My Masters Journey Timeline

1. Mastery Journey Timeline
Tophor Burton
by
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2. End Goals
• Obtain a masters degree at Full Sail university.
• Begin an internship with a production company.
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• Become a known producer with experience in the
entertainment industry.

3. Mastery personal development and
leadership
Objective: Understand the strategies
involved in becoming a master and how to
obtain mastery in my chosen industry.
Strategy:
• Read Robert Greene’s book “Mastery” and learn
from historical figures about reaching mastery
and study strategies to gain insight for mastering
my chosen field.
!
• Develop a list of local producers in the area and
research the companies they work with.
!
• Become re-acquainted with Full Sail’s research
databases such as “EBSCOhost” and “Lexus Nexus”
to utilize them for future research.
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4. Executive
Leadership
Objective: Learn the traits of being a successful
leader by studying ways to gain business like
relationships and study effective steps in decision
making for a group.
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Strategy:
• Read article Wasylyshyn, K. M., Shorey, H. S., &
Chaffin, J. S. (2012). Patterns of leadership
behaviour: Implications for successful executive
coaching outcomes. Coaching Psychologist, 8(2),
74-85.
!
• Join the C.E.O. Society at Full Sail and craft
business relationships with other members while
learning tips about executive leadership.
!
• Contact Career Development at Full Sail and
speak with my career advisor to begin finding
ways to become a producer.

5. Project and Team
Management
Objective: study the tools and concepts to
become a positive team leader that can motivate
a team to complete certain deadlines in the
entertainment industry.
strategy:
• Read article Weimann, P., Pollock, M., Scott, E., & Brown, I. (2013). Enhancing Team
Performance Through Tool Use: How Critical Technology-Related Issues Influence the
Performance of Virtual Project Teams. IEEE Transactions On Professional Communication,
56(4), 332-353. doi:10.1109/TPC.2013.2287571
!
• Study and compare the effectiveness of team projects over Internet applications such as
Skype, Google Hangout, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software to determine if
they are suitable to use.
!
• Apply studies from the prearranged textbook and learn how to incorporate it into the
tasks of a film producer.
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6. Business Storytelling
and brand development
Objective: Learn valuable tools
to develop strong branding strategies
within the entertainment industry
strategy:
• Read article Kathman, J. (2002).
Brand Identity Development in the
New Economy. Design Issues, 18(1),
24-35. doi:10.1162/07479360252756269
!
• Subscribe to Advertising Age
(adage.com) and receive updates
and stories of news in the
marketing industry
!
• Join the Student Branding Society
club at Full Sail and begin
creating a personal brand for my
business.
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7. Entertainment Business
Finance
Objective: Become familiar with financial data and how to
base decisions based on financial strength and position.
Learn strategies for successful investing.
strategy:
• Read article NEEDLEMAN, S. E. (2013, December 2). So, You
Want to Be An Angel Investor?. Wall Street Journal -
Eastern Edition. pp. R1-R2.
!
• Research how producers attract investors for movies and
how to budget accordingly for movie production.
!
• Become proficient in excel to create spreadsheets and
utilize them for future projects that require budgeting.
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8. Negotiation and Deal-Making
Objective: Learn effective ways to a successful
negotiation by studying the etiquette for business
negotiations.
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strategy:
• Read “Negotiate like the Pros” by Kenneth L. Shropshire
and begin to practice negotiating with a friend or family
member.
!
• Visit “Harvard’s Negotiation Project” (www.pon.harvard.edu)
to deepen my understanding in negotiating and use it to my
advantage.
!
• Research what types of negotiations a producer is
involved in during movie production and the entertainment
industry.

9. Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20941836@N00/3370496886/"
Product and Artist
Management
Objective: study the tasks and duties of
artist management while gaining insight
to product management and how to
effectively execute strategies for both.
strategy:
• Read the article Dabidini, D. (March 12, 2014 ). How
to Succeed in the Music Business. GroundUp,
Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/
lnacademic
!
• Research company leaders that are involved with
music and film to determine if newer markets can
exist.
!
• Contact local talent company and request to
follow an artist manager for a day to further
understand the responsibilities in artist
management.

10. Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55053477@N07/5104749913/"
Advanced
Entertainment Law
Objective: Have a profound knowledge in entertainment
contracts, copyrights, and intellectual properties.
strategy:
• Read Copyright Law by Richard W. Stim and research different
types of copyrights including film, TV, video games, and possibly
music.
!
• Begin filing for intellectual property such as trademarks and
branding copyrights for future start-up.
!
• Join the club Collegiate DECA and network with members that have
a passion in entertainment law.

11. Entertainment Media
Publishing and Distribution
Objective: learn strategies for publishing, distributing
works, and how to protect them when products
launch.
strategy:
• Read the article PERREN, A. (2013).
Rethinking Distribution for the Future
of Media Industry Studies. Cinema
Journal, 52(3), 165-171
!
• Find and compare data from physical
DVD distribution to Internet downloads
and evaluate the effectiveness of
both.
!
• Connect with other producers and ask
which distribution models they use and
which companies they prefer when
selling their films.
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12. Digital Marketing
Objective: Become efficient in marketing trends in the
technological environment and to utilize digital marketing in my
chosen field.
strategy:
• Read the article GRENSING-POPHAL, L. (2013). What Does the Digital
Generation's Tech Fatigue Mean for Content Providers?. Econtent, 36(7), 14-16.
!
• Study different marketing campaigns for upcoming films and examine how
digital marketing was used.
!
• Determine if social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are
viable options for digital marketing.
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13. Business Plan Development
Objective: use the knowledge gained from previous months
to develop a strong business plan for future start-up.
strategy:
• Read the article Hein, K. (2007). The Medium (Mobile TV) Is the
Message for Amp'd. Brandweek, 48(18), 19.
!
• Begin researching successful business plans and study the
structure and detail behind them.
!
• Begin crafting a business plan for future venture and utilize
teachings from previous courses to form a strong blueprint for
a business.
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14. Final Project:
Business Plan
Objective: deliver a solid business plan in a professional manner to a panel
of board members and use the knowledge gained from the entertainment
business masters program to effectively answer questions that arise.
strategy:
• Keep in contact with course director to see if business plans needs adjustments
or clarifications.
!
• Practice delivering the business plan to family members to train and become more
relaxed in delivery.
!
• Read Anatomy of a Business Plan by Linda Pinson and Jerry Jinnett to research
key insights when finalizing a business plan.
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15. Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11268292@N02/3087368102/"
Mentors in my field
Thomas L Phillips, T-Street Productions, (323) 303-7182
!
Kelly Fletcher, Jewelry Television, (865)-249-8371
!
Matthew Rogers, Macville Productions (865)-207-9704
!
George Brock Scott, Southern Rocket Productions
(865)-719-3708
!
Carson Hunt, JaoPro, (865)-394-6079
!
Adam Hall, PME Communications (865)-584-5727

16. Characteristics
of a mentor
Motivated
!
Passionate about producing
!
Great communicator
!
Interested in producing other mediums
!
Interested in my success
!
Experienced in producing
!
Wanting to expand their knowledge
as a producer
!
Great sense of humor
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