Creativity... MBA... Ice Hockey... What???

With the start of this new term, I've been feeling like something of a Renaissance Woman lately. After all, this "Digital Media" MBA is no regular MBA.

Perhaps two of the strongest examples of what makes this degree "digital" comes from our latest round of classes:

1st, in my Finance class we've been studying all the traditional financial ratios and formulas, then applying financial analysis to current companies and market trends. For example, for one of our projects, my teammate Crystal and I are analyzing Disney. Specifically, we are conducting a financial analysis of Disney's 2006 acquisition of Pixar as well as their risky decision to produce Wall-E (after all, it starred a robot and a cockroach for heaven's sakes!). The objective of the project is to examine how to effectively balance creative and financial risks and rewards.

The 2nd example of what makes this MBA "digital" comes from my Interactive Technology and E-Commerce class. This class picks up where Information Systems left off last term. The 1st few weeks are devoted to understanding the framework and organization of technology, with the remaining weeks dedicated to hands on experience with Adobe's Creative Suite 5 and other creative digital tools. What I love about this class is that, while we're being trained in the business of digital media and not to be the "experts" in the actual creative software (otherwise I'd go get an MFA or an art degree instead of a business degree), this program expects us to be well versed enough in the standard digital tools that my peers and I will be effective collaborators in creative teams.

So its this intersection of business, technology and creativity that leaves me feeling like a Renaissance Woman lately - but better yet, as discussed in Daniel Pink's, A Whole New Mind, that I find myself being trained to understand traditional business principles as needed for our digital media world.

With that, I leave you with yet another sports metaphor (thanks to my friend Mary who reminded me of this awesome quote!):

I skate to where the puck is going to be,

not where it has been.

- Wayne Gretzky

South By: 2011

Well, another SXSW has come and gone. As a long-time Austin resident I've had the privilege of enjoying the festival as an annual spring ritual over the years. But this year, as a dMBA student, was particularly fun - people's eyes would light up when they learned I'm a filmmaker AND and a digital media business student. I'm finding organizations are hungry for this blend. I felt so popular :)

So as the festival is ginormous - how do I even begin a blog entry on it? So many panels! So many screenings! And oh yeah... so many parties!

Here are just a few of the most memorable highlights:

Participant Media's Creating Social Action Plans for Films panel. After attending, for every documentary I saw (and I saw A LOT), my mind automatically began to consider a Social Action/Social Media strategy for each film.

Swapping war stories with producer Monnie Wills on the ups and downs of working in Russia.

Attending a panel on visual storytelling by Robyn Girard, a deaf filmmaker and gaining perspective on telling stories from a soley visual perspective.

Getting stuck in the bathroom at the Vimeo theater with another germ-o-phobe. There were no paper towels - only hand dryers and you can't use those to open a door.

Flow Non-Fiction's Branded Documentary** panel. I had actually interviewed these guys on that very topic for a paper. And the panel was awesome as it included a 360 view of from all the stakeholders (clients, ad agencies, etc.)

Making a famous rockstar blush.

Meeting the producer of How to Die in Oregon while in line for a film - when he told me the name of his film I thought he said, How to Dye an Organ. We spoke for a good few minutes till I realized my mistake. Boy, that was weird.

Connecting with a ton of illustrators interested in working on the animated short I am producing with MacBoy.

The Unexpected Non-Fiction Storytelling** panel. Wow - these guys are up to some really creative stuff, challenging the definition of documentary and creating new ways for audiences to engage with stories.

Crying my eyes out during Where Soldiers Come From.

Attending a private reception for Where Soldiers Come From and speaking with the guys and their families. Getting to know some of them on a personal level was way more rewarding than any amount of "industry networking".

Enjoying the rich serendipity of randomly meeting just the right people.

...and doing every bit of it in 3-inch heels.

**Click the link and you can hear the recorded session.

Coen Brothers, look out!

Meet Brandon and Jonathan, the next generation of filmmaking brothers.

I recently volunteered with Mobile Film School, a non-profit bringing media arts education to under-served communities. The students of Eastside Memorial Green Tech High spent two days shooting on the topic of "stereotypes" and I had the privilege of mentoring them as they learned how to edit with Final Cut Pro (FCP).

These kids are smart as whips and though new to FCP, they picked it up quickly. It was incredibly rewarding to help them build their fluency with digital technology so they can give voice their own stories. And I learned a ton from them!

It was great spending the day taking a break from schoolwork - getting away from the business side of things - and diving back into the creative side again. But the best part of the day? Jonathan giving me a big ole' hug at the end and telling me how glad he was I came and how much he enjoyed working with me. ***Sniff***

KO'ing Accounting

What's the deal with me getting giddy every time I write a budget lately? I've been absolutely euphoric as I work on my final accounting project. Seriously.

The project, to create the budget and financial statements for an event, is based on the Austin Regional Golden Gloves Tournament that I recently attended.

The tournament promoter, Art Cardenas, graciously took the time to sit down with me to discuss the expenses and revenue streams associated with the event. I arrived early for our meeting so I waited while he wrapped up training. I didn't mind waiting however, as I got to watch him work. I've spent a good part of my life in gyms and around fighters of all sorts so the smell of sweat and atmosphere of hard work made me feel right at home.

When Art wrapped up his coaching we got down to business. The best part of it though was that our financial conversation was punctuated with talk of boxing and the walloping rhythm of pugilists on the speed bag. So there I was, around people I love, talking about things I love, doing something I love. OK, technically, accounting in-and-of-itself isn't something I love - in fact, sometimes the homework feels something akin to my fingernails slowly being pulled out with pliers. But I'm in this program to better leverage business functions because I firmly believe that:

Accounting + Financial Knowledge = The Power to Make Things Happen

So my budget-induced-euphoria was caused by putting my newly enhanced accounting skills to use for something I care about. And why do I respect boxers so much? Because when I see them put their heart into their training, it reminds me that when things get tough I gotta, as my old boxing instructor used to say, "Suck it up." This dMBA program is challenging, but if my heroes can climb into the ring and repeatedly get punched in the face, I can do a little accounting homework.

Teamwork

As we approach the end of the first quarter, work on final projects is in full swing. For both Information Systems (IS) and Managing the Organization this means collaborating with a team of 3 others to conduct research, write and give a presentation.

For the IS project I volunteered to put together the Power Point presentation. As our team continues to collaborate to fine tune it I am reminded of how critical effective communication is - particularly late at night when we aren't face to face. That can be tricky, but because we've built a solid team foundation its actually going quite smoothly.

As the one putting together the presentation, I find I'm utilizing skills associated with media production. Specifically, like video editing, I'm taking the various pieces from my colleagues and synthesizing them into one coherent and compelling whole. I'm having fun now - but I'm really looking forward to putting these enhanced skills to use on a production!

Building a Computer From the Ground Up

Look Ma'! That's ME building a computer!

Actually, it was a team effort so we all get credit for it coming together. There were a few misses, but we were finally successful! (Note-to-self: if its hard to screw in the screws, then maybe the screws don't really go there in the first place!)

I have to confess, I've never considered myself much of a techie. I know! I'm in an MBA program with a focus on digital technology! So this is one of those classes that is really challenging my beliefs on what I think I can do. But I guess that's why I'm here after all - to stretch and push out those boundaries of my current abilities.

For more pics from "Build a Computer Day" see the sidebar for a slideshow of all the mayhem, er, I mean, fun!

A Case Study in Leveraging Social Media

We don't have a choice in whether we do social media,

the question is, how well we do it.

(Eric Qualman)

2 entries in 2 days! Yes, it has been quite a week! But this one is ALL good! The day after mother nature threw a monkey wrench in our otherwise predictable schedule, we came back for more.

In yesterday's, Managing the Organization class, we enjoyed as our guest speaker, Jay Drayer, digital entrepreneur and CEO of CareFlash. With his background in finance and experiences as a CFO, Mr. Drayer entered the digital world with this question, "How can businesses successfully capitalize on social media?" You see, that's not the same thing as simply sending out a Tweet or having a FaceBook page. That's just keeping up... barely. What is necessary is a comprehensive overall digital strategy.

With Mr. Drayer as our guest, we encountered first hand, a real-life, working model for what we've been studying in the dMBA program. It was as if everything we've been learning, from Marketing to HR to Information Systems coalesced with this class.

It wasn't just about the Benjamins, however. Integral to Mr. Drayer's founding of CareFlash, was having his experience from business serve as the foundation for a venture consistent with his personal values. Learning this, I was hooked as that aligns with my goals as well.

Before inundating our guest with questions, he made one final point: How digital technology, specifically social media, is disrupting traditional media and marketing. "Is this disruption good?", he inquired of our cohort.

My answer? Heck yeah! That's why I'm in this program - to be on the right side of the disruption.

I'm something of a disruptor anyway.

Who Said, "Grad School Isn't The Real World"?

OK, so maybe the unexpected craziness of our recent mid-term exams doesn't have the consequences of the "real world". But with looming deadlines and demands to perform with grace in the face of ambiguity, yesterday certainly required the coping strategies and flexibility of many "real world" scenarios.

Scene: Austin Texas, a place known for its relatively mild winters making it rather unprepared for snow or ice.

On the morning of 2 mid-term exams, Austin was hit with freezing rain, leaving traffic snarled and many schools and organizations opening late. Our Accounting professor, bless her, sent us an early morning email warning us off the roads and instructions on taking the mid-term online. Now, if there's one thing I learned in the 2 years I worked in IT, its that technology is great only when it works. There were many false starts and issues in setting up the online test, keeping our poor professor on the phone most of the morning with tech support. By the time it was fixed, we had just over an hour to start the exam before running off to our Information Systems (IS) mid-term.

The IS test. How do I describe it? It was a KILLER. My brain was numb when it was over. Perfect state of mind to dash home and wrap up the Accounting test before the deadline. Except the online test was still having issues, including not saving the answers from completed problems! Seriously. The answers were G.O.N.E. So once again, our beleaguered Accounting professor was on the phone with tech support and all there was to do was sit and wait. Oh yeah, and pray the answers it took me an hour to come up with could be retrieved.

As I waited, I watched the clock as it ticked closer and closer into early evening (had I really been doing this all day ?) and towards the time for my regular Wednesday night Krav Maga class. After such a harried day, I knew an hour of punching the heavy bag was exactly what I needed. But with the clock counting down, I began to doubt that I would make it. So I waited. And waited. And then I did what any reasonable person would do. I CRANKED up my iTunes and started dancing. Why not? I was already fully prepared for the test, so I could have spent that time fretfully watching the clock, or dancing.

I chose dancing.

That's when I decided I was going to Krav no matter what. I took off to class and got in a great workout - thank you guys at Fit and Fearless, you've helped keep me grounded after more exasperating days than this!

By the time I got home from class, the test was up and ready to go. But me, I went to bed. A fresh start was what I needed to complete that albatross of a test!

That, dear friends, is a day in the life of a graduate student. And you know what? It wasn't so bad. I actually kind of thrive on pressure (why else would I sign up for a program that goes for 2 years at a summer-school-pace?). Plus, at some point it dawned on me, all this was really, was an inconvenience. Nobody wrecked their car on the ice and we're all here to slog it out another day.

Function in disaster, finish in style. (Jean Harris)

Right Brain, Meet Left Brain.

I got the giggles in my Managerial Accounting class yesterday. Since giving up Winter Break's relaxing pace for grad school's frenetic race, it can get too easy to lose sight of why I entered the dMBA program in the first place. Its like not seeing the forest for all the trees - the trees being the abundance of homework! But as I sat in Accounting yesterday, I remembered why I'm here and so, despite the crazy workload, I felt really happy!

Happiness induced by Accounting?!?! Yes! I'm sure many people will scratch their heads on that one! You see, this week we are studying the budgeting process. Now, I'm sure I will be mocked mercilessly when my friends hear me say this, but I LOVE making budgets! In fact, last week, I did a sales budget for fun (seriously!) for my friend, Robyn, who is updating the business model for her Spirit of Africa Adventure tours. Now, I've created and managed budgets in my corporate experience, but it was while writing a film budget for a grant proposal that I recognized how much I love each stage of the filmmaking process. I had initially gotten into filmmaking because of the creativity of the production phase; but while writing the proposal, I realized that I relish the business elements, from budgeting to distribution, just as much. From this discovery, I concluded that I didn't want to specialize in shooting or editing, but rather, I wanted to be the producer so I could have a hand in each step from start to finish!

Despite my nerdly enjoyment of working in Excel however, upon wrapping up my Accounting homework, I find my right brain jonesing for a creative fix! And that's why this dMBA program is such a perfect fit - it encourages our artistic pursuits as well. So when I need a break from our traditional business classes, I find time to edit Grandmother Storyteller and polish up a short script that I hope to have animated by MacBoy (production meeting this Thursday!).

But for now, I'm off to research my Information Systems project - building a video editing workstation from the ground up! Did I mention this dMBA program is eclectic?!