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Why researching minority superhero characters would've done Michelle Rodriguez some good

3/8/2015

My initials are TDC, and my company's name is CEG. But when I was a kid, I proudly walked around with that invisible "S" on my chest. I still love superhero characters as an adult, but I was all about them as a child.

Superman stood for truth, justice and the American way. He fought for others who could not fight for themselves, and I thought that was awesome.

The Incredible Hulk also made me want to be a superhero. Bill Bixby was my idol. He helped everyone. It did not matter your race or socioeconomic placement in the world. He changed lives for the better, and I thought that was amazing.

I used to read the Captain American comic book series and had the chance to read about Sam Wilson, The Falcon. He was a black superhero who was a sidekick to Captain America. I loved the things he did. He was fast, strong, and not afraid of anything or anyone. When he was featured in 2014's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," it was like I was a kid again. I had always hoped he would get his own movie.

On that note, when I heard actress Michelle Rodgriguez's comments about minority superheroes, all of these childhood memories came to mind. Even her "apology" on Facebook was just as misguided. Either she doesn't follow superheroes very often or she's conveniently forgetting some facts about how minority cultures have played a part in these mythical characters.

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TV sitcoms: Why seeing African-American characters matter to kids

3/8/2015

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I happened to be browsing on YouTube when I saw a recent interview with "Scandal" actress Kerry Washington on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show." One comment she made during the interview stayed on my mind while I was writing this blog:

Check out: Why researching minority superhero characters would've done Michelle Rodriguez some good

Washington spoke about how her mother insisted that she had African American Barbie dolls growing up. Even when Washington wanted to be Snow White one year, her mother was okay with it. But Washington smiled at the thought of young, African-American girls having a bigger variety of character to choose from now, including Pocahontas or Princess Tiara.

The same can be said for young, African-American boys in today's society.

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The inside scoop on the business end of shows like 'Empire'

2/27/2015

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Let's make no mistake about it. Taraji Henson and Terrence Howard have already proven to be two incredibly hot artists in their own right, but what they offer to "Empire" is something unseen on television today. We've seen films like "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," "Breakin'," "House Party" and "8 Mile," but "Krush Groove" was probably the only one that was as much about entertainment as it was about the business end of the hip-hop entertainment industry. However, what the TV series "Empire" has done in 2015 is something all its own.

As a former General Manager and Senior Vice President of No Limit Records, I already know what it's like to be on the business side of music. Creating my former music label Me & Mine Entertainment also gave me even more insight on how independent labels work. So it's fascinating to watch a realistic version of it come to our television screens every Wednesday night.

Anyone with a Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account has run into independent artists trying to make it in the music industry. But so many of us see it from the artistic standpoint: we hear songs, we watch artists, we give selective head nods to a few nice-on-the-eyes models posing for those covers, and we bob our heads to the beat. But what "Empire" does is educate people about the business end while still showing off the sexier side of the hip-hop and R&B music industry.

On recent interviews with The Dream, Tyga, Timbaland, Serayah, Jussie Smollett and Quincy, artists have told their views on how they feel about the TV show and the contractual agreements. From a business perspective, I'll answer a few questions I keep hearing about the professional side of the arts.

Do you think an artist who already has a reputable name should do a show like "Empire"? Or, are artists getting too focused on television and not enough on music?

Reputable artists should consider doing a television show like "Empire." It gives them an opportunity to promote themselves in another form of entertainment. If they are trying to expand on their career by being versatile and proving that they have the ability to be actors, it is a great opportunity for them to do so. Artists need to look at ways to promote their brands. The music industry’s income has declined significantly over the last 10 years, and artists who have always struggled financially have to focus on additional ways to generate income (i.e., acting, concerts, merchandising).

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Don't believe the stereotype: Black people care about the environment

2/23/2015

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Some stereotypes are more true to form than others. However, for every stereotype that might be uncomfortably true, there's another one that's completely inaccurate. One particular misconception that resonates with me — on a career level and a personal level — is the belief that African Americans do not care about environmentalism. Trust me. We do.

In 2014 alone, there were so many huge news stories that make equal rights and family safety much higher in the ranks of importance, but it is possible to walk and chew gum at the same time. On shows like CNN's "Crossfire," viewers not only got to see political parties debate their issues. They also got to see one of the most well-known African American leaders in the environmental industry show that he cares about the environment: Van Jones.

The debate show was canceled in October of last year, but Jones and other African-American environmental activists were fighting for this cause long before that show aired (again). People of color are focused on the future. No matter the race, you can't think about the future without the environment being a topic of discussion. I believe there are people of all backgrounds who are concerned about climate change. The environment we live in must be able to sustain our population.

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Why eye contact and mutual engagement matter during a job interview

2/19/2015

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Job sites and news programs are steadily reporting on how the employment market has improved, but what caught my interest recently was a statistic in Forbes about job candidates who turn jobs down.

More than half (56 percent) of all employers reported that a candidate rejected their job offer in 2012.

Why would a statistic like this matter with job candidates being so plentiful in today's job market? Because there are job interviewers who too often forget that a job applicant has options, too. One of those options is to find a job where she feels that her time would be respected within the company. Just as the job applicant should put her best foot forward, so should the hiring managers. A job interviewer never knows who will walk through the door. The next person to walk into a conference room may be the ideal person to finally put a stop to endless resume submissions and work piling up.

As both a manager and a job applicant, I know what it's like to be in a group job interview and have to keep the interest of everyone else in the room. In a recent conversation with a colleague about her job hunt, I advised her on what hiring managers look for when speaking to candidates and what the job applicant should do to keep the group attentive. She was going on her second job interview with two different companies. However, as soon as she left both of the follow-up interviews, she told me she considered writing a "thank you" e-mail and pulling her name out of possible candidates. Here were her reasons why.

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Mentors, help youth with social skills and path to career success

2/13/2015

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In almost eight years as an instructor and mentor, I've observed an ongoing struggle that some youth have with gaining employment as first-timers.

Simple things like going through the process of interviewing, writing thank-you notes by hand and figuring out how to sell themselves as a solution provider for the company are an ongoing challenge for the youth.

Maybe you've already seen the Target video where people show a young man how to tie a tie. There are so many young people who don't know what's the right work attire or what's the right dress attire that interviewers want to see. There are so many who don't know how to do their resume, how to fill out an application, how to interact with people and how to follow up with hiring managers. Mentors need to be as useful to teens as these Target employees were in the video above.

Although there are definitely young people who are successful in their job or career paths, there are still too many who haven't mastered how to use their personality to make a job interviewer take a chance on hiring that job candidate.

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Three tips to keep small businesses afloat and successful

2/13/2015

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There are plenty of examples of smaller businesses getting eaten up by larger corporations. However, optimistic small businesses continue to have the drive to fight against their odds. Some of those companies go on to be successful. Others do not.

Here are a few tips for a small business to understand how to get the upper hand against their competition.

Step 1: Take a look at your marketplace, and be willing to outwork the competition. Sometimes it's not about the dollar amount that you're spending on marketing or operating your company. Research any weaknesses in those larger companies, and make sure those are your strengths.

Step 2: Activate a plan to explain how your particular small business is different from the competition. Emphasize a high level of service. Give customers and clients that one-on-one experience that will make them feel important. Word of mouth can be a lifesaver or yank a company into the deep end without swimming lessons.

Step 3: Be a solution provider. A company that resolves a problem will always be relevant. Maybe your business fixes technology equipment. Or, you're a catering company that specializes in a menu for people with a very specific diet. Or, you're a law firm that goes out of your way to help clients understand contract details or negotiations. No matter what your company specializes in, do not let your client get off of a phone call or leave your office with the same amount of questions and confusion that the client had before contacting you.

There's a reason that customer service companies have started utilizing survey results to monitor employees. They want to know if the situation has been resolved. If it hasn't, then your representatives aren't effectively working in the marketplace.

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Change management: Knowing when is a good time to outsource

2/13/2015

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The biggest problem that organizations have is change management. How do you transition from what you're doing now to something different?

An important piece of that is strategic partnerships. Don't just change because you're afraid of the marketplace. Make a change because it's going to create demand for your organization, or demand for the product or service that you're providing. Change must also put you in a position that you're going to have longevity in the marketplace.

Step 1: Figure out as an organization what you do well and what you don't do well. If there are skills that your company could do better, figure out how to outsource that through a partnership. What your company does well is your core competency. Continue with that. One of the biggest pros of outsourcing is that you're able to move around more dollars because you're cutting excessive costs.

Step 2: The key goal for any organization or individual is to get people to buy into that change. Make sure your company understands what your long-term plan is and why you're making the change. Don't be too fearful of over-explaining the change to make people feel comfortable about why it's productive.

Step 3: Don't be so fast to cut jobs. Organizations have a counterproductive habit of cutting jobs and leaving the remaining employees in an insurmountable bind. These employees are doing the work of those that are gone, and there's no increase in compensation. There's more stress. There's less quality of customer service. Then the company starts losing customers. The next thing you know your business has been cut down in profits. There is a happy medium between outsourcing and continuing to keep your core employees in house. Consider cutting manufacturing costs instead of cutting people. Or, transition qualified employees to job duties where they can take on a different responsibility.

Step 4: Create an environment where people feel safe to come up with ideas that will take the company into successful opportunities for years to come.

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The Pros and Cons of a 360 music production contract deal

2/13/2015

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For artists in various genres, it's no mystery that they want to succeed. With the ongoing trend of independent labels, some have the business savvy and connections to do it on their own. Others choose to work with major record labels. While neither decision is right or wrong, before a new artist (or returning artist) decides to sign a 360 deal, there are some things that artist should know.

In a 360 contract, the label is your management company. They're your label. They're your booking company. They do everything.

So what do you do if you have a problem with the way the record label is treating you? You would usually go to your management company. If you have a problem with your booking agent, you go to your management or your lawyer. But in a 360 deal that entity is everything so it becomes a conflict of interest if you have any challenges.

The good thing about a 360 deal is everything's covered. But whoever the organization or label that's responsible for the artist gets a piece of everything you do. For every concert performance, every downloads, every guest appearances, that organization is getting a profit from it.

If you have a problem with your 360 deal, there's nothing you can do because you're locked in.

It's about equal to a doctor who makes profits from a pharmacy. A dishonest doctor will prescribe medication solely on the basis of the amount of kickback that doctor will receive. It's just not ethical.

Before you sign on the dotted line, it's strongly suggested that you seek outside legal counsel. Make sure you're fully aware of all the perks and pitfalls of working with a major label before it's too late to turn back.

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Forward>>

Why researching minority superhero characters would've done Michelle Rodriguez some good

TV sitcoms: Why seeing African-American characters matter to kids

The inside scoop on the business end of shows like 'Empire'

Don't believe the stereotype: Black people care about the environment

Why eye contact and mutual engagement matter during a job interview

Mentors, help youth with social skills and path to career success

Three tips to keep small businesses afloat and successful

Change management: Knowing when is a good time to outsource

The Pros and Cons of a 360 music production contract deal

Consulting with Costen

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