Mastery journal

Puertorrican with a love for fiction. BA in Education, Teaching English to Spanish Speakers. Currently enrolled at Full Sail University for an Business Entretainment master. Hopefully finishing my JD in a couple of years.

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Reflections on Product and Artist Management

Product and Artist Management – I will learn how to deal and resolve management issues and scenarios that apply to artist management. Also, learning about product management, the inter-connectivity of artist and product management activities, and how to apply them.

Seven months ago, that was what I hoped to learn from this course. While the part of dealing, and solving issues in artist management did not came to be, I did learn a lot about artist management, and got some extra knowledge in product management as well.

The first thing I learned was what Peter Drucker said "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." That came from Robyn Benincasa’s paper: 6 Leadership Styles, And When You Should Use Them. Some of the things he talked about that still stand out are things like: “Managers are facilitators of their team members’ success” and most important and it reflects the balance that a manager has to have is: “Sometimes a teammate needs a warm hug. Sometimes the team needs a visionary, a new style of coaching, someone to lead the way or even, on occasion, a kick in the bike shorts.”

When we talked about the recent news on our industry, hot on the heels of the 2016 Latin Grammy's. These awards are always a source of controversy and gossip, but I wrote about the many ASCAP artists that won. From Shakira to Marc Anthony it was a fruitful year for ASCAP and their artists. Also, reflected and examined the major players in artist’s management and I chose William Morris, due to their longevity, influence and that they have the best agent for comedians, Sharon Jackson.

My favorite project was researching about millennials in Puerto Rico, and seeing, I knew, but this time I had local research that helped me with the conclusion. Puerto Rico and the United States are united politically, but culturally there is an abyss. Just on the way millennials in Puerto Rico still use television, be it cable or local TV, against millennials in the US that changed TV for streaming media.

I learned a lot on this course, and am grateful to professor Winn. I know that his experience has made me a better manager and will use this in the future.

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While my friends are freezing up North, this is my view. 

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Could not upload it to Wix, so I uploaded it to YouTube.

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Negotiation and deal-making

When I started this journey at Full Sail University, one of the first assignments was to look at the Master’s program. Examining the classes, we would be taking, and give a short description of what we hope to take from each class. I wrote – “Negotiation and Deal-Making – I will learn to become a strong negotiator and deal maker. Learning about deal structuring skills, self-awareness and negotiation skill development, tools and concepts for negotiation preparation, development of deal memos and contracts, negotiation.” I almost got the idea of what I would be learning here. Because I have been through law school, I already had some knowledge about negotiation, this has been another look at the theme.

The first thing was a look that we had to take within ourselves, how do others see you and how is your self-confidence. It forced me to look from the other side of the mirror and how do I see myself, my fears and strengths. I learned how knowing myself could help me to become a better negotiator. Today, I know I can take on any negotiation with confidence and knowing how to use my strengths to get what I want out of the negotiation.

We took a little test where we could analyze our ‘communication style’. It revealed me as a ‘analyzer/thinker’ and it was right on the money. As it described me as someone who “values accuracy in details and being right.” It described me and showed me ways to communicate with people like coworkers, who have different communication styles, in an effective and productive way.

When it came to the essential techniques and strategies of negotiation, I have learned quite a lot. Other concepts that I learned were useful things like: separating the person from the problem. In there we must deal with the problem, not the person, and understand human problems, like perception, emotion and communication. Another powerful tool is the best alternative to a negotiated agreement and worst alternative to a negotiated agreement. These tools are necessary when researching and preparing for a negotiation, the scenarios we are facing, best and worst scenarios. Must important was preparing on how to work for mutual benefits, where both sides feel that they have won something, even if it is not what they wanted at the beginning of the negotiation. I appreciate professor Counsman, she was an enabler and gave us some great tools to work and learn. I know that all this will be put to good use very soon.

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Marketing?

I had a problem with the course that I took from Lynda.com, as I thought it would help me with ideas for my business, but all it really did, was convince me that it would not help me very much in my business. Capricorn Entertainment is a secondary business from my main source of revenue which is my law firm. I am first and foremost an attorney who runs his own private practice of civil law. Actually not yet, I have a year to go before I can establish my law firm.

The live entertainment business in Puerto Rico is dominated by three companies, and a small bunch of companies. Basically I am filling the need of people like me that have gone to Florida, New York and California in order to see bands and plays that we cannot see here.

The course I took on Lynda.com was Small Business Marketing Fundamentals. It began well enough with the definitions of Marketing which is the process by which you acquire and retain customers, but then it took a turn on things that I do not feel apply to my business. I can pay for a survey and identify a target audience, but how do you apply it to live entertainment?

I already know my audience and my plan is to use social media as a tool to know what bands and plays people want to see. Not blindly bringing bands and plays hoping that you get sold out shows. In addition, Puerto Rico is a small but strange market, where a small play, can fill 20 one hundred seat shows, and big name artists cannot sell out the biggest arena in the Island. I was once part of a company that tried to bring NFL for one game, and we could not get people interested enough.

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When a major blackout happens and you miss 3 days of school work. You have to drive 50 miles from your home to find internet and a place to do your assignments.

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The Brand Development Journey

When I started this journey in May, I wanted to “expand my knowledge in the entertainment field before, actually specializing as an attorney for that area, especially digital rights management and legislation. This area is the future, the now of the digital age.” (DelRioOrtiz, 2016) Three months later I can say that I have learned quite a lot.

As I did not know really anything about brand or brand development, I wanted to learn as much as I could and see how it could help me develop my business idea. Today, after an immersive course, I have even tried to apply it to my workplace. Sadly, there is no brand, story or even a motto in my place of work. What I actually have started is to create my brand, my company. Even better, I found that my brand heroes (Disney and Star Wars) share things with my brand. Capricorn Entertainment is starting with the right tools, and this course has been a helping hand.

Last month in the Team Building class, we started to learn about timelines (schedules) and how to hire the right team and using their strengths and weakness to create a better product. This time we learned about brand, what is it? And how can we create a successful brand? This really helped me move along and really think about what I want to offer the public, what makes me unique in this field. It made me realize that I had a unique opportunity in a field that no one was exploiting in Puerto Rico and if it was done right and with quality it is a market right for the picking. The combination of live entertainment, artist development and intellectual property protection is something that has not been done. Thanks to the tools and the knowledge acquired I can move along to create and make Capricorn Entertainment the best live entertainment production company in Puerto Rico.

 Mastery journal. (n.d.). Retrieved August 25, 2016, from http://rolandodelrioortiz.tumblr.com/

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The Magician, with one of my favorite painters Salvador Dali.

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According to Kaye Putnam my archetype is The Lover. Hit the nail right in the head, especially with company like Sofia Vergara!

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Starting a fund! Destination Tokyo Olympics 2020

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Proud of our Olympic Gold Medallist Monica Puig.

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Project and Team Management: A Reflection

             As the end approaches on this Full Sail University course, I look at the past four weeks, almost five because we had a break on the 4th of July week, and see all I have learned. From the start it was actually what I expected, how to manage a project and its team. As I already knew, embarking on a project, in this field of entertainment is not a one-man show, is a team effort and that is something that I have been a part of, for all my productive life.

           A team is the lifeblood of a business and a chain that when it works smoothly, the rewards are great, but as soon as one link on the chain slips, failure is inevitable. All my productive life I have worked at retail and other fields where I am part of a team, and when I was younger I learned team work at the Boy Scouts, where I spent 4 wonderful years, so I am familiar with the concept, and with the different characters of people that make a team. I learned from a manager, how to use the team’s strengths and weakness to the store’s advantage.

             This course introduced me to my classmates with a wonderful team exercise, where we came together via Skype to learn a little bit more about ourselves. I learned that most of my team is composed of Hip Hop producers, and a Gospel/R&B musician/producer, I felt very out of place as a Rock and Latin musician, but is all good. Actually I found some great ideas for team building that I plan to use in the future.

             Next it was time to start working on the project we had thought that we would like to create. Mine is a monster: A Talent show/Showcase for local unsigned talent in Puerto Rico, that also included a showcase of local luthiers for outside companies that could distribute their instruments. The talent show alone is a monstrosity, in terms of finding locals, judges, prizes, etc. It is a big project, hopefully I will be able to take it on someday.

             I really enjoyed this course, and Professor Carver was wonderful, very knowledgeable and available to answer questions quickly. The only suggestion I have is that, this should be two courses, not one. So that the students can focus on one thing at a time: Project management and Team management, one for each theme, that would be better and I know that one would end up with a better understanding of the concepts on each course.

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Leadership Mastery Journal Post

Reflecting upon the readings of Greene and Maxwell, I know that my leadership style is ninety percent Maxwell and 10 percent Greene. Mostly because I am a “people person”, I enjoy helping out people around me in any way I can, is my nature and upbringing. That is why I cannot be a Greene type leader, although two of his laws make sense to me.

Greene’s second law: Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies. That is something that I learned the hard way. By trusting people who called themselves my friends, and all they wanted was my position in the company we worked together. I have yet to use my enemies because they usually fall, and disappear on their own.  

Greene’s ninth law: Win through your actions, never trough argument. This law has worked for me so many times, because you find people who are what troublesome and want to win arguments by any way possible, even when they are flat-out wrong. I always let my actions speak for me, in my work and everything I do, the outmost care is given so that there are no problems with the quality of my work.

Now Maxwell has really hit the nail in the head with my style in more occasions than Greene. You can love people without leading them, but you cannot lead people without loving them. (Maxwell 8) People are your tools, if you love them you can lead them, if you do not care for them, they are just a number or a means for production, you fail as a leader. Worst offence is when you do not care, and you put up a front of the friendliest person, and how much you care for the others and it is transparent, you can see the disdain in them.

Maxwell talks about the importance of organization, this is a must, especially for procrastinators like me. I have to force myself, self-discipline another Maxwell trait, to organize my day and my week. Now even more as I started a diet and work out plan that I have to do, for my health, because as Maxwell says is never too late to change.

The last trait that resonates more with my style is Integrity, as it builds trust and it results in a solid reputation, not just an image. (Maxwell 42) There is nothing worse than someone who has an image of integrity and yet you can see thru and all you see are lies and deceit.

Greene, Robert. (09/2000). The 48 Laws of Power. [VitalSource Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781101042458/

Maxwell, J. C. (1993). Developing the leader within you. Nashville: T. Nelson.

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  R�T

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Lovely

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The man behind The Beatles. Enough said.

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Butch Vig, the man behind the sound of Grunge and many influential albums since 1991.