Are you thinking about pursuing a master’s degree in
Entertainment Business at Full Sail University? Are you curious about the
courses that are provided throughout a typical academic year? For the 2013
academic year, I had the privilege to attend Full Sail University to pursue a
master’s degree in entertainment business. As a proud graduate of Full Sail
University, I want to take this opportunity to provide you with information about
what the Entertainment Business Master’s Degree program provides and touch up
on some key factors that will make each class worth your short, 1-year
investment.
Media Literacy and
Research Methodologies
Full Sail University begins their academic year for the
Entertainment Business Master’s Degree program with the online course of Media
Literacy and Research Methodologies. In this course, students are encouraged to
build a personal learning network that involves using Internet tools, such as RSS
feeds and social medias, to learn about the activities of particular companies
within a specific industry. Students will also learn about how to use the Full
Sail student webpage to access resources, such as EBSCOhost and LexisNexis, to
conduct research for academic purposes. Since all research papers at Full Sail
University are to be written in APA format, these resources will also help
simplify the APA citing requirements that are necessary for each student paper.
Overall, this course serves as a light introduction to the struggles that the
students will eventually face during the course of the academic year.
Executive Leadership
In order for the students to learn about what it takes to
compete among their competitors in the entertainment industry, the Executive
Leadership course covers key concepts of leadership through the perspectives of
authors Robert Greene and John Maxwell. Between these 2 authors, students learn
about the ways to lead by power or by earning one’s trust. This will be useful,
as students will become knowledgeable of how different employers govern their
work environment and how one should respond to such actions.
Executive Leadership also challenges the students to put
their writing and verbal skills to the test. Students will be required to
conduct extensive research on an influential leader and explain why this leader
is influential in APA format. The students will later have to conduct a “PechaKucha”
presentation on this leader in front of the class. As a warning to all
first-time students that make it to this class, be prepared to work hard.
Project and Team
Management
Unlike any typical college class, this course makes use of
hands on activities to educate the students on effective ways to manage a team
for a project. These activities requires the students to work together and
build relationships with their classmates in order to accomplish specific tasks.
These tasks are often in the form of activities that involve trust and careful
planning. Although this course is not like any typical college course, its
innovative approach to teaching helps the students develop friendship amongst
each other. Throughout the remainder of the academic year, the students will
continue to apply what they have learned in this course to accomplish later group
activities.
Business Storytelling
and Brand Development
Since students are required to develop a business plan as
their final project, the Business Storytelling and Brand Development course
helps each student develop a business idea that they will commit to for the
remainder of the academic year. Things that are covered in this course involve
developing a personal brand statement, defining the target market, developing a
logo, and developing a brand story. As this will be the first time each student
develops their business idea, this course will help the students narrow down
their business concept into a competent business plan.
Entertainment
Business Finance
The Entertainment Business Finance course serves as an
introduction to finance for first time and intermediate learners. This course
will not only challenge a student to consider the financials of every aspect of
his or her business plan, but it will also help the student determine if his or
her business idea is profitable. Things such as calculating the cost of goods
sold, determining break-even, and completing a pro-forma are covered. Despite
its introductory nature, extensive research is needed in order to discover
product pricing and start-up costs for opening a new business. However, the
best part about committing time and effort into this course is that it allows
some breathing room for when you must complete the financial section of your
final business plan.
Negotiation and
Deal-Making
How can you manage a successful business if you are not skilled
in the art of negotiation and deal-making? Full Sail has a course that is
cleverly designed to provide its students with a safe work environment to help
develop their negotiation skills. Led by a lawyer that regularly volunteers as
a mediator in the city’s civil court, students are given scenarios that often
occur in the entertainment industry. Within these scenarios, the students will
have to engage in mock negotiations with each other until a mutual agreement is
made. Whether you have any knowledge about the industry or not, lessons that
you will learn in this course will become useful in your day to day activities.
After all, Full Sail wants to always make sure that upon graduation, all of
their students get the better end of the deal when it comes to signing an
agreement with an employer.
Product and Artist
Management
Since the entertainment industry consists of a wide range of
occupations, it is only appropriate to understand the importance of managing
products, artists, and businesses in your chosen field of work. One of the
greatest highlights of this course involves students pairing up with their
classmates in order to develop a functional live event plan to accommodate the
needs of a performing artist. Students will also learn about important documents
that are often used during preparations for an event and how certain documents
can protect the student and the artist from certain liabilities.
Another highlight of this course deals with product
managing, product development, and product pitching. It is common for
individuals to become creative and develop a product idea that can generate
profit. However, many are unaware of how to make their product stand out among
their competitors, especially when it comes to pitching their ideas to an investor
that may help them get their product into production. Students will have to
research their competitions, develop their product idea, and become innovative.
Best of all, the students will be able to experience what real product and
artist managers do in the entertainment industry.
Advanced
Entertainment Law
Ever wanted to learn something about law and how to protect
yourself when you are out working in the entertainment industry? Full Sail
offers an Advanced Entertainment Law course that covers everything you need to
know on how to legally run your business and how to protect yourself from
potential liabilities. Students will go over what is legal and illegal, common
legal terminologies, different types of contracts, legal cases, and so much
more. Taught by one of the most respected lawyers in the Orlando area, students
are able to learn about the most current legal issues in the entertainment
industry and engage in discussion to how it relates to the course. I promise
you that once you are done with this course, you may want to consider pursing a
degree in law. Despite how amazing and useful this class is, it is definitely
not for the weak. Be prepared to invest time into your work!
Entertainment Media
Publishing and Distribution
You know that you are dealing with an accredited
professional when your instructor authors your course textbook. Kimberly Craft,
lawyer, historian, and author of Entertainment
Media Publishing and Distribution, provides firsthand information to her
students about the world of publishing, along with its money making value. One
of the most valuable assignments that you will complete in this course involves
creating a business strategy for your print media, music, or audiovisual
content. In my case, I developed an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) for an artist in
New Orleans. Today, this artist uses my EPK to present to venues and promoters
and have successfully acquired gigs because of it. Whatever you want to
accomplish through publishing or distribution, Kim Craft has all the answers. Believe
it or not, this will be one of your most favorite classes by far.
Digital Marketing
As the students would have been developing their business
idea during their academic year, this digital marketing course would cover the
marketing section requirements of their business plan. Students will learn how
to use digital marketing channels, such as social media, search engine
optimization, and other advertising methods to market their business ideas to
their audiences. Students will also gain general knowledge of how to measure
the success of a digital marketing campaign through the use of key performance
indicators (KPI).
To give the students an opportunity to work in groups and
apply what they have learned in digital marketing with real life scenarios, the
instructor will invite real clients that are looking for fresh ideas on how to
vamp up their marketing campaign for their businesses. For this project, my
group had the opportunity to work with Bobby Sifrit, owner of Sifrit Real
Estate in Jupiter, FL. For this digital marketing campaign, we evaluated his
target market, his competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, and his competitive
advantage within the real estate industry. We also prepared a $10,000 marketing
budget for his digital marketing campaign that involved using search engine
optimization, social media, digital display advertising, affiliate marketing,
and email marketing to boost his company’s brand awareness. Because of this
group opportunity, my group was able to network with one of the richest
individuals in southern Florida. In a world where every product and service
needs a voice, Full Sail’s Digital Marketing course will provide you with
valuable information on how to reach the masses!
Business Plan
Development
During the homestretch of this academic year, there comes a
time when the students must finalize their business idea. In the Business Plan
Development course, students will combine everything that they have done
throughout the academic year and organize their business idea on paper while
conducting extensive research on what makes their business concept competent in
a specific industry. For this course, I wrote a business plan on a nightclub
that will take place in New Orleans, LA. Things such as conducting an industry
analysis, defining my target market, identifying my competition, discussing my
marketing campaign, and determining the key operating positions for my business
had to be addressed. Upon completion of this course, I was left with a REAL
business plan that can be submitted and presented immediately to investors!
Final Project:
Business Plan
As the final class of the Entertainment Business Master’s
Degree program, the Final Project: Business Plan class will challenge the
students to prepare accurate financials that project the first 3 years of
operation for each student’s business plan. These financials should project the
monthly marketing budgets, monthly sales budgets, monthly staff budgets,
start-up costs, monthly income statements, assumptions, and the sources and uses
of funds. Once all of this is accomplished, the students will receive their
final project grade that is based on an 8-minute business plan presentation
that is presented in front of a team of judges. Despite the amount of effort
that a student must commit to his or her business plan, each student will
finish this course with a sense of confidence and pride to take on the
challenges that awaits them in the entertainment industry.
CONCLUSION
As a recent graduate of Full Sail University, I can honestly
say that my experience there was worth the effort that I had put into it. There
are no other universities in the US that can provide the real world education
that Full Sail University provides. People may argue that the tuition is too
high or the schedules are unreasonable. However, I think otherwise. When it
comes to pursuing a degree in order to accomplish your dreams and goals, one
must be mentally and physically prepared to make the necessary sacrifices in
order to makes those dreams and goals a reality. Learn from the motivational
speaker Eric Thomas and ask yourself if you are willing to sacrifice who youare for what you will become. If so, then pursue your dreams as if there is no
tomorrow.
