The Brooklyn Boardroom with J. Christopher J. Christopher Hamilton, Esq.

Corporate Finance and Private Equity Expert, Corey Martin, Esq., provides a primer on capital markets, investment strategies, and corporate transactions in the media, tech and entertainment industries. He sheds insight on how to make strategic investment decisions in a fluid business environment.
Corey Martin is Managing Partner of Granderson Des Rochers LLP (“GDR”), an entertainment and media focused law firm with offices in Beverly Hills, California, and New York, New York. Mr. Martin is also Chairman of the GDR Corporate Department, where he oversees all corporate transactional matters involving the firm’s clients. Mr. Martin's clients consist of companies and talent representing music, film & television, digital media, sports and technology. Mr. Martin’s practice areas of expertise include Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, and Corporate Finance. In addition to corporate transactional legal services, the GDR Corporate Department also provides strategic consulting and advisory services. In connection with its consulting and advisory services, the GDR Corporate Department supports entertainers, athletes, and celebrities seeking to achieve their entrepreneurial ambitions by structuring the formation of their companies and aligning them with venture capital, family office, and private equity investors.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-martin-a5402525/
TIMECODED DISCUSSION THEMES:
15:43 Mergers & Acquisitions Explained - What does "M&A" stand for?
17:11 Private & Public Equity Investments - The difference between the two
21:01 Raising Capital - Corporate finance involves raising capital (equity and debt)
24:35 Initial Steps Before Fundraising - Perform due diligence on you and the business
32:05 Joint Ventures - Agreement vs. entity approach
38:03 The Importance of Relationships - What sort of strategic value will you be able to extract from one investor vs another?
44:52 Crowdfunding for Capital - Pros & Cons
46:17 Strategic Investments = Growth - It takes a village and an accelerant to go the next level
CONNECT
https://www.instagram.com/bklynboardroom/ https://twitter.com/BKLYNBOARDROOM https://www.brooklynboardroom.com https://www.facebook.com/brooklynboardroom/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/industryesquire/

United Talent Agency agent, Dean Fluker, gives his perspective on the professional expectations of being a talent agent, the current television/film content market, and the challenge of packaging literary projects with talent in a Covid-19 environment.
Dean Fluker is a Talent Agent at the leading global talent and entertainment company, United Talent Agency (UTA). He represents a large cross-section of artists. He began his career in entertainment as a concert talent buyer for the Student Commission on Programming Entertainment at the University of Iowa. He was also a trainee at ICM Partners and an agent at Jeff Berg’s Resolution before joining UTA. Prior to entertainment, Fluker started his professional career in politics as a Field Organizer and Youth Vote Director on the 2008 presidential campaign for then-Senator Barack Obama. In 2009, he joined the Obama Administration as a political appointee, where he served for 3 years, working on President Obama’s healthcare bill and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative against childhood obesity.
TIMECODED DISCUSSION THEMES
6:39 Developing Client Opportunities in TV - Actively casting projects & looking at material
9:24 The Talent Agency Structure - Talent & literary departments create the foundation
11:21 Talent Agent: Visionary & Entrepreneur - You have to have a short term POV and a long term POV
16:23 Remember: Respect. Empower. Include. - Don't do anything you wouldn't want to see on the cover of Time magazine
25:17 Core Principal: Passion - Passion about what you do and who you represent
34:03 The Economics of Covid-19 - Talent's value will not change
43:44 Staying Relentless, Humble & Hungry - Sometimes you need to slow down and "read the room"
CONNECT
https://www.instagram.com/bklynboardroom/ https://twitter.com/BKLYNBOARDROOM https://www.brooklynboardroom.com https://www.facebook.com/brooklynboardroom/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/industryesquire/

“Empire,” “Star” and “Brooklyn’s Finest” writer Michael C. Martin, provides insight on how to successfully navigate Hollywood and build a career as a writer/producer in TV and film.
Michael C. Martin is a screenwriter/TV writer/director from Brooklyn, New York. The Brooklyn College alumnus has worked in the industry for 15 years with various credits in feature films as well as broadcast and cable TV. Michael has worked alongside preeminent showrunners like Shawn Ryan and Lee Daniels, and trailblazing filmmakers like Antoine Fuqua and Sylvester Stallone. Currently, Michael is developing TV projects for pay cable and is working on a feature film hoping to shoot next year.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2130654/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
CONNECT
https://www.instagram.com/bklynboardroom/
https://twitter.com/BKLYNBOARDROOM
https://www.brooklynboardroom.com
https://www.facebook.com/brooklynboardroom/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/industryesquire/

Yahoo Partnerships Executive, Nikki Thompson, brings her expertise on digital platforms to the Brooklyn Boardroom. She walks us through the different kinds of monetization strategies that are available for digital platforms, and recommends that the key to success is finding a great engineer.
Nikki Thompson is the Director of Multicultural Content at Verizon Media. Her responsibilities include spearheading strategies to grow audiences, acquiring and retaining diverse audiences, and outputting more multicultural content.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-thompson-williams-aba42429/
TIMECODED DISCUSSION THEMES:
3:14 Data Collection & Conversions - Selling data makes you a big game player
5:35 Advertising Revenue Streams on Digital Platforms - Traditional display & Pre-roll
8:55 Finding the Perfect Balance Between Practicality & Monetization - Users will not dig for content
10:44 Which Monetization Strategy is Best for Your Platform? - Display, Pre-roll, Search
13:15 The Anatomy of Search Engine Advertising - Once a sponsored ad is clicked, monetization occurs
16:03 Creating Organic Audiences Through Native Advertising - Native ads have the lowest barrier to entry
19:41 How to Get Started in Native Advertising - Facebook vs. third-party site
21:58 Finding a Great Engineer - Take a chance on people who build apps
25:22 How Much Traffic is the Right Amount of Traffic? - At least a million monthly visitors will attract advertisers
28:13 Key Differentiators Between the Major Search Engine Players - Yahoo vs. Google vs. Bing vs. AOL
32:28 How to Advertise Your Company on a Major Search Engine - Small subsyndication companies
35:06 Programmatic Ad Networks - Liason between advertisers and publishers
39:14 Print Advertising - Luxury brands love print
41:48 Verticals - What is it and why do I want it?
42:58 When the Audience is Most Engaged - Seasonality, hotspots, and reputations in future partnerships
45:29 'Impressions' are Key Within the Event Space - Luxury vs. traditional partners
48:55 Buying & Selling Domains - The domain game
 

Netflix Talent Acquisition Executive, Erica Sewell, walks us through everything she's learned from her 20+ years in the business. Her advice on how to land (& keep) your dream gig comes at an ideal time as many struggle to find, and maintain, steady work in the COVID-19 era.
Erica Sewell is a creative talent leader with a diverse work history in the realms of entertainment, technology, higher education, foundation, arts, music, digital media, fashion, and retail. She has professional experience in Talent, Global Recruitment, Development, Creative Partnerships, Employer Branding, Inclusion & Diversity, and Program Management. Erica currently works in Talent Acquisition at Netflix.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericasewell1/
TIMECODED DISCUSSION THEMES
1:32 Background - How Erica found her place in Content Creative Talent Acquisition at Netflix
5:28 Work Culture – How the work environments in fashion, agencies, and Netflix compare
9:45 Voicing an Opinion - How much to say and when to say it
10:32 Unexpected Career Paths – How a job can be different than you might've expected 
12:20 On Diversity & Inclusion – Inclusivity in the entertainment industry
15:25 Socioeconomics - Comparing the number of African Americans on screen vs. in the boardroom
16:25 On Privilege - The financial burden of attempting to be a successful black executive
19:13 Recruiting Skills – The importance of being well versed in the key areas
23:50 On Recruiting – The type of personality recruiters look for when hiring 
26:00 The Right One –  Common traits to look for when you found the right person for the job
31:00 The Work Competition - Pitfalls people fall into when working next to powerful and smart colleagues
33:11 On Mentoring - The importance of finding a mentor or a friend in the industry
34:48 On Geography – Industry relationships in NY vs. in LA
37:29 On Politics - How to survive a politically charged environment 
38:58 Toxic Situations - How to properly deal with toxic situations
43:00 COVID-19 – Ways to adapt to the pandemic and build important relationships online
49:12 Workshop - Tips when reentering the workforce and resume workshops

WATCH THE FULL SERIES ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhNstQZwmyw9s9RNr6Z2h5gmm_eL1gh9f
THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE MEDIA POWERHOUSES IS FULLY UNDERWAY AS THEY CLASH WITH THE TECH TITANS STREAMING SERVICES LIKE APPLE TV, NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME.
LEARN WHY THE ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT ECOSYSTEM IS FRAGMENTING AND WHERE TO LEVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES BY LISTENING TO A PRESENTATION I GAVE ON THE TOPIC EARLIER THIS YEAR.