TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY OPENS NEW PROJECTION MAPPING LAB AND TRAINING CENTER

WATCH THE SAMPLE VIDEO

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CREW AND STUDENTS SHOOT PSA VIDEO FOR ACADEMY OF URBAN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

                                     WATCH THE VIDEO:

THANKS TO EVERYONE AT THE MORTON SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE ON THIS PROJECT

GETTING OUT THERE - BLOG POST FROM THE JOB STALKER

Getting out there …

By BrendanTripp, Saturday at 10:12 pm

As I've mentioned repeatedly, I try, on an on-going basis, to get out to 2-4 networking events of various types per week. If I manage less than two, I feel like I'm “slacking”, but I've discovered that if I grind out more than four in a week, I'm pretty wiped out, and want to spend the weekend on the couch.

These, of course, don't have to be “networking” events per se, but Meet Ups, organization get-togethers, conferences, workshops, etc., etc., etc. One that I got out to on Friday was the Creative Chicago Expo, another program put together by the City, which I'd heard about at one of the Social Media workshops that the Treasurer's Office had run a month or so back.

What specifically got me out of the house was a chance to hear Howard Tullman, of the Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy speak on “Entrepreneurship, Arts and the Social Web”. I'd heard Tullman speak previously, and figured he'd do a great talk for this audience, and was not disappointed. He's put a post up in his blog with the content of most of his slides, which is worth running through, and another of his recent posts has found its way into this week's list of links.

Aside from getting to hear a very good presentation, I ended up running into acquaintances from other events, and got a chance to schmooze with various exhibitors at the Expo (heck, I even “won” a tote bag for reciting a poem at one booth!). While I didn't have anything that specifically looked like it would move me forward on the job front, I was able to strengthen contacts with some, and make a few new contacts with others, all of which wouldn't be happening if I hadn't “gotten out there”. Always be looking for opportunities where you can let the random connection come your way!

Hope, entrepreneurship and innovation driving US economic recovery

Economy is up but jobs are scarce

By Wan Suhaimie Saidie 0

CHASING THE AMERICAN DREAM: Hope, entrepreneurship and innovation driving US economic recovery, writes Wan Suhaimie Saidie

 

It appears that the United States economy is improving. In Boston, where I have been based for the past nine months, things appear to be better. 

However, in spite of my tendency to look at the bigger picture, I observe that finding decent-paying jobs can still be a struggle even for new graduates from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Although their chances of landing a better-paying job are higher than their non-Ivy League counterparts, some may have to temporarily settle for less demanding and relatively low-paying jobs in restaurants, sales or tutoring while waiting for their dream jobs to come by.

Due to the current economic environment, the wait could even take longer.

Case in point: While shopping for an Ipod for my son at an Apple Store in Boston, I was attended by an African American named Mariam. The friendly store front sales manager told me she had been working at Apple for more than a year.

But more surprising was that she has a Master's degree from Harvard. Clearly, it was not the ideal job that she was hoping for.

Graduated in the midst of the US financial crisis and its highest unemployment level in more than 20 years, Mariam is still hoping to get a job in the education sector.

"I'm still waiting ... I want to contribute to education," she said.

Mariam is one of many who implicitly fall victim to US government spending cuts, which left crucial sectors including education in dire need of more funds and talent to undergo reforms.

Then there are the risk-seekers who hold strongly to the "American dream", venturing into start-ups or small businesses in spite of the high probability of failure in this current economic environment.

Justin Moore, a co-founder of Tap.Me, is one example. He graduated from MIT with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Finding no career that interested him, he ventured northwest to study at Tribeca Flashpoint Academy; a digital-age vocational school in Chicago founded by entrepreneur and turnaround whiz Howard Tullman.

Moore told Inc. magazine that in Tribeca, learning was more hands-on, like "How do you organise and get people together to actually execute?" instead of "How do you formulate solutions to problems?" which MIT is famous for.

While the micro picture appears to be mixed, depending on which of the 50 states you are in, in the bigger picture, things are looking less dire.

To a certain degree, it has turned more promising.

Based on the findings of an Associated Press survey of leading economists last month, the US economy appears to be improving faster than anticipated.

In fact, it has been steadily improving since late last year.

Industrial output jumped in January after surging in December at the fastest rate in five years.

In spite of the rising fuel prices, auto sales are still booming.

And consumer confidence has reached its highest point in a year.

Even the housing market is showing signs of turning around.

More jobs have been created, which explains why US consumers are spending more and consumer confidence has risen over the past couple of months.

According to the ADP National Employment Report, the private sector added 216,000 jobs in February, higher than economists' estimate of 208,000.

The bulk of the gains, with an increase of 108,000 jobs, came from small businesses while medium-sized firms added 88,000 new positions followed by big companies, which created 20,000 jobs.

It has become apparent that the 2009 stimulus is showing some positive results and is estimated to have saved 1.6 million jobs, according to a conservative estimate.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that, by the end of this year, the stimulus will have prevented as many as 7.1 million people from joining the ranks of the unemployed.

Though the unemployment rate has abated to 8.3 per cent in January this year from its peak of 10.1 per cent in January 2010 or 16 million Americans, there are still about five million more jobless than there were at the start of 2007. This does not take into account those who have given up looking for work.

The writer is  an economist who is taking a year’s break  in Boston

Read more: Economy is up but jobs are scarce - Columnist - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/economy-is-up-but-jobs-are-scarce-1.65183#ixzz1q2TsTSLF

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CEO HOWARD A. TULLMAN PRESENTS ON ARTS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE SOCIAL WEB AT CITY'S CREATIVE EXPO

Excerpts from Tribeca Flashpoint Academy CEO Howard Tullman’s Speech on Entrepreneurship, Arts and the Social Web at Chicago’s Creative Expo

ART IS NOT OPTIONAL

YOU NEED TO HAVE A POINT – IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

(A POINT OF VIEW IS WORTH 80 IQ POINTS)

A GREAT ARTIST’S WORK DEVELOPS OUT OF NEED, COMPASSION AND COMMITMENT

EXCELLENCE, NOT SUCCESS, IS WHAT MATTERS

EXCELLENCE IS BORN FROM A CULTURE

ONCE A STUDENT ENTERS A CULTURE WITH A POWERFUL WORK ETHIC, THE ETHIC BECOMES THEIR NORM

MAKING A TERRIFIC WORK OF ART ISN’T REALLY MUCH DIFFERENT FROM BUILDING A GREAT SCHOOL OR ANY OTHER KIND OF BUSINESS – IT’S JUST MUCH MORE SOLITARY

EVERY SUCCESSFUL ARTIST IS AN ENTREPRENEUR AS WELL – YOU’RE A COMPANY OF ONE

THINK (YOU) INC

DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DEFINED BY OTHERS’ LIMITATIONS

EFFORT CAN TRUMP ABILITY

IF YOU CAN’T OUTSMART THEM; YOU CAN ALWAYS OUTWORK THEM

INSPIRATION IS HIGHLY OVERRATED. IF YOU SIT AROUND AND WAIT FOR THE CLOUDS TO PART; IT’S NOT LIABLE TO EVER HAPPEN. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, GETTING TO WORK IS THE ANSWER

INSPIRATION WITHOUT SKILL IS INSUFFICIENT; FEELING WITHOUT FORM IS NOTHING

ART IS NOT A PROFESSION THAT CAN BE MASTERED BY STUDY – ONLY BY DOING

THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A GOOD EXCUSE

WHEN YOU SETTLE FOR LESS THAN YOU DESERVE, YOU GET LESS THAN YOU SETTLED FOR

IF YOU’RE TIRED OF STARTING OVER, STOP GIVING UP

MAYBE THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE TAKE BETTER CARE OF THE GRASS

EVERYONE THINKS ABOUTY CHANGING THE WORLD, BUT NO ONE THINKS ABOUT CHANGING HIMSELF OR HERSELF

SAY EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK – DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAY

AT TFA, WE ARE STUBBORN ON VISION – WE ARE FLEXIBLE ON DETAILS

AT TFA, YOU GET WHAT YOU WORK FOR, NOT WHAT YOU WISH FOR

BUSINESS IS PERSONAL. PEOPLE COMMIT TO OTHER PEOPLE, NOT TO INSTITUTIONS

WHAT YOU CAN’T SAY IN 10 MINUTES ISN’T WORTH SAYING

DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT

ONLY THE WINNERS DECIDE WHAT WERE WAR CRIMES

SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATION VS POSTPONED PERFECTION

            MOST THINGS IN BUSINESS DON’T MATTER – A FEW THINGS MEAN EVERYTHING

THE NAME OF THE GAME IS TO WIN, NOT TO BE RIGHT ALL THE TIME

MAKE CHEAP MISTAKES

NEVER RUIN A GOOD APOLOGY WITH AN EXCUSE

DON’T TRY TO DO SOMETHING CHEAPLY THAT YOU SHOULDN’T DO AT ALL

WATCH OUT FOR THE “LIPSTICK ON A PIG” PROBLEM

A STALE WEBSITE IS WORSE THAN NO WEBSITE AT ALL

THE ONLY PURPOSE OF A WEBSITE IS TO SELL SOMETHING

YOUR WEBSITE, AT BEST, IS JUST YOUR FRONT DOOR

IF YOU’RE NOT ON FACEBOOK, YOU’RE NOWHERE

PERSONAL DATA IS THE OIL OF THE DIGITAL AGE

PEOPLE ARE TELLING YOU THEIR STORIES – SHAME ON YOU IF YOU’RE NOT LISTENING

METRICS MEAN EVERYTHING

FREE ISN’T CHEAP ENOUGH

NO ONE WINS THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM

DON’T LET SOCIAL MEDIA TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE OR YOUR BUSINESS

START SMALL AND SCALE WHAT WORKS QUICKLY

IF IT’S NOT FUN AND AUTHENTIC – YOU WILL FAIL

STICK TO YOUR KNITTING - DO AND SHARE WHAT YOU CAN DO WELL

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY WELCOMES JASON GOLDBERG AND PHOEBE TISDALE FROM KATALYST FOR PROJECT PITCH SESSIONS

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CEO HOWARD A. TULLMAN PARTICIPATES IN GOVERNOR QUINN'S INNOVATION ROUNDTABLE - ILLINOIS INNOVATION DAY

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CEO HOWARD A. TULLMAN'S OFFICE FEATURED IN CRAIN'S CHICAGO "THE C-SUITE LIFE"

 

WATCH THE VIDEO:    http://bcove.me/dzb6hd9k

In "The C-Suite Life," a new monthly series, we catch a glimpse of public/private space occupied by Chicago's executives and ask them to share their insights into how their work shapes their space and how their space shapes their work.

Howard Tullman is president and CEO of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, a private college in downtown Chicago that specializes in teaching digital arts and entertainment. Given the school's connection to the film industry—it joined with actor Robert De Niro's Tribeca Enterprises in 2010—it is no surprise that Mr. Tullman describes his office like a movie set.

“There's almost nothing in here that isn't a prop,” he says. The things in his office are “part of the story that we want to communicate to almost anybody who comes in.”

Mr. Tullman prefers to be on the “set” of his office when meeting with visitors. There is an “ad hoc” feel to the room, he says, but it is “completely designed so that whatever conversation I'm having, I can have everything at hand.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120317/ISSUE03/120319806/a-completely-designed-office#ixzz1pQ9algie

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CEO HOWARD A. TULLMAN - ACCEPTANCE SPEECH FROM ENTREPRENEURSHIP HALL OF FAME PRESENTATION

HAT ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AT ENTREPRENEURSHIP HALL OF FAME CEREMONY

I want to thank the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame for this Lifetime Achievement honor. I’m flattered and I don’t really deserve it – YET - since I’m far from finished ( I hear my team groaning at that prospect ), but then I have some arthritis in my shoulder from my early pitching and tennis careers and I don’t deserve that either …. so I guess things eventually even out.


I’m going to start (as all good entrepreneurs should) by stealing a really good idea. It’s from Meryl Streep at the Oscars who figured out that, by the time you usually get around to thanking your family, the producers are already getting out the hook, turning off your mic and playing the music to drown you out.

So I want to begin by thanking my long-suffering and loving wife Judy who has been through more than 30 years of this journey with me and ever and always by my side and watching my back. Home is probably the only place where an entrepreneur gets to be totally honest – sharing all the rush and excitement of the process, but also sharing all the fears, disappointments and neurotic behaviors which are other parts of the deal – and it’s never easy on the people you live with. No one’s a hero at home. But I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have accomplished a fraction of what I have or been here today without her love, support and – yes – even occasional advice. And I’m also proud to report that some of Dad’s crazy work ethic, attention to detail, insistence on excellence and general enthusiasm has even been passed on to my two daughters as well.

Now, of course, Judy’s position on these matters would be slightly less grand than mine. She would say that I’m a big baby and that I cry at the movies. All true I must admit. But just because the movies are cheap popular entertainment and tug shamelessly at our heartstrings doesn’t mean that the emotions invoked by certain films are misplaced or not meaningful - especially to entrepreneurs. As an example, if you get a chance to see the new film Act of Valor and don’t come away at least sniffling, then you’re not a real entrepreneur at heart.

That’s because any good entrepreneur knows that doing anything important requires just as much skill, sacrifice and compassion as it does talent and hard work. And what great entrepreneurs really recognize, appreciate and, most importantly, respect is seeing true professionals exhibiting exceptional craft in any field. Sure there’s always a twinge of competition and jealousy, but there’s also an amazing sense of shared joy and pride when entrepreneurs see someone else doing an amazing job and hitting it out of the park.

And today, no one works harder or makes greater or more meaningful sacrifices than the men and women in our armed forces. Some of the things I’m proudest about at Tribeca Flashpoint are the work we (and our students do) for the USO and for charities providing services for our returning vets as well as the fact that some of our best and most serious students are veterans themselves. Pride and passion are contagious.

In addition, I actually think that we’re seeing spectacular and continuing evidence of a new pride of place here in Chicago with our new Energizer Bunny of a mayor. The whole city feels like it’s starting over and many of the same kinds of feelings, energy, excitement and emotion are present which have come to define the entrepreneurial process of disruptive change. And, of course, it all starts with start-ups. That’s where the new job growth is always created – not in small businesses, but in new businesses. At TFA, we certainly support the idea that Chicago is the place where digital start-ups get their start.

And before I go on, I do want to thank all of the members of the team at Tribeca Flashpoint (past and present) who are here tonight (and those who are not here, but hopefully still at work) for everything that they have done to help create one of the institutions that I’m proudest of - who work their butts off every day making a difference in the lives and futures of thousands of students - and who do it with a relentless passion, commitment and enthusiasm which every other college in the country wishes it could approximate and which virtually none of them will ever approach because they really don’t know the secret.

And what’s the secret – apart from great talented and dedicated people? It’s that education is NOT about filling some empty vessel with knowledge; it’s about igniting a passion for learning. And no one does that better than Flashpoint. And let me just add that if there’s anything more exciting, more rewarding and more critical than trying to build new models of education that will actually help prepare our kids for the globally competitive world that they are entering, I don’t know what it is.

Alas I digress. It’s hard, as you may already know, to keep me from talking about the Academy. In any case, when I was looking back over the last 55 years (since I started my first business) and trying to figure out what would make the most sense to talk about tonight, I promised myself that I would try to avoid the usual business magazine advice and clichés – although I have learned that there’s a reason things become clichés - and that’s because they are usually true. It is in fact “teamwork that makes the dream work” and it’s also true that the “rest of your life can actually be the best of your life” if you make it happen.

But tonight I want to talk about some different ideas, lessons I’ve painfully learned, and reflections which I hope will be of use and value to you as you go forward to build and grow your own businesses.

First, you will discover that (except for your grandmother) the people from whom you really learned things of value (good or bad) were not warm and fuzzy folks. They were sharp, hard-edged, driven people with a clear sense of purpose who were always asking more of you. And the real reason that those times were so instructive was that, in the midst of all of the blood, sweat and tears, and occasional screaming, you never doubted for a moment that they believed in you and that you were up to the task and could do whatever it took to get it done AND that they would be there working and standing right beside you when you did. People today don’t commit to institutions (if they ever really did), they commit to other people. It’s nice to be liked; it’s more important to be respected. Try to be one of those people.

Second, most of the world’s great art, films, games and music – as well as most of the great inventions throughout history – were ultimately the result and expression of a single, uncompromising vision - albeit managed, massaged, and manipulated through a sea of change, confusion and compromise. Consensus is about finding the middle ground and making people feel good about themselves and each other. Teamwork is about getting the help you need to see your vision through to completion. But these tools and approaches will only take you so far. In this life, you’ll each have a chance, a moment, an opportunity to make something special and spectacular and to make a difference – if you have the courage of your convictions, the confidence in your abilities, and if you’re willing to make and stick to the hard choices that will inevitably arise. Don’t miss the train – it won’t wait for you.

Third, get your priorities right right at the start. If you want to be an entrepreneur, get to the back of the line. The company (and its investors) comes first. The customers come second. The employees come next. And you come last. Get used to it. In more than 50 years, I’m proud to say that I never once put my personal desires, goals or even my financial interests ahead of those of my partners, investors, customers or employees. If anything, I’ve done just the opposite. I’ve done it all – lent risky money to employees and customers and even other entrepreneurs; co-signed home mortgages; helped with education and medical expenses; and subsidized people’s salaries when the various businesses couldn’t afford to do so. And I’d do it again in a minute. It just comes with the territory when you believe in what you doing and in the people that you’re doing it with.

Fourth, plan on biting your tongue and eating lots of humble pie. At least it’s not fattening. There are plenty of people who think I’m outspoken, demanding, hard to say “no” to, etc. and they’re not wrong, but they don’t know the half of it. In this life, especially when you make a business of being in the business of using other people’s money (which entrepreneurs almost always eventually do), you learn to hold your tongue and suck it up and to eat LOTS of crow. I love to hear about all these successful guys (as they used to say about my friend Steve Jobs) who don’t suffer fools gladly. That’s all well and good - especially for billionaires at the top of their game – but it’s just a formula for failure for the rest of us. Part of the curse of being an entrepreneur (and one of the best ads I ever wrote for TFA) said: “I’ve spent way too much time explaining my talents to people who have none”. The truth is that’s just another part of the job.

Fifth, nothing is more important than making room for people. All kinds of people – because talent comes in lots of different sizes, shapes and packages. We want the talent, but we aren’t always willing to understand that it’s a package deal. Some work all night; some don’t bath; some are insufferable and brilliant at the same time. You need to make room for these people and run interference for them if you want to build a great company. Too often, entrepreneurs try to find and hire people that look, act and talk like themselves and this never works beyond the first few employees. You need all kinds of people – even people just looking for a job – not a career and not looking to join your sacred crusade – just as long as they’re willing to do their job and do it as well as they can. And honestly, your employees also don’t have to love each other or go bowling every Thursday night. They just all need to show up and each do their jobs. Everything else is Kumbaya and gravy.

But the best part of having a terrific group of employees is when they leave the nest and go on to do great things themselves. I’ve had thousands of employees over the years and I couldn’t be prouder of how so many of them have turned out and how many are now leading companies all over the city and the country.

Lastly, I love sugar as much as the next guy (probably much more) and I have nothing against cupcake companies per se, but how about if we all hunker down and try to build some real businesses which will matter in the long run and which can help make a concrete difference in people’s lives. Education, energy, and health care – these sectors of the economy will all be disrupted and radically changed in our lifetimes – and these are also the areas that provide the greatest prospects for doing good while you’re doing well. It could just be me, but I’d rather have better batteries and cleaner cars than bacon or more butter in my candy bars.

H.A.T.

3-15-2012