Week 3 EOC: Silicon Valley Episode 3 Rights and Wrongs

Watching Silicon Valley this week, there are a bunch of things what went wrong throughout the episode, but the boys at Pied Piper did a few things write. Throughout the industry it seems like in order to be huge in Silicon Valley you need to have an equal sized or even larger ego. The since of importance that come off characters like Gavin Belson and Erlich Bachman is astonishing, but I’m sure that is the point. Another issue that came up was that the Pied Piper name was already registered with another company, so Richard still couldn’t cash the check that Peter Gregory wrote to Pied Piper. Erlich was right when he said that a name defines a company, although he did say it needs to be something you can say as one climaxes during coitus (debatable point). When Richard goes out to make sure that the Original Pied Piper doesn’t have any issues with the new company using the same name, Richard didn’t have the agreement signed on a legal document. As the ancient Chinese proverb states, “The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory” and ”… if you contract … company …, that firm must comply or face legal consequences.” (9)  While Richard was trying to get the rights to the name, the rest of the company was brainstorming ideas for a different name. “Never accept or be too comfortable with the status quo, because the companies that get into trouble are historically the ones that aren’t able to adapt to change and respond quickly enough.” (261) These words from Tony Hsieh ring true in this case as solving a problem needs a creative solution. The final lesson from this episode, was not to buy anything extra, like a margarita machine, without the proper funds. 

Week 2 EOC: Silicon Valley Episode 2 Rights and Wrongs

First I will discuss what Pied Piper has done wrong, and then I'll talk about what they did right.

-          Erlich Bachman hired adult entertainment for a company event. Essentially setting the tone for a questionable working environment.  “Very generally, “sexual harassment” describes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.” (AAUW)

-          Not having a business plan when going to meet with Peter Gregory, then stumbling around and not being able to explain what the company does. “Hope for the best and plan for the worst.” (page 114) Richard hoped for everything and planned for nothing.

-          I considered Richard’s dilemma with keeping “Big Head” on the team or not was handled poorly. He was a member of the group, maybe not as important, but he has important information that could be dangerous if he was to be bought to work for the competition (which he later was).

-          -The biggest mistake in this episode happened at the end when Richard went to cash Peter Gregory’s check and didn’t realize he needed to have a corporate identity, licensing, or something to make Pied Piper an actual business.

What they did right:

-          Bringing Jared in to audit the assets and identify what it is that each member of the “team” does. Evaluating each other’s contribution instead of having extra people or redundancies when presenting the business plan to Peter Gregory.

-          Hiring Jared was a huge step in the right direction, because of his knowledge of how businesses need to work.

“Owners with limited liability may lose their investment in the company, but their other personal assets are protected.”(page 91) Richards biggest challenge was what to do with his company, how to handle it, present it to potential investors, and if he should keep his friend involved.  Big Head became a liability when he was hired by Hooli to work on their mock of Pied Piper’s programming.

Week 1 EOC: Stallions not Unicorns

EDITORIAL SERVICES for Hire. Copyediting, proofreading, book doctoring, and promotional copywriting and design. Copyediting includes fact checking and also where grammatical, stylistic, and typographical errors will be caught and fixed; $4 per page. If I only need to proofread a copyeditor’s work; $3 per page. Book Doctoring is where I will take the manuscript and build it into a design that is a publishable work of art; $25 per hour. Copywriting and Design for promotional material, including flyers, mailers, email blasts, etc.; $30 an hour. Cover Designs are $250 and an additional $50 for each revision after the third draft. 

T-SHIRT, HOODIE, AND TANK-TOP DESIGN. Is there a Company Retreat that you need matching shirts for all those that are attending? How about a funny idea that needs to be on a t-shirt so others know how funny you are? What about a band that needs merchandise to sell? Whatever your needs are, I have the technical expertise needed to create the design you need to make it ready to be printed. I have a professional working relationship with different clothing printers and distributors to provide the best value and quality for your design to be printed. $15-$50 per design.

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WEEK 1 EOC - My Voice

Advertising, Graphic Design, and Writing Copy are what make me a triple threat. “Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.” This quote by Leo Burnett is what I base all my work on. I have been designing for well over a decade. Honing my skills to the point where I am designing everything from logos to a full book. I have overcome many challenges to get to where I am today and where I plan to be tomorrow. Conquering my crippling stage fright has enabled me to pursue my dream of being a Stand-up Comedian and Actor. Being exposed to an audience, effectively baring my soul to complete strangers, gave me the confidence to branch out and try new things, like showing my illustrations and artwork to people. Ten years ago, I started doing special pieces for my clients, even tattoo designs. There are people out there right now wearing something I designed. I find that just incredible. I’m the type of person that watch the Super Bowl mostly for the commercial. I can appreciate most of the combined time and effort to make those advertisements good. With my quick wit, creative mind, and sense of humor, I have come to one conclusion that I am an Ad Man.