Course #/Title: 

MBU 3360.01/ENTERTAINMENT CAREER DEVELOPMENT 

Course Credit Hours:

3 Hours

Semester:

FALL 2008  

Instructor:  

Sarita Stewart, B.S. Business Administration; MBA

Instructor Contacts: 

(615) 460-6517/stewartsm@mail.belmont.edu

Instructor Office Hours:

Office:  Massey 247; M 1 pm – 3 pm, 5 pm – 6 pm; T 10 am – 2 pm;     W 2 pm – 3 pm; by appointment

Class Location:  

Massey 209B

Meeting Times:

MWF  11 am – 11:50 am

Final Exam: 

Thursday, December 11 at 11 am  

 

Course Description:  A study of personal entertainment career development and management including educational, promotional, and financial concerns of the professional entertainer. Various unions, guilds, and associations are studied from the entertainer's viewpoint.

 

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this course, each student be able to demonstrate the following:  1) Students will be able to compile and present the different components of a press kit 2)   Be able to write an artist biography 3) Be able to write and execute a career plan that incorporates each student’s individual goals 4) Develop a website around the artist that utilizes the various tools learned during class 5) Develop, execute and present a career development and business strategy based around an aspiring performing artist.   

Performance Tasks: During this course, the student will demonstrate their understanding of the process of an artist’s career development through the use of individual and group projects.  The final presentation will outline the planning and execution of the various strategies used in the launch and support of the chosen artist’s career.  The goal of the class exercises is to provide each student with various experiences in the strategy planning and execution around an artist’s career development plan.      

 

Assessment Tools:  During this course, outcomes mastery will be evaluated and measured by the creation, demonstration and presentation of the following exercises:

 

1.     The preparation of an initial artist development memo detailing why your group chose to develop and work with a certain artist.

2.     The preparation of a report detailing how a chosen artist’s image integrates with their overall look, music and career goals.  

3.     The preparation and writing of an artist biography. 

4.     The design of an effective tour and publicity strategy plan around a chosen artist.  

5.     A short market segmentation analysis strategizing about the artist’s consumer base.   

6.     The development of an artist website, utilizing the various tools discussed in class.

7.     Each individual student will write a career development plan that incorporates their personal and career goals.

8.     The design, execution and presentation of a career development plan around a chosen artist.

 

Testing & Assignments: 

 

Quizzes:  Three quizzes will be given through the course of the semester.  The quiz dates are scheduled for 9/22, 10/27 and 11/10.  Each quiz counts as 5% of the student’s overall grade, for a total of 15%.

 

Material for all quizzes will be taken from a variety of sources, including assigned readings, discussions, assigned and all other materials presented.  Quizzes may not be “made up” if absent, unless it is excused through an official university function.  Quizzes will consist of a variety of question types including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, matching, or essay questions.  Quiz grades are final and are graded on a traditional scale of 0 to 100%.

 

The final exam is scheduled to be held in class on Thursday, December 11 at 11 am.  The exam is final and will be graded on a traditional scale of 0 to 100%.  It is worth 5% of the student’s overall grade.

 

Assignments: (30%)  A combination of individual and group assignments designed to demonstrate competence are due on the assigned dates given in class and listed on Blackboard.  Assignments are due at the start of the class period unless alternative arrangements have been made with the instructor.  All assignments will be returned to the students graded with comments.  Points will be deducted for late assignments as well as projects with missing segments.  Assignments are expected to be typed and turned in via “hard copy.”  It is your responsibility to print, staple and turn in your assignment.  NO EMAILS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

 

Students are expected to keep up with all assignment due dates, and not being present at the time of a class assignment is not considered an excuse for a late completion.  No assignments will be accepted after the final course grade has been turned into the registrar unless previous arrangements are made with the instructor.  Assignments include:

 

1.     Artist development memo – 5%

2.     Artist Image paper – 5%

3.     Artist biography – 5%

4.     Marketing segmentation exercise – 5%

5.     Tour and publicity strategy – 10%

 

Individual Entertainment Career Development plan: (15%)  The goal of this individual paper is to allow the student to focus on a specific area of their career focus (touring, publishing, publicity, studio work, recording, etc.).  More details to follow at a later date.

 

Group Website Project: (15%)  Each group will build a website around the chosen artist.  Each group will write a paper that details their experience in the update or creation of a website.  More details on this project will be handed out at the beginning of the semester.  The paper is due at the beginning of class on 11/24. 

 

Group project/presentation: (15%)  Students will be placed in assigned groups.  The team will engage in a variety of exercises throughout the course of the semester that are designed to take the student through the process of artist career development.  Each group will give a class presentation that outlines the strategies and work that the group undertook in order to develop a strategic artist development plan that incorporates the artist’s career and business goals.  An executive summary will capture these activities in written form.  Presentations will take place 12/3 and 12/5.

 

Class participation: (5%)  While class participation is not an “assignment,” it is very important element of your grade in that it accounts for 5% of your overall grade. It is recommended that each student come prepared to discuss the various class topics highlighted for the day.   

 

Instructor reserves the right to make changes in the syllabus as needed.

 

Grading:

Class Participation                                  5%

Quizzes (5% each)                                15%

Individual Career Plan Paper                               15%

Assignments – Individual/Group             30%

Website Project                                     15%                             

Group Presentation                                            10%

Executive Summary                                             5%

Final Exam                                                          5%

Final Grade                                         100%

 

 

 

 

 

Course & Classroom Policies:    

 

Attendance & Participation:

 

This course follows the attendance policies as stated in the current Belmont University Bulletin.  Class participation is expected, including outside class activities; attendance and absence will be noted.  If you miss more than eight classes, you may be involuntarily dropped from the course with a grade of “WF.”  Absences are considered excused if the instructor is given prior notice, and for reasons such as family emergencies, extremely sick, etc.  Additional accepted excuses are official university sanctioned events with an excuse from the Provost’s Office.  Attendance will be taken each class period through the use of a class signup sheet. 

 

Attendance is critical during the duration of this course, due to the nature of the individual and group projects incorporated throughout the semester.  Each student is expected to attend all of the class meetings for the best possible learning experience.  Every lecture will cover material necessary to a thorough understanding of the concepts.   

 

Materials: 

 

Make Me A Star (Anastasia Brown/Brian Mansfield, Thomas Nelson) (Required)

 

The instructor will assign additional readings as necessary.  Online downloads and PDF’s are expected to be brought to class on laptop or hardcopy.  All additional readings and handouts will be posted on Blackboard as directed by instructor.  If PDFs are assigned, students are expected to bring a copy to class.

 

Grade Evaluation:  As per CEMB policy, the grade assignment scale for this course is: 

 

Grade

Percent (GPA)

Grade

Percent (GPA)  

Final grades below 70% will not apply to the major  

A

94 (4.0)

 C

74 (2.0)   

 

 A-

90 (4.0)

  C-

70 (1.7)

 

 B+

87 (3.3)  

  D+

67

 

        B

84 (3.0)

D

64

 

 B-

80 (2.7)

 D-

64

 

 C+

77 (2.3)  

F

<60

 

 

 

Honor Code: It is the responsibility of each student to abide by the Belmont University Honor Code. “In affirmation of the Belmont University Statement of Values, I pledge that I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in course work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud. Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”

 

Accommodation of Disabilities: In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities.  If you have a disability and would like the university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please notify the Office of the Dean of Students located in Beaman Student Life Center (460-6407) as soon as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class Schedule: (Subject to change at instructor’s discretion)

Week 

Date

Topics                                               

Reading Assignment   

Assignments due

1

8/27/08

Class Introduction  

Introduction

8/29/08

Current Industry Trends

Handouts

2

9/1/08

LABOR DAY – NO CLASS

  

9/3/08

Career Building Blocks

Chapter 15

9/5/08

The Audition Path

Chapters 1,2  

3

9/8/08

Class Artist Auditions

Chapters 3,4,5

 

9/10/08

Cottage Industry   

Chapter 6

9/12/08

Business Basics

Chapters 7, 13 

Artist Memo #1

4

9/15/08

Business Basics

 

 

 

9/17/08

Business Basics   

Handouts

9/19/08

Class Speaker

5

9/22/08

The Music/Quiz 1

9/24/08

Producer  

Chapter 10

9/26/08

Artist Image

Handouts  

6

9/29/08

Promotional Packages

 

 

10/1/08

Promotional Packages

10/3/08

Artist Biography

 Handouts

Artist Image #2

7

  10/6/08

NO CLASS – FALL BREAK

 

10/8/08

NO CLASS – FALL BREAK

 

10/10/08

Artist Biography  

 

8

10/13/08

Artist Biography

10/15/08

Marketing

Handouts

 

10/17/08

Marketing  

 

Artist Bio #3

9

10/20/08

Recorded Product  

Chapter 12

10/22/08

Endorsements/Sponsorships

Handouts  

 

10/24/08

Endorsements/Sponsorships

 

Segmentation #4  

10

10/27/08

Merchandising/Quiz 2  

Handouts

10/29/08

Class Speaker

10/31/08

Live Performance/Touring  

Handouts  

Career Plan Due

11

 11/3/08 

Live Performance/Touring   

 11/5/08 

Live Performance/Touring  

 

11/7/08 

Live Performance/Touring  

Chapter 9

12

11/10/08 

Live Performance/Touring/Quiz 3   

11/12/08 

Class Speaker

 

11/14/08   

Songwriting/Publishing     

Chapter 11 

Tour Strategy #5

13

 11/17/08 

Songwriting/Publishing      

 

 

11/19/08 

Film/TV

Handouts  

11/21/08 

Film/TV  

 

14

11/24/08   

Artist Manager

Chapter 8

Websites due  

 11/26/08 

NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK 

 11/28/08 

NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK 

15

 12/1/08   

Case Study

 

 

  12/3/08 

Group Presentations    

 

Project Summaries

12/5/08 

Group Presentations       

Project Summaries 

16

12/8/08 

Last Day of Class