those who have always wanted to do male modeling but were scared or intimated. He has completed an obstacle that most males would have struggled with. It is an honor to do have written a blog about theses two outstanding individuals because they have made such an impact in my life. 

Sources: 

http://www.gq.com/images/entertainment/2012/09/denzel-slideshow/denzel-cover-slideshow.jpg

http://www.i.thefashionisto.com/2012/7/david-gandy-august-man9.jpg

How To Become A Successful Artist Manager

I sometimes wonder how many people are truly interested in becoming a successful Artist Manager. There are plenty of artist managers such as Sean P. Daddy Combs and others that have successfully completed the ultimate goal of being a manager for an artist who has the gift and talent to become a great artist. Most people would say that by going to school and attending certain classes are the key to b becoming a successful manager. But say you don't have the funding to attend school, what do you do then? Well you can always have the pleasure to look into books or have the ability to self-study. If you don’t have the access to funding for college or university, another option is to purchase some of the various books available on the topic of how to become a music manager and/or studying much of the material available online in the form of blogs, articles, forum postings, newsletters, etc. You can also attend music business conferences and/or seminars in order to get valuable information from the various panelists and establish connections with attendees and sponsors. One important key that I feel maybe very important to becoming a successful artists manager would be to find an internship at Management Company, so that they could show you the guidelines. They could tell you that most managers earn 10 to 15% in commission. By reading the article that is listed above, you will get a better view on how becoming an artist manager is very tedious work, but also can be a very well paid and fun job! One more important fact about this job, you will also need to evaluate how much time you have available to devote to the task of music management since your (and your artists’) chances of success are directly related to how much quality time you put into the job. 

Getting Your "Work" Noticed In The Entertainment Industry and taking basic 101 steps

Rather its music, film work, or acting, people are determined to get their faces out there. The drive to pursue an acting gig in a movie, or to get signed to a major label company would be the absolute dream to have. Most people are hungry for success, and would do anything to become successful and to have that extra edge. If you were trying to become an actress, one of the major steps would be to attend a drama school. For example, the Actors Studio which is located in New York, New York can offer opportunities to as well it will look great on your resume. Most acting schools, put on performances in the public neighborhood just to get recognition and exposure. This would be just one of the ways to pursue a career in acting. When it comes to becoming a film director, it is a little different. Most people in the industry are looking for how you may assess your skills, how do you determine what valuable skills you did not know you had, and are you the right person for the job. Another thing that would be very crucial would be how well put your resume is and if you lied on it or not. When it comes to the music industry, it is very important to up hold a certain image. I came across and article that explained 3 important steps that would help guide you to signing with a record label company. The first step would be, to develop your image, the second step would be to develop your music, and the last would be to develop your following. In other words being able to distribute your talent by booking shows, marketing your shows using social networks, and most of all start looking for experienced managers. 

Business Plan Interview Involving Entertainment Industry Guidelines

Those who provide valuable information, are true individuals who are determined to succeed in certain areas of work. Rather it is an actor, actress, athlete, model, attorney or even a musician. People are blinded sided by the negativity and disrespected slander towards people who are trying to make a living. In other words, it is not invisible to the naked eye that people in the entertainment world try to pursue others into doing something that could hurt them in the long run or possible screw them over on a business plan involving their career. So, I took the time to reach out to an attorney by the name of Skinner Louis and I asked to give me positive feedback and I asked him a series of question revolving around artist mangers. I wanted to know the in's and out's of what legal steps I needed to be aware of or perform when managing an artist. Mr. Louis started of by telling me that its important how you structure your business. He mention's that the structure of business will represent what type of legal entity you as an artist manager will be in. Mr Louis then states that you have to then understand the rules and regulations you have to follow in the state that you are building your business in. An example he gave was, how in certain states that have entrainment law's like Los Angles and New York, because they have so much entrainment going on this those states that are listed. Mr Louis really emphasized the fact that I need to look at where I want to have my artist management company located and follow the rules and regulations that were given for that state that are followed in that state. I then asked him how he would view the outlook of managing a  certain target audience and I was able to give hime my age range of the individuals I would want to manage which was 16 to 21. He explains that between the ages of 16-18 they would need to be accompanied by there parents because they have not reached the meaning of "age of majority," unless they have a legal form that says they are emancipated and have been on there on since they were 16. After 18 years of age it is automatically legal for individuals to sign contracts to be managed. He mentions that I have to take in the fact that I am not just managing their child, but the parent as well. Even though the parent has signed the contract saying that it is ok for me to mange their child, If I try to do something that would benefit the artist, but the parent does not like the idea, I have to consider the fact that it is important that I satisfy both parties. Its important that you do not what to mess up the flow of the business, says Skinner Louis. Skinner then goes into detail about what I need to do when I actually go into my day to day artist management. He tells me that its important that you come up with an agreement that shows what I will do for them, and the responsibilities I look forward to in return from my artist. Mr Louis explains that a lot of people confuse themselves with the words "net" and "gross." He explains how "gross" can mean you are getting the full amount of what they made before any expenses are taking out, and "net" means you are getting a certain percentage after they paid everything. He then explains that the average percentage that would be taken out for an artist manager is 10 to 20% from their "net" income, and not there "gross" income. My Louis eventually goes into detail about "relationship" and how it is key to a successful career. The strongest advice he gave me was that, as an artist manager on a legal term you want to pick the best entity that will allow you to keep the most profits. He recommended two types of entities which were, S.Corporation also known as a S.Corp or S.Corp LLC. He mentions that there are two types of levels which are, the "legal" level and the "tax" level. The tax level represents how you pay the federal government, which also revolves around the term "property gain tax". The S.Corp designation means that you are able to pay yourself a reasonable salary and that any remaining money from the company that you get, you can take out as a dividend. Mr Louis would then refer back to the S.Corp LLC, and tell me that he feels that it is a lot easier to manage and not as intensive when it comes to forms that individuals have to fill out. The very last category he touched on was bank accounts. It is very crucial that you keep your business money and personal money separate. When you start to commingle funds with other activities that have nothing to do with your business, you then start to lose what is called you "corporate protection." In other words people will start to look at your alter ego, and judge you based off of your irresponsibilities to keep your personal funds separate from your funds with the company or business that you have. The first time you start using business money for personal things, you lose liability. Its very important that you keep things separate so if someone was to try and sue me, they would sue the company and not me personally. Skinner Louis concluded this interview by telling me that it comes down to your skills to really understand the entertainment industry to provide the best value to your client which would be my artist.

Industry Problems

It has been brought to my attention that even throughout your career, there are various reasoning for certain individuals to pursue a lawsuit against you, or having items stolen from you that could later on affect your career. A perfect example of that would be the incident between artist and producer Ryan Leslie and one of his employees that stole his laptop back in October of 2010. Mr. Leslie made the offer that if the individual would return his laptop he would offer a million dollars just to return his belongings back to Ryan Leslie. Ryan would eventually receive his laptop, however he would not hold up his end of the bargain by giving the 1 million to the individual who gave back the laptop. So in retaliation, "The German finder Armin Augstein has sued in hopes of getting what was rightfully promised." As I continued to look up industry liabilities I came across two more articles that dealt with artist that deal with loss revenues due to illegal file sharing and new way music being distributed online.  One example I came across was that on October 30th 2012 an author by the name of Ben Sisario discussed some issue about Eminem's  problems about some digital royalties in a lawsuit. The case was entitled F.B.T. Productions v. Aftermath Records. This was a group of producers who sued a subsidiary of Universal Music Group because they were feeling that they were not getting the right amount of royalties that was supposed to be given to them from iTunes and possibly other stores that were digitally included in the entertainment industry. Also, according too an article from NYTimes.com, Chuck D from the music group known as "Public Enemy” also took part in filing a lawsuit against Universal Music over digital royalties. His argument was that Universal had been miscalculating Public Enemies royalties for digital downloads such as MP3 and ring tones. It is stated that artist are due to receive 10 to 20 percent of royalties in record sales.