WIFT Media Management Program Curriculum

This session will provide the critical foundational skills to shift from being an individual contributor to a well-respected leader who can achieve team success and deliver bottom-line performance in the media business. Participants will learn about a variety of leadership models, and gain deeper insight into their own personal leadership style. Participants will discover how to use effective communication and performance management techniques to adjust their leadership style to tackle new challenges, and increase productivity and motivation in team members. Takeaways include broadening your leadership capacity, managing change, and getting the best results from every member of your team.

Welcome Reception
Participants receive the opportunity to network with key funders, broadcasters, production executives, lawyers, bankers, branded content professionals, developers, venture capitalists, potential collaborators and media entrepreneurs at this catered, invitation-only event.

How do production companies implement the annual business planning process as a blueprint for the year’s activities and investments? This session demonstrates the differences between corporate financial planning and production budgeting, and provides an overview of the principles of finance that set the stage for the day’s program. This session also introduces the fundamentals of financial management, including standard financial controls and principles of corporate accounting. Participants learn how traditional hallmarks of a healthy business (i.e., stable cash flow, long-term projected revenue, ample margins and profit) can be achieved by media production companies.

Is enterprise marketing media working for you?  This session will examine the threats and opportunities social media and enterprise marketing present for producers in traditional and interactive media and how a successful social media strategy can help you take your brand and your content global. Learn how market leaders employ analytics for enterprise social media management, and explore some practical takeaways on how this can be applied to the media production business.

The screen-based media industry continues to go through tremendous change, driving the need to know how to develop and manage winning strategies. The business model canvas workshop is designed to help media entrepreneurs understand the value propositions of their individual businesses. The session will introduce proven tools designed to help entrepreneurs make the necessary decisions to articulate viable business models for film, television and digital media businesses. The session will change the way participants think and talk about strategy, and they will leave with the tools and techniques needed to prepare a business plan outline.