Lesson Learned

Life long lessons can be taken from every aspect life as long as we take the time to observe and learn. I gained some life long lessons through my last working opportunity that I was afforded.  For the last six years I have been an on and off intern with Ujima Sound Productions, an entertainment production company located in New York, NY, and I was asked to represent them on a gig for their new client The Dream. I've taken the last five years to study and enhance my formal education and gain valuable knowledge and experience in the entertainment industry, and now I was ready to show the world what I’ve got. Well, at least that’s what I thought.

            The show was on July 7^th, 2012 in the middle of London, England’s historic Hyde Park, which is one of the largest parks in central London, roughly half the size of New York’s Central Park. On this day seven years ago, the city of London was attacked by a suicide bomber, similar to the 9/11 attacks; but this year the city was hosting the men and women’s Wimbledon finals, London’s gay pride parade, and the incredible Barclaycard Wireless Festival. I was there as a road manager for The Dream who performed on the second day of the festival. The Barclaycard Wireless Festival is owned and managed by Live Nation, which was previously known as the O₂ Wireless Festival; but switched names in 2009 when Barclaycard became the main sponsor.

            The festival has housed some of the greatest musical voices of the past decade, such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, James Blunt, Moby, and The Black Eyed Peas to name a few. This year show hosted The Roots, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, J Cole, plus many more and was no less than incredible.

            Even though the venue was located in the middle of Hyde Park, this gig was no walk in the park for me. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to perform at my absolute best. Although, it was a great experience and will look great on my resume, the personal knowledge that I gained is of greatest value to me.

            From this experience I’ve developed a new sense of motivation and drive. There were many times during the day when I just wanted to give up, but I could not, I was fearless. I gained many lessons; the first being that you cannot please everyone, and second is that the entertainment industry can be a thankless job.  But the greatest lesson gained, is that everyone may not see the hard work and dedication that you exhibit, but it does not mean that there are any excuses for performing at you absolute best. There will be many times when we must endure to raise to higher heights and achieve personal success.

            I’m extremely grateful for the experience and lessons learned.

Peace & Blessings        

       

       -RB

A few pictures from my day trip to London...

"Produced By Faith"

As I sit here and think about what I should blog about the first thing that comes to mind is my new read. 

Recently I began reading a very inspiring book called "Produced by Faith" by Colombia Pictures executive Devon Franklin. The books tag line says " Enjoy Real Success Without Losing Your True Self" - How powerful is that premise? I was first introduced to Franklin through the entertainment media new circuit, as he was gaining notice because he was set to marry one of Hollywood's Leading Black Actresses, Megan Good. But his genius has come to my attention a numerous amount of times over these last few months. Oprah Winfrey was one of the many who took heed to the greatness in this man and featured him on her OWN network show 'Super Soul Sundays.' Which aims to give her viewer a little faith, a place where people could become inspired, a sort of Food for your Soul type of show. 

Franklin started out in the film industry over fifteen years ago for megastar Will Smith at his production company Overbrook Entertainment. He was raised in a Christian home and the church as a Seventh Day Adventist and has always been steadfast with his faith and able to find solace in the Lord. The book 'Produced By Faith' shares Franklin's views on obtaining real life success while being bold about ones beliefs. Franklin states, "To get where you want to go, you first have to become the person God want you to be." This obviously connected with me. 

This book has special importance to be because it is opening my mind, while helping me to truly believe in myself and the ultimate power of my God. I believe for someone to fully understand their purpose in life they must be connected to a higher and greater being. Through this book I have learned that by embracing who I am, the right doors will open and not shut until its time to move onto the next stage of development. This book has also helped me to understand that there is a purpose to everything we do, and it’s that its just preparation for the greater things that life has to offer us. 

Ambition, Beliefs and Career should not be separate if one wants to obtain real life success. They must be in harmony. 

"I have put my faith front and center for everyone to see... not only has relying on my faith not harmed my career prospects, its has actually enchanted them." - DeVon Franklin

Peace & Blessings        

       
       -RB

Road To SXSW

Road to SXSW

South By Southwest’s (SXSW) original goal was to create and event that would act as a tool of creative expression for people and companies alike to work together in developing their careers.  The festival features presentations on music, film, and interactive innovations.  The music conference aims to bring together people from a wide area to meet and promotes the share of groundbreaking ideas and good creative music.  The festival is held in Austin Texas during the month of March, and just concluded their very successful 2012 conference.

As a young and eager individual I have wanted to attend for sometime now but was unable to attend this year. This festival bridges together young individuals; 31% of attendees are between 21 – 30 and 40% are between 31-40.  The festival consist of a “Start Up Village” that brings together entrepreneurs, investors and cutting edge digital tastemakers in one environment to share ideas and network with some amazingly creative and intelligent individuals. 

The festival was first held in 1987 and appeals to artist from all over the world.  This year the show featured the musical styling of Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent and Eminem, and Jay-Z. Alternatively, SXSW who usually caters to an alternative and rock crowd, this year show consisted on many prominent names within the hip hop industry.  A remarkable brand alignment was announced at the performance of hip-hop superstar Lil Wayne and Mountain Dew, while commenting on his new partnership Lil Wayne stated, "If you get anything from me, it's to find your name and do you because, ladies and gentlemen, that's what I dew." Its always great to see artist brands grow and reach a new demographic.

Another prime example of brand alignment is between Jay-Z and American Express.  Thanks to Amex Sync Show, fans were able to watch the show live on American Express’ Twitter, YouTube, and Xbox Live accounts all while obtaining and interactive experience, that significantly promotes all five brand being used, SXSW, American Express, Jay-Z, Twitter, and Xbox Live; overall creating great awareness for each.

SXSW is vital to the entertainment industry because it promotes new, young and hip ideas and acts as a catalyst for future business ventures. I hope one day soon I will be attending my very first SXSW experience.

See below for videos of Jay-Z and Lil Wayne performing at SXSW.

Peace & Blessings

-RB

Making Dreams a Reality: Development of Goals

 Many people say that if you want your dreams to be come a reality, write them down. But as simple as that may seem, its not always that easy. For our dreams to become our reality we must have an in-depth plan that requires action. The plan can no longer just be goals and dreams; but also must consist of financial plans, realistic milestones, and a course of action incase problems arise, that can allow us to improve on both current and future life goals. For Goals to be achievable they must be SMART; specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and have a designated time frame.

Goals help to give perspective on current life situations. Self-reflection is a must; it will allow you to see where you are, where you have come from and where you still need to go. An understanding that to achieve any goal that has been set, one must have their priorities in order first, no progress can be gained if you are self-sabotaging yourself.  Along with priorities, the goal setting must be realistic and begin small while embracing the failures that arise. No one is perfect; so everyone can learn from mistakes that have been made. Through self-reflection, a developed action plan, and a grasp of the current process, goals can and will be obtained.

Please take a look at these useful tips on setting goals. 

When I embarked on this new chapter of my life; doors to new possibilities, greater challenges, and a wealth of knowledge have been opened to me and have assisted in my development of character. One must learn from their past experiences as well as experiences of others to ensure that they are constantly moving forward.

Through determination, a strong will power, and positive thinking, I will try to be the best me everyday, as I strive to walk in excellence. This is also my pray and wish for you. It is only up you, to make every dream, goal, and aspiration a reality.  

Peace and Blessing

-RB

"Goals. There's not telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There's no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There's no telling what will happen when you act upon them."

- Jim Rohn (American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker.)