Jeffrey Harris

The Forrester Consulting Total Economic Impact™ study on using Andela for hiring is here! Based on results from four interviewed customers and 30 surveyed companies, some key findings include:  66% faster hiring.  33% faster project delivery.  97% ROI. Read the study now to discover more exciting insights about our incredible talent marketplace, and how we can help to transform your business with exceptional digital talent!

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Music Videos? Do you watch them? This article discusses whether it makes sense for artists to still create them... If you're a big artist, Yes, you absolutely should. Otherwise, I would let the streams lead and take it from there. If they pop off like Dasha's "Austin", then go make that video and get those YouTube Streaming Dollas!

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*actual PSA to all aspiring screenwriters* Anyone who gives you advice on how to get a manager, how to formulate a "perfect" logline, how to pitch yourself in a meeting, or how to send out query emails, is essentially full of shit. Anyone who speaks like that has no actual experience in the industry. There's one piece of advice that actually matters: write really awesome shit. Don't spend time worrying about anything besides getting better as a writer. Read a ton of screenplays, good and bad, and write every single day. Don't listen to anything else. That's all that matters. Good writing always finds its way into the right hands.

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The below is a guest post by Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive, MMF (Music Managers Forum). The phrase “Government-led working group” will probably send your average Music Ally subscriber running to the hills, but tomorrow morning (April 18th) a crucial meeting takes place that should be of interest to everyone working in recorded music. It will mark the first time that UK music representatives have formally come together with the Government to discuss constructive reforms of how streaming revenues are distributed to artists, songwriters and other music makers, as well as other structural changes to industry practices. But will the voices of music makers actually be heard, or will the status quo be protected by corporate interests? The fact we’re sitting down at all is thanks to the UK Parliament’s Culture Committee and their response to the Fix Streaming campaign. The Committee’s landmark 2021 report brought wider attention to many of the fundamental inequities in the current label-centric model of music streaming, and recommended a “complete reset”of how that model operated. As a result, in September 2021 the UK Government committed to bring the industry together, to formalise a process of discussion and deliver results (or in their words “drive action”) on key issues, including equitable remuneration, contract transparency and platform liability. Two-and-a-half years later, and here we are. Progress has been slow. Read The Full Story Here: https://lnkd.in/eppmrzvF #MMF #MusicManagers #musically #musicnews #readmore

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Complete Operator's Rulebook If during recording audiobooks, you hear of any animal cruelty content: - stay calm - finish the session - collect payment - make an excuse for not delivering the files like they need to get groomed or neutered or something. (chances are they’ll believe you) - call management, therapist, lawyer - you may now scream WTF! #audiobook #KristiNoem #cricket #animalkindness #loveyourpet

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Britsploitation Trailers: Audio Commentary Edition. Expanding our series of Britsploitation movie trailer compilations, here is an original content version - (almost) 90 minutes of trailers with an audio commentary track from your humble editor, who regularly does these things for various Blu-ray distributors. Commentary on a film trailer is not exactly going to go into the full story behind a movie but I've squeezed in as much information, background and trivia as two or three minutes allows. https://lnkd.in/embEGMws

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Music AI service Udio can be prompted to duplicate the music catalog of specific artists - including important legacy artists. I made this in 5 minutes (including artwork) and it completely replicates the individual members of Funkadelic - Bernie Worrell on keys, Eddie Hazel on guitar, Billy Bass Nelson on bass, Tiki Fullwood on drums, and all of the Parliament-Funkadelic vocalists (P-Funk). If you know P-Funk, you know this "AI-Clone" is too scarily close to the original artist with improvisation that mimics the style of the individual group players. Udio should have licensed music to allow for such copying / cloning. The mock artwork is Dalle-E 3. #musicai #copyright

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I have mentioned #moreivn several times. I want to clarify what exactly morei-vn is and why it needs to exist. If you are a talent in the Media & Entertainment industry, the issues we are trying to address are: • A CompCard alone barely describes your entire work experience. • Organizing your work portfolio on Drive is troublesome. Even with a good folder structure, there will always be cases where it doesn't serve you well (I've tried for over 3 years and have seen multiple talents' portfolios over 3 years). • Most file management systems (Drive, Dropbox, etc.) are just "storage." They do not describe or structure your work to serve the purpose of "promoting" you. • Due to the nature of entertainment work, you often need to update your work portfolio. Some talents update their portfolios weekly. Systems like LinkedIn or similar platforms are not designed for this type of use case. • Social media is a good place to showcase your work, but it lacks searchability. Unless people have time to browse your posts and images, the chances of losing their interest and them dropping off are high. --- What I want to do is create a space where you can centralize all your works in one place with a simple and beautiful user interface that allows you to present your entire portfolio at any time, any place, to anyone. Additionally, I will provide my assistance in guiding you on how to structure your portfolio and profile to make it compelling and captivating. and that is what got morei.vn to start its path. The portfolio of these careers are what morei-vn is going to support: ○　Acting profile (film, VOA, TVC, any kind), ○　Modeling profile (fashion, commercial, any type), ○　Hosting profile (MC, Gameshow hosting, etc), ○　Media profile (Podcast guest, Gameshow guest, etc) ○　Influencer profile (KOL/KOC, etc.) ○　Idol profile ○　Singer, Dancer profile ○　Cosplayer profile morei-vn is still in its close-beta period so you can create a new account by contacting me or the Page (well, it is still me there). It is a startup product that I combine all of my coding experiences, agency experiences, graphic design experiences, BizDev experiences into one, and this product. Let's show out your talents through well-designed Portfolio!

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🎶 In a record-setting year for the music industry, sales of recorded music in the U.S. soared to $17.1 billion in 2023. Streaming led the charge with 84%, while vinyl saw double-digit growth. Discover more about the music boom and the changing landscape from the latest RIAA report. https://lnkd.in/ghEaTMYY #MusicIndustry

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MARTIN GROVE'S FILM FLASHBACK: STAR WARS EPISODE 1 - THE PHANTOM MENACE - 25TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE OPENS 5/3/2024 -- If you saw STAR WARS in 1977, you likely were jolted a bit 22 years later when it suddenly became the series' fourth episode. That renumbering came when George Lucas answered fans' calls for more STAR WARS movies. Instead of new sequels, he gave them a prequel trilogy -- starting with STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE, which opened May 19, 1999 via 20th Century-Fox and, most recently, had a 25th anniversary reissue May 3, 2024. Written & directed by Lucas, MENACE's stars include Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor & Natalie Portman. Its story precedes the original trilogy by 32 years. Lucas had realized while writing STAR WARS that he had far more story material than would fit into one movie. After his first episode became a global boxoffice phenomenon with $775.4M in ticket sales, Lucas moved forward with two sequels that he didn't want to direct. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), directed by Irvin Kirschner & written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, did $538.4M globally. RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983), directed by Richard Marquand & written by Lawrence Kasdan and Lucas, did $475.1M globally. For the next 22 years, that was the entire STAR WARS movie universe. By the 1990s, advances in computer generated imagery (CGI) caught Lucas's attention because now visual effects were possible that he couldn't do for  the earlier episodes. It also helped that Lucas could now spend whatever it took to achieve his vision on screen. His first three episodes' budgets reportedly were $11M, $18M and $32.5M while reports put MENACE's budget at $115M. News of the prequels surfaced in October 1993 as Lucas was writing MENACE. Years earlier he'd developed enough backstories to make prequels work, which accelerated his writing. Lucas hadn't wanted to write or direct the prequels, but he wasn't able to bring others on board. He asked Kasdan to return to write MENACE, but Kasdan said Lucas, himself, should now resume full creative control of his STAR WARS films. Lucas reportedly also failed to get Frank Darabont (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) to write the script or to hire Carrie Fisher as the project's  script doctor. Lucas also went after directors, including Ron Howard, who recalled  in November 2015 that he, Robert Zemeckis & Steven Spielberg were all offered to direct MENACE. They all told Lucas he should do it, himself. Fortunately for Lucas, he took their good advice. MENACE grossed $1.03B worldwide. STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2002), which Lucas directed & co-wrote (with Jonathan Hales), grossed $653.8M globally. And STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005), which Lucas directed & wrote, did $868.4M worldwide. #movies #martingrove #starwars  

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This This All Worth It? People in all parts of the entertainment industry are going through some tough times. We have weak box office, low levels of production, a disrupted and evolving marketplace for product, competition from others states offering tax incentives while California appears to be indifferent to the loss of jobs. Add to that the beginnings of a technological development that will significantly alter work flows, what jobs will remain, what those remaining jobs actually entail, and what those jobs will be worth. Situation pretty much normal from a long term perspective. So, I'm asking you to consider, as I've asked myself to consider a number of times, why are you putting yourself through this? Is it worth it? Is this the only option? It's not like you're bashing your head against a mighty stone wall. It's more like trying to squeeze through this tiny chink, alongside a bunch of others. I've been fortunate to have been in demand, sometimes crazy demand, for most of my career, but I've also known times, once as long as a year, when I couldn't find any work, no matter how hard I tried. And the maddening thing about that time was that it had nothing whatsoever to do with me or my talents, personality, none of that. And then it ended as quickly as it had started and I was crazy busy again. It's in the nature of the beast. And there have been costs. I live with eye damage, cervical, and spinal damage that's directly related to the work I've done. What's your career worth to you? Since I'm nearing, or for all I know, at the end of my career in entertainment, and statistically my life, though who knows and I'm moving forward like I'll live forever, I'm in this position where I don't need to pretend or make things seem rosy. It's codger time and it's "I don't give a damn about what others think of me" time. I can ask you the question, is this worth everything to you? Is this OK with you? And if not, to start thinking, if you haven't already, about to what else you can bring your passion, your energy, enrich your life and enjoy some happiness. You are who you are, you are not your profession. Just a thought.

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O P T I M I S T I C ! ! ”Los Angeles Film and TV Production Sees Sluggish Rebound From Strikes, but There’s Optimism” according to a report from FilmLA which notes an anemic return to filming in the region but that jobs appeared to return in full force in March. Filming in Los Angeles has been slow to bounce back after production in the region was decimated by Hollywood’s historic season of strikes.  The main reason for the sluggish rebound: A double-digit drop in television shoots compared to the same period last year.  Also playing a factor in the decline were reductions in content spend across most major studios, series cancellations and runaway production.  While the difference was steep in January (30.6 percent fewer jobs, totaling 2,282), it was modest in February (5.1 percent fewer jobs, totaling 3,061) and nearly unnoticeable by the end of March (a 0.4 percent increase, totaling 3,274 jobs).  There’s optimism in production levels for feature films. The category rose slightly in the quarter, picking up 634 shoot days to finish an estimated 7 percent ahead of the same months last year. Movies in production included Beverly Hills Cop 4, Atlas, and Lurker, all of which are getting tax credits to film in California.  FilmLA also flagged the loss of commercial production — which slipped nearly 10 percent year-over-year and more than 33 percent below the five-year average — to other jurisdictions as a concern. Filming for smaller, lower-cost shoots, such as documentaries, music videos and still photography, similarly fell by roughly 5 percent. Entertainment Partners https://lnkd.in/g5veEE6R https://lnkd.in/gjhbnQdG

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Movie trailers in different eras of cinema, part 3. Follow me on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube for more: @trailereditorpov #MovieTrailers #TrailerEditor #1980s #1990s #Tron #TheGoldenChild #BackToTheFuture #TheUntouchables #RamboFirstBloodPartII #Twister #Contact #MissionImpossible

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I wonder what would happen if— and hear me out on this one— if these major companies allocated just a quarter of the resources and energy they devote to mergers and acquisitions toward developing original TV concepts and movies? Could Hollywood have already rebounded from the significant financial setbacks it faced due to the pandemic and strikes? What if investing less in existing intellectual property and more in creativity led to breakout successes? Could this transform Hollywood's reputation and, in turn, prove more profitable? I understand the concept of market consolidation and the significance of strong leadership. I also understand the allure of the high-stakes games played by Wall Street. However, I don't understand the logic in the perceived lower risk in pursuing mergers and acquisitions, which often lead to debt and layoffs, over scaling more original/creative project ideas. It often seems as though these executives and CEOs derive more enjoyment from discussions about building monopolies than they do from fostering creativity and storytelling.

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*More than half of Netflix's content budget is now allocated to original and acquired content sourced outside of North America. *With 70% of Netflix subscribers located outside North America, producing and licensing local content remains crucial for fostering organic subscriber growth and minimising churn. *Europe’s big five markets, particularly the UK and Spain, attract substantial investment. Beyond Europe, South Korea, Japan and China emerge as top international markets for Netflix's content spending. *Netflix’s own audience data indicating that non-English titles contribute to ~30% of viewing. *International content spending represents a risky but rewarding proposition. Netflix's international production capabilities are a key differentiator in the streaming market. *This advantage is not without its challenges, however, with international consumers expecting a steady supply of freshly curated, localised content. #content #tv #streaming #international #vod #svod https://lnkd.in/ejuHfVM3

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How To Create a Social Media Content Calendar for Musicians

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The UPROXX newco is a smart media M&A rollup. Music and culture focus + a strong leadership team. I'm bullish on them doing well by *brands and fans*, and getting immediate revenue traction based on their WMG YouTube media sales partnership. In my newsletter tomorrow, I explain my insights on the deal, key questions I'm asking, why I think UPROXX STUDIOS is setup for success. For now, let's review the key deal details... UPROXX STUDIOS OVERVIEW • A new “brand solutions studio” that “connects brands with talent, cultural arenas, and audiences”  • Founded by media veterans Jarret Myer (CEO), Rich Antoniello (Exec Chairman), and will.i.am (Chief Visionary Officer) • Result of acquisitions of Uproxx, HipHopDX, Dime Magazine, and other Warner Music Group media assets • Reaches 170M+ monthly US visitors and generates 12B+ monthly US video views POST DEAL OPS • “Expect significant investments in our brands, team, and the experiences we offer” • Includes the excl license to represent WMG’s YouTube inventory for all US media sales  • Will integrate will.i.am’s FYI AI tech and FYI radio into ops UPROXX DIVISIONS • Uproxx – Millennial-focused culture media brand and production co (acquired by WMG in 2018) • HipHopDX – Digital mag of hip hop music criticism and news (acquired by WMG in 2020) • Dime Magazine – Digital mag of American basketball lifestyle (acquired by Uproxx in 2015) • FYI – productivity tool designed to serve Creatives. Combines messaging and collab tools with file mgmt and content pub features NEWCO VALUE PROP  • Access to A-list stars via WMG YouTube inventory + UPROXX superfan communities gives brands and advertisers new ways to participate in music culture • FYI AI tech will enable creation of AI StoryLabs, a new branded content and social media mgmt unit within UPROXX Studios  • "Merging the agility and freedom of an independent entity with the reach and resources of a major music label.” UPROXX HISTORY • f/k/a as Uproxx • Founded 2008 by Jarrett Meyer and Brian Bater (also co-founded Rawkus Records in 1996) • Acquired by male-focused media ad network Woven Digital in 2015 • Rebranded to Uproxx Media, Jarrett became GM • Bought by WMG in 2018 • Price undisclosed, but previous Uproxx Media investment was ~$43M • Value prop of acquisition was to “create engaging new experiences for young consumers, global promotional possibilities for brands, and innovative marketing opportunities for artists” • WMG exec Max Lousada and Uproxx co-founder Jarrett Myer used to work together at Rawkus Records WMG RELATED HISTORY • Announced 600 layoffs in Feb 2024, incl potential sale of Uproxx and HipHopDX • Also wound down its podcasting brand Interval Presents and social media publisher IMGN • Overall faced challenges in its O&O and digital brand sales biz -- I'm the founder of RockWater Industries. We do M&A and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My DMs are open.

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