Radio is top news on Social Media

There have been rumblings that the radio industry is dying. With the growth of the Internet and social media, traditional radio has suffered from a lower number of listeners and competitors like Pandora and ITunes Radio. This week, however, the radio industry was ignited due to two New York based urban radios stations.  Social media newsfeeds were lit up with the news of legendary hip-hop radio personality Angie Martinez announcing her resignation from HOT97. HOT97 has been an influential station in the hip-hop and R&B music industry. Angie Martinez is one of those voices and personalities that you immediately associate with HOT97 and more specifically east coast hip hop culture. On June 18^th, Martinez announced that she would be resigning from the post she’s held since she was a 16-year-old intern for the station. Her announcement resulted in her name trending on Twitter. Many assumed that she was retiring from radio and moving on to other endeavors. It’s no secret that Martinez has dabbled in music herself. She’s been featured on songs with Kelis as well as the hit song “Ladies Night” featuring Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, Da Brat and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez. So it wasn’t an out of pocket assumption that she may leave radio to pursue more music.

However, the bomb was dropped on everyone today, when HOT97’s rival station announced on their most popular show “The Breakfast Club” that Angie Martinez was in fact hired and will begin working for Power 105.1. Power 105.1 is part of the radio powerhouse Clearchannel and Martinez will be taking the afternoon slot starting this August. Some take this as her being disloyal to the station that made her. Others see it has her expanding her brand and leaving a “sinking ship” before it was too late. HOT97 has had its share of negative publicity. For example, Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money crew tookissue with the station after Rosenberg, another radio personality presumably dissed Minaj on stage prior to her set at Hot97’s annual concert Summer Jam. Lil Wayne pulled Minaj from the show and she ended up not performing as scheduled.

Personally I think this is an amazing thing for the radio industry as a whole. When was the last time an issue between radio stations and personalities made news in this big of a way? Angie Martinez leaving HOT97 is the end of an era, however it will be very interesting how her new beginning at 105.1 will affect both stations. 

Can your client’s social media use hurt them?

There’s an old saying in show business, “all publicity is good publicity.” With the emergence of social media use in everyone’s lives, celebrities and entertainers are no different in their desire to participate in the ever-evolving world of social media. When it comes to developing an artist, I feel like it’s extremely important to include some sort of social media training if this artist is going to “man” their own social media outlets. There are situations where an artist can kill their career before it even gets started because of something posted on Twitter that offended their current and/or potential fan base. This begs the question; can your client’s social media use hurt them? We’ll look at an example of an artist that damaged her career right as it was building steam by her use of social media.

Azealia Banks was once a rising star in the hip-hop industry. She was slowly building a name for herself on the underground and was beginning to gain some critical acclaim. Between 2011 and 2012, as Banks was recording her first album, she began making headlines and blogs by her antics on Twitter.  Check out a synopsis of her various Twitter beefs listed here in Complex magazine.  One of the most troubling things about these twitter exchanges is that she seemed to have no filter. If I were on her artist development team, I would be mortified that she would be having these exchanges with people like T.I. Jim Jones, Lil Kim and Iggy Azalea, all who could be future allies to her in the music industry. Also, since female hip hop artists are so few and far between, she runs the risk of turning potential fans off from her because she's behaving this way towards other, more established artists they're fans of. It would also worry me that there are more articles and press about Banks' twitter wars than her actually music. 

Hip hop culture and rap music has always been about being yourself and not caring what others think and feel about you. It is also built on the "rap battle" as well. There are several different ways to maximize and monetize these situations to Banks' benefit. She could have put out a few songs or as the industry calls them "diss records." This worked for Nicki Minaj when she had issues with Lil Kim. It worked best with Kanye West and 50 Cent. Kanye West and 50 Cent used a feud between themselves to create a marketing plan that worked well for both! Azealia Banks' irresponsible Twitter beefs have hurt her career. She was once signed to Lady Gaga's management team. That relationship has since fizzled out. She also recorded a song with Pharrell Williams and it was set to release earlier this year. However, Pharrell pulled himself from the project because he didn't want to be associated with her. These situations are all a direct reflection of her social media use. 

Whether she was right or wrong in the situations, as a new artist, you have to be more careful with what you put out social media wise. Until you have a record deal or a high level distribution deal, social media is one of the only ways artists connect with their fans and share their work. Is it possible for Banks to make a comeback after so much poor publicity? Absolutely. She's featured on Childish Gambino's critically acclaimed album Because the Internet and she's currently touring Europe. She also deleted the Twitter account that was associated with the beefs she was in and created a new one. I think these are all great starts for revitalizing her career and rebuilding her reputation. She's a great lesson in what not to do when advising artiste development clients on how to interact on social media. 

Implementing Business Plan Tips

In my last post, we looked at two industry professionals, Dr. Steven Gedeon and Andrea Cockerton. They gave some great tips on writing successful business plans. As we work towards becoming business owners ourselves, it’s important to use these tips and other sources so that our own ventures are successful.

One of Dr. Gedeon’s tips that I personally will be using is regarding the selection of my management team. Dr. Gedeon states that you should be selective when choosing the management team and make sure all members of the team have skills that will help with the success of the business. With Team 20 Productions, I plan on keeping the management team extremely small to start off with. I also plan on only hiring dancers, choreographers and creative directors that I have previously successfully worked with. This will help with creating confidence within investors. Another tip that Dr. Gedeon gives regarding writing successful business plans is to keep revising and refining. I think that as my personal business grows, I will have no choice but to do this. This also shows that as a business owner, you’re always looking into new trends, strategies and technologies to help take your business to the next level.

Andrea Cockerton is an expert at pitching business ideas to investors. The biggest piece of advice that I got from her was making sure that my executive summary is detailed and effective. She also advises that the executive summary is also easily prepared in an elevator pitch. I believe the saying is “time is money” and having a ready elevator pitch is important to snag the interest of investors in a short amount of time. Andrea states that

“That you are (1) targeting a growing market with a need for your product or service, (2) that the team is talented and able to execute the business plan, and (3) that your product, service or idea is groundbreaking.”

-       See more at: http://www.thenextwomen.com/2008/12/27/expert-interview-13-questions-on-funding-pitching-part-1#sthash.nZDQhesb.dpuf.

Team 20 is a company that does several different functions. Creating a elevator pitch that accurately describes what Team 20 Productions does is a bit difficult but in the works.  I’ll make sure to keep the main functions of the company to one sentence if possible. I’ll continue to re-work the elevator pitch until I feel it’s accurate.

Armed with these tips from Dr. Gedeon and Andrea Cockerton, new business owners like myself can really work on creating a successful business plan.

Business Plan Tips from the Pros

I consider the business plan the blueprint of any business. All of us future business owners need to do our due diligence in making sure our business plans are detailed and include all of the necessary information to help set up the foundation for a successful business. As with anything, it’s important to consult and research the pros when it comes to creating a successful business plan. Dr. Steven Gedeon and Andrea Cockerton are two industry professionals who are experts when it comes to writing business plans.

Dr. Steven Gedeon is a professor in Entrepreneurship & Strategy at the Ted Rogers School of Management. He has founded and/or sat on the board of several companies and often lectures with tips on business plan writing techniques. 

Dr. Steven Gedeon states that the most important aspects of a business plan are the executive summary, the description of the management team/advisory board and the financial projections. These sections really give people an idea of what your company is about and where you see it going. Dr. Gedeon warns not to make business plans number and statistic heavy because investors can get bored with that numbers that don’t readily affect their decision. He states that investors want to understand your “go to market strategy.” The numbers and stats included in the business plan should show how and why your specific business is unique and how it will realistically make money.

Andrea Cockerton runs a company called Mudhut. This company helps other companies when they are ready to start pitching to investors. Andrea states that the pitch is extremely important. She even equates the pitch to dating in that it's your one chance to get it right. The pitch needs to be clear and concise, yet creative, effective and be able to get the interest of investors.

These tips are essential when writing a business plan. It’s important to think about what the investor is going to want to know when creating the business plan. This way the plan only includes useful information.

Making Your Creative Work Matter

This is going to be a blog post largely based on my personal opinion. As an artist/a creator, I feel like it’s important that everyone involved gets personally invested in the project. When you find an emotional attachment to the project, it makes everything you’re doing mean that much more.

I recently had the pleasure of being the lead choreographer for a flash mob that assisted in the marriage proposal of an amazing couple. From the moment I was hired, I felt a strong sense of responsibility. I was put in charge of creating a memory that would last a lifetime. That sense of responsibility affected how I choreographed and organized the event as a whole. If I didn’t feel it, then I assumed my client wouldn’t. This no longer became about me and preserving my name as a choreographer, it became about doing EVERYTHING in my power to make the creative work I presented to them matter. This would be a forever memory for them.

I think that sometimes creators have to submerge themselves so much into their work in order to make what they do matter. One of the most successful women in the entertainment industry touches on one of the personal casualties that can take place when you do so. Oprah Winfrey states that her life’s work in entertainment is one of the main reasons why she did not have children. When you look at the life, career and philanthropist efforts that have come from all that Oprah has done, she is the pinnacle of making what your creative work matter. She feels like she would have been a horrible parent if she had children and still tried to do all that she's accomplished. 

Pharrell Williams is another artist that is currently seeing how his work is affecting not only his own generation, but others. He recently made an appearance on Ellen promoting his new album and to give an amazing gift to some students at a charter school in Detroit. His song "Happy" was nominated for an Oscar this year and has been all over the airwaves this year. Pharrell got to see first hand how his creative work has been able to inspire the kids at this school where the majority of the students live at or below the poverty line. During his appearance on Ellen, you can see that he was visibly moved while the students were performing his song. This is the type of impact that all artists should shoot for when creating new works. How can my artistry reach the next generation? What can it teach the next generation? How will my legacy be remembered?

Being an artist, when your creative work matters and touches others, it makes all of the sacrifices you make worth it! 

The Boondocks Returns Without Creator

On April 21^st, The Boondocks will be returning to Adult Swim for their fourth season debut. Fans of the show and comic strip have been waiting four years to sink their teeth into what new adventures Huey, Riley and Grandad will be getting into. The Boondocks is a comic strip that was later adapted into an animated series. The creator, Aaron McGruder, wanted to create material that would touch on various taboo subject matters and use satire and comedy to provoke thought regarding social, cultural and political topics. McGruder and company have been successful with that task gaining notoriety, awards and their share of controversy.

Leading into the season four premiere, it seems like The Boondocks is continuing it’s trend of controversy. This time, it’s from within. Recently it has been revealed that the show’s creator, Aaron McGruder has had no involvement in the writing and production of season four. This has come as a shock to longtime fans and have left them wondering if the show’s tone will have a significant change. McGruder not only served as Executive Producer and lead writer, but he also voices “young” Grandad during flashback scenes.

In the past, The Boondocks has ruffled feathers for their content. In season one’s episode Return of King played with the idea of  the late Dr. Martin Luther King and what his opinion of modern day politics and race relations would be if he were still alive. Season two, took some hard shots at the BET network with episodes like Hunger Strike and TheUncle Ruckus Reality Show. These episodes were banned from airing on Adult Swim and were only made available on the season’s DVD set. The show’s casual use of the n-word ruffles many feathers as well.

McGruder released a statement giving fans some insight as to why he has no involvement in this upcoming season. Included in this statement is a bit of McGruder vagueness and humor that fans have grown to know and love. He also teases that he is in fact working on a brand new Adult Swim show entitled Black Jesus.

Does a creative work lose its integrity when the original creator is no longer a part of the project? The challenge Adult Swim and The Boondocks writers have now is how to keep the fan base that has stayed loyal since its conception. The type of show that they produce takes years to write, draw, voice and direct. Not many shows can withstand a four year hiatus and come back with the success The Boondocks has been able to. The reason this show is so successful is because the fans are not only loyal to the show, but the show's creator. Fans have expressed concern that the show will be different without McGruder. Personally, I think it's impossible for him to have NO involvement in this show's production. I also think that McGruder's longtime associate producers and writers Carl Jones and Rodney Barnes are more than capable of maintaining the integrity of the show. However, I am curious and will be watching with a more critical and skeptical eye. My assumption is super fans of this show will be doing the same.

The trailer for the first episode doesn’t give too much details on the content of the entire season. So we will have to watch, wait and see.