Mastery Journal

I am so happy that I have completed my Mastery Journey. I graduated from Full Sail University on June 2, 2017.

This has been an amazing journey that has transformed my writing. I’m proud to say that I am a writer. 

Successfully branding your product or service is paramount for success. Here are a few brands in the entertainment industry that I feel are successful:

http://doraemon.wikia.com/wiki/File:Goosebumps_logo.png

Goosebumps

Goosebumps is a brand that is known worldwide. As a child, I read quite a few of the books. I also watched the show and the newest movie. I think this brand is successful because of the number of books in the series and the appeal to younger readers.

http://www.clipartkid.com/star-wars-logo-cliparts/

Star Wars

Star Wars is probably the most successful brand of all time. They have been around for quite a while and the name continues to expand. It started out as a trilogy and now there will be some form of Star Wars released every year. Although I am over Star Wars, it is good branding and marketing; the brand will never die. I feel that this brand is successful because of the age, the marketing, and the following. The brand is forty years old now and that means multiple generations follow the brand. There could be a family that has a grandparent, parent, and child that loves Star Wars. The marketing of Star Wars is insane. There are so many commercials and advertisements to get people to see the movies, buy all of the products, and read the books. The Star Wars following continues to grow as younger people discover the brand.

http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Harry_Potter

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter is a successful brand worth recognition. Not only because I have read all of the books and seen all of the movies, but because of the overall success. The Harry Potter brand has books, films, and products sold in stores worldwide. Gunelius (2010) says that the success of Harry Potter is because of a good product, emotional involvement, word of mouth marketing/online buzz, tease and perpetual marketing, and brand consistency. All of these hold true because they all play an influential role in making Harry Potter what is it today. Even after all of the books and movies have been released, there is still new interest in the brand and a continued need for more.

References

Kinetic is a story about Seth, a headstrong alpha male, that wants to attend the prestigious Life University. It is the only school in America that teaches people how to enhance their special abilities. Seth does not get accepted but his friend Arman does. Seth decides to illegally learn from his mentor, Oliver. On his journey, Seth discovers that the school is actually training the students to commit crimes around the world and Arman has been brainwashed to kill by the evil Dean Storm. Seth must find out what is going on at the school, save his friend, and stop Dean Storm from taking over the world.

These are some pictures of my storyboard for the story.

Gamification involves using something that already exists and integrating it with game mechanics. It takes the techniques that game designers use to engage players and applies them to non-game experiences to motivate actions that add value to your business or organization. Game mechanics can be fast feedback, goals to achieve, badges to show accomplishments, level ups, competition, and collaboration. Turan, Avinc, Kara & Goktas (2016) found that gamification can increase both cognitive load and achievement levels, and students generally have positive thoughts regarding gamification strategies.

Media convergence refers to the merging of media because of digitization. This is happening in various industries, especially media. Media convergence has blossomed because of internet based services throughout the economy. It allows news and information to be delivered to the public quickly and easily.

Gamification in Action

http://www.bunchball.com/customers/ford

Bunchball, an industry leader in gamification implementation, discusses the success that Ford Motor Company of Canada has had because of gamification. Their goal was to train, motivate, and support employees to deliver an optimal customer experience and increase sales. Ford integrated game mechanics into their employee website, like adding levels to performance tasks, virtual trophy case, competitions between individuals and teams, trivia challenges, and a virtual Dream Garage to show off accomplishments. Overall, the increased engagement on the website for employees showed a positive correlation with sales and satisfaction performance.

http://www.chorewars.com/index.php

Chore Wars uses gamification to complete chores around the house or office. It lets you claim points for household chores. First, you gather a group of people in a house or office. Next, you set up the necessary chores around the house or office. Then, you start your quest and receive points and treasures for completing tasks. I think that it is an interesting concept and would help make doing mundane chores fun.

Convergence in Action

One huge example of convergence is the smartphone. It combines a cell phone, camera, game console and computer into one handheld device. Before smartphones, you would need tons of equipment and electricity to do all of these things.

An example of digital media convergence is newspapers now being read online. As a child, I remember coming home to see a newspaper in the driveway almost every day. To get news and information, you had to wait for the paper to show up or watch the evening news on television. Now, you don’t have to wait. If you need to find information about something, just get online to see up to date news.

Conclusion

Gamification and media convergence are two topics that affect the entertainment industry. Some believe that they are bad things because it is changing industries and leaving some behind. Media convergence can wipe out an entire industry in a short period of time while creating a new industry with more jobs. Gamification can turn a failing company into a thriving one, overtaking the industry leaders and shaking up the competition. I feel that both are the way of the future and will influence our industry in ways we can only imagine.

References:

http://www.chorewars.com/index.php

Ford of Canada Success Story. (2014). Retrieved December 13, 2016, from http://www.bunchball.com/customers/ford

Writing as a part of an ad-hoc writing staff was a fun experience. This month I worked on the web series “No Good Deeds.” I’ve learned how to write when working on a series that has previous episodes. Being able to follow the format, point of view, structure, and style of comedy for a series can be challenging and taught me a lot about working on a team.

Working on a team is something that does mesh with my goals in writing. One of my main goals is to write scripts and stories for my video production company SCHOLIDAY Productions. I am a co-owner and manager but will add writer to that title very soon. Understanding how to work on a project that has multiple writers will help me in the future when I create a series that may need more than one writer.

I’ve never worked on a project like this. Continuing a series that is on-going and not your creation can limit you creatively but it can also focus that creativity into a specific area. I have worked on research papers with other as a group. We all had to collectively write a paper that was equally influenced. Writing on a creative project is very different and can go in many directions. Working on a joint research paper with a set topic can be monotonous but an ad-hoc creative writing project allows you to be creative with set borders. I can understand the importance of following the guidelines and rules set for a series. The audience expects each episode in a series to make sense and go along with previous episodes, even when a series has multiple writers.

Working on something that isn’t my creative property is something I wouldn’t mind doing. I am very organized and can follow a specific format with deadlines very well. It a fun challenge to be creative and stay within set guidelines.

I would like to write alone most of the time, but I can see myself working as part of an ad-hoc writing team on some occasions. One really good thing that comes from working with other writers is feedback. You will always have more than one person to give you feedback and to gain knowledge into how the industry works.

Joanna’s Reading List

1) Joanna prefers to watch news that reports positive stories. Her favorite website to visit is:

    Positive News

https://www.positive.news/

2) Joanna enjoys sci-fi novels and is reading the book Dune by  Frank Herbert.

  3)  Joanna consistently reads the magazine, Sculpture Review because she dreams of becoming a sculptor.

Dr. Troy Raven’s Reading List

1) Dr. Raven visits Forbes to stay up to date with the latest news in business, investing, and entrepreneurship.

                        http://www.forbes.com/

2) Dr. Raven also has a subscription to Discover magazine.

3) Dr. Raven is also reading the book The Millionaire Mind.