Entertainment Business Masters Degree

It was after completing my Computer Animation Bachelors Degree that I realized there was a pressing need that spread across almost the entire student body of Full Sail University. As well trained as many of Full Sail University’s students are, many of them will go on to graduate and not find any jobs in the entertainment industry. I had this impression initially, however it was when one of closest friends graduated to start selling cars at a car dealership in his hometown, I realized how drastically these students were looking for and required more help finding jobs. I can imagine you are asking yourself about how this student performed during his time at the University. He would complete his Bachelors program in Game Art and immediately went on to take his Masters Degree in Game Design. He would graduate from his Masters program as the Advanced Achiever with perfect attendance and was just under a 4.0 grade point average. After graduation he would look for jobs on his own while utilizing the University’s Career Development Department to not find any work. Finding myself in a similar situation after my bachelors program, I began to develop an entertainment media production studio that would have the primary focus of helping our graduates break into the industry. The studio would work directly with the Career Development Department to help Full Sail University students receive their first “Shipped Title” on their resumes. Working with students in the Winter Park area, I decided to enroll in the Entertainment Business Masters Degree Program offered at Full Sail University to best develop our business plan.

The first class offered in the program is Media Literacy and Research Methodologies. I had the opportunity to learn about the proper way to approach researching and gathering information on a variety of topics. This course teaches ways to spot unprofessional information being published and presented as fact. This is obviously very important to begin with, as you cannot build a solid company based on information that is skewed to support a single point of view or opinion.  This course points out the importance of not only having a variety of sources for information, but also the importance of knowing where the information is coming from. I spend a large portion of this class researching information about what is required to develop a new company.

The next course in the program is known as Executive Leadership. Focusing on the structure of modern businesses, the material presented points out the key basics to becoming an effective leader in any organization. Introducing the students to computer programs like Keynote, Executive Leadership provides students with the tools to present themselves and their ideas in the upmost professional manner. This course gives students their first glance into what it takes to lead a competitive company in today’s industry. During my time in Executive Leadership I would spend a lot of time working on my personal leadership habits in order to lead a new organization to the best of my ability. This would also be my first introduction to the Keynote computer program; I would quickly develop a passion for the program and the various tools it had to offer.

Project and Team Management is the following class in the degree program. This class focuses on ensuring that each student is comfortable working in a team-based environment. Among many other things presented in the course, students are required to gather into teams to discuss the business plan ideas. Being that the basis for my initial business plan was to help students of Full Sail University, many students in my class seemed to have a positive reaction to the idea. However during one of our required team meetings in the class, a fellow student pointed out that as much as I may want to, I wouldn’t be able to help every student that graduates from Full Sail University. In the team meeting the idea was developed to create a student organization that would have a requirements for admittance. This would provide the opportunity to observe and gage the various student performances prior to inviting them to work with our group. Using the information I had learned in the previous months I began to research student organizations while working to develop one. Very quickly the opportunities provided by fraternal organizations came to the forefront. It was then I realized the advantages of working in teams. Since it was not my idea that would lead me to this path I have a great deal of respect for the teachers of this class, my classmates, and all of their creative ideas.

The following class is known as Business Storytelling and Brand Development. With a strong passion and disposition for drawing, painting, and design I could be considered somewhat of a traditional artist. Naturally this class was one that would speak to my core while helping progress our group’s vision. This class focused in on the key element of developing a brand for our organization. Entering the class I was primary only thinking about logo development, however thought the course of this class I was shown how a brand is much more than just a logo. The brand of a company reaches into every aspect of operation and is what tells the story of your business. During this class I was able to see how true this fact was and how a brand was built into the different aspects of businesses. Using the knowledge from the previous classes our student society developed an initial business plan. We then sent the business plan to the extension department of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Shortly after our group began working with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity; SAE is currently the largest social fraternity in the United States. Working with the fraternity it was easy to see the various teachings of Business Storytelling and Brand Development used in a very effective manner.

The next class in the program is Entertainment Business Finance. Covering topics from daily operations to startup funds, this class takes an in-depth look into the finances of running or developing a business. There are various avenues and ways to establish a new business; in entertainment business finance we covered the various tax benefits of each avenue available. It was during this month that I also had the opportunity to meet the President of Full Sail University in the hallway. Taking the opportunity to set up a one on one meeting with Mr. Garry Jones, I was able to present our initial business plan for developing a fraternal organization at Full Sail University. After our meeting and reviewing our student’s efforts, Mr. Garry Jones was kind enough to write a letter of recommendation on behalf of our organization to specific members of Full Sail University's administration.

The following class in the Entertainment Business Masters Degree Program is Negotiation and Deal-Making. This class is heavily oriented around the various laws and regulations pertaining to business operations. Dealing with the different aspects of arbitration and mediation, students are asked to mediate and take part in the various roles of negotiating. Developing contracts in class, all mediations that took part in class help develop the confidence in the students to handle these situations in the real world.

The next class in the program is Product and Artist Management. This class is primarily oriented around the development of being an artist’s manager. Developing projects to promote artists and their events, the students learn to various aspects involved in hosting these events. From setting up concerts and other large events to meeting the individual needs of high profile entertainment artists, being a manager is a job that absolutely requires the ability to multitask. It was also during this class that our student society was recognized as an Interest Group of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, becoming formally known as the Florida Omega Society.

The following month I would take a leave of absence from Full Sail University. Our group was invited to attend Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s 77th Annual John O. Moseley Leadership School. During leadership school our members would attend seminars and classes that would focus on fundraising, chapter management, accountability, and other advanced strategies of running a fraternity. Having the opportunity to learn from members and leaders within the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, we could not be more grateful for the honor to work with and get to know some of the brothers and operations of this prestigious organization.

Upon returning to Full Sail University I entered Advanced Entertainment Law. This class takes an in-depth look into the various legal aspects of working with or developing a business. During this class students have the opportunity to learn the various ways to utilize the legal system in any organization. From the definition of the individual organization themselves to the opportunities they offer, this class covers the many differences between LLC, S & C Corporations, as well as non-profit organizations.

Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution is the next class in the program. This class covers the professional development and opportunities provided by social media. Using these new networking and media outlets to benefit your business, students learn about becoming their own publisher. There are a vast variety of avenues to produce and distribute material from for individual organizations. Developing projects for a mock publishing project, I learned about the best available opportunity to promote a company’s productions through social media as well as publishing companies.

  

            During Digital Marketing our class learned about the importance of a company’s online presence. The class taught new computer programs like Adobe Illustrator to develop company logo designs. After learning this computer program the students were taught the best way too not only promote their organization but how to measure the effectiveness of their online marketing. Using the data provided through various websites, students would optimize blogs and websites for Internet search engines. It was during this class, on October 14^th 2012, that our fraternity voted to remain independent from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity in order to best serve the students in our local community. This date will eternally be known as the founding date of the Chi Epsilon Omega Fraternity. Having a thorough understanding of why our fraternity felt the need to take action, we still maintain a positive relationship with many members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

            The next class in the program is called Business Plan Development. It is during this class that students must rely on the research skills developed during their first class. Using all of the assets now available each student will begin to compile the information required for developing a professional business plan. Through out the course of the class students’ study the choices made by investors similar to those featured on ABC’s television show “Shark Tank.” It is in Business Plan Development that students are given the opportunity to completely dive into the information directly relating to their individual business plans.

            The final class in the Entertainment Business Masters Degree Program is known as Final Project: Business Plan. During this class our students learn the most professional way to develop their business plans. Taking into account all of their previous training, students are required to present the business plans in a variety of forms for critiquing. Students will first present their businesses financials and written business plans for approval before progressing to formal presentation of their businesses. The primary instructor of the course has previously worked for the New York Stock Exchange, Charles Schwab, Dean Witter, and currently votes for the Grammy Awards in a variety of categories. Our instructor compiles a panel of University instructors for the students to present their business plans to. It is during this class that students learn to present not only themselves but also their business plans in a professional manner.

            During the course of my time in my Masters Degree, I have had the opportunity to be a part of one of the most elite Universities in the country. While attending Full Sail University I have had the honor of meeting and working with some of the most experienced and qualified instructors in education to date. I have also been blessed enough to be able to work with one of the most prestigious and the single largest and fraternal organizations in the country, while having the opportunity to build lifelong relationships with my brothers in the Chi Epsilon Omega fraternity. As I progress forward with my career, my only hope is that I will be able to share my experiences with other students to help make their experience as memorable as my own. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read about my experiences, and I would like to encourage everyone to explore to opportunities available to them at Full Sail University. 

             If you are a student at Full Sail University and you are interested in the opportunities provided by joining a Greek Letter Organization, you can e-mail us at ceofraternity@gmail.com or you can simply follow the links to our fraternity's webpages listed below.

CEO Facebook
CEO Twitter
CEO Website