Module 2 Week 1

Something that has come up in the last week that I would consider a pivot point in the development of my venture is with regards to the comic book discussion/comic recommendation part of my podcast venture. In earlier blog posts, my train of thought was discussing comics from all comic publishers: DC, Marvel, Image, IDW, Dark Horse etc. Specifically, which comics I read from each publisher and what I would recommend for others to read. I realize this could be a problem because there are many new comics released each week (usually Wednesday) and it could prove to be extremely difficult to achieve the goal of keeping the episodes between 30-60 minutes while trying to discuss new releases and recommendations from all of the mentioned publishers. In addition, other comic book podcasts that I listen to or have heard of: ‘The Weekly Pull” “Oh, Comics” “Comixology” “This Week in Marvel” typically centers their discussion about the “Big Two” which are DC and Marvel. This is due to the fact that both companies have film universes (DC is looking to get their film universe of and running with the upcoming “Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice”) in addition to their comic book universes which create a near unlimited number of discussion points for these podcasts. In order to make my podcast stand out from other comic book podcasts, I should try to focus more on the comics put out by smaller publishers: Image, IDW, and Dark Horse as examples.

Having this pivot can also help me fill in one of the blocks for my business model canvas: Customer Segments. I should go after the customer segment that is not a regular reader of DC and Marvel, but is a regular reader of Image, IDW, and Dark Horse for their stories which are typically written for more mature readers and have more relatable, “down to earth” characters as opposed to the “larger than life, over the top” characters seen in the DC and Marvel Comics.

Module 1- Week 4 Blog Post #2

Module 1- Week 4 Blog Post #2

 For this blog post I wanted to write about one of the reflection exercises. From page 120 of “InsightOut” In this case, I was supposed to see how long I could focus on a project without interrupting myself. The project I chose for this reflection was this drawing of Cyborg from DC Comics I did this past week. In each of the stages involved with making this drawing (rough sketches, penciling, inking, and coloring) I was able to focus on each stage of this drawing for about two to three hours per day without interrupting myself. I can attribute that to an ability to shut out the rest of the world for a time (turn of my phone, turn off my computer, close my bedroom door, sit at my drawing table and go) and just focus on this drawing. The reason as to why I think I find it easy to shut out the world for a while is due to something I mentioned in the first creativity assignment which is that I am very reclusive and I like to keep to myself. Something that I will improve on by the end of this course is to have a better balance between my reclusive tendencies (to focus on drawings, reading comics, listening to music or to just relax, sit and do nothing) and being more open to more face to face interactions with other people.

Module 1- Week 4 Blog Post

Module 1- Week 4 Blog Post

My choice of venture moving forward is a podcast. This podcast will be about comic books and serialized fantasy storytelling. The reason why I chose this venture is because of all the previous ideas I’ve mentioned throughout this module, the idea of a podcast was the least expensive to launch. My only real purchases would be a couple of headsets that I discussed in Creativity Assignment #4. I chose this venture and believe wholeheartedly that it can be done because it will allow my and co-host(s) and I to discuss something we love: fiction. Regardless of the format of the story: comics, oral storytelling, movies, TV etc. It’s something my friends and I crave and love discussing with each other and doing a podcast will allow for us to share our thoughts with other people and possibly open the door for greater discussions should the podcast gain listeners with time. With regards to the serialized fantasy storytelling aspect of the podcast, it serves two purposes. The first one is to fill the podcast with content, but to also help a friend or help someone else get his/her story telling abilities more attention and some constructive criticism on how to take his/her story telling abilities further (and to possibly feature those stories on the show to improve the quality of the content on the podcast)

The other ideas that I proposed, but ultimately rejected were; an art website with video tutorials to help beginner artists improve their skills or a website with video tutorials for people who want to learn to play an instrument. The reason as to why I rejected both of those ideas was due to time constraints. In the case of the art website, my two main contacts for doing this venture were my art teachers from high school. While they were open to the idea of joining me in doing this venture, we found it extremely difficult to set up a date and time to record the video tutorials. For myself, I’m trying to juggle school, work, hobbies etc. My art teachers are also trying to juggle those things along with raising their children. In the case of a website with video tutorials for people who want to learn to play an instrument, my main contacts for that are my younger brother and his band members. The issue of scheduling a time to record the tutorials was once again the main reason I rejected this idea. Our current situation right now is my brother lives up at the Storrs campus while I’m living at home and attending the regional campuses. Since neither one of us has our own car, it we found it extremely difficult to set aside time from both of our schedules to come together in person and put together a series of videos for this venture in a two month period.   

Module 1, Week 3

Of the ideas that I have discussed in my previous blog posts, the content area I want to venture into is podcasts. This podcast will likely be about comic books and/or serialized fantasy storytelling. When discussing comic books on the podcast, my friends and I will be discussing things such as comic books we’ve read in the past, what comics are we currently reading, recommendations we have for listeners who want to start reading comics, what we enjoy and dislike about the comics we are reading and what we the readers think can be done to improve the story etc. With regards to the serialized fantasy storytelling direction I could take this podcast in, I have recently spoken to one of my friend Stacey who has written pieces of fan-fiction and I told her my idea for a serialized fantasy podcast with the idea of having her on the show to read her story out loud, or, if she is comfortable with me reading it out loud I can do that as well. The intent of having her stories as well as the stories of anyone who would like to be featured on the podcast is for two purposes. The first one is to obviously fill the podcast with content, but to also help a friend or help someone else get his/her story telling abilities more attention and some constructive criticism on how to take his/her story telling abilities further (and to possibly feature those stories on the show to improve the quality of the content on the podcast) Other research I will need to do is conduct a survey (or multiple surveys) asking other people in this class as well people outside of class what genres of stories they would like to hear featured on the podcast. Also, if any other students are comic book readers themselves, what comics would like my friends and I to discuss on the podcast. Other research I will need to do is with regards to the equipment needed to do a podcast. I can message my Facebook friends that have their own podcast and message people I follow on Twitter who have a podcast asking them about what equipment they use. Do they have a certain brand they prefer for their equipment? How much does it cost? How often should I be producing new content for the podcast?

Module 1 Week 1

Module 1 Week 1

With this blog post I want to make a list of all the possible things I could do for the final project in this class. With each idea that I list, I will try to explain in a few sentences what this idea can hopefully progress into.

1. Train and mentor young and aspiring artists.

Since one of the things I love to do outside of school is draw, I figure I could teach people how to do draw. (Or, reach out to my old high school art teachers.) This would feature free accounts with limited features, then charge for upgrades such as access to more the more advance drawing videos. Another option would be to have my younger brother and his band help train and mentor people on how to play instruments (guitar, drums, piano etc.)

2.  Offer web design/Affiliate Marketing

Nearly every company is now looking to build a website. I can learn the basics of coding on “CodeAcademy” and do specific online web design courses to build up your skill set. From there, I can sign up to freelance sites such as “People Per Hour” and start building up my portfolio! I’m already begging to think of offering web designs for my local comic book shop: “A Hero’s Legacy” and my younger brother’s band: “Willie and the Poor Boys”

3. Social media consultant

Help another company run their Facebook and Twitter accounts, (Instagram if they have one too.) As a consultant, I can help them determine the best tactics, posting schedules and content for their target audience. As their follower count grows, so will my business.

4. Online Flea Market

People love to spend weekends rummaging through tables full of other people's unwanted items, looking for treasures. So, why not take that on-line and have people do it from the comforts of home? The challenge here is constantly changing my layouts and putting new stuff out for sale. I want people to come back time and again to see what's new.

5. Podcast

People have told me I have a voice for radio/broadcasting. Plus, there are podcasts for EVERYTHING today. So, why not get in the podcast game? As far as the topic? I think I will leave that up to people who see and comment on this post. What do you, my fellow classmates, think would be a good idea for a podcast?

Module 1, Week 2

Module 1, Week 2

Within the last week, I have not had any new ideas for a final project. However, I’ve gone back to look at the ideas I listed in week one and thought; “What actions can I take to get prepared to start any of these ventures?” These occurred with two ideas: a podcast and an art tutorial website. 

With regards to the podcast idea, I spent a majority of time thinking up what should the format of the show be like. Should I go solo, or have a co-host? Should I have multiple co-hosts and have it be a more roundtable like discussion? How long should an episode be? (I think an hour would be best as most podcasts that I listen to typically go for that length. Another reason why I think an hour is the best time frame is because a lot of people today have shorter attention spans. I don’t mean to offend anyone by saying their attention span is limited, but rather imply that the hour time limit means I would hit the high points of each topic and keep the listener(s) entertained.) As far as topics go, I think the best thing to do would be to send out a survey to everyone in class as well as on social media sites that I visit and ask what they would like to hear me talk about. Another idea for the format/topic of the show would be a serialized oral story type of show. Each week would be a one hour chapter installment, building up to a finale that runs a little longer than the one hour mark. This inspiration is from a weekly podcast I listen to called “Skald” by Aubrey Sitterson. It is a sword and sorcery serial with one new chapter being released each week. While I may not have any stories of my own to read out loud, I do have friends that write short stories, fanfiction etc. so, I can talk to them about having their stories be used on the show. If they feel comfortable with reading them out loud on the show, they can do that as well or, I if they would rather have me do it, then that’s okay too. I think this would also add value to others in that it would help get their storytelling skills more exposure and constructive criticism that will help them improve their writing, which would improve the quality of the show.

http://skald.podomatic.com/ (This link takes you to the “Skald” podcast I mentioned. Here, listeners can jump right into the latest installment, or go back and listen to previous episodes. It will hopefully give my fellow classmates some things to comment on as to what to do, and what not to do in trying to make an enjoyable audio experience that they would listen to weekly.)

As for the art tutorial website, I think I would also need to send out a survey asking people who are artists or want to become one themselves what they would want to see featured in these tutorials. Some things that came to mind; subjects: Would people want to do figure drawings or drawings of animals or plants more? What about the type of media used to make the pieces: Would people just want to learn how to draw with pencil, use pen and ink and keep it in black and white or use colors to fully flesh out the piece? Another step I taken is purchasing a video camera and begin experimenting with different camera angles so I can figure out the best way to shoot the videos should this venture be the one I pick.