This blog explores how courses in St. Edward's University's dMBA program relate traditional business principles to the context of digital media. Check back often, and journey with me as I face the ups and downs, and the intensity of this unique MBA program at the intersection of media, business and technology.
The MBA in Digital Media Management was recently awarded the 2011 "Innovative Program" award from the International Digital Media Arts Association at its annual conference in Savannah, Georgia. Each year one university program is selected by digital media professors and industry experts recognizing innovation in disciplines related to digital media. Recent recipients include the Savannah College of Art & Design, the University of Florida and the University of Georgia. The dMBA program was the first business program to receive such recognition.
Congrats to all of the cohorts,
faculty and staff of the dMBA program!
Special thanks to my classmate, Conrad Heinz, for the slideshow pics in the right-hand column, dMBA Innovation Award Celebration, hosted by Dean Kelliher.
This is why (WARNING, your head may explode by reading the following passage):
Using standard HTML, SoccerMANIA.com’s webpage might, in fact, be in-line linking to the Pelé photo stored on, say, “SoccerPASSION.com.” If that is the case, when the person seeking to visit SoccerMANIA.com’s webpage uses his browser, the browser would (1) download SoccerMANIA.com’s webpage, (2) parse through the various HTML commands of that webpage, (3) per HTML code, display the text “We proudly show this photo,” (4) also per HTML code, Dear God, stop now! Save yourself! ...follow an in-line link to the image stored on SoccerPASSION.com, (5) download the photo to the user’s computer directly from SoccerPASSION.com, and (6) display the image in the browser below the text. Because the visitor cannot see any of these actions take place, he probably—but mistakenly—will assume that the copyrighted photo of Pelé is stored on and served by SoccerMANIA.com. Indeed, even though the image was actually transferred directly from SoccerPASSION.com, the address shown on the user’s browser will still indicate something akin to “http://www.SoccerMANIA.com/webpage.html”. This is because browsers display the address of the file (here, a webpage) that they are currently rendering; they do not in any way indicate the location from which each component element of a webpage (such as an image) originates. (Perfect 10 v Google, Inc. et al.)
This goes on for nearly 50 pages. Yes, 50.
I've always wanted to read "the classics", you know, Austen, Tolstoy, Joyce. In grad school I'm reading the classics alright - the classic cases and high-court decisions in business and digital law: Campbell v Acuff Rose, Sony v Universal, Napster, Grokster, Perfect 10 v. Google, etc.
I'm learning a ton... important stuff about the application and evolution of law in the digital age - in particular about copyright law.. but this is the grind of business school... reading till I'm cross-eyed. I've recently quipped that after graduation I will never read again. My boyfriend thinks that I should then taking up knitting - but I suspect he is purely selfish on that point and just wants free, custom-made knitwear. Whatever, too much to read till then.
What's keeping me going right now? This awesome quote from our New Venture Creation guest lecturer, Ryan Gravelle*:
Entrepreneurs have a chance to make the world a better place and solve big problems. We've already got enough ways to post pictures of lunch.
I look forward to graduation. Not simply because I'll have time to learn to knit (maybe - who am I kidding?), but because I am chomping at the bit to start putting my dMBA education into practice!
* Ryan attributed the quote to Kevin Neuse, but Kevin told me it was from an article he Tweeted about. If you know the name of the article, lemme know!
The bright, happy faces to the left are those of my dMBA cohort (it was early in the program - we all look a lot more tired now). Quick - do you notice anything unexpected about this picture? Your hint is a reminder of what the program is: an MBA program with an emphasis in Digital Media Management.
If you caught NPR's, Addressing the Shortage of Women in Silicon Valley last week you might be surprised to learn that 46% of the students in our cohort are women! Not only are we beating the odds in technology, however, it turns out our cohort beats out the national average in U.S. business schools where a whopping 70% of the student body are men!
Now, I've worked for tech companies for the last few years and as a former volunteer with the non-profit, Girlstart*, I wasn't surprised to hear about the shortage of women in technology. So perhaps its precisely because of that background that upon hearing NPR's report I felt so appreciative to be a part of a program that is opening doors for women in these areas**.
With the focus in digital media, we are not only learning the language of business (accounting, finance, marketing, etc.), we are also learning the language of technology so that we can be the bridge between the various functions and stakeholders of an organization. And, according to NPR's report, it is precisely women who are needed to help propel such organizations towards success:
Mark Bregman, senior exec at Neustar
& former chief technology officer @ Symantec
To be clear, this is an MBA program, so we're not being trained to be the much needed engineers as discussed in NPR's story. Because of the digital media focus, however, we are improving our fluency in information technology; many of us can write code and we've all taken classes in AdobeCS5 - and then of course, there was the assignment where we built a computer from scratch!
These skills set us up to be that organizational bridge... now, if I could just cross that bridge between me and the end of the 50+ pages I gotta read for Digital Law tonight... (sigh)
*An award-winning, Austin based non-profit whose mission is to empower girls in science, technology, engineering and math... check 'em out!
**Yikes! For full disclosure, I have to say that the newest cohort has only 2 women! I'm not sure how that happened... but based on the previous years this is quite the anomaly. Let's just hope so!
One of the best advantages of grad school is having access to world-class professionals who are at the top of their field. In today's Branding & Promotion class, John Moore, the marketing guru of Brand Autopsy, shared with us his insights. Particularly rich about Mr. Moore's talk are the principles he shared which are timeless and yet, never more applicable than now in the digital age.
As I've previously discussed, organizations are catching on to how easy and essential it is to connect via social media and utilize digital tools, so the question becomes: if digital makes it so easy that everyone is doing it, how does one cut through the "digital noise" to effectively connect with their inundated audience? One obvious place to start is with data mining and the ability to target your audience with online tools. Yeah, yeah, yeah... like I said, that's an obvious place to start, but it lacks the teeth of solid business principles and the deeper understanding of an experienced marketer.
To address this question of "cutting through the noise" Mr. Moore spoke about the need of setting yourself apart and being "talk-able" for your audience. Now, note, this strategy leverages digital tools - the tools are the means, they are not the ends, a mistake often made when getting caught up in the hoop-la of social media. Mr. Moore illustrates his point with burger restaurants. Now, a burger joint is a good old-fashioned brick-and-mortar business where, generally speaking, the product is pretty much the same from one place to the next. So how do you set your burger apart? Its those unique "touch points" that make the burger, the restaurant and the experience unique. Its the details of these touch points... from customer service, to the menus, to the furniture... in other words, the personality of your place that creates the resonance, the "talk-ability" of your organization. And talk-ability is what we want, digital or otherwise, as up to 50% of purchasing decisions are based on word-of-mouth marketing.
My big take-away from today’s talk was creating that talk-ability factor for the long haul – not just one big splashy event or press release that people stop talking about in a few days or weeks. Its about creating something more significant than buzz... its about showcasing your organization’s personality throughout it's lifetime. Oh, and the other take-away… a shared craving for burgers that my classmates and I immediately satisfied with a trip to HopDoddy’s Burger Bar on SoCo!
Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher? I sure didn't. I've seen them in my workplace, I even have one under my kitchen sink, but if a fire actually broke out I could only hope that I'd get it right.
It seems to be human nature to think the worst won't happen to us - perhaps that's why I never bothered to learn how to use a fire extinguisher before. Last week though, while on a stroll through Hollywood (do I know how to take advantage of a mid-term break or what?), we came across a free lesson in using fire extinguishers. When offered, I jumped at the chance to learn a new skill. It was actually pretty simple:
Turn the pin to break the seal,
Pull the pin,
Aim the hose at the base of the fire,
Squeeze the trigger, like you're killing zombies, until extinguished.
During our Digital Law, Policy & Ethics class today it dawned on me that what we're studying is kinda like learning to use a fire extinguisher. Our law professor, Russell Rains, assures us that his goal isn't to train us to be lawyers, but rather, as MBA students, to skillfully spot the legal issues that naturally arise during the regular course of business. As digital MBA students, we are also focusing on legal issues unique to the digital environment.
Laws continue to evolve, and this evolution is sped up by ever changing technology. The first copyright laws in the U.S. primarily only applied to books and maps, but those laws have obviously been updated in the ensuing years to reflect the new realities created by new technologies. I may never be a lawyer, but I'm excited that I am being equipped to put out fires, digital and otherwise.
Last week we wrapped up our 1st fall term in Year 2 (Y2) of the dMBA program. With classes in Business Law & Ethics, Project Management and Applied Digital Convergence (ADC), its exciting to observe how Y2 builds on Year 1 (Y1).
Y1 was all about the "nuts and bolts" of business, you know, the theories and science of business - accounting, finance, marketing - the foundation of a solid business education. Now, if Y1 was all about the science of business, Y2 is unfolding to be about the art. The rich class discussions in Law and ADC require critical and creative thinking as these areas are more finessed and not so black-and-white as most of the courses from Y1 - but these Y2 discussions wouldn't be possible without the foundation of Y1. Perhaps more importantly though, is that Y2 is allowing for the application of the principles we studied in Y1 and putting them into practice with new courses like Project Management and New Venture Creation.
My favorite application, however, is happening outside the classroom. I am currently producing a short animated film and am having a blast! Working on this film has put me back in touch with my creativity and I am loving it! From directing the voice actors to collaborating with the illustrator and animators, this creative outlet is just what I need to balance out all of my studying!
Just as rewarding, however, as the creative outlet, this production has helped me see how much I've learned since beginning the dMBA program. Perhaps if I hadn't produced anything before, I wouldn't notice what all I've been learning. With this film, my 1st since starting the program, I notice that I'm thinking about, and managing, the project in a more holistic way. From our HR courses to Accounting to Interactive Technology & E-Commerce to Law, I am now instinctively applying what we're learning in the classroom to the production process.
I'm thrilled to be returning to my creative roots, but am even more thrilled to apply to the creative process all that I've been learning!
* The above illustrations are an early storyboard from my current film illustrated by Zara Steadman.
One week of classes left in this term and I have a billion chapters of Business Law to read, 2 papers to write for Applied Digital Convergence (ADC) and a final project and presentation for Project Management - aggghh! Its always this way towards the end of the term where I get cranky about the sheer volume of work and wonder how its all gonna get done.
And then I heard the news that Steve Jobs died today... and it all got put into perspective. The first thing I thought of, of course, is his contribution to the world via digital technology - how he put the power of technology into the hands of the consumer and has radically changed how we communicate and express ourselves. In ADC Jobs and Apple are hot topics in examining the notion of "disruptive technologies" - and as digital media MBA's we are being trained in how to nurture and spot "the next big thing" in business.
But in re-watching Jobs' 2005 Stanford University commencement address - I'm struck by an even greater legacy than mere technology - that of a philosophy and perspective that allowed his creativity and visions to change the world.
As I prepare for the last week of this term in grad school, I am struck by the profound impact that this man, who didn't finish his undergrad, has had on the world. Maybe I'm just feeling wistful - but it seems like everything I really need to know he says in his speech - and the opportunities from grad school are just the icing on the cake.
My favorite lines from his address:
You can't connect the dots looking forward,
you can only connect them looking backward.
Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path and that will make all the difference.
Keep looking, don't settle.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.
You are already naked, there is no reason not to follow your heart.
Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life.
Don't be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people's thinking.
Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And most important, have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition - they somehow already know what you truly want to become.
With the start of classes tomorrow, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what an amazing journey this last year has been!
Early on in the dMBA program I began researching Participant Media for a marketing class. I had long been a fan of their films (Food Inc., Charlie Wilson's War, North Country, etc.), but during my 1st year of the program I kept coming back to them again and again, fascinated by their business model. Their mission,"entertainment that inspires and compels social change" resonated deeply with me and my mission became to intern with them this summer.
To my great joy I was accepted as an intern in the Social Action department where I teamed with the staff and other interns to research, develop and execute social engagement campaigns (both online and offline) for PM's upcoming narratives and documentaries (see below). I had hoped to blog about my experience more, however, much of what I did each day was confidential so there really wasn't a way to share what I was doing and learning. Suffice it to say it was a rich and rewarding experience to not only work on these campaigns, but to also learn about the company as a whole. Laurie Luh, PM's Senior HR Director, organized weekly Brown Bag lunches where we had the opportunity to learn from representatives of different parts of the organization including Narrative & Documentary Development, TakePart, Legal and Finance & Business Operations.
After such a rich experience with my internship and so thoroughly enjoying the city itself, it wasn't easy to leave LA! But all I can think now, if the results of Year One have been so rewarding, I can't wait to see what's next!
How cool is this!!!
