Family Matters

My adolescent childhood was nearly destroyed by one television character: Steve Urkel. Isn't it funny how one pair of glasses and a set of braces can ruin your life when you're in school? Thankfully, I made it out alive with only a few emotional scars from all of the taunting and teasing. However, the show that spawned the Steve Urkel character was wildly successful.

From September of 1989, to May of 1997, Family Matters aired every Friday on the ABC network during a two hour block of family centered entertainment known as TGIF. For its last season, it aired on the CBS network. I was a huge fan of the Friday night ABC line up. Since I was young, nerdy, and had nothing really going on for me, I would stay home and just watch the programs. By 1998, however, I was in my second year of college and had lost the zeal to watch the shows. I didn't even know that Family Matters was still on the air, much less that it had been signed over to CBS.

Family Matters is not the only show that has switched television networks. Insanely funny hospital "dramady" Scrubs died off of the NBC network, only to be revived for another short season on the ABC network. Family Matters and its sister show, Step by Step was acquired by CBS in a deal worth $40 million. Tensions between Miller-Boyett Productions and The Walt Disney Company (parent company) erupted, causing Miller-Boyett to accept the deal with CBS to rival against the TGIF lineup. The effort was unsuccessful, and both Family Matters and Step by Step were cancelled the following season, dismantling CBS's efforts to steal the Friday night family market.

 Television shows seem to exhibit the same characteristics of modern day sports figures. If there is a better deal (or only deal offered) executives seem to have no problem trading a show to another team. Maybe the idea is that the show will do better on a different network than what it did previously. I think sometimes writers and producers attempt to do the impossible with a group of characters and with a show. I believe that you have to know when it is the right time to end a show and put those characters to rest. It's hard to let go, but drawing out a show will only have terrible effects for the legacy of the program. It's no different than Michael Jordan retiring from basketball, only to revive his own career on a different team. I might have looked liked Urkel back in the day, but I never did the Urkel shuffle. Catch my drift?

Spotlight Interview with Jalene M. Mack, Esq. Entertainment Industry Legal Expert

The development of a business plan is intended to be a map assisting the entrepreneur and business leader on the road to establishing a successful business. However, a staggering 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs that start a business fail within the first 18 months (Wagner, 2013). Among the many reasons why a business fails: poor communication with customers, and leadership breakdown (Wagner, 2013). As I continue to move forward developing my own business plan in family entertainment and artist management, it became obvious to me that something else would cause me to be unproductive in my business venture: that is the lack of knowledge in the area of entertainment law. Obviously, the purpose of my scholastic efforts is to gain an understanding of the entire field of the entertainment industry, but it is to also learn how to lean upon the strength of other qualified professionals.

Jalene M. Mack, Esq. is a highly sought after entertainment lawyer operating out of Houston, Texas with an extensive background in performance and media arts. Not only does she represent some of the more recognizable talent in the industry, she is an invaluable resource to the profession, offering years of insight from her background as an actress, producer, playwright, and businesswoman. She is also the founder and artistic director of Mack Performing Arts Collective (MPAC) which is a non-profit organization whose mission is to "cultivate the interest of performing arts by exposing, educating and entertaining our disadvantaged youth and young adults" (http://www.mpac-arts.org, 2011). I was afforded the opportunity to ask her a few questions that I felt were pertinent to the development of my business.

I really wanted Ms. Mack to define and elaborate on the Infliction of Emotional Distress. I wanted to know where was it most common in the entertainment industry. Ms. Mack pointed out that there is a lot of rejection in the entertainment industry, especially when it comes to actors or talent not getting an audition, or booking a job. Her insight and direction for talented individuals is for them to simply know that they are good enough, despite the outcome of an audition. She encourages artists and talent to not wait for the job, but to go out and create one. Emphatically, she states for talent to write their own material. Ms. Mack also summed up another topic of concern for me: the area of contract interference. Business relationships fail, and she points out that a soured business relationship could lead to one-side trying to prevent deals going through for the other. She advises that a cease and desist order be sent on behalf of the clients; and if that is of no avail, a lawsuit filed with an injunctive relief may be in order.

Artist and talent management has become my passion, and it’s important to understand the legal avenues of setting up contracts when working with new talent. Ms. Mack confirms what we have been learning throughout this journey, and that is the importance of a contract. She adds that everything about a contract is important, including (and especially) what is not in the contract. I also inquired about starting a Christ-centered non-profit organization (that will utilize entertainment industry resources and personnel) and I wanted to know how not to let it interfere with my business of managing talent or making money. Ms. Mack immediately clarified something that I never knew before, and that is that non-profit organizations can make money. She clarified that the big problem we see with non-profit organizations having issues with making money is in how they submit their application, or in the absence of programs they should have in place to justify their status.

Above everything, Ms. Jalene Mack confirmed for me what I had believed about working in the entertainment business, and that is you must surround yourself with good people. In a world of open source documents and online legal advice, we run the risk of “depersonalizing” an industry that thrives off of networking with talented legal professionals. I admit, after my brief conversation with Ms. Mack I felt ten times smarter, but I also walked away with a great appreciation of letting go of the things that can be better handled by someone else who is more qualified. Maybe the only thing we really need to know to prevent our businesses from failing is simply how to pick up the phone and ask for help.                 

Paul F. Crouch: 1934-2013

On November 30, 2013, Paul F. Crouch, head co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network passed away after a ten year battle with degenerative heart disease. When I was younger, I used to watch the network religiously in an effort to learn more about my faith, and the people within my faith community.  Paul Crouch and his family were always on the television, hosting a show, or raising funds to build more stations around the world, or to send more satellites into orbit to beam "the Gospel" to every corner of the globe. It had been a while since I had sat down and watched any TBN program. I  don't know if I just became too preoccupied with everything else in life, or if I just got to the prideful place where I just felt like I didn't need the programming anymore. But as I flipped through the channel that evening, and I watched the cryptic commercial replying scenes from his life, I blurted out to my wife, "Oh my God...Paul Crouch is dead." Maybe it was all of my years working in television and knowing the tone and flow of bereavement packages, or maybe it just hit me. All I knew is that 20 seconds later, there was a graphic with a Ken Burns effect flying in on the screen with the dates between his life and death. My heart sunk. I immediately jumped on-line to find out more details, but the event had just happened that day, and the only thing I was able to find at that time were websites that were celebrating his passing in a negative manner. It began to destroy me and for one whole day, I walked around in a fog. Paul Crouch, like every other living human, had flaws. It did not bother me to read that another human being could actually have a flaw or had made a poor decision at sometime (anytime) in their life. What bothered me and probably many others, was that this man was being talked about like a dog. He was like a father figure to me especially for my tract in family entertainment. My entire scholastic career has been centered on learning and creating healthy programs that was educational and up-lifting, and a lot of credit for that inspiration should go to Paul Crouch and his family. I would have never thought or believed that it was possible to run a faith-based family theme park and studio if I hadn't seen it done successfully by TBN and TBN partners. My journey through my MBA program has showed me a lot about the business world, that 90-something percent of the population (and even faith-community population) does not know about. Truth be told, most of the negative comments were coming from sources that lacked credibility and understanding about how to even run a business (and more specifically: a ministry business). They couldn't possibly understand about "opportunity costs" and how many times Paul Crouch and his family had to decide not to sell the organization and the equipment, even though it might have been tempting when things got difficult. Paul and his surviving wife Jan retold the story of how TBN got started in a video package that was taped before Paul passed away. They tell the story of how they had $20,000 dollars left in their account (in the 1970's) but promised God to put it in the new ministry. They both acknowledge that after that, the ministry was able to grow and blossom both influentially and financially. What if they would have decided to keep that $20,000 dollars to themselves? You see...most people never have had to think about sacrifices like that. They have never had to make that kind of decision. So, today, I say what should be said...especially as someone looking to follow in similar path of Paul Crouch: Thank you, Sir!    

Parade Tradition!

So, every year, my family and I anticipate the annual broadcast of the Macy's Day Parade. More than 85 years, and the event is still going strong. My wife and I have a background in live television and communication, so the obvious appeal to us is always going to be how the program is being produced. By the time you have kids though, it becomes a family tradition and you sit down and just (try) to enjoy it for the magical event that it is. We could go on and on about the Broadway show previews, and the enormous balloon floats, and even the anticipation of Santa Clause arriving on location; but today...since the kids are upstairs, maybe this is a good time to consider what does go into making this annual event come to life. Now, no one can rival the expert craftsmanship and detailed designs of Santa's elves up in the North Pole. So, then it would be obvious to me that all of the floats and balloon designs are made up there. Right? Wrong!? How could this be? Maybe my Spidey senses are off today. Macy's has a parade studio in Moonachie, NJ where they design, construct, and engineer the 30 floats and 16 balloons that will make their way eventually down 34th Street...even your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man makes an appearance. Obviously New Jersey is no North Pole, but if it had to be in a category of places where magic happens, then it would rank right up there. Sure, we substitute elves for welders, engineers, and architects, but at least we still get a Santa at the end of the whole deal. The event is broadcast live on the NBC network and affiliates and is covered by NBC's top ranking anchors from the Today Show. But they are not the only talent on the scene. The annual event brings in actors, musicians, singers, and performers from all around the world and from all walks of life just to share the stage and to make a lasting memory for families everywhere. Practically, we understand that there is a high cost involved in bringing this show together every year, but I can't talk about cost right now, because my kids just entered the room and I don't want to destroy the dream. Let's just say then that Santa invests a lot to bring this event tradition to New York every year. I wonder what his spreadsheet looks like?

Event Safety First!

I never had one of those mothers that would load me down with protective equipment when I would go out and ride my bike. These days, it's the normal thing to see kids riding down the street with helmets on that are bigger than their body. That's a good thing! I was blessed to have not gotten more injured as a child riding BMX bikes and motorized dirt bikes with no equipment. As I got older, I began to value protecting myself from danger, if it was possible to prevent it. Moving into my profession, the way we prepared for the risks of the craft was through training and certification. The Event Safety Alliance is an organization designed to prepare event technicians and specialists on how to perform their job duties safely. Live event safety has become really big news in the last couple of years, especially since the tragic accident at the Indiana State Fair where the stage collapsed during rough weather. Since then, the Event Safety Alliance has been doubling their efforts to properly train and prepare event technicians on how to handle proper rigging of lights and sound equipment, staging, safety for audience, talent and personnel, and how to deal with hazardous weather conditions. Diana Ross's famed performance in New York City Central Park would never take place today because of the measure of safety procedures that has been put in place to keep concert patrons, personnel, talent and technology safe. The ESA provides a guidebook that can be downloaded from their website that covers the importance of practicing proper safety procedures when setting up equipment for live events. Events are held in a number of venues today: outdoor amphitheaters, convention centers and hotels, stadiums and arenas, and the traditional performance theater. The guidebook is not the only thing that the ESA offers. Amongst other resources, the ESA also provides certification and training for those that would like to be more proficient in rigging and electrical safety training, and they provide links to other organizations that teach you about audience safety and weather preparedness. They update topics through their blog and they sell advertising space on their webpage to other vendors looking to advertise on their website. Membership has it's privileges, offering discounts on products and certification exams and study guides. Having the ESA in my corner as I develop my company is going to be critically necessary. They're going to be that oversized helmet on my small little body. Thanks ESA mom!!     

Downtown Disney Magic!!

Before our relocation to the Orlando, Florida area, my wife would always tell me that she wanted to go to Downtown Disney the next time we went on a vacation. Well, we never had a chance to go until this past weekend. From where we currently live, we mapped our way at night through a luxury community, which quickly turned into vast nothingness, until you turn down the street where the tourist area is located. Unbelievable! It was perfect. To my children, it looked like a place just to go and get everything they could ever want to purchase and do just about everything they could ever want to do. To me, it felt like an enclosed downtown area. It had all of the things that I would look for when I go into a traditional downtown environment.

With tons of shopping, restaurants and street performances, it's impossible not to be entertained. There was this awesome living statue performer that I took a picture with. I tried to get him to move before my oldest son took the picture, and even taunted him a bit after the shot was taken. The man made no sudden movements. He was a complete professional. Just as I had given up and was getting ready to return to my family, he slowly turned to me and gave me this super cool look as if to say that he was the one in control. I got the point, got a good laugh, and moved on to the Lego Imagination Center to let Zechariah play a bit with all of the Lego toys. I don't know how they clean up and reorganize that place at night, but it must take them hours to put everything back in order. Yet, it thrilled my son to the core as he slowly began to make his entrance in Nappy-Poo Land for his evening slumber fest. What a relief! We didn't stay long, but were very impressed with the amenities, especially with the fact that we didn't have to pay for parking or any entrance fee. That makes a huge difference when you are going for a night out. My wife and I plan to come back for a date at a later time. Eventually, our hope is to see the Cirque du Soleil show that's in the Downtown Disney area. Still debating if we will take the kids to see that one though. I'll let you know!    

Finally...Some Family Fun!

Before relocating to Florida, my wife and I would take our youngest son to a place where he could just run around and be free. One place that was really cool back in Augusta, Georgia was a place called Monkey Joe's (and there is one here in Winter Park). Monkey Joe's is a great place if you want your child to have fun climbing up inflatable play sets  while you just sit down and watch. However, we wanted to try something different. As we were searching for something new and exciting to do on Sunday, we came across a place called Hukoo's. This place is the total package for family fun! Ironically, we're not too big on crowds, or should I say, unorganized "kiddie bedlam". So, going on Sunday evening was perfect for us and it gave us a chance to enjoy the new adventure without having to compete with long lines. Hukoo's is like a family event paradise, catering to the entire family. Literally, there is something for everyone. There was even a video game for my wife, and she's not that avid when it comes to playing video games. There's laser tag, bumper cars, a walk-through maze, and this huge pirate ship battle game that's designed like a traditional paint ball game. One team masters one of the ships and the other team, the other one. The object of the game is to hit designated targets on the other parties ship for points with the provided air gun and balls. Well, my oldest son and I could not resist, and immediately went towards the game after walking in the facility. After getting on our protective goggles, we went at it. I thought for sure I was winning because all of my shots were hitting the targets, but at the end of a ten-minute battle, we ended up with a tie score. Since we were now living in Florida, I demanded a re-count, but was told to act like an adult by my wife and to accept the fact that I tied with my son. I huffed and puffed (obviously), but then moved onto watching my youngest son embark on a trampoline adventure. That's right! This place has an awesome trampoline where you can run, throw balls at your friends, and do all kind of wall tricks and back flips. Zechariah (my youngest) couldn't do any of those things, but he ran back and forth for twenty minutes on that trampoline with the biggest smile on his face. There couldn't have been a happier child in the world. Unfortunately, Hukoo's is only open on the weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). It's located right across from the Florida Mall which gives families venturing out for a weekend of shopping and dining a chance to stop in and have some fun. Pricing is reasonable and you walk away feeling like you made a great investment for fun, instead of feeling taken advantage of. Bounce in and check it out sometime!