Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

    I believe that I am a Millennial for many reasons. The first reason would be my age: "Born between 1977 and 2000, these children of the baby boomers number 83 million." (Pg 73 of textbook). As the quote from the online textbook states, I fall into the age range of the Millennials because I was born in 1996. "One thing that all of the Millennials have in common is their utter fluency and comfort with digital technology." (Pg 74 of textbook). I feel that I fall into the Millennial demographic because I am very fluent with technology. I grew up with computers and video games as many other Millennials did so I think that this quote is true for many people. Finally, many companies have begun to target Millennials differently than any other demographic group. "An example is Peapod, the nation’s leading Internet grocer. Using Peapod, instead of trekking to the grocery store, battling traffic, and waiting in line, busy working moms and dads can simply buy their groceries online." (Pg 75 of textbook). Companies like Peapod appeal to Millennials by allowing them to shop online instead of having to take time out of their day to physically get up and go to the store. I feel that I am a Millennial because I was born within the years that all other Millennials were born in and I follow many of the stereotypes that other Millennials follow.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

    Toms Shoes is an amazing example of a company that is making money for good, for every pair of shoes they sell, they give another pair to a person in need. "I did have one thing that came to me almost immediately: a name for my new company. I called it TOMS. I'd been playing around with the phrase "Shoes for a Better Tomorrow," which eventually became "Tomorrow's Shoes," then TOMS." (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220350). This quote very accurately describes the company's mission statement, which is to help people in need, not to make money. "As the fashion industry and consumers have embraced the many styles of TOMS Shoes, “shoe drops” organized by the company in Argentina, Ethiopia and South Africa have distributed 140,000 pairs of shoes to needy kids." (http://www.success.com/article/the-business-of-giving-toms-shoes#sthash.fGJzChAz.dpuf). This quote from the article "The Business of Giving" from Success.com shows that Toms has turned the simple idea of giving into a reality by giving 140,000 pairs of brand new shoes to children in need. Finally, this quote from fastcompany.com shows how much of a reach Toms has gained in the last few years: "Toms currently donates shoes in 59 countries and eye care in 13" (http://www.fastcompany.com/3012568/blake-mycoskie-toms). Toms has been a huge help for many people around the world and the company is doing nothing but growing.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

    Every market has numerous ups and downs over time, the gaming industry is no different. Trends come and go and not all systems can keep up. Nintendo may end up being a rising star this year according to this quote from the guardian: "This could all lead to a steep rise in titles that seek to challenge and entertain both parents and children together – a sort of Pixar effect. Of course, Nintendo has operated in this space for years." (http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/23/16-trends-that-will-change-the-games-industry). Nintendo may make a huge comeback this year with games that are fun for the entire family. Indie gaming also seems to be on the rise: " instead of producing niche titles for small audiences, indie teams are now working with console platform holders and Steam communities to create genuine crossover smashes." (http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/23/16-trends-that-will-change-the-games-industry). This could become a huge cash cow for game developers to fund larger titles down the road. Finally, gaming companies is beginning to blur the lines between playing video games and social media: "a new generation of games is exploiting improvements in broadband connectivity and networking features to make more dynamic social experiences." (http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/23/16-trends-that-will-change-the-games-industry). Games seem to be bringing more and more people together every day, which is a huge plus for the gaming industry.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Experience

     I have had many great and some very horrible customer experiences in my life. My most memorable customer experience happened at Sam Ash, the music store. I was in the store one day browsing around the various guitars they had hanging on the walls and on the guitar stands all around the store. After playing well over half of the guitars on the floor I stumbled across a beautiful blue Ibanez Prestige RG. I played the guitar for hours and it felt like it was custom built for my hands. Everything that I played on it felt effortless and it sounded better than any other guitar that I have ever played. I knew that I had to have it. After what felt like an eternity of playing I finally decided to ask the manager what price he could do on it. After some small talk and debating about the price, he decided to knock over 800 dollars off of the list price of the guitar on top of throwing in a guitar case that was custom molded to fit the guitar perfectly. I really could not believe that he did that for me, it felt like he really cared about my happiness more than whether or not he could make money off of me. Not many stores offer that level of commitment to their customers, especially to one that has never bought anything more than guitar strings from them. I will never shop at another music store again. No other store has the amazing selection or the great prices that Sam Ash has. I left with the guitar that day and it has not left my hands since. Needless to say, this was the best customer experience I have ever had and I hope to have many more with them.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

     My career as an audio professional started when I was about thirteen years old. I had a guitar teacher who also had a huge interest in audio production on top of playing guitar. He came over to my house one day with a copy of the DAW Reaper along with some plugins and a spare audio interface that he had laying around his house. That was the day that my life changed forever; I quickly became obsessed with audio production and recording music. I spent endless hours recording by myself in my room and writing music. Once I joined a band, we decided that we wanted to record an album and I was going to produce it. I was in way over my head and i had no idea where to start but eight months later Monarch was born. Once the album was released I had many local bands asking me to produce albums for them. I took on a couple projects outside of my own band and I quickly realized that I want to do this for the rest of my life. I applied for the Art Institute not long after because I want to learn everything that I can about audio production and become a professional. At this point I have multiple albums released both with my own band and with other bands that I have produced and I am having the time of my life. I feel like I am really starting to develop my own sound and I can not wait to see where life takes me next.