I would like to take this chance to thank you for reading all of my accomplishments and tasks for my Master’s degree. I am beginning to understand the value of this degree process. I wonder how many others don’t appreciate what Full Sail, both as an institution and as individual mentors, has to offer a student. I now begin to realize the overall value of completing the business plan document as an enormously important tool for my future. By these activities, through each of the courses, we students have been directed to become competent in the most current aspects of business leadership. I know Full Sail is Real World education, but it remains on top of State-Of-The-Art techniques. The curriculum is dynamic and alive. There must be hours of discussions to develop and maintain such an educational experience. I feel ready to accomplish goals and meet challenges confidently.

I hope you enjoyed having a peek into the way my mind works and I hope you all understand just how much I have grown over the past year. As always, feel free to contact me through the website or leave comments under this post. I appreciate hearing any feedback even if it is just a simple “Hello, I read it.” Thank you again and be sure to stay tuned to www.markgugler.com for new blog updates, event information, and downloads.

Mark G.

Month 12, Business Plan Development, was the next to last month of the degree. The month revolved around correct formatting, correct sections, and overall implementation of the great ideas we generated for our business throughout the degree. The LP project for this month consisted of a reflection, similar to all of these posts. An important part of the reflection was to acknowledge two of the courses that helped fill in major details of the business plan and overall made it a better document because of it. I selected the finance class and the internet marketing courses because without those two classes, I would not have achieved competence in those areas. These classes have impacted many important details of my business plan thesis. This month was the first step to wrapping up the entire degree and it was exciting to finally iron out every detail of my Orcavia Entertainment business. The final business plan thesis was due during month 13 and after all of these posts are done, the document, final presentation slides, and LP thesis project will exist on the website to show my work and accomplishments during the Entertainment Business Master of Science degree here at Full Sail.

Community Involvement

April seemed to be a month filled with a lot of announcements for graduation from old classmates. This makes sense of course since most of my classmates who graduated in ’05 with me from high school would now be graduating from traditional four year colleges. I of course did my two year Bachelor degree with Full Sail and now will be finishing my 13 month Master degree here in May. Although I have networked with many contacts, I will highlight two who reflect many of the others. I was contacted by old friends, Nikki Nieves & Greg Weaver, and was asked about resume and job hunting advice and it gave me another chance to pass on some experience of job hunting. Greg was interested in getting into the audio game industry and I immediately recommended that he join G.A.N.G., LinkedIn, and a few other key industry groups. I also suggested some events, portfolio ideas for his resume, and other tips I have learned while being in the industry for him to do to separate himself from the average applicant. I gave similar advice to Nikki but mainly pushed the idea of networking through LinkedIn. Networking and having a great resume are very important and I am very glad I’ve had opportunities to give advice to up and coming professionals. I will stay in contact with everyone I have met over my degree and within a few years, we will be the industry leaders and trend setters for our chosen careers.

Original LP Submission

Link to Original Document

Month 11’s topic and my work schedule coordinated advantageously. Mobile Marketing & Commerce covered the mobile side of many of the previous months’ concepts and it was extremely relevant to my career as I attended the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this month. Beyond providing a great community involvement portion of the month, the conference enabled me to attend the Mobile Gaming Summit at which I learned current marketing trends. This up-to-date information tied directly into my learning and course work. It also gave me a few contacts for this month’s LP project which turned out to be a survey about mobile devices.

I received many participants in this month’s survey project but I chose a strong five profiles to compare and contrast the results of the questions. The original document contains the comprehensive breakdown of each question and all of the results but I will say that the survey activity helped me gain a better understanding of the importance of mobile marketing in today’s marketplace. Previously I had assumed I would just need a mobile version of the business’s website but after learning the main points of this class, I was able to visualize a very strong asset to building the business and growing it quicker than traditional marketing methods. This concept also opened up the potential for a new revenue source for the company as some of the games found on the website could also be ported to mobile devices without the need to create new IPs, characters, or brands. This month also helped boost my interest in brand development and cemented the desire to learn and gain more experience in the realm of brand development.

Community Involvement

This month’s community involvement focused heavily on the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, CA. Attending the event allowed me to reconnect with many of the same contacts I had made at previous industry events and once again offered me a place to network and make new contacts. I primarily attended the Mobile Summit portion of the show and found many audio programmers and professionals having an even stronger and more important role in the mobile gaming space. Due to the limitations of the devices, audio design and development must be carefully handled. I was able to participate in many business related topics as the mobile game industry is transitioning very quickly with the introduction of the iPhone App store and the Android Google Marketplace. These two additions into the mobile gaming space provide new opportunities and even new companies a place to grow and specialize in while traditional mobile game studios had to support an alarming amount of different devices, specifications, and carriers. I contributed to discussions and became aware of many new forum topics on the G.A.N.G. website regarding audio development and mobile games. The mobile space has a strong chance of building new jobs and specializations in the game audio industry and it is very exciting being a part of the transition and change.

Original LP Submission

Link to Original Document

I was very eager for month 10, Internet Marketing & Web Search Optimization, since my business plan thesis that I have been building over the course of the degree is solely a web based company. I learned about great tools and acquired much information this month that greatly helped me develop the intricate details of my business. The tools, like Quantcast.com, were also used in this month’s LP project where I was tasked with analyzing at least three competitors of mine with multiple aspects and details. Becoming aware of available tools such as this has improved my possibilities for making wise decisions for my business plan. The activities this month assisted me in developing concepts and identifying design factors which will help me accurately place my web-based business into a specific market niche. I am increasingly impressed with the coursework for this degree, its relevance and timeliness. This month’s lessons came back to me in many productive ways as I developed my business plan. My business description is:

“Orcavia Entertainment, (OE), is a web company that provides free-to-play (FTP), and subscription-based (SB) Flash games in the Educational and Puzzle game genres. The games are available through the online portal, www.orcavia.com, and are provided in two formats: (1) FTP’s - supported by advertisements on the website and during game loading, and (2) SB’s -FTP’s with additional features and no advertisements.”

The three competitors I chose to analyze for this month were the giants of the online Flash game world and although they would be my competitors, they also have the potential for being my allies. AddictingGames.com, Miniclip.com, and onlineflashgames.org, all have aspects that Orcavia Entertainment borrows from but it is the core differences that helped OE become a specific market niche company. All the details of the analysis are found in the original document and although there are not direct links to the final business plan thesis, this month helped me greatly with added fine tuned minutia to the business plan. Month 10 was a very productive month for both the LP project and the BP project.

Community Involvement

This month I was contacted by a friend I had met on Xbox Live. His gamertag, MDK x2002x, is the name by which I know him so I will refer to him at MDK. His interest in the game industry has continued to grow as he is finishing up college and he reached out to me to get advice about the industry. I told him about various events, customs, and suggested different groups and events he could attend in order to network and more quickly break into the industry. As he updated his blog he asked me to check up on his posts from time and time and it has been a privilege to offer my advice whenever he wants it. This is similar to my other community involvement I’ve given to various students, up and coming musicians, and other professionals I’ve networked with through G.A.N.G. and I have always been open to supporting anyone who asks for help. My mother was a teacher and I do believe I’ve gained some of her love for helping and seeing people grow with whatever passion they decide to pursue.

Original LP Submission

Link to Original Document

A new year and month 9 of the degree was Media Distribution & Publishing which turned out to be a fun month describing various ways to promote a product or a service to customers around the world. The lessons of this month served much more of a reaffirming role than in previous months where I knew little of the topic. Being an avid gamer and consumer, I’ve followed the trends and the changes in how to buy video games and accessories for most of my life. This gave me a wealth of personal consumer experience to bring to the table when looking at these topics from the business perspective. It was exciting to learn the small details of how different entertainment companies create and publish their products and how they proceed to provide said product to customers in various locations.

The LP project this month consisted of contacting a business professional in a distribution or publishing role and asking some questions. It was fortunate that my girlfriend’s father is a regional manager for Target in Anderson, Indiana. He was kind enough to help me with my project and answer some questions regarding the distribution ins and outs of Target. The overall theme that came from the interview was that although Target is a national business, all decisions are made in the central headquarters. This means that if a product is offered regionally it was decided by headquarters to do that. It was enlightening to discuss the distribution efforts of a company such as Target as they not only handle entertainment related items, but products of all sorts for the average consumer. I have definitely kept in touch and will continue to learn from his experience and knowledge in business matters.

Community Involvement

January, and a new year, I decided to focus on LinkedIn this month for my community involvement. I had yet to finish my profile 100% and I wanted to complete some information and network as much as possible for the month. I continued to link to professionals I knew through various groups and found some fellow G.A.N.G. members through LinkedIn as well. I also joined some of the leading game industry groups on LinkedIn and made sure that my social profiles all linked back to my LinkedIn profile. Through updating my information, contact, and details, I managed to create a strong profile that I would eventually tie to my resume as the contacts, recommendations, and skills presented in my resume reflect the same information found on my LinkedIn profile. Feel free to add me from any of my social networking sites found on the right as I love to meet new people and network as much as possible.

Original LP Submission

Link to Original Document

Advanced Entertainment Law was month 8’s topic and it was a challenging month. On top of being distracted by vacation time from regular work, this month was one of the toughest topics in the degree. This month gave me a newfound respect for legal departments of entertainment companies because of the enormous amount of detail work needed in fine tuning and understanding the minutia of contracts. The topics covered in this class have definitely helped me immediately with my career in constructing my emails and negotiations in a much more succinct manner. It has also helped me in understanding contracts my business signs, especially with regards to the projects and work I am a part of. This new comprehension has helped immensely when it comes to my responsibilities to and for our clients. The amount of restrictions a contract can put on a situation may often be difficult to accommodate, but by having a better understanding of why those restrictions are in place, I’ve been able to become more productive in my work.

The LP portion of this month was similar to last month in that I was tasked with seeking out an entertainment lawyer who could potentially be my future business’s general counsel. I found a local law office and managed to get my questions answered but the overall interaction seemed very disconnected and unfriendly. I did however feel that since they weren’t getting any money or a new client out of the school project, they probably didn’t want to spend too much time away from their work. Most of the responses were very basic although they helped to reinforce topics learned throughout the class. I did feel I gained a lot more insight into entertainment law through the teachers and my own research. I have however, been able to learn and speak intelligently with the legal counsel here at THX and have been slowly growing my Law knowledge. I know my background and experience will continue to expand as I continue along my career and I look forward to being a fly on the wall with any major legal decisions I may observe.

Community Involvement

Thankfully after a tough class this month, it was December and that offered all of us a small break. I was fortunate to go home for Christmas, meaning I traveled from San Rafael, CA to Portsmouth, VA. I was able to catch up with old friends, classmates, and colleagues and this is where I focused a lot of community involvement. I first spoke at a high school assembly to students about Full Sail, G.A.N.G., and my career in general and a few have been interested enough to stay in contact with me. I also spoke with my old Governor’s School classmates about music in the game industry and how after they graduate with their bachelor’s this year, joining G.A.N.G. would be one of the best opportunities in networking and finding a potential employer. This month was definitely more about being an active promoter of the group and it also provided me a way to build connections that have the potential for being great contacts in the coming years.

Original LP Submission

Link to Original Document

Month 7’s class entitled, Product & Artist Management, happened to be very familiar to me as my bachelor degree’s thesis placed me in an asset lead role. In this position it was my responsibility to control the flow of traffic from the artists, sound team, and designers with development of the game’s assets. This month however, built upon that role and expanded my knowledge of strictly managing an artist’s and product’s brand, image, and career. It was illuminating to discover the amount of work needed in managing an actor or singer and it is amazing to see that many of the great artists conduct much of their own management.

The leadership portfolio project for this month tasked me with finding an artist manager in today’s world and asking him a few questions. While searching I found many artist managers don’t have a very active website and many were lacking adequate contact information. I remembering seeing many “web 1.0” websites and had to search through an artist management database before finding a website that looked professional. I took the project as an opportunity to contact someone as both a business student and to find someone I would respect if I ever wanted to develop my own artist career. I eventually found Adarga Entertainment’s website and was pleased to find it presented in a professional and up-to-date manner. In today’s world, online marketing and presence is very important and it was important for me to find someone active with their own online marketing. I managed to get in touch with the owner and lead artist development manager and he was kind enough to answer my questions and help me finish my project. I did not however stay in contact with him as I had wanted, and as I had stated in my original LP submission, but I know he is only an email away from reconnecting when I have a need for his assistance with my career.

This was another fun and exciting month in building my interest in brand development and marketing. Throughout the entertainment industry, it seems that all managers must have a strong grasp on what makes a great brand and how to position that brand to grow, otherwise they will never ascend to a high management position. I hope my passion and understanding of all of these topics continues to build my career and continues to fuel my interest in learning more throughout my career.

Community Involvement

This was an interesting month for community involvement. I contacted teachers at my high school and the Governor’s School for the Arts (which I attended for 4 years during my high school years.) I was able to set up meetings with students in both places during the month to mentor about my career path. Many of my peers responded that they would be in town for the holidays and would enjoy attending the sessions. I also connected back up with another Full Sail Alum, Grant Shonkwiler, and have continued to support him as he graduated and entered into the audio portion of the game industry. He has continued to do well and stay in contact through email and industry groups. I look forward to seeing him at industry events in the coming years and it is always nice to support Full Sail alumni in your chosen career’s industry. You never know when contacts are needed and all networking is important. Being a member of G.A.N.G. for these years has continued to show me how important active membership in the industry is and continues to reinforce why we were tasked with the assignment during the degree.

Original LP Submission

Link to Original Document

Negotiation & Deal-Making was the title for the sixth month and course for the Entertainment Business Master of Science degree. The month involved learning different negotiation styles, conducting a negotiation with other classmates each week, and interviewing someone who has ample experience with negotiation. The leadership portfolio project for this month was the interview and I was fortunate enough to get some time with one of the major deal makers here at THX (Robert has recently left THX so my memories are of when he was here). Robert Hewitt was always traveling and negotiating and handling sales to our domestic and internal clients and thankfully I was able to sit down and have a great conversation with him about negotiating and deal making in general. It was clear after the interview why and how he was so qualified to conduct negotiations internationally. The background he was able to receive while living in Japan and the cultural relevancy he has with international demographics makes him a wealth of knowledge. Through the following months I was able to continue talking with him and gained some invaluable wisdom from his stories and experiences. It was a great opportunity and a great example of being in the right place at the right time with regards to this degree and my professional career. I am not going to include the document for this month as there is personal information placed within it.

Community Involvement

This month was relaxed with regards to community involvement with the Game Audio Network Guild. I sent many follow up emails from the previous months’ conferences along with making sure those I had networked with were still connected to me through the various online community websites. I also continued to visit and interact with the forums found on the website. I considered joining the Interactive Entertainment Sound Developers (IESD) organization as it was just becoming established and was a more professional side of the GANG experience. I continued to follow the news and blog posts found on the website and had more passive interaction with that group this month. I was, however, able to be more involved with the local community of professionals as a result of this month’s emphasis on negotiation. I decided to produce an in-house newsletter discussing current issues and industry trends that I felt my co-workers would appreciate. This was a networking activity as others responded to my up-to-date information.

Original LP Submission

Original Document NOT Linked due to personal information included.

Month five’s course was Global Entertainment Business Strategy and focused on business strategies that worked both domestically and internationally. Many of the concepts of the course were similar to previous classes I had about game design and development where the audience, the target customers must be addressed during in the design phase. The concepts, messages, and marketing must not offend anyone, and must be culturally sound so that the message does not become misinterpreted in different countries. I enjoyed reading some extra articles about culture codes and global concepts. This was a very important topic to cover and I feel the timing was perfect after experiencing the tough previous month of finance. The leadership portfolio project for this month was to find a news source talking about a given industry and how companies within that industry strategize launches. I chose to do the document on a podcast I regularly listen to, 1Up Yours (now called ListenUp). It is a weekly podcast by the staff at 1up.com and it covers the games industry news, rumors, and reviews. Each week, the podcast is filled with upcoming games, games the staff has been playing, and various hot topic news covered on their website. From rereading the document, I see some of the news came true, some of the community feedback answers came true, and most of the strategies in the underlining conversations were very sound. It is definitely revealing to go back to a previous podcast, news piece, or opinion piece and be able to have 20/20 hindsight on the concept. By analyzing items like this and utilizing what I learned in this class I know many of my business strategies will be sound and successful.

Community Involvement

For the third month in a row I was sent to a conference during my work and classes. The Austin Game Developer’s Conference is similar to the main Game Developer’s Conference found in San Francisco each year. The AGDC however is much more famous for the music focus it has each year since Texas is known for its music history and scene. The founder of G.A.N.G. and a few other game audio groups also lives and works in Texas. I was fortunate enough to be associated with THX since the company sponsored an Audio Mixer the first night of the conference and gave a talk the second day. At the mixer I was able to meet a good number of people who were both industry professionals and members of G.A.N.G. and meet face to face with members such as Sean Gugler, Paul Lipson, Mark Seigle, and others. As mentioned in a previous post, I was able to meet Paul Lipson who is the President of G.A.N.G. and also the Vice President of Business Development for Pyramind which is a company focusing on game audio services in production and training. It was another great event to attend and I was glad my degree program led to more in-depth professional conversations with industry leaders.

Original LP Submission

Link to Original Document

In the fourth month’s course, Entertainment Business Finance, we were exposed to a typical finance class for a business degree. The course was skewed towards the entertainment industry as all Full Sail’s classes are and this helped greatly with learning and understanding the financial side of business operation. This was definitely a tough course as financial management isn’t a forte of mine but the amount of knowledge I gained in this course prepared me for a very thorough and strong financial section of my business plan document (the other portion of my thesis). The leadership portfolio project for this month was to conduct an interview with a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and learn how they operate to better understand and research what I should look for when getting a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the business plan document. I was fortunate to contact my mother’s financial planner as we could discuss the schools topics as well as the topic of her retirement plans. Most of the information I gained from the interview supplemented the topics learned in the class and continue to expand my knowledge on the topic of personal and business finance. This class was much needed, both personally and professionally, as the topic of finance was one that I had not addressed or learned before and is one of the main reasons this degree has prepared me for becoming a Producer and extending my career goals.

Community Involvement

The end of August and the end of this class were met with a wonderful conference I attended, the Penny Arcade Expo. My main tasks for this conference were business development and market research for THX and I took the opportunity to have fun and enjoy being in the games industry. I was able to reconnect with network contacts and friends I had met through G.A.N.G. and Xbox Live along with a few special get-togethers I was able to attend. One of my friends from Xbox Live managed to setup a dinner between some Microsoft and Bungie employees whom we had met on Xbox Live. This was a great chance to meet and network with game professionals outside of the G.A.N.G. group and spread the existence of the group. It also led to an impromptu tour of one of the Microsoft Game Studios’ offices which is always fun to partake in since every game studio has their own decorations and style. The event and month ended with renewed friendship and contacts throughout the industry and hopefully lead to a few new members to the G.A.N.G. industry group.

Original LP Submission

Link to Original Document