Business & Marketing Tutorials

Check out These Great Articles!

Walter Biscardi ~ Building and Running Your Business
Brendan Coots ~ Starting a Business: Four Points to Consider
Tim Wilson ~ Blu-ray and HD DVD: The Big Dog Gets Off The Porch
Nick Griffin ~ Inside HBO's The Wire
Kathlyn Lindeboom ~ Promote Yourself FREE in the COW's Services Offered Directory
Nick Griffin ~ 12 Things I Know About Business at 55 That I Wish I'd Known at 25
Aharon Rabinowitz ~ Want to get paid? Make sure your client can see your work!
Walter Biscardi ~ Your Own Business, Part 2: Setting Up Shop
Walter Biscardi ~ Your Own Business, Part 1: Are you ready?
Business Roundtable ~ Client Management Strategies

	Timothy Allen view bio Business & Marketing Content Rights for Creative Professionals: Copyrights & Trademarks in a Digital Age As a video producer, digital content creator, and one of the leaders of the "Business Practices & Marketing" forum here at the Cow, Timothy Allen gets questions about copyright and trademark rights almost everyday. "Media Rights" is one of the least understood, yet most important matters that producers, videographers, graphic artists, musicians, and editors should keep in mind in order to sustain a healthy business.In this article, Timothy Allen takes a look at Content Rights for Creative Professionals: Copyrights & Trademarks in a Digital Age, Second Edition by Arnold P. Lutzer. Review, Business back to top

	Walter Biscardi view bio Business & Marketing Building and Running Your Business Okay, so youve taken the big plunge and started your own business. Youve got the office set up, youve got the cards printed...now what? In part 3 of his series, Creative COW leader and business owner Walter Biscardi tells you what you need to know to get the word out, how to manage money...and manage clients! If youre even thinking about starting your own business, start here. Feature, Business Business & Marketing Your Own Business, Part 2: Setting Up Shop In Part 1 of this series, Creative COW leader and contributing editor Walter Biscardi laid out the issues you need to address before you can aswer the question, “Are you ready to start your own business?" If you've thought long and hard and your answer is “Yes,” then join Walter to explore setting up your company and getting ready to open those doors! Feature, Business Business & Marketing Your Own Business, Part 1: Are you ready? Creative Cow leader Walter Biscardi is a 17 year veteran of broadcast and corporate video production who owns Biscardi Creative Media in the Atlanta, Georgia area.. Along the way, he's learned a few things to do, and not do, in order to be successful. But before you can succeed building your business in the creative industry, you have to know: are you ready? Feature, Business back to top

	Bob Bonniol view bio Business & Marketing Copyright Law and Contracts Bob Bonniol discusses copyright law and contracts as technology brings new levels to common ideas of physical and intellectual property. Tutorial Business & Marketing Copyright Law and Contracts, Part 2 Bob Bonniol takes an indepth look at copyright law and intellectual property in this continuation article. Tutorial back to top

	Business Roundtable view bio Business & Marketing Client Management Strategies CreativeCOW.net business leaders Nick Griffin, Walter Biscardi and Aharon Rabinowitz join Creative COW Magazines co-publishers, Tim Wilson and Ron Lindeboom, to discuss choosing clients wisely, managing their expectations with the goal of successful, and enjoyable collaboration, while striving for equitable profits. Tutorial, Video Tutorial, People / Interview, Business back to top

	Brendan Coots view bio Business & Marketing Starting a Business: Four Points to Consider In this article, Brendan Coots addresses some of the points that users need to consider when asking ''What do I need to do to go into business for myself?'' Tutorial, Feature, Business back to top

	Nick Griffin view bio Cinematography Inside HBO's The Wire Set in Baltimore, Maryland, The Wire will begin its fifth and final season in January 2008 on HBO. As different from standard TV as it gets, the show has received the highest levels of critical acclaim, being referred to by multiple reviewers as ''the best show on television.'' In its last issue of 2006 Time Magazine ranked The Wire first on its list of ''10 Best TV Shows.'' And ''Finally recognized as the best series on TV. Sorry, Tony (Soprano),'' was Newsweek's description. Creative COW's Nick Griffin spent time on set earlier this year and interviewed one of the show's Producers. Here's his inside glimpse into The Wire and its production. Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Business & Marketing 12 Things I Know About Business at 55 That I Wish I'd Known at 25 "12 Things I Know About Business at 55 That I Wish I'd Known at 25" is one of Creative COW Magazine's most popular articles. In this magazine reprint, COW leader, contributing editor, and Senior Business Adviser to Creative COW Nick Griffin shares wisdom he's learned the hard way in over 26 years in business. His experience will help you to avoid mistakes, manage clients, and prepare yourself to achieve your greatest success. Editorial, Feature, Business Business & Marketing How a TV Spot Comes into Being Creative Cow's Nick Griffin, a genuine fount of business knowledge and wisdom, explores some of the basics that precede the spots we see on television. Nick is the founder of our Business Practices forum and has been the driving force behind its high level of respect and success. Today, he has built a great team and members are highly encouraged to visit. This article began its life as a post that he made on the forum, we have done little to it other than format it as an article. He throws out nuggets like these regularly in the Business Practices forum here at the Cow. Join him and his team as they explore issues and ideas like these. Tutorial, Feature, Business back to top

	Tim Kolb view bio Business & Marketing Becoming Your Client's Voice Creative Cow's Tim Kolb takes a look at the concept of 'voice' -- not the narrator's voice but the actual tone in which people and organizations communicate and how to relay that 'personality' to better convey your message. Feature, Business Business & Marketing What is Value? Creative Cows Tim Kolb takes a look at the concept of value -- Its a topic that comes up over and over on the many forums in which Tim participates. In this article, Tim discusses the various factors involved in determining value and how to know if were getting our moneys worth. Feature, Business Corporate Video Corporate Clients: What do they want? Tim Kolb of Creative Cow gives some tips on how to really understand what your Corporate Client wants and how to deliver. He points out that: There are very few of us in this industry who can purchase a piece of equipment and have customers approaching us because of it. We must understand how to deliver a usable video/CD/etc., as most of us base our livelihood on our ability to provide a finished project that is successful. This is not a difficult premise, until you ask the question, What does the CLIENT see as being a successful project? Tutorial, Feature, Business Corporate Video Entering the Age of Expertise Creative Cow's Tim Kolb, looks at our changing profession and offers some insights he's gained in his thirteen year career that has won him multiple ITVA, Telly, American Advertising, and Emmy Award honors. In the end, Tim concludes it isn't the kitchen that makes the cook. Feature, Business back to top

	Kathlyn Lindeboom view bio Business & Marketing Promote Yourself FREE in the COW's Services Offered Directory In this article, Kathlyn Lindeboom explains the functionality and use of our new free Services Offered Directory section. With it, you can promote yourself within Creative COW's vital half-million monthly visitor stream at CreativeCOW.net. Tutorial, Feature, Business back to top

	Ron Lindeboom view bio Business & Marketing Clients or Grinders: Understanding the Three Market Types There's a principle locked away in human nature that if you understand it, it gives you one of the keys you need to make your own business more successful. It's a principle that I call 'Clients or Grinders' and once you hear it, you'll know why... Over the years, Ron Lindeboom has shared this principle with many and his wife would tell you that he gets more mail and thanks from this one article than all the other articles combined that he's written over the years. Tutorial, Feature, Business Business & Marketing Understanding Copyrights: Part 2 - Fair Use In this article, Creative Cow's Ron Lindeboom examines the legal mine-field that make up the Fair Use provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976. People regularly make ''blanket statements'' regarding the Fair Use provisions and how they guarantee specific rights for educators, individuals, independent filmmakers, documentarians, event and corporate video producers, other content creators and individuals. But this article shows that the law is fair from clear and commercial use of copyrighted work is a trap in all but the most limited of applications... Editorial, Tutorial, Business Business & Marketing Dealing with Control Freaks In this article, Creative Cow's Ron Lindeboom looks at dealing successfully with clients who will not let you get a word in edgewise, don't listen to you when you do speak and interrupt you in mid-sentence and refuse to compromise on any point. They also do not remember a word you said and would sometimes even rather spend a bunch of money in court than pay you what is honestly due you. If you recognize any of these traits, chances are you have a ''control freak'' on the line. Here are some tips on dealing with them... Editorial, Tutorial, Business Business & Marketing Understanding Copyrights: Part One -- Defining Intellectual Property In this article, Creative Cow's Ron Lindeboom begins a series exploring copyrights and intellectual property rights of content creators, artists, authors and others. In this first installment of the series, he examines the history of intellectual property rights, their origins in American and British law, along with the basics of what defines intellectual properties which can be copyrighted. Editorial, Tutorial, Business Business & Marketing No-Cost Ways to Increase Business In this article, Creative Cow's Ron Lindeboom outlines time-tested and near no-cost ways in which even the smallest businesses -- or large successful ones -- can expand marketshare and increase their client base. The old saying is that ''Successful people do what unsuccessful people will not do.'' Here are some of the things that successful people do... Editorial, Tutorial, Business back to top

	Aharon Rabinowitz view bio Business & Marketing Want to get paid? Make sure your client can see your work! With a nearly infinite variety of possibilities to deliver your final project to your client, there are an almost infinite numger of ways to mess it up. Get it right, and the client is happy. Get it wrong, and nobody's happy: the job's not done, and you're not getting paid. No matter what kind of work you do, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz tells you everything you need to know about output and media formats before you get to work...and before you can get paid. Feature, Business back to top

	Tim Wilson view bio Business & Marketing Blu-ray and HD DVD: The Big Dog Gets Off The Porch Creative Cow Associate Publisher Tim Wilson wrote nearly a year ago that Wal-Mart would make the deciding vote in the DVD format wars. It turned out to be true, but it's only the beginning of the story. Where will Blu-ray fit into the fast-changing landscape of home entertainment? Nothing's over yet. We're just getting started. Editorial, Feature