NYC AIM

For many years NYC AIM (New York City Apprenticeships in Media) was a great in-person and free opportunity for people interested in media to gain hands-on experience in the industry. Times have changed and now many in-person educational opportunities have become remote based.

With remote apprenticeships becoming more prevalent, individuals from anywhere in the world can take advantage of this kind of chance to have a unique career in media. There are also free and helpful newsletters like the METHOD HOW Report that at least weekly preview coming business and marketing success strategies for those in the media arts, before anyone else. Here’s how to make the most out of a remote apprenticeship in media:

1. Choose the right apprenticeship: Research and choose the right remote apprenticeship in media that aligns with your interests and skills. This could be in fields such as graphic design, video editing, social media management, or content creation.
   
2. Be proactive: During your apprenticeship, be proactive in seeking out new opportunities to learn and grow. Ask questions, volunteer for additional tasks, and take advantage of any training or resources provided. Also, if your ultimate goal is to be an educator, be sure to be aware of awards for educators such as the Big Apple Awards. Recognition can be a key component of your promoting of yourself.
   
3. Build your network: Networking is important in any industry, including media. Use your remote apprenticeship as an opportunity to build relationships with your supervisor, colleagues, and other professionals in the industry. Connect with them on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Plus, when connecting with others make certain to bring to the forefront your DigiComArts skills.
   
4. Create a portfolio: Use the work you do during your remote apprenticeship to build your portfolio. This will showcase your skills and experience to potential employers or clients. Also, for further knowledge in this area, there are learning destinations like Home Business eLearning.
   
5. Stay up-to-date: Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in the media industry. Read industry publications, attend virtual conferences, and take online courses to expand your knowledge. And continue to learn from doing, with any opportunity you can get.
   
6. Seek job opportunities: Use your remote apprenticeship as a stepping stone to secure a full-time job in media. Media Administration can be a viable career because it integrates technologies as they evolve. Apply for job openings that match your skills and interests and use your network to find opportunities.
   
   In conclusion, a remote apprenticeship in media and movie process through NYC AIM or other programs can be a great way to have a unique career in the industry. Choose the right apprenticeship, be proactive, build your network, create a portfolio, stay up-to-date, and seek job opportunities to make the most out of your experience.

We live in a society here in the USA where people often help each other with challenges they have when learning a new topic, skill or process. Chances are that “You Get Help” on occasion from experts who work in areas you might not be as qualified in, but at the same time, since you have expertise yourself, it is likely you work as a consultant or instructor as well. They point is that you get help and you give help as well.

You may know from our newsletter that we have been engaged with putting together a step by step course on how to get known as an expert. Being known as an expert take marketing. Even if you are the best expert in your field of expertise, without promoting yourself or networking, you may not get the consultancies or teaching gigs that you deserve.

And the concept of marketing can take on a variety of different forms that you may not immediately think of it as being marketing and yet it is. For example, teaching an online workshop is considered marketing. Anything and everything you do is considered a form of promotion if it gets you more prospects, customers and clients.

For most of us, we do not like promoting ourselves. Sometimes it feels like we are bragging or somehow being not authentic. In truth, if you do not tell them, they do not know. It really is as simple as that. And in our ever growing “You Get Help, You Give Help” document and work-in-progress, we are at the step “Become Official Educator.”

Of course whether or not you decide to do this or not is entirely up to you. You may have already established yourself as a consultant, instructor, lecturer and teacher, in which case this will not be as useful to you. But if you are someone who has a lot of knowledge and experience in an area, you might find this useful.

How do you become an official educator? The first step is to decide to do so. The next step would be to book some speaking engagements. If you have never done a lecture or taught a workshop, you might consider getting some experience before promoting yourself as an educator.

Whether or not you plan to charge or not, you still need to market yourself. If you already have a workshop that’s great, if this website frames you as being an educator, even better. Achieving the right results involves being focused on excellence and doing right by the customer what you would like to receive.

If you do not have a website, not to worry. You might consider getting one of the many web builders out there, which means that you are able to easily create and maintain your website without help from a web designer or other professional. But if you do not want to pay the monthly fee of having this kind of service, you can start a website for free. Most web builders have a free offer where although the domain name has both your and their name, to start off this is not a bad solution.

Of course it is better if you have a professional site that conveys your expertise and has only one domain name, such as your own name. But you need to start somewhere so the point is to start. In the old days there was a lot of sales calls going on. This still occurs but not as intensely as before. One of the reasons for this is that there is a new way to do sales.

The new method for booking yourself can be using emails. This does not always work because people get spammed so often these days. But if you have an account using your own name or that of your company, as well as follow best practices, email can work fine. First, you need to include in the subject line something straight forward and simple.

For example, if you are looking to get a booking at an educational entity that relates in some way to your expertise, you can let the person you are sending the email to know in the subject line that you are a very qualified expert in a field that relates to what they teach. Especially if it is recent news, you can subtly get the word out that you have won an award.

And the content of your emails itself needs to be short, sweet and sincere. If you are looking for a paid gig, you will be more successful if you have a professional website because your emails can be from your domain name. Such as yourname@yourwebsitename.com. If you are an expert but have not taught a lot, you can more easily go with the no domain name website.

In your email you can then let the reader know that despite you have a great deal of experience in your area of expertise that could be useful to them. But also do not hesitate to let them know that you are moving into the educational realm and therefore are seeking opportunities to teach. This method truly works if done correctly and with sincerity and professionalism.

And of course, in your email you can provide the reader with a link to your professional or basic website or even to your details on a site where professionals list themselves. Doing some of these initial freebies and be fun, and before you know it you will become quite comfortable with being an educator.

Also, always be sure to ask for a letter from the individual who booked you saying how pleased they were with your presentation. This will be useful in the future, especially if you have three or four such letters. There is nothing quite so impactful than testimonials. So now it is up to you to “Become Official Educator.”

Media to the Rescue

The key reason we are in the process of creating METHOD HOW is directly related to the key reason why we started the New York City Apprenticeships in Media or NYC AIM. We knew that many of our apprentices would be going on to start their own businesses. And we realized that to succeed these days as an entrepreneur or even a employee, you need to have extra media tools. It is hard enough to start a small business but when you add the element of marketing, it becomes even more tough to deal with, especially because the primary place it would be seen would be on peoples’ phones.

Your Phone is the New Canvas

Even if you put together the business and marketing plan, the actual process of making your company successful has more moving parts than you you originally thought. And add to that technology is always evolving, then to stay competitive you need to have your finger on the pulse of media. Our definition of media is not just social, but includes all the online tools that one may use to ensure that your business is getting the best possible chance to do well. Marketing can be sometimes the most difficult because you need tangible results, and although there are low or no cost ways to do your promotional process, there are also very expensive means of promoting your company. They can be more accurate at reaching the audience you want, but even they do not score each time. We are speaking of ads on search engines or social media platforms ultimately on your mobile phone.

Big Corps with Big Prices

The benefit that ads from the big corps is that their real job is to collect data about your and others using their products. And not just the personal information you may have given when signing up for a social or search engine tool like email. Some of their most important data are the things you do, what you buy, and other of your habits on an ongoing basis. And although in theory ads can be an effective way to tap into the big American Corporate companies’ databases of digital info on people, these large conglomerates can also provide you with a miss if the right keywords were not used and other details.

A METHOD HOW to do Better with Entrepreneurial Challenges is on it Way Soon

This means potentially spending dollars on each single click, and if one or more of those clicks do not lead to purchases, you are out what you paid. Think about it. Have you ever done a web search and then see near the top of the screen that word “Ad” next to a listings? You know, the results that come before all the others? People pay for these and if you click on one of these ad links, that company sponsoring the ad gets charged a high number. Knowing that there is a need for low or no cost marketing that gets results is needed by small businesses, is our primary motivation for soon to be launching METHOD HOW. More details to come on the Blog Coalition!

Not Until 27

I did not start drinking coffee until I was 27 and working night and day recording music for a film project. Now several years later, I still drinking coffee every morning, but I try to be doing something constructive at the same time.

Hello All Hope You are having a Great Summer!

Although at times it has quite hot here in Manhattan, NY, as it has also been in many states across America, there have also been wonderful weather days for NYC activities such as “Method How.” We hope you are having a great summer as we have been. Without a doubt, it has also been great here in New York City, working with others so we can save NYC together post Pandemic. It has also been awesome observing the “Method” How process in development!

It Makes Sense

It makes sense that around two months ago “Method How” did what they called a Pre-Pre Launch. It occurred on The 4th of July! It was a celebration of our wonderful country as well as a window into a methodology that will surely be helpful for those who are Startup Introverts, as in owning a business or trying to start one. So now, the date July 4th, 2022, has become a date to remember. Plus, NYC AIM, in its new incarnation and mission, is proud to be a part of the development of the “Method How.”

NYC AIM Recommends You Take AIM of Your Goals as well as when the Curtains Open and “Method How is Onstage !

We have learned that in order to have a powerful outcome, is vital to first be clear on what overall you are “aiming” at, plus ask yourself “how” you are going to get the result you hope for. Be sure to aim in a positive way at what you want, while simultaneously being clear of the problem you are solving.

Let’s face it, times or tough, but does that mean we should turn off laughter entirely and thereby risk falling off of the tightrope?

No of course not, but if you plan to use comedy in your digital promoting you are going to need to be very careful.

For example, let’s say you are in a dire situation where all hope is lost, juxtaposing this with someone who appropriately gets across some mirth, can be moving and generate a much-needed giggle.

In other words, if someone can take a tension filled circumstance and still receive a laugh can be of much value in tough times.

But on the flip side of this, if the brand message tries to cram in too much about the product or service being represented into a comedic spot, this can be a turn off.

So, you have to be clear about when to be funny and add in the giggles quite carefully.

Start by going back to the basics. Character and the specific situation that individual is in can make for amusement. Specifically, this is possible by there being an incongruity between the central character and the environment and circumstance they are in.

If there is a lot of contrast and juxtaposition between these elements, it is sometimes called “fish out of water.”

A key to making this approach to work is to first create a rough draft and then go back and tweak in detail, making certain that the spot you are developing has the right kind of contrast with the best possible intensity.

Get this wrong and your commercial or video might fall flat on its face after slipping on a banana peel.

One of the best ways that a product or service can receive help from humor is when somehow the concept that is funny is tied directly or indirectly with the brand itself.

It is a fine line because on the one hand you want to get across the features and benefits of the product and service, but on the other hand you do not want to hit them over the head with it, thereby turning them off.

As always think through ultimately the CTA (Call to Action) you want the viewer to take.

Because even when times are tough, there is an audience ready for a much-needed laugh despite the times.