August 16, 2014,
LinkedIn Articles
I’ll never forget the first time I met Robin Williams. I was a teenager attending a taping of “Mork & Mindy” on the Paramount Pictures lot.
Read the entire article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140816040437-9638-only-the-good-die-young-robin-williams-other-creative-geniuses-taken-too-soon/
Startup life is a hot topic in Hollywood right now. From Joshua Michael Stern’s “Jobs” to the Amazon original series “Betas” there’s an undeniable appeal to life in Silicon Valley for those both inside and outside the startup bubble.
Of course, Hollywood is famous for exaggerating or overlooking important aspects of reality for entertainment purposes, but so far, HBO’s “Silicon Valley” looks promising. Despite the dramatic plotline and startup stereotypes, the show provides a mostly accurate portrayal of entrepreneurial life and may even help demystify some aspects of startup culture.
Can ‘Silicon Valley’ Avoid Hollywood Startup Myths?
“Silicon Valley” follows the lives of near-genius, socially awkward computer programmer Richard Hendrix (played by Thomas Middleditch) and his friends as he attempts to launch his company in the star-studded world of Silicon Valley.
The show was inspired by the real-life experiences of director Mike Judge, who was a Silicon Valley engineer in the ’80s. Living up to his “Office Space” brilliance, Judge carries the mindset of the tech community to the small screen and introduces a number of well-cast (if stereotypical) characters we can all relate to: that bright but socially awkward programmer and the naïve entrepreneur with a lot to learn.
“Silicon Valley” seems like a winner so far, but the question is whether it can avoid falling prey to a lot of the common myths Hollywood likes to perpetuate about startup life.
Myth 1: A good idea automatically equals success.
When all you read about are the multibillion-dollar success stories, it’s easy to think that success is a sure thing if you have a good idea — or that good ideas are immediately rewarded with plentiful funding.
In reality, it’s not that simple. The venture capital world is complicated, and there’s a lot of competition to secure funding of any kind. A good idea needs a good plan, a good team, and a lot of luck. And even with all those things, failure is all too common.
Myth 2: Genius and social skills are mutually exclusive.
In shows like “The Big Bang Theory” bright, technology-obsessed characters are often stereotyped as socially awkward geeks. Or, as we saw in “The Social Network,” brilliance in Hollywood often translates to arrogance, self-importance, or standoffishness on-screen.
While there are plenty of antisocial geniuses, tech shows distort reality. Succeeding in Silicon Valley is not for wallflowers. By and large, entrepreneurs must be bright, motivated, and willing to listen and learn, as well as equipped with good social skills.
Myth 3: It’s easy to put together the perfect team.
Television shows often give the impression that it’s easy to pull together a highly skilled, highly compatible team right off the bat. But in the real world, there’s no casting call for the right skills and the right temperament. The perfect team isn’t just sitting around waiting for your breakthrough. The right people can be challenging to find and motivate to join the team. Your team’s chemistry relies on a combination of referrals, trial and error, and luck.
Shortly into its debut, “Silicon Valley” has done a good job of presenting a microcosm of the real Silicon Valley, especially for first-timers. And it’s popular for a reason: To those outside the startup bubble, it’s a fascinating world with a mysterious way of doing business. Anyone who has spent time in the tech industry will see where Judge gets it right, and anyone who hasn’t will find themselves more informed about the realities of Silicon Valley.
But the truth is that startup life is not particularly glamorous or mysterious. It’s not about fancy campuses or billion-dollar algorithms — it’s about bright, motivated people who work very hard every day to make an impact on the world.
Until next time,
Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group, LLC
PS, The right mentor should also have the right CONNECTIONS to move you forward. Be sure to ask who they think they can bring to the table around advisorship, possible collaboration and even funding.
Originally posted: https://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2014/05/06/dear-hbo-please-keep-silicon-valley-real/
May 7, 2014,
Forbes
Startup life is a hot topic in Hollywood right now. From Joshua Michael Stern’s “Jobs” to the Amazon original series “Betas,” there’s an undeniable appeal to life in Silicon Valley for those both inside and outside the startup bubble.
Read the entire article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2014/05/06/dear-hbo-please-keep-silicon-valley-real/
When Dave Grohl talks, people listen. That’s why music fans flocked to theaters to see Dave’s documentary “Sound City” last year. The former Nirvana drummer tells the story of legendary Los Angeles recording studio Sound City, which recorded such artist as Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Nirvana. A number of these rock legends got their big break after recording at Sound City. Much of the studio’s success can be attributed to its sound board, the Neve 8028 analogue mixing console.
As the music industry settles into the post-pro-tools world, the documentary is a homage to the way things used to be. Long recording sessions, a dirty studio and some of the best music in history. That’s legacy of Sound City.
While Sound City is a hallowed monument to rock ‘n’ roll, it wasn’t much to look at. In the documentary, interviewees describe the hideous shag carpet and beat up couches that lined the room. It wasn’t the atmosphere that made Sound City special, though. It was the Neve 8028, widely considered one of the best recording systems in the world.
“The Neve boards were considered like the Cadillacs of recording consoles,” Grohl told NPR. This Cadillac ushered a new era of music in California. With 28 inputs, 24 monitors and 1085 EQ, the Neve 8028 was a recording monster in the ’70s. Neil Young recorded “After the Gold Rush” at Sound City, and Fleetwood Mac recorded “Never Going Back Again” from the acclaimed album “Rumours.” In Sound City, music legends talk about the Neve as if it’s an old friend.
The underlying theme in the documentary is a longing for the glory days. The musicians featured are some of the best in the world, and when they recorded at Sound City, they couldn’t rely on technology for cleaning up mistakes. Much like cable.tv offers a new experience for watching — digital recording revolutionized music. Rather than recording digitally, these icons recorded on tape. Viewers get the sense that a part of the artistic process dies when computers correct every tiny mistake. For musicians, Sound City is a challenge not to rely on technology. Average listeners may not spot the difference, but recording with Pro Tools has a plastic, sterile sound. There’s nothing wrong with that for certain genres, but rock ‘n’ roll are as much about the mistakes as the synchronization.
The documentary isn’t just a reflection of this legendary studio it’s a continuation of its legacy. Sound City closed in 2011, but Grohl purchased the Sound City Neve for his personal studio. In addition to the documentary, Grohl also released and recorded a new record with a number of Sound City alumni, including Paul McCartney, Rick Springfield, Stevie Nicks and Trent Reznor.
This blog was contributed by Mario Vasquez
Mario teaches screenwriting at his local community center and writes about TV, movies and entertainment in his spare time.
**Image by Man Alive! pursuant to the terms of his Creative Commons license.
In the near distant future, all of the surfaces in your house are made of high-tech glass. Instead of following a recipe on your tablet, your glass countertops now become the display. Does this make your spine tingle? Does it feel uber-tech, light years away? Like something only Steve Jobs or Captain Kirk would have access to? Nope, it’s coming to your doorstep.
Let’s paint a picture of an average Joe (or Joanne)’s day… It’s dinnertime. While trying to make the meal, the recipe on your tablet is too small to see and the stand you have propped it up on keeps falling over. Your hands are caked in food and the phone rings. Your son sits across the counter from you, nagging you about needing help with homework. Everyone and everything around you demands your attention. Imagine an innovation that could help you manage all of those tasks.
When the phone rings, your counter lights up and with one touch of your food-caked knuckle you’re talking to your great aunt Gladys (or the CEO of a major tech firm). Meanwhile, your kid is interacting through the countertop display with his tutor.
This near distant future could be possible with Corning’s technology. Corning’s is now researching ways to improve the glass, and apply it to all types of environments. Each glass display is powered by tablets encased in lightweight, durable glass, which –in this future time- are almost as commonplace as smartphones are today. Each tablet is tailored to its owner, organizing, managing and displaying everything in his or her life.
If we take this vision even further, now imagine the same technology that helped make dinnertime prep simpler, and apply it in hospitals, classrooms, cars and offices. The possibilities are limitless. If we step into a future hospital we will see wall-to-wall, touch-sensitive displays, capturing critical information for the current procedure taking place. The hospital rooms are covered with non-porous, easy to clean glass, making it an ideal product for sterile environments. Patient charts can be easily accessed from sleek, well-organized tablets.
Cars will also be equipped with glass displays. Now, music and essential driving information can be transported from a person’s individual tablet or smart phone, to the dashboard display. In addition to the dashboard, windows and a car’s sunroof will be made of automotive electrochromic glass, offering many possibilities.
Not only will classrooms have wall-to-wall displays, they will also be equipped with desk displays, and activity tables, making learning tangible and interactive. Imagine an office equipped with this same glass. Office meetings can now be interactive and plans can be changed right in front of you on large-scale displays.
Our future with glass is going to change the way we think, create, and organize our lives, and Corning’s is stepping up to the plate to make it happen. What do you think is possible with this futuristic technology? To see the glass in action, watch these three videos made by Corning. In A Day Made Of Glass 2: Unpacked, the narrator describes the technology used and explains what is possible today.
A Day made of Glass 2: Unpacked
Until next time,
Kelli Richards, CEO of The All Access Group, LLC
This Saturday, January 26th, at the Anaheim Convention Center, from 2:30pm-3:30pm PST, I will host an exciting panel of experts for The NAMM Show, “Bands Inc – Running Your Band as a Business (and as a Brand).”
At a time when digital distribution is the tail that wags the dog, it’s critical for artists and bands to see themselves as a branded business. They must be more responsible than ever to build a strong team around them, to embrace working with consumer brands to increase exposure and find funding, and to engage more actively in social media and D2F (direct to fan) initiatives.
*It’s worth noting that my Amazon #1 Bestseller, “Taking The Crowd to the Cloud – Social Media for the Music Industry,” will be re-released with new and updated info. With social platforms changing almost daily, anyone and everyone in the music space MUST be armed with step-by-step how-to and cutting-edge info.
The show runs through the 27th, and in addition to all of the new products and tech being unveiled at NAMM, there are great professional development sessions and unique product pavilions to explore. Year after year, NAMM keeps attendees on the cutting edge of business trends and new tech, and it’s a privilege to be a presenter there again. Join me on Saturday 1/26 and hear from some of the key players in the ecosystem who enable and inspire bands to thrive, as the industry continues to reinvent itself.
Kamran V, Founder/CEO of POP-AUT: Pop-Aut is an automatic, self-service payment service for creative collaborations such as film, music, games and art. Kamran is currently the Head of New Media Production for Interscope/Geffen/A&M.
Phil Sandhaus, Owner, Phil Sandhaus Productions: Phil is an artist manager, brand marketer, film/theater producer, and former label exec. He has worked with huge artists including the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Bowie, Beyonce, and many others.
Jaunique Sealey, Owner, Jaunique Sealey Consulting: Jaunique is the former social media strategist for Lady Gaga, as EVP of Bus Dev for Atom Digital, and is now a driving social media marketing, digital content strategy and brand development leader under her own banner.
Jeff Price, Founder of TuneCore, Co-Founder & GM of spinART Records & Co-Founder of AAIM (American Assn of Independent Music): Change agent and catalyst in the music tech space, Jeff Price is a staunch and vocal advocate of artist rights and driving revenues for artists in the digital age.
Ned Hearn, Principal, Law Offices of Ned Hearn: A highly respected lawyer, Ned focuses on the intersection of entertainment and technology; clients have included labels, artists, songwriters, and start-ups among others.
You can find us on Saturday at the H.O.T. Zone section of the venue, Hall B, Rm 204-A on the Second Floor.
*To ask me to speak at your next event, email me at info@AllAccessGroup.com
Let me preface this piece by saying my thoughts and prayers go out to the millions of people in the northeast who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy over the last week. I hope that everyone can quickly and easily recover from this tragic event. The human spirit is, as always, amazing. We’ve seen many events that showcase the spirit of brotherhood – and even heroism – through the media. Thousands of miles away on the West coast, the updates pouring in from social media were a vital lifeline of information for many friends and relatives for those affected. Two of my own team members are in New York, and I was grateful that even without electricity and internet, they both updated their Facebook and Twitter accounts to say they were okay.
The use of social media and new technology in these situations has proven to be even more crucial for spreading important emergency warnings and reports to millions of people without power, clinging to the last few bars of battery life on smartphones. Many political officials, organizations, and news networks took to social media sites as a means of disseminating important information to users that were or would be affected and possibly in danger. Throughout the week FEMA, the MTA, the NYC Mayor’s Office, and many other official twitter accounts reached over half a million Twitter followers, as they all collaborated and worked together to coordinate efforts of warnings, updates, and disaster relief.
The Mayor of Newark, NJ even tweeted to his community to come to his house, where he had power, food and a place to recharge (both electrically and spiritually).
While local and national news outlets certainly tried to keep up with the news as quickly as possible, often times the “average Joe” was able to provide more current and informative updates. Many users even took to social media to inform friends and family where to get gas, which has become a precious commodity due to shortages. Friends would comment on statuses with things like “Still gas left on BP on Flushing Ave, 2 hour wait so hurry” or “Just re-fueled our generator if anyone needs heat or food.” The outpouring of support and information from friends and neighbors has allowed us, as a society, to do what we do best – to connect and help one another, even complete strangers.
Social Media has taken the stage, front and center – and it has proven itself to be more than a hobby or an app. It has turned into a vital tool that ties us together on every level – professionally, personally and from community to community. We have even seen social take to the cloud – and the crowd – through crowd funding opportunities, like KickStarter and Indiegogo. While many opportunities exist to support New York and New Jersey – one of my favorites, from a grassroots point of view is by a young woman, coincidentally also from San Francisco https://www.indiegogo.com/NewYorkIGotYourBack. My team and I sent our donation this morning.
As with 911, know that we’re here for you New York and New Jersey. We’ve got your back.
Until next time,
Kelli Richards, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC
A few months ago I had the privilege of interviewing Thomas Dolby and getting an insider’s view into the extremely creative way he was introducing the first new album he’d created in over two decades. Fans would go through the portal of a game, The Floating City, and only when they had reached certain benchmarks in the game did they get to download some of the best tracks.
As the digital revolution reaches what seems to be an absolute frenzy of technological advances and debuts, more and more we’re seeing the cross-platform promotion and collaboration around product distribution. The latest (and one of the biggest) entries into this virtual world is set to be Suzanne Collins’ popular novel, “The Hunger Games.”
According to Digital Media Wire, Social game developer, Funtactix has partnered up with Lionsgate around the movie’s debut this spring The Hunger Games Adventures is set to launch on March 23, the day the first movie opens in theaters.
Lionsgate started the cross-digital campaign months ago with “The Capitol” a web presence for the government of Panem, where “The Hunger Games” stories take place. They also created a strong social media launch, featuring a YouTube channel in addition to other social spaces.
The Hunger Games Adventures game is set to be a strong player in the multi-digital branding of the three Lionsgate movies. Players move through The Capitol and the key Districts in the story, becoming more engrossed at each level of game.
“As a company that wants to align itself with the most beloved entertainment properties and passionate fans in the world, joining forces with Lionsgate on The Hunger Games was a very easy decision,” said Sam Glassenberg, CEO of Funtactix.
This isn’t the only foray Funtactix has made into the world of branded film releases. They recently created a game built around the Mission Impossible franchise.
Since its founding in 2006, Funtactix has earned an industry reputation for rapid innovation in web-based gaming. They were first to deliver connected 3D multiplayer action gaming through deeply-integrated avatar-based games.
They’re also poised to release The Hunger Games Adventures through Facebook as well, and with a following of millions and the realm of Harry Potter coming to a close, it will be interesting to see where Funtactix – and other branding gaming companies – will reach as the digital revolution continues to evolve.
Kelli Richards
President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
When it comes to digital distribution, one of the big online commercial sites for video has certainly been Hulu. In only four short years of life, Hulu has carved out a tremendous niche with a huge tribe of trusting, loyal fans and users. While Hulu is “independent” to some degree, NBCUniversal, Newscorp and even Disney are part of the ownership team.
For anyone not familiar with Hulu yet, at its core, it is simply an online video service providing formally, commercially produced content, such as movies, television shows, clips, and other content, coming in from a very wide variety of sources, such as FOX, NBCUniversal, ABC, Criterion, A&E Networks, TED and a very long list of other content providers.
So why, after four years of great digital distribution, am I writing about Hulu? Because they are about to take a huge leap of faith and add another original production to their arsenal – original content is a journey that even Oprah Winfrey herself can tell you is fraught with danger. So in addition to movies and primetime TV hits such as Modern Family, The Simpsons, Glee, The Office, etc., etc., etc., viewers can also download Hulu’s own creations (A Day in the Life and The Morning After), as well as their newest addition, “Paul, the Male Matchmaker” (launching on Monday, February 13th exclusively on Hulu). The launch date is no accident – the 10-episode comedy is a mockumentary about a socially inept man who inherits a matchmaking service – who then does out brutally honest dating advice in the sincere belief that he is helping women find love.
Actor/writer Paul Bartholomew (Mad Men; Yes, Dear), who stars in the series, said, “This show is for anyone who has ever been set up on a horribly misguided date by their sister, friend, co-worker — and then been blamed for it not working out. Which is basically everyone.”
Finally, original, full-length commercially produced web series’ are starting to find a foothold – and a distribution portal like Hulu is exactly the venue to bring enough attention and a strong enough fan base to move audiences to show up week after week. Rock on Hulu, we’re looking forward to where you go next – and to watch the competition as it comes alive and rises to the occasion to bring web TV to life!
Kelli Richards
CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
Fankix delivers music to fans around the world with a unique social experience, deeper interaction with musicians and first-rate authentic content at no cost.
They provide artists with a new promotional platform, increased engagement with fans and a new way to be discovered through social networks. Fankix also provides an innovative and more effective way to engage with consumers than TV commercials, banner ads and Internet video pre-roll. In the ever-changing world of digital, Fankix is the biggest stage in the world.
Most recently, Fankix is bringing Lena Katina, formally form the Russian Duo “t.A.T.u” to their online stage. Fankix is inviting FANS from all around the world to dance, chat, and have the best time of their lives with their friends – all during the LIVE show.
Lena Katina will be performing exclusive, never before heard songs from her upcoming solo album. The show will be December 13th, 2011. For more information, show times and to get free tickets, visit www.FanKix.com.
Don’t forget to “Like” Fankix on their Facebook Fan page for updates and upcoming shows. https://www.facebook.com/FanKix
Kelli Richards
CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
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