The 6 Best Free and Low-Cost Design Sites to Make Your Products Irresistible

So you’ve got a killer product coming out, and to save money, you’re designing and marketing it yourself, but you want to create irresistible, un-ignorable marketing content. You want the kind of imagery that’s clean, memorable, and simplistically expresses your brand...without killing your wallet.

(Especially since the ‘trep life is all about feast or famine.)

As such, the Geek’s got you covered with websites that offer some of the highest quality design tools on the web for free or affordable prices.

Amanda Palmer’s ‘The Art of Asking’ TED Talk: The Digital Music Debate Continues

Imagine you’re crowdfunding your big project on Kickstarter and you ask the masses to help meet your initial $200,000 goal, and instead end up raising nearly $1.2 million, donated by 25,000 strong. You’re probably thinking: That’s a lot of money.

And a whole lot of asking.

Well, that’s exactly what punk rock and cabaret music revolutionary Amanda Palmer did recently, and in her TED Talk she shares her perfectly good reason for opening her hand to fans, and why they willingly give.

Everyday Entrepreneur Feature: Emerging Designer Dwayne Allen's Diehard Movement Makes His Street Wear Unforgettable

Dwayne T. Allen modeling skate gear for Vu’ Skateboard Shop in Baltimore, MD

Imagine you're born and raised in a very crowded city that's no stranger to struggle. You're in such a weird location, your hometown is called the forgotten city. You bust your tail to outshine everyone, but still get overlooked, manipulated, or both, losing to someone you know did less than you to get what you were after. (Sound familiar?)

So how do you make an imprint in a forgotten place where nearly everyone is clamoring for attention?

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.

The One and Only Positive Use of Unpaid/Low-Paying Internships

What's your opinion of unpaid and low-paying internships?

There's a bitter ongoing debate about whether these internships serve any purpose at all when there are companies and entrepreneurs (though rare) willing to pay for your services.

You've probably heard a slew of nightmare stories from graduates and industry newbies with piling bills who are forced to settle for them, or perhaps even have a story of your own.

Some of the more vocal detractors go so far as to say unpaid and low-paying internships are even unethical.

No matter what side of the argument you're on, here's the truth about them: they're not all unethical. Unpaid and low-paying internships do serve a purpose, but the key is in the timing.

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.  :)

Amazon's 14-Pilot Experiment Blazes a New Path in VOD Marketing

How many Hollywood movies and big studio TV shows have you seen and been tempted to yawn at? You recognized the plot within the first five minutes, you could tell what would happen before it did, or worse, you could dictate an entire plot based solely on the trailer.

Hollywood and big studios' risk-averse culture, though once justified, has now become irreverently obvious, and while people still eat what they feed them, they're starting to look elsewhere for their entertainment thanks to video-on-demand (VOD) services like Hulu and Netflix offering original series content.

On Friday, April 20, 2013, Amazon Instant Streaming locked arms with Hulu and Netflix to shift moviegoers from big theaters to home theaters and mobile devices with original content of its own.

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. 

Yearning for Customer Loyalty? Here's How to Get It

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." - Dr. John C. Maxwell

You hear about customers shelling out ridiculous money for a brand or company and wonder why when they can purchase the same thing for cheaper. You see people lining up for hours on end for the latest product a popular brand is launching (like the iPhone 5, or the new Jordans, for example) and, again, wonder why.

As an entrepreneur, they make your eyes turn green for a split second, don't they? (Don't be shy -- you can admit it.) You want the die-hard customer loyalty these companies have. Well, the good news is it is possible for you and your business.

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.

Hey, Hollywood: We've Adapted to Your Adaptations - By Growing Sick of Them

Anybody else sick of seeing Hollywood adaptations? They're common -- even necessary -- practice at this point, and 2012 saw more of them than we viewers care to admit anymore.

(By the way, we're only in November, so we still have one whole month left of the year for the studios to squeeze more in, like Silver Linings Playbook and Jack Reacher, for example.)

With the recently insane success of The Hunger Games (which made $152.5 million opening weekend), and the inevitable demand for Fifty Shades of Grey (the film rights for which Universal Pictures and Focus Features purchased March 26, 2012), what's not to like about adaptations, right?

Audiences will drop upwards of fifteen bucks to see something they've already paid the same cost to read, right? No problem. 

There are plenty of box office figures to back up that assumption, but did Hollywood ever factor in the possibility of filmgoers growing tired of adaptations?

From the looks of things, they didn't and never will, and there's a simple (albeit sad) reason why. 

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.

College: Why You Should Stay the Course in the New Dropout Age [Infographic]

Thanks to brilliant billionaires like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, dropping out of college to start a business is becoming a glamorous proposition, and coupled with our current economy, is even promising to become a new norm, since tuition rates keep rising and student loans aren’t so inviting anymore.

PayPal founder Peter Thiel (a college grad himself, ironically) is helping the dynamic shift along, having awarded 24 students $100K to drop out of school and start their new businesses. However, is that really the message we should be sending to college students? 

Southern New Hampshire University’s college dropout infographic sheds an interesting light on the debate.