TCom 1580 Team Project

* Your challenge is to develop a cross-platform program for a broadcast environment. After you have completed your project, you will FIRST pitch your program to a committee of investment bankers at a formal Pitch Presentation on April 29/May 1. See these links:

Notice that these two pieces focus on how a writer can pitch an idea or a script to a producer (or the producer's intern). Your pitch will tease us with a well thought business, including the show, the web, the sponsor list, and so on.

Then, you will SECOND submit your project, suitably bound, at an announced time during the final examination meeting.

Figure out where your target audience may be found (both media-wise and otherwise). Create a program that would offer value to them -- that they might want to watch or listen to. Develop a strategy for luring them away from their current media/lifestyle activities. (Remember, audiences are already doing something at the time of your program's airing!) Write a script/treatment for the program's pilot episode. Include a budget, or at least an estimate of program costs. Simple studio talk shows for noncommercial or "cable access" run about $400 each. "Kicked up" noncommercial shows made locally run about $8-10k. Anything for regional or national distribution must be much better, as reflected here:

Be careful: you don't have access to a universe of talent, facilities and money. No, you can't hire Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Adele, Leona Lewis, Steve Harvey or Chris Brown. No Madison Square Garden. No big cash prizes. No shooting on South Pacific islands. Assume you'll be making it in Cleveland (market #18) or Pittsburgh (market #23). But it can be done! Just check what Sheryl Leach did while stuck in traffic.

Also be careful about devising a program that's a clone or spin-off of another on-air program. Sometimes it's hard to resist opening a burger joint on the idea that Burger King makes lots of money on burgers. Might be easier to try a Chinese or vegetarian restaurant. (Look what Howard Schultz did to coffee shops!)

Develop your media program. We usually think of the stages involved in making media programs to comprise three phases, each with some parts, like this:

Normally, this model is followed more and more closely as the "stakes" get higher -- more money (such as coverage of the Olympics), greater cost of a screwup (such as a presidential funeral), or complexity (such as a World Series). Amateur productions, such as those found on YouTube, jump around -- as you would expect of an amateur.

Develop a client list of potential advertisers. Create a rate card. Create sales presentation materials (the things you would have in your hands if you were to make a sales call on a prime advertising prospect).

Create a website for the program. Make at least 5 pages of content. Figure out how you could sell web advertising; then create a rate card, a client list, and a sales presentation.

Devise a strategy for promoting your project. Such may include paid advertising (but you have to have the money in your budget!), stunts of various types, and so on. You'll find various "publicity and promotions" handbooks and guides in the library and on the web.

Organize your PROJECT into a clear, concise 10 - 15 page written document (1" margins, 12-point font). Put this in the first section of a binder. In a second section put your scripts, rate cards and other "mechanicals."

Separately, prepare to make a 15-minute team PITCH PRESENTATION of your project to an audience of potential investors. (It's called a "Pitch Meeting" in the business.) They will want to know how risky your plan is for their invested money. If you are clear in your plan, articulate in your presentation, and fully informed to answer questions, they'll be more inclined to support your enterprise. Plan to talk for 10 minutes and to take questions for 5 minutes. Be sure this presentation is well planned and well rehearsed. You must use PowerPoint. A sample of your program (a pilot) is required.

If your program will be audio (for radio), you may use one of the audio production studios in Bliss Hall. These systems feature ProTools editing software, which is a professional-level product. It might be prudent to do your editing on your own computer with a free program such as Audacity.

If your program will be video (for television), you may use one of the department's camcorders. YSU's video editing suites feature AVID Express -- again, a professional level product. You should do your basic editing on your own desktop with products such as PowerDirector or Adobe Premier.

Supplementary resource links are on my website. Some of your team members might not yet be competent team players -- they might not yet have learned how to work with others in such a setting. You might find the "Small Groups Checklist" to be helpful in helping them get with it.

Teams sometimes self-destruct because two kinds of behavior are not controlled. First, be careful of the person who takes over and railroads the group. If the person's a certified genius, your team might come out okay. Chances are, he's not -- and you won't. Besides, you won't learn much if you're not an active part of decision-making.

The second is the nodding doll. The person who sits quietly (often not coming to class or to team meetings), smiles a lot, and nods politely. He/she allows others to make all the decisions and to do all the work, only to show up at the last minute to claim credit for a job well done.

You should make sure every individual is actively involved in the project, and you should monitor each person's progress. Keep strong leaders on a short lead; keep nodders on an even shorter one.

Be particularly careful of "the Youngstown excuse." "I can't meet. I gotta work." "I can't meet. I gotta babysit." "I can't meet. I gotta study for an exam." The list of excuses is endless for people who don't want to make the group project a priority. Don't be sucked in by them.

Communication will be among your biggest challenges. Exchange schedules, phone numbers, emails, and so on. Immediately set up a schedule for team meetings (no, not during class). Some people will claim that they can't meet at any time or at any place outside of class. Assume such claims are not valid, and they merely reflect a preference not to be inconvenienced. If your team encounters this problem, you may ask that a person be fired from the team, but only after you show that you have made a good faith attempt to include them.

This assignment asks you to engage in group-based problem solving. You'll be doing critical thinking as you analyze the problem, and you'll be doing creative thinking as you develop a solution. Don't gaze numbly off into space, waiting for someone to tell you what to do and how to do it. You've got to figure it out !!

And yes, I do understand that you might never have done something like this before.

Duty	Description
Executive Producer	Overall coordinator of the project. Divides up the tasks, assigns them to team members, and keeps everyone's efforts focused
Marketing function	Marketing deals with building a relationship between the producer and the audiences, especially viewers and sponsors. So this means marketing people research the pool of potential clients (advertisers !!); develop a sales strategy; and develop sales presentation. Develops an audience
Research function	Researches potential audience and potential sponsors
Program Producer	Creative responsibility for making the show
Writer	Writes the script for the show
Production function	This team comprises communication artists who can perform and capture/edit the program to final form such as DVD.
Creative Services function	Develops the promotional campaign
Web Developer	Designs and builds out the web experience.