Learning From Cuban and Corcoran

Based on what we learned in our last research regarding Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran, we intend to incorporate three important elements that they critically support into our business plan for Walking Wolf Productions, Corp.

First, we plan to make clear to investors that the idea of web series and motion pictures being distributed for free through an online platform is not only a great business given to its highly demanded products, but also because of its clear direction, successful future, and large margin of profitability. We plan to do this by establishing graphic statistics within the business plan that shows the amount of viewers watching shows and films over the internet and how it has grown during the last few years. This will allow investors to see the future of the business in the market and its prospective growth. Also, we plan to show this by presenting the investor along with the company’s business plan surveys of audiences relating to TV shows, films, and how they now watch them more over Hulu, Netflix, iTunes, or online platforms such as HBOGO.com, NBC.com, and ABCGO.com than in DVD’s or regular broadcast programming.

Second, we plan to attack all investor doubts and insecurities by overstating that our business is an Internet-based business. As a rule of thumb, given to the open market and the lack of boundaries that the internet provides, the majority of businesses that are currently based on the web are massively successful. However, the fact that we are intending to distribute the most visited forms of entertainment aside to games which currently exist on the market, will make us even more popular, profitable, and expandable.  We will be clear that we also intent in creating an app for Android and Apple which would also give access to mobile consumers and a port of entry for game consoles and devices with internet access so people can see our products anytime, anywhere. 

Third, based on Barbara’s Corcoran’s tips, we intend to build a prospective team of people that are suitable to make the business succeed and grow accordingly. We will mention in the plan we do not only aim to have a bunch of filmmakers and artistic individuals running the company, but a full administrative staff of coordinators, accountants, managers, and a lawyer that make sure the company runs to satisfy not only consumer needs, but the investor’s need of return on investment.

Overall, selections of our plan we consider to be the most important are the executive summary for its capacity to tell the entire business idea in the beginning, briefly, and to the point, forecast projections such as the target market and industry analysis sections for their ability to tell how well would the business behave in the real world, and the marketing plan, which lets investors know how and through which channels we intend to reach our target market. It is important for investors to know how we plan to succeed and survive the competition.

FIRST LOOK ON BUSINESS PLAN EXPERTS

Mark Cuban is an American businessman and investor born in July 31, 1958 on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, Landmark theaters, Magnolia Pictures, and he is the chairman of the HDTV cable network HDNet. His business net worth is $2.5 billion dollars, and he is #171 in Forbe’s list of US Billionaires. As a young adult, Cuban enrolled as a full time student at the University of Pittsburgh and then transferred to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, graduating in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Cuban’s critical key components when looking into a business plan are a) the actual consumer need for the product or service, b) the track record of the business and individual owner of the company, and c) the business’ growth prospect. Cuban has a particular interest for internet related business that profit from e-commerce and other web services. As for point A, Cuban looks for business plans that have high-demand and need in its products or service to ensure the number of sales and ROI. He prefers financing a business of PS3 games that consumers can download online for a monthly membership fee where there is already a market and need, rather than a local store of hand-drawn prints for T-shirts. About point B, Cuban explores through the company’s and individual owner’s financial backgrounds the level of responsibility and commitment of the business. Studying someone’s financial background helps understand individual and corporate habits in the way money is spent and saved. Ultimately, point C is a view at the possibility that the business can expand and branch out. As a business man, Cuban likes to finance businesses that can stand on their own and automatically create new assets. An example is HDNet, which is a network that builds its audience based on new seasonal content.

Barbara Corcoran is an American business woman, investor, business consultant, and television personality born in March 10^th, 1949 on Edgewater, New Jersey. She graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas College in 1971 and started her own real estate business, The Corcoran Group, with a $1000 loan in 1973. She is a columnist for “More Magazine”, “The Daily review”, and “Redbook”. She became also a “Shark Tank” show personality and investor on ABC in 2009.

Corcoran’s critical key components when looking into a business plan are a) a great executive summary that answers a.1) what is the business owner trying to make happen with his/her business?, a.2) why is the individual owner suitable for the job?, a.3) Is it a good business?, a.4) What is it going to cost? And a.5) How long is it going to take? Also b) presenting the total revenue that the company could generate if it captured 100% of the market rather that presenting the total market or overestimating its size, c) presenting the true company risks rather than downsizing these to not scare investors, d) and answering what makes the company’s product or service different? Ultimately, Corcoran’s emphasis is in the executive summary: let the executive summary reflect the gold mine a business truly is including its risks and potential problems along the way.

References:

-          Barbara Corcoran (2011). Official Website. Retrieved November 27^th, 2011 from http://barbaracorcoran.com/

-          Green, Penelope (2005). "The Real Estate 'Queen' in Her Hive", The New York Times. Retrieved November 27^th, 2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/realestate/25habi.html

-          Expert Views on Business Plans (2011). Steven Burhoe’s Blog. Retrieved November 27^th, 2011 from http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/

-          Mark Cuban Profile Page (2011). Forbes.com. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/profile/mark-cuban/

Walking Wolf Productions explores the world of webisodes and mini-series

The world of webisodes has expanded for independent filmmakers in the last decade. Now, even TV episodes made by ABC, NBC, and Warner are being casted on the internet. Independent shows such as “Clark and Michael” along with “Steven King’s N” are also being pushed all over the web, bringing a chance for new content to be picked up by networks.

Independent Webisode Guide

Thus, it is the time for us at Walking Wolf Productions to explore this new category of content and provide a fan base of 900 followers several mini-series of different genres. We have the purpose in 2012 of creating three web pilots in pursuit of obtaining support by sponsors who wish to promote their products and services on the web. This in combination of digital marketing will allow us to complete at least two seasons per show and build an audience of minimum 10,000 viewers. Once this target is met, we plan to pitch the show to local and regional TV stations that would like to follow up with the show.

The first show will be a drama that will be targeted to women in their mid-thirties and mid-forties. Our plan is to appeal this demographic by creating a show that contributes to society’s morals. It will be an episodic show that will have one new story every time with one same host. The method will be that at the end of each story we will deliver a message to the audience through the eyes of the host and the victims in the story.

The second show will be a horror with the same feel than “Harper’s Island” where it will be one continuous story with thrilling cliff-hangers that case the audience to continue watching. The story will have to do with a serial killer and its different victims. However, the story will be told from the eyes of a man new to the setting who will not understand the situation of the circumstances until the end of the story. The killer will be revealed in the end with the purpose of making a story twist that surprises the audience with its sudden results.

Finally, the third show for 2012 will be chosen by the audience, and they will be able to vote what is next for Walking Wolf in its mini-series collection. The audience will be able to write a pitch to the producers of the company by writing to mytvpilot@walkingwolfproductions.com, and depending on the story the producer’s choose, that audience member will be credited in the production.

Films for the thinking man

Read our article in the independent film section about us by Suite 101

 

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Changing the World One Story at a Time

 We welcome you to read our new article by Los Angeles Splash Magazines

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Digital Marketing for the Entrepreneur

As I researched my way to push our company and films through social media campaigns, I encountered the following tools and prospect company services:

1.     There is a website called Buysocialpower.com. If you have the budget and are willing to be a do-it-all-yourself entrepreneur, this website allows you to buy a fan base for Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. You might think, is this organic at all? But the truth is, it is just a lead way. Right after you buy your fans (basically the website connects your social platform’s title page with people in your market place and that would be interested in your product) you still have to do the work of multiplying these fans and maintaining them by promoting your services and products through campaigns and inciting these fans to tell others about yourself.

   Visit their website

Right when you access the landing page, there is a video explaining the whole process of social marketing and how can their company help in giving you that lead way of 1000, 5,000, or 10,000 fans so you can work with a real social media campaign. They have different plans according to the amount of fans you want them to connect to your page and the platform (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) you will be choosing. For the self-starting businessman, I encourage you to check it out.

Now, if you are the kind of entrepreneur who finances his own projects through Indiegogo.com and Kickstarter.com, you may take your project and create an amazing campaigns with stunning artwork, great pitch videos, and attractive pledging offers that will raise the money to push your projects forward. In social media, there are several companies that focus in advancing this craft. Some of them are very independent and others are very corporate. In my research of finding such companies, two entities caught my attention:

2.   Film Marketing Services, LLC focuses in pushing independent films forward through socials marketing, distribution, and event planning. John Gursha, who has been associated with the entertainment industry for over ten years and started his career at the NBC lot with an NBC page in 2001 on the tonight show with Jay Leno, leads the company. If your desire is to let a professional handle your connections as a producer and your social media campaign, Film Marketing Services, LLC is your answer.

Visit their website

 3.     Banyan Branch is a more structured company, which focuses not only on film, but also other products and events. The company works with other companies such as Disney, Porsche, FOX, Microsoft, Paramount, Hartz, Univision, and Gilt Groupe. However, they also have smaller clients like Grasshopper and Clarisonic.

  Visit their Website

In the world of marketing, PR and distribution, social media has become a pivotal elements in today’s modern industries and the world of the Internet. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube play the primary roles in the way we connect across the world.

Artemis: A new director’s viewfinder designed for digital filmmakers

Chemical Wedding has an extraordinary application for directors and cinematographers that indulge in the digital world. Artemis Viewfinder and now Artemis HD bring a whole new world to filmmakers on a budget or simply filmmakers that believe digital is the new way to go in the motion picture industry.  The power of this application consists in this: it allows you to build your set of lenses and equipment while location scouting. However, you don't need to rent a $200 director’s viewfinder, and it gives you the ability to record images for storyboard reference. In the past, cinematographers and directors had to use an eyepiece, which depending on where they set the ring, they could see the way the camera was going to capture the scene. Nowadays, this application allows you to not only capture digital samples with different types of lenses and aspect ratios, but also lets you view the way you would capture a scene with new digital formats such as a Red One camera, a Viper, or the now famous DSLR cameras Cannon 7D and 5D.

What is even more amazing is that the application is now available in the Android Market and Apple Store, meaning you can make use of this great new way to build your scenes either through an iPhone, iPad, or an HTC Sensation. It doesn’t matter. Artemis Viewfinder is $29.99 and its remote version to control it through a secondary device is $4.99. Yes, it can be remotely controlled. Thus, if you have an iPad and an iPhone you can give the iPad to your director and as a cinematographer you frame the shots through the iPhone. Artemis will let you adjust the focal point, aspect ratio, or the focus in order to provide you flexibility with the way you frame your shots. After the work is done, the recorder frames will also capture the information so you can rent the equipment necessary if you with to acquire a desired look. It will even incorporate in the picture’s information GPS data so you are able to remember where you precisely took the shot.

Current supported lenses and formats include:

Standard and Super 16mm
Super 16mm Anamorphic
Standard and Super 35mm
35mm Anamorphic
65mm
35mm Digital (D-21, RED, F35, Genesis)
2/3 " Digital (F23, Viper)
1/2" Digital
1/3" Digital
Canon 5D and 7D

 I encourage all of you who really want to take seriously digital filmmaking and even analog filmmaking to acquire this new application. It will be costly in the beginning, but it will make you precise in your decisions regarding the look you wish to give to your new projects. And don’t worry about new formats or updates. They are all free once you buy the application and have an Android Market or Apple App Store account. Go ahead! If you want to find out more, go and visit Chemical Wedding's Website.