Kodak's 6-Studio Deal Averts the Bleak Doom of Motion Picture Film...and Itself

In the world of business, self-preservation is top priority, which has become all-too-urgent for embattled film manufacturer Kodak. However, its recent distribution deal with the big film studios could avert the seemingly inevitable (and unfortunate) end of all film, and give film purists the world over a glimmer of hope.

Did You Miss These? The 5 Most Buzzworthy Entertainment News Articles from Cinco de Mayo Weekend

If you're still coming down from your Cinco de Mayo celebration (or your weekend plans in general, if you didn't celebrate), you may have missed some eyebrow-raising news. While you were playing hard, the entertainment biz was moving hard, too.

Check these articles out from around the web and get caught up.  :)

Participant Media's New Cable Network 'Pivot' Affects Your Entertainment Career -- Here's How

Participant Media's cable network pivot, which launches August 1, 2013, aims to spark a tide of global activism, and even aims to revolutionize cable network versatility.

It's aimed at the coveted millenials (18-34 years old) and wants to inspire groundbreaking social change through them. They're the perfect market since they're immersed in entertainment culture and will soon enter the entertainment business themselves.

"We wanted to design a next-generation channel for the next generation of consumers and leaders," said pivot President Evan Shapiro, former head of AMC Networks' Sundance and IFC channels.

What does all that have to do with you? Well, consider the prospect: a new wave of conscientious youth armed with tools to be more expressive than any preceding generation and fired with the impetus to be socially responsible.

That promises the potential for more online videos, indie films and music to be produced. Perhaps thought-provoking material will actually return to the mainstream (gasp!).

Furthermore, pivot is a nascent cable network, which is an opportunity you should jump on now. Why?

What Roger Ebert's Life Can Teach Even the Greenest Entertainment Business Newbie

Roger Ebert and his wife Chaz Hammelsmith

"Work for a cause, not for applause;
 Live life to express, not to impress;
 Don't strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt." -Unknown

Iconic film critic Roger Ebert certainly fulfilled the quote, down to the final statement, as the nation demonstrated at his funeral yesterday. Hollywood elite and politicos braved the cold and rain to join local Chicagoans to celebrate the industry veteran's life.

Whether you're an entertainment industry vet or a total newbie, Ebert's life and the celebration of it leaves an indelible challenge for you.

19 of the Most Popular Video-on-Demand Sites for Film and TV Addicts [Slideshow]

Back in the late nineties and early 2000's, Netflix ruled the video rental domain, with its groundbreaking convenience of postage-paid return envelopes, deadline-free DVD rentals, and online streaming, successfully knocking Blockbuster Video out of the water.

However, in the 16 years Netflix has been around, a plethora (yes, an excessive amount) of online streaming and VOD services have surfaced -- some with a specific niche, some just for the sake of competition. The selection can prove almost overwhelming.

You can take a deep breath now -- the Geek's got a resource that distills the mass to the 19 most popular services.

Did Hollywood Secretly Want the Current VFX Dilemma?

The bankruptcy of visual effects behemoths Digital Domain in September 2012 and the ironic Rhythm & Hues in February this year (they went bankrupt despite their BAFTA and Oscar wins for The Life of Pi) have left both the VFX industry and the movie-going public scratching their heads wondering what happened.

And the convenient microphone snub against R+H's Bill Westenhofer for bringing up the company's financial woes during the Oscars didn't help.

In fact it sparked a firestorm of protest -- not only outside the building that night, but also across social media, with people changing their avatars to the simple green chromakey color (which is used to create the visual effects in most movies) in honor of an industry that's been silently suffering behind the scenes for years now.

Those closely involved in the VFX industry have blamed the big production companies' gluttony of film subsidies (a.k.a. government funding) and forcing VFX companies to "race to the bottom" by undercutting each other, which begs the question: has Hollywood secretly wanted this all along?

Want Your Indie Movie on Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes? Here's How

So your independent movie's finally made! You've planned it, shot it, and after months of meticulous editing, your baby's ready to share with the world.

But now what? How exactly do you get it out to the world besides burning DVDs and selling it the old-fashioned way?

If that question just blindsided you, don't worry. There's hope. Read on to find out how you can get wide online distribution through the more familiar stores including Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand (VOD), iTunes, Hulu, and even Cable VOD. 

Why There's Hope for Short Films and Where to Submit Yours

As recently as a couple years ago, short films were a dubious way to get your foot in the film industry's door. They weren't particularly promising, and certainly not lucrative (in fact, it was usually all cost and no gain).

However, thanks to the smartphone and mobile age, more shorts are seeing the light of day in more promising ways, and yours can be one of them.

Top Conferences Series: 10 Comic Conferences That'll Make Your Inner Geek Scream

Here's where our top 10 conferences lists go niche, starting with one of the most fun categories in the entertainment industry: comic conventions. 

The beauty of these cons is that they typically include comics, anime, sci-fi (Star Wars/Star Trek, etc.), card games (Magic, Yugi-Oh, Pokemon, and many others), and some even include D&D tournaments. The cosplayers come out in full force as well, boasting some very well crafted costumes and makeup work.

These conventions usually bring out prominent actors from geek-favorite shows, like Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager), Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, Star Trek Voyager), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca in Star Wars), Jason David Frank (the Green, White, and Red Ranger in Power Rangers), and many others. Some current celebs guest at these conferences as well (hence the huge notoriety of San Diego Comic-Con International).

Comic cons are also a great place to meet some of the biggest names in comics -- award-winning writers, artists, and publishers alike, such as Grant Morrison, Jeph Loeb, Bill Willingham (Fables), Jim Lee, Neal Adams, Stan Lee (the king of Marvel himself), and many others.

If you've never been to a comic convention before, here are the 10 best cons to start with.

RED's First Ever Film Festival Offers Its Winner a Scarlet-X Camera

If you've shot a short or feature film using any of RED's cutting edge cameras, but have been frustrated with the playback limitations that come with RED's more advanced 4K and 5K resolution, RED now offers you the golden chance to present your project the way it's meant to be seen with its first ever Shot on RED Film Festival. 

Top Schools Series: The 5 Powerhouse Game Design Schools

Do you want to break into the multi-billion-dollar video game industry? Have you had that "aha" moment while you were playing your favorite game and thought, "...I can make something like this."

If you want to design video and computer games, but have no clue where to start hunting the right school, I've researched and provide you a powerhouse list below in three categories: the 5 best undergrad, graduate, and online game design schools. 

Top Conferences Series: 10 Entertainment Industry Cons You’ll Want to Attend

Any entrepreneur worth his salt will tell you that attending conferences is one of the most effective ways to find clients and make new connections. However, with so many conferences out there, your head is probably spinning trying to pick one to attend.

No worries – I’ve done some of the hunting for you and distilled the 10 essential entertainment industry cons you want to attend to rub elbows with the best in the business. 

By the way, you may notice some of the more popular cons aren’t listed here, but that’s because this is a series. I’ll be giving you the lists of niche cons in later posts, okay? So definitely stick around for them.

For now, let’s get down to the industry cons.

Who’s Their Daddy? A Hot List of Which Media Companies are Buying Which

Mergers are always afoot among media companies – the top brass are always looking to expand their companies by buying others that are already doing great work. 

Facebook’s groundbreaking $1B Instagram buy-up was only one of over 23 acquisitions that have happened so far in 2012 – and we’re only at the end of August.

While these acquisitions don’t always have an abrupt effect on your personal world or business, it’s always best to stay abreast of the industry’s big moves – because sometimes the mergers can affect you indirectly. 

Besides, ‘fess up: you’ve been curious to know who owns what, but haven’t had enough time to research it yourself. No worries, I’ve done your work for you. Read on for some eye-opening mergers.

Top Schools Series: Hungry for that Film Degree? Here are the Nation’s Top 5 Film Schools

This is the first in a series of top school listings for entertainment business entrepreneurs like you, undaunted by the current post-graduation unemployment numbers.

You believe in the power of great storytelling and film's power to sway human emotion. You love celluloid more than even your cellular phone. To you, film is immortal, worth fighting for, worth working 16- to 20-hour days for.

However, there's one thing in your way: lack of knowledge. You're hungry to learn the industry before diving headfirst into it, and rightly so.

No worries. Despite the myriad film schools out there, I've hunted down the top five film schools in the U.S. for you. Enjoy.

Pandora Radio’s Hands are Tied, But Still Punching Spotify

Pandora Radio's not going down without a fight.

With the now prevalent use of smartphones, more people hunger for the convenience of Internet radio – Arbitron and Edison’s 2012 Infinite Dial Report found that 29% of consumers 12 years or older listen to Internet radio on a weekly basis; 10 hours a day on average.

Though there are many online radio options out there, Pandora Radio and Swedish upstart Spotify have floated to the top, but are fighting with each other to stay there, and Pandora’s still hanging on, despite Spotify’s elbow in its neck.

A great Reuters article featured on Doddle compares the two services (though it was Pandora-heavy) and gave a nice heads-up about Spotify’s growth.

I’m exposing the fine points and flaws of both for you here. 

Friday Feature: Learn the One Immutable Secret to Entertainment Business Success

Entertainment Media Entrepreneur Jason Stocky Shares the Only Tool You Need to Succeed in the Business

You’re tired of hearing that pesky “N” word, right? The one that’s been bashed into your head since school: Networking.

Well, here’s good news. You can run that word over with your car (or bike), reverse over it and run it over again, and replace it with the one principle successful entertainment business entrepreneurs know works irrefutably.

The Fundamentals of a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy, Part 3

The Final Four Key Steps to Creating a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy

Certified Internet marketer and music business blogger Ronald Grant returns this week for the conclusion of his Internet marketing strategy series for new and growing entrepreneurs.

He covered the first four steps in Part 2 last week. Have you been taking notes so far? If not, be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 to find out what you missed.

Community is more vital than ever…build it as best you can!

Social networking has infiltrated just about everything we do, and in terms of the music and entertainment industries, it’s probably one of the greatest phenomena to happen in a long time (if not the greatest.)

Why?

The Fundamentals of a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy, Part 2

The First Four Key Steps to Creating a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy

Certified Internet marketer and music business blogger Ronald Grant returns this week, continuing his guest article on Internet marketing strategy fundamentals for new and growing entrepreneurs.

In Part 1 last week, he discussed the key to any Internet marketing strategy: knowing your purpose and keeping the business in mind.

Ronald gets down to brass tacks here. Take very careful notes.

You ready for this? Good. Here are the first four tips that will point you in the right direction.

The Fundamentals of a Killer Internet Marketing Strategy, Part 1

Today's guest post is Part 1 of a 3-part series on online promotion by Certified Internet marketer and music business blogger Ronald Grant of Muzik Issues Today and The Music Business Revisionist. Prepare to take some notes.

These days, online marketing and promotion are a must if you want your company to go anywhere of value, especially in music and entertainment business.

So let's take your inventory.

Which Entity is Right for Your Entertainment Media Business: LLC or S Corporation?

Learn the Difference Between LLCs and S Corporations

Choose your entertainment media business entity carefully.

Note: Before taking the plunge with your business, make sure you consult with a certified accountant and/or legal counsel for legal and financial details behind starting a company.

Most new entertainment media entrepreneurs opt to make their businesses LLCs or S Corporations because of the tax advantages associated with both options. However, you can only choose one. Which will it be?

Inc.’s article lists the similarities and differences of LLCs and S Corps beautifully, including the pros and cons of both – and I’m sharing them with you here.