Are Drugs The New Celebrity Endorsement?

In a previous post I talked about the negativity in the media and also how they tear these celebrities apart piece by piece. Although, I stand by my opinion I came across some photographic evidence of celebrities endorsing drug use. Now, I feel like celebrities have a certain responsibility to try to be some type of role model to our up and coming generation. Some of these kids look up to you and wants to be like you. So, they feel they should do the things that you do including drug use. There was an article about Soulja Boy posting pictures on Instagram of himself with codeine (syrup) and marijuana. I understand that celebrities are human too but we don’t need to see what they do behind closed doors especially when it involves drugs. Soulja Boy isn’t the only celebrity that does it. Rihanna is always uploading photos like this and this to Instagram as well as showing off marijuana and pics of her smoking it. Honestly, I don’t see the point of even doing that. It’s not cool and it’s giving off the wrong image to our children. I know it’s not a celebrity’s job to raise anyone’s children but their own but they have to know the kind of power they hold and use it for good instead of promoting so much foolishness. They need to let what they do behind closed doors stay behind closed doors. It really bothers me to see that and see how these celebrities really take their status for granted. I guess it’s the world we live in now. I know that there are a plethora of celebrities who uses their celebrity for good but a lot of them with major status glorify the wrong things. There has been too many of our celebrities who have died from drug overdoses. I know no one is perfect but keep what you do that you know is not right out of the eyes of our children. We know kids will listen to what a celebrity says before they listen to their parents so they need to be careful of what they put out into the universe. I’m not trying to sound holier than thou but celebrities as well as people like myself have a responsibility to bring our kids up the right way. This world is falling apart and we must find a way to try and make it better. I only wish I had the power that some of these celebrities have to make a difference in this world. So, they need to realize and understand the responsibility that they have whether they asked for it or not.

Journey To The Finish Line: What It Took To Get Here

I started my journey in the Entertainment Business Masters Program in a class called Media Literacy and Research Methodologies. This was an online class where I learned all about the different components of research and how to write a literature review based upon the various research methods that were learned. I only wished that this class had been on campus because I like to have face-to-face interactions with my professor and classmates. I did not know what to expect and I have to admit I was kind of nervous starting this program. I was 14 hours away from home and I did not know anyone here. That would all change when I moved on to my month two class.

Steve Adkins, my professor, was prepared to teach us all about Executive Leadership. I was happy to start this class because this would become the first time that I would meet not only my classmates but also some friends that I will have for the rest of my life. We studied the 48 Laws of Power in this class and it really opened my eyes to a different way of thinking. My favorite law was: Work on the hearts and minds of others. I want to be able to help people and mold them into the person that they were meant to be. I enjoyed learning about leadership and how to be an effective leader. I also enjoyed learning the different methods of leadership by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., for whom I did a leadership presentation on. I enjoyed this class but was also overwhelmed because I had never been in such a diverse setting. I quickly learned though that this was probably the best group of people that I have ever been in the company of.

The nicest person taught my next class I have met in my entire life and his name was Nicholas “Nick” Carver. He made learning about Project and Team Management so enjoyable and fun. This is where my classmates and I really bonded and got to know each other. Everyday we used to do team building activities and it really brought us together. The activities that my classmates and I came up with were not only hilarious but so much fun. It really set the stage for how we would be together throughout the program. Nick taught us how to do mind-mapping using www.mindmeister.com as a part of our final project for the class. I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun in a class as I had in this one. I’ll always remember this class because of Nick and the pivotal moment in played in my classmates and I class.

Business Storytelling and Brand Development was how I learned how to brand my company. Branding is everything when it comes to the success of any company. Ken DeGilio taught me how to create my own brand identity. I loved doing the assignments in class like the Personal and Creative Brand Strategy. This is where I really became focused on the type of company I wanted to start. I enjoyed creating the different brand strategies and coming up with creative ideas to make my brand stand out. It was a fun class and a great learning experience.

Kate Hartig taught my favorite class in the whole program, Product and Artist Management. This was my favorite class because I was learning about what I wanted to do with my career from someone who had already done it. I only wished that these two topics were two separate classes. We learned about artist contracts and the terms that come along with that. We learned about products and how to manage them as well. I really enjoyed this class and will keep what I learned from it hopefully for the rest of my life.

I learned so much in my Advanced Entertainment Law class taught by Cassi Willard. I loved listening to her stories that she tied in with all the lessons. This class is where I learned all about the world of copyrights, trademarks, patents, infringement, and so on and so forth. It was a lot of information to take in but it was most definitely important. In the entertainment business it is so easy for a person to get sued over the smallest oversight so it’s best that you know the law and how to protect yourself. The knowledge I gained in this class will stick with me forever while I maneuver my way through this business we like to call entertainment.

Marketing is key when you’re trying to get your business’ name out to the buying public. Now, digital marketing is more important than ever because we live in such a technology savvy world. I learned all of this and so much more in Digital Marketing class. Kristen Lamm definitely knew her stuff and I was always engaged and intrigued by what I was learning in this. I learned all about the seven digital marketing channels and how to get more hits to my blog by using search engine optimization tips. There was so much information in this class that sometimes I felt a little overwhelmed but I definitely learned a lot and will take it with me throughout my career.

Mike Koch was probably the coolest professor I had throughout this program. He was the professor for Business Plan and Development. This class is where I took everything I learned throughout the program and put together my final business plan. This class prepared me for my final class. Mike made this class entertaining by telling us funny stories and keeping the class interesting. It was a lot of work and research that went into putting my business plan together. I was proud though of the final result. Putting all the pieces together like the operations, financials, and the competition really took a lot of work. This class turned me into a business plan writer.

The first day of my final class was kind of surreal. It came so fast. Final Project: Business Plan was where everything would finally come together. This is the class where I would write my business plan out and also gives my final presentation on my business plan. I would finish doing my financial spreadsheet and when I was finish putting all together I was so proud because I had done it. I had really done it. I was so proud of myself and excited that graduation was upon us. Our professor Bill was the best and gave the most awesome stories and kept us entertained. He also gave the best advice and encouragement for us as we go on and start our careers.

I have so many great memories while I’ve been here at Full Sail. I met some amazing people and had an amazing time. As I get prepared to receive my degree in 5 days I just look back and realize how blessed I really am. I will have a Masters Degree! I remember a time when I thought I wouldn’t even go to college but look at me now. I’ll always remember the great times and the great people I met while on this journey. This is the beginning of a whole new world for me and the best is yet to come!!!

Negativity In The Media

The media is so saturated with hate and negativity. When you turn on the news the first thing you see is a story about a crime being committed. What happened to the uplifting news stories? Are they not good enough to be commentated on? I know that there are so many great things going on in this world but if you watch the news you would not know it. You have to search high and low to seek out some type of positivity in this world. People have enough going on in their own lives that they have to deal with and then there is no real escape or things on TV to uplift, motivate, and inspire us.

I think it should be more for the children that are growing up in this hateful world. Children today need so much more from society than what they are giving. We have to realize that these kids will one day grow up and become the future of this world that we live in. Do we really want to oversaturate with all of this hate and negativity. By no means am I saying that the media and TV are responsible for raising our children but they do have a responsibility to help in the aid of them being raised right. We see all the time on TV how we tear each other down and not enough of us helping to build us up. There are many, many people and organizations that are fighting the good fight but are rarely showcased because they are being overshadowed by the negativity.

When it comes to celebrities the media feels like it has free rein to say whatever they feel like. Celebrities and public figures have feelings just like the people that are not in their position. I know that there are some celebrities who bring it upon themselves by sharing and revealing too much sometimes but they’re just living their lives the best way they know how. Can you imagine the amount of pressure celebrities are under by having every little thing they do being scrutinized? It is a hard job being under a microscope every day of your life. I know some people will not agree with me because they may feel that these celebrities knew what they signed up for. Maybe they didn’t though. Some people get in this business and have no idea how it is. It’s up to them, ultimately, to not let the pressures break them and to keep people around them that are for them. Remember, celebrities are humans too and they bleed and feel just the same as us.

Photo Source.

A Lesson Learned

I talked about two experts in the field of writing business plans, Tim Berry and Ellen Rohr, in a previous blog. I spoke on individual lessons I learned from researching each one. When it came to Mr. Berry he taught me that I constantly have to keep building on my business plan. When the day comes that my business plan is finished then that means that my company is done forever. I learned that I must continue to figure out what works for my business and apply it to my business plan to better my company and benefit everyone involved. I can never stop trying to better my business and incorporate ways to make it even more successful. As I continue researching and coming up with ideas to include in my plan that lesson always stays in my head. It made me realize that I have a lot of work to do and just when I think I am done I realize I have more work to do. I would like to thank Mr. Berry for giving me that insight because once I felt like I was done with my plan that would have been it for me. I would not have thought to continue building upon my business plan.

Ellen Rohr gave me a lesson that not only I can use in business but life as well. She talked about letting go of what you cannot control. That is so true. If something is not working within my business plan and I have no way of making it work then I just have to let it go. I have to come up with another way to make it work or scrap that whole idea altogether and start fresh. If I do not do that then stress and frustration becomes an issue and those feelings are not going to help me become productive and come up with solutions to what is not working. Both of these lessons taught me something but did not necessarily make me change anything about my business plan. These lessons gave me insight as to how to handle writing my business plan and to continue building upon it once I get my business up and running. I thank them for these lessons and will take them with me throughout my lifetime.