My Reason
The majority of my own writings and thoughts that I compose consist of my own interpretations of how others may live their lives in the most efficient way possible. With my own personal goals of fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness I derive think pieces based upon what I feel is how we as humans go about obtaining these goals.
We Are Human.
I normally start out these blogs with pondering questions in order to allow the reader to think in a similar way as myself. Depending on the reader these questions can be immediately answered internally, due to a past experience or even a personal reflection on something that has been puzzling to the reader, along with me, or they can be glanced over. However what if they are not glanced over and the reader is able to relate because as humans it is in our nature to relate and feel compassion toward one another. Now this is not always the case and I am not going to dismiss the all too common events of violence that take place in our societies.
At the top the draft of this blog there are six bullet points from which I derived from my own personal experiences and how our mentality, personality, and overall psychology, in my eyes are formed. Surprisingly this is not something that most people question. Why would someone question why we do what we do, or better yet why we behave without moral intention. Do you not care about your brothers and sisters? And I am not speaking of your actual brothers and sisters but humanity, our very own species. We are a herd and we need to start behaving like so. When there are addicts and homeless men and women living among us and they go unseen or worse yet ignored. The question I am asking is are we still human?
Here is my suggestion. And that is all it is, a suggestion- Don’t get lost. Hopefully no one missed it. I said don’t get lost. This means many things, however first and foremost it means to know where you are going at all times. The phrase show me your friends and I will show you your future is one of the truest statements I have ever heard. Hopefully if you have read this far you will realize I am talking to you, all of you. Be humble, be kind and love others. We are all human and some of you need to be reminded. Don’t get lost and find out how you can bring yourself to where you want to be. Feel free to bring others with you, they will thank you. I promise. Staying focused might help you, or better yet, help you help someone else.
Find Out Your Reason
What makes you tick? How do you find your passion? What makes someone strong? There are endless answers to these questions and they can be taken in any direction you please but there is one thing that everyone has that I feel is often overlooked. I call it mental strength. Some may call it confidence but I feel that it has numerous components that are not explainable unless you delve into each and every one of them.
So what is it? Mental strength, in my opinion, is what separates us as human beings. It gives someone the ability to take knowledge that is attainable by anyone (given that they have the time to consume it), and succeed on a large scale. What is a large scale? What is normal? These are questions I ask myself daily. Where will you stop? Is your search finished when you have the job of your dreams, you have a wife and three kids, or a husband and your two dogs? Being fulfilled is different to each and every person on this earth. To what extent does one need to be satisfied to be completely fulfilled? This can vary from person to person greatly. When I asked ‘Where will you stop?’ I didn’t mean, ‘Where can you stop or how far can you go?’ Undoubtedly we all have potential as well as ambition, but it is our choice to fulfill our own dreams and find our passion whatever it may be.
So mental strength, confidence, knowledge or however you define it is our edge. What defines you? How do you define yourself? I am asking a lot more questions than I am answering simply because I don’t know the answers. I just know that there is something that separates human beings and their ability to achieve their own full potential. Our goal as humans is to succeed but most of all be fulfilled. Some people are fulfilled much easier than others. Remember I mentioned someone married with two dogs and being completely fulfilled? That is completely fine. Only you can determine when you are completely fulfilled, so the purpose of this post is to help anyone become fulfilled. Surround yourself with what makes you content. Surround yourself with what you love. You will know internally when you are absolutely satisfied with your life.
If you are not happy change something. If you are not fulfilled find out why. If you don’t know why you are here, find out. I promise there is a reason.
Red Bull Media House
Launched in 2007 in Salzburg, Austria
“We are on a mission to fascinate.”- This statement leads the closing paragraph of Red Bull Media House’s About section of their company website. Beside the prominent self-actualization of Red Bull Media House is a realization of Media House’s own goals. Scratch that, let’s call it their mission. After familiarizing myself with Red Bull Media House I refuse to think “small”. Presumably this is a part of Red Bull Media House’s mission.
Although it is not explicitly outlined in a mission statement, the About section of their company website serves that same purpose. “We constantly strive to create and distribute top-quality media assets that leverage not only our own media brands, but also those of our third-party media partners.”
To evaluate how prestigious or original a company is, as well as to assess their potential longevity in their field, society compares the company to existing companies of similar means. This evaluation method is difficult to say the least. How is one supposed to make assumptions of a company’s potential success based on the past? One could argue either side. Unfortunately (or fortunately for Red Bull Media House), there is not a multi-platform media company that mirrors their same focus on sports, culture, and lifestyle.
Red Bull Media House refers to itself as an “umbrella brand”, referring to its diverse range of media products over different mediums such as television, digital, and more. This consistent growth in diversity allows Red Bull Media House to attract a varied target market, extending its customer base. At its core their target market is relative to each medium. With this in mind each target market corresponds to the medium under Red Bull Media House.
- Print- Depending on your brand or category Red Bull Media House has numerous options for advertising.
- The Red Bulletin- a global magazine that focuses on sports, culture, and lifestyle (closely aligned with their mission). Their most frequent publication. Two million monthly print copies are distributed worldwide (Austria, France, United States, and more).
- Servus in Stadt & Land- a “Natural, down-to-earth, authentic, and grounded in the region” magazine that is focused on bringing its readers topics surrounding health and well-being, the outdoors, and many more similar themes. Distributed monthly to Austria and Germany.
- Terra Mater- a similar magazine to Servus in Stadt & Land in the way that explores nature and science, inspiring as well as educating. The magazine comes out bi-monthly reaching nearly 60,000 people in Austria, Germany, France, and many others, but is yet to circulate in the United States.
- Seitenblicke- another Austrian print publication that is less focused on the natural environment, rather on the people (the rich and famous in particular) with in it. Printed bi-weekly, it keeps tabs on numerous celebrities.
- Television-Red Bull TV is a digital video service featuring sports, music, and lifestyle entertainment.
- Red Bull TV window for broadcasters
- Red Bull TV app
- Red Bull TV Online
Servus TV is a television platform focuses mostly on a “zest for life and credibility.”
Terra Mater Factual Studios presents factual programming for both TV and theater.
- Red Bull Media House also features online, mobile, game, and cinema components not listed here.
Target Market/ Customers
Content Licensing
- Film
- Digital Distribution
- Stock Video
- Home Entertainment
- Red Bull TV
- Servus TV
- Tera Mater TV
Commercial Partnerships
- Integration and Development of Content
- Example: In a partnership with Microsoft, Red Bull Media House created a documentary series called Game Quest. The series looked at the production involved with designing a video game that represented the same values as Red Bull Media House.
- Integration into Global Event Series
- Example: Red Bull Media House hosts events featuring extreme sports, such as motocross. Companies can become partners with Red Bull and be represented just as DHL (an international shipping company) did in 2012 at the Red Bull X-Fighters motocross event.
- Integration Into Certain Media Channels
- Example: Electronic Arts promoted their game “SSX” through Red Bull Media House’s various media channels such as Youtube, their own website, and many more.
Advertising Opportunities
- Available across print, TV, and digital media
Suppliers/Distributors
A lot of Red Bull Media House’s content is self generated and distributed through its own mediums but that does not mean that they don’t lean on anyone. While the company is busy developing content for third party investors, Red Bull Media House relies on the different cable networks (Ex. Tele Columbus) in Germany to host their television programs as well as YouTube to host as a global medium to broadcast their content. To assume a media company is self standing and operates without suppliers and distributors is absurd. Although some may not see this media company as a company who sells “product” doesn’t understand that their self-generated content is their product which represents their third party members.
Lenders/Investors
Astonishingly, Red Bull Media House was funded by its founder Dietrich Mateschitz, with his already prominent fortune of billions thanks to his previous venture Red Bull Energy Drinks.
The Business’ Life Cycle
From its start Red Bull Media House has been able to move quickly through the early stages of growth and move its way to the expansion stage of its life cycle (mostly in part to its financial stability). The business’ seed phase and start up phase were short lived due to Red Bull’s existing prominence. The brand was trusted and consumer trust was reinforced by Red Bull Media House’s superb content.
Adapting
Technological change is one of the most important parts of being a media company. If a media company does not recognize technological change they can be broadcasting or even producing content in a medium that is no longer being used. Red Bull Media house combats our ever changing media environment by being innovative and continuously adapting. As cliche as it sounds this has allowed Red Bull Media House to move from traditional media platforms such as television and print to mediums that reach more consumers and influence the audience for which its message is intended.
Operational and Marketing Strategies
Aligned with many of the companies I have observed, Red Bull Media House runs the gamut. Red Bull Media House takes advantage of every possible media segment from print to social media. It is increasingly difficult to be everywhere at once (print, video, web, etc.) however this is what it takes. In order to reach the largest target audience your channels must be specific. Red Bull Media House understands that not everyone’s target market is the same nor do they fall into the same categories.
None of the above is possible without strong content, something Red Bull Media House has taken to heart. How can one be sure that content will align with the client’s value propositions? You create your own. Red Bull Media House values their own original content and core beliefs that will utilize their own media as well as the interest of those who decide to join.
Jack Dorsey
St. Louis native Jack Dorsey was entrepreneurial from start to finish (however he’s not done yet). At the age of just fifteen Dorsey wrote dispatch software for taxicabs in St. Louis that is still being used today. We ask the question, “Are entrepreneurs made or born?” and in Jack’s case it’s a combination of both, like most.
Jack Dorsey, 32
Lives part time in both New York and San Francisco
Computer Science Entrepreneur/ Successful Founder of Ventures Like Twitter and Square
Dorsey was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1976. Still in high school, Dorsey found himself spending his time on computer programming and eventually creating multiple new tools that would turn out to be nothing. While still failing Dorsey shows inherent traits of most early entrepreneurs. He continues to code and bring ideas to life. Dorsey calls himself a punk and thinks back to when he was trying and failing. The tech equivalent to the Ramones, one reporter calls him.
Although secondary education didn’t exactly interest Dorsey he did attend Missouri University of Science and Technology and later transferred to New York University. Despite dropping out of college short of graduation Dorsey had incredible ambition. St. Louis Today quotes Dorsey, “I was eager to grow up and get started,” Dorsey said. “I knew I’d be working and working very hard someday.”
Being innovative wasn’t hard for Dorsey. “How many 10-year-olds have that? He’s always seen life a little differently…” Is a quote taken from Dorsey’s uncle Dan Dorsey after Dorsey handed him his business card which read “Jack P. Dorsey, Consultant.”
What Dorsey would be consulting people on at ten years old wasn’t clear yet but in due time Dorsey would find purpose in applying himself and being diligent towards what matters, his craft. As vague as it sounds “what matters” came surprisingly easy for Dorsey. At a Y-Combinator event in 2013 (see below) Dorsey quoted former coach of the Washington Redskins, Bill Walsh “Good luck is a product of good planning.” Dorsey explains that if you do not take the time to research your product market and perfect your business plan, then you will not reach your full potential. Dorsey explains that it is not so much that people are lucky; they are prepared when opportunity arises and they act on it immediately.
Luckily for Dorsey he did just that. Anyone that hasn’t been living under a rock for the past eight years knows what Twitter is and what it is capable of doing. Twitter has revolutionized the world of communication in only 140 characters. Dorsey spun the company off of previous start ups that didn’t seem so promising. With the help of Odeo (an existing site that allowed users to upload and aggregate podcasts) executives Evan Williams and Biz Stone Dorsey started a social network allowing users to share 140 character blurbs about what they are doing.
Dorsey has bounced around the company starting out as chief executive officer making his way down to chairman, taking a lesser role in hopes to develop another homerun of a venture. Aside from Twitter, Dorsey has invested in smaller platforms like Foursquare and developed a credit card transaction device called Square.
Like most media entrepreneurs Dorsey doesn’t sit still for long. Although he has always had an inventive mind and thought entrepreneurially, Dorsey studies other business leaders to widen his knowledge and continue learning. This quality leaves Dorsey in the hybrid state of being born as an entrepreneurial thinker who has made himself even more versatile and adaptable to the changing media and surrounding world.
Jack Dorsey to fellow entrepreneurs: “You are the future, you are the ones that have the ideas in your head, you are the only ones that can actually build it for yourselves. That is your task. You are building what you want to see in the world. You are making a bet with the world that resonates with other people.”
http://www.biography.com/people/jack-dorsey-578280#synopsis
http://www.ehow.com/how_6374392_write-research-report-person.html
http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/29/technology/jack-dorsey-punk/
My Creator
That’s a hell of a title if I do say so myself. Some may read it and immediately find a religious aspect come to mind, rightfully so. However, when I say “my creator” I am referring to my mother. She brought me into this world and has raised me to be the person I am today and respect everyone including myself. If you know me you know that I have been through hell and back but my mom is the one who has been through ultimate fire. I am forever grateful for everything she does, has done, and will do.
The incredible thing about this world is that we all come from someone or something. This concept is true in respect to all aspects of our world. Eggs come from chickens and apples come from apple trees and so on. Since we all come from someone or something else it is how we learn, grow, and flourish (if you’re not an inanimate object like an apple). Nature shows us that defects arise when standard influences are not in place. For example, when an animal is abandoned in the wild the animal shows developmental problems. This rings true for humans as well. When a child is lacking a father figure, mother figure, or even both there are developmental issues that you would not see otherwise. In children who do not have the correct parental influence, they are seen suffering from violence tendencies, depression, as well as numerous other psychological problems.
What My Dad (Mom) Taught Me About Life
So let us bring this full circle and understand its application to our world. We define ourselves don’t get me wrong but there are certain aspects of ourselves that are inherent and come only from those around us. An example of this is the accent of our voice and how we do not control it nor do we choose to sound any certain way. The people around us influence us and, either positively or negatively, impacts us.
Throughout writing this blog I hit many stopping points and like many blogs I write I will stop writing, move on to another task, and then return to continue or even finish my blog. During the course of this blog I got an email that was especially relevant and what I believe to be purposefully received at that exact moment. I subscribe to Khan Academy.org, which long story short is an online forum that offers a “world class education” to anyone, anywhere, for free. The email told a story of the creator of Khan Academy Salmon Khan and his five year old son. The email told that Khan doesn’t praise his son for doing well on remedial tasks but he encourages him when he struggles and I related it to my own life. I know that I do a lot of different things well and my mother doesn’t always have to praise me for my accomplishments, but she is there to support me in my struggles and I think that is the core of my as well as all parental relationships.
Prevention Leads to Solutions
The field of medicine is often successful because of its preventative tactics. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine are developing a way to prevent the harmful effects of the malaria parasite through newly founded techniques. Malaria is much like diseases that have been discovered in the past and subdued with preventative techniques, saving the lives of a multitude of people, especially in third-world countries.
Here is a report that really shows the progress being made through preventative methods like bug nets as well as the treatment of those who are already infected with malaria. The biggest point stressed in this article however is that the current funds for malaria research and prevention are diminishing.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2013/world-malaria-report-20131211/en/
How deadly a virus can be is measured by how many deaths occur out of the number of those infected. Malaria causes over 600,000 deaths annually. The majority of these deaths occur in third-world countries where there are warmer climates and often standing water, which is ideal for the reproduction of mosquitos. Mosquitos are credited with spreading the virus by their bite. However, controlling mosquitos is not the route scientists are using to fight the disease. It has been found that when the parasite is contracted, it takes control over a red blood cell, creating a protected compartment within the cell’s membrane and develops an environment in which it can thrive through the secretion of hundreds of different proteins. Once the parasite has created this home, it then steals nourishment from its host and grows. Scientists have now recognized that all of these proteins must travel through a single pore in the protective compartment and have been successful in finding ways to block this pore. When the flow of proteins required for the parasite’s survival is interrupted, the parasite dies and a prisoner in a cell of its own creation.
This new finding creates a promising avenue for fighting malaria, and the prevention of this disease is very important to the development of third-world countries. The discovery comes at a most opportune time, as several strains of the malaria parasite have grown resistant to current drug therapies.
You can help by a simple donation or even purchase a bed net to protect a child while they sleep. Every effort helps, and the eradication of malaria is more realistic than one may think –> http://www.unicefusa.org/mission/survival/malaria?gclid=CN-v9fy_zcACFcZDMgodhUMAnQ
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140716131543.htm
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2013/world-malaria-report-20131211/en/
Citizen Journalism
Agricultural issues and topics are being pushed to the back burner in today’s society. The topics of agriculture lack excitement unless they are stories of disaster due to agricultural loss. One of the downsides to the agricultural industry only being broadcasted when it is suffering is that this is the only time that the agricultural industry is highlighted. Someone who has nothing to do with agriculture may only see the detrimental side of agriculture and constantly have connotations of disaster associated with agriculture.
To help combat this, citizen journalism plays a large role in the dissemination of agricultural information and the education of those who do not understand agricultural practices. Technological advances allow anyone to be a reporter with access to information through internet sources as well as its wide reach. Citizen journalists are able to take agricultural topics of their choice and educate others as well as increase the amount of those involved in this discussion.
Citizen journalism is especially relevant in less developed countries. In underdeveloped countries such as Africa, citizen journalism is a way of reporting agricultural advances without the reliance on established news platforms. Journalists in countries like Africa are reporting and spreading agricultural news on their own. The use of digital technology such as camera phones and voice recorders is allowing the reporting and documentation of daily agricultural practices. This new independence has led to the further spread of agricultural knowledge as well as the betterment of the peoples’ lives surrounding it.
Explore https://player.fm/series/agriculture-today/agriculture-today-for-monday-july-14-2014 to see podcasts from citizen journalists
Agricultural Propaganda
The concept of propaganda has always had a negative connotation in my mind. When I first think of propaganda I think back to images of Nazi propaganda and times of war. However, in a way we are surrounded by propaganda via advertisements. Different organizations and companies have the intention to sell as much product as possible through their own communication efforts and making consumer opinions more favorable.
Chipotle has put together a campaign on the benefits of good farming practices, all the while using propaganda to promote unprocessed food and “cultivate a better world.” Chipotle has developed a new game called “The Scarecrow,” depicting a dystopian fantasy world where a fictional industrial giant, “Crow Foods,” is dominating all food production. Scarecrows are enslaved by the crows and forced to work in the factory, producing the heavily processed foods. One scarecrow eventually breaks from the mold and develops a more sustainable food stand. Chipotle is using propaganda to make consumers form an opinion about factory farming and to see organic practices as the better choice.
So why is this approach working? The use of propaganda to sell product is taking advantage of our conscience towards inhumane animal practices. Chipotle’s short film shows the injection of antibiotics and different chemicals into the chickens, making them larger. In other scenes, cows are seen restricted to a single crate. Although some may argue that Chipotle is being exaggerative and that the imagery created by “The Scarecrow” is limited to factory farming, Chipotle is committed to providing fresher ingredients, and “The Scarecrow” forces consumers to form an opinion. Are animal rights and the organic raised meats important to me, or am I ok with factory produced meat products?
Check out The Scarecrow short film here –> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE
Farm Safety
Unfortunately we do not decide every minute detail of our lives. This hard fact of life has become ever more realistic to me over the past three months. Over Spring Break, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and spent the majority of the spring semester of my junior year in Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. While every part of the experience was traumatic in its own way, part of the experience forced me to grow. For this I am truly grateful, and I have experienced what most have not.
During my stay I heard the stories of the other patients and one story in particular struck my interest. I met a middle aged farmer whose legs were both bandaged as he sat in his wheelchair. As we began talking to each other and got to know each other’s stories, I learned that he had been in a grain auger accident and both his legs had been damaged. His story brought the topic of farm safety to my mind and what it means for anyone in the agricultural industry. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, the agricultural industry is the most dangerous in the nation.
Because of this increased risk around the industry, many rules and regulations have been put in place to create a safer environment for workers within the agricultural industry. The increased demand for Greek yogurt has dramatically increased milk production in Albany, New York. Therefore, OSHA is planning a program to supervise the existing practices in New York dairies starting in July. This will be a Local Emphasis Program (LEP) that requires New York state dairy farms to comply with random inspections. These inspections will force dairy farmers and employees to abide by the regulations in place ensuring farm safety. The LEP will guarantee that farm equipment as well as farm practices are used and done safely, avoiding injury like I have encountered.
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