Overview – Page 6 – Hit.Media. Space young journalism

Should we start a business with friends?
Деловой интерес против крепких дружеских отношений

Reading time 7 minutes

[epapop id=’3958′]
Can I start a business with friends? This eternal question every entrepreneur has to look for the right answer. Although not too much to ask the opinion of those who decided to combine friendship and business and, despite all the fears, he began his work with his comrades. We provide entrepreneurs arguments “for” and “against.”

FOR

Yuri Lifshitz, co-founder of coworking center “Coverage”: “If you have been familiar with and do projects in the past (eg, the school organized trips), then you know exactly how you will solve the conflict. You have a high level of trust, avoiding micromanagement. Investors clearly prefer teams that have long been working together and have common values. The reason for the failure of startups №1 – a conflict cofounders. The long and positive history of relationships may reduce this risk. Example: co-founders of “Yandex” Arkady Volozh and Ilya Segalovich – classmates at the Republican Physics and Mathematics School of Almaty.”

AGAINST

Gabriel Levy, CEO of “Dnevnik.ru:
“Unfortunately, in any” friendly “business, there comes a time when each of the partners have to make a difficult choice between the interests of business and friendly relations. The situation may be different, but the result is usually the same – yesterday’s comrades swear three sheets and, at best, stop communicating, and at worst – have become bitter enemies. In a difficult situation only a few put friendships and relationships over money, power and personal ambitions.”

FOR

Richard Reid, the founder of Innocent Drinks: “I have many warned that business with friends – a very bad idea. But we have proved that it is not. We were close friends before, but now have become even closer. The last 14 years we are working in the same office. We have three common values. We want to succeed, but do not want to sell it for the soul. And always aware that the work – is one thing, and friendship – is another. At work, we do not discuss personal things outside of work, we do not discuss work. We are very lazy. If someone had a big ego, then we may be, and would be disbanded. When a company has become a large, we were forbidden to fly on the same flight. If the plane falls, there will be nobody to lead the company. Of course, we understand that the idea of intelligent. But still we fly-way, because none of us are not interested to stay in business on its own.”

AGAINST

Vyacheslav Semenchuk, CEO My-Apps.com: “If you have friends, then you understand the strong and weak sides of each other? In practice it is not so. Friends, an active and hard-working, business turned in front of the lazy workers in what you have never seen them. Do you trust each other and believe that one you do not throw? In fact, because of the high trust of friends can deceive you for so long that it can not be compared with the usual trick employee. Friends do not have to pay? Once you start working, they focus on all of your money. From my partner and friend, with whom we shared is always 50 to 50, I once heard that he wants 80% of the business (which has already become large) and I the remaining 20%. Then he immediately ceased to be a partner. Friends always help you out in life, is brought to the house drunk and borrow money? In business, this will not wait. Those friends will score a job and tear as possible. And you have to do everything yourself. And to leave with a friend who does not work, we need determination. Because after that in 95% of cases, it ceases to be your friend.”

FOR

Max Litmus, the creator of the resource Planeta.ru:
“I am convinced that to start a business with friends is possible and even necessary. If this is the case in your life, and you invest in it with all my heart, that friends can become a reliable support. This is especially important if you do that no one before you did, and you have a lot of work on the destruction of stereotypes and skeptical statements about the activities of your company. In cases where the coming great moral and material investments, friendship helps keep your internal resources and direct all energy on achieving results. This feeling of fellowship in general an interesting fact, that people are engaged with dedication and faith in a successful enterprise. If the business involves sawing chego-to very valuable and accidentally turned up, or is it a workstation on a large competitive market that has the “special rules”, such as businesses in our country a lot, then it is likely that there may be fast friends stop being friends and generally crap one another injury at the stage of signing the contract.”

Maria Gorbacheva

By author Maria Gorbacheva

Seven revelations of businessmen
Чего ждать, когда открываешь собственное дело

Reading time 9 minutes

[epapop id=’3958′]
People start a business, to change the world. As a rule, they have a brilliant idea, a team of associates, some capital action plan, and another set of stereotypes that represents the life of the entrepreneur. After the first collision with the harsh reality of past hopes and illusions is not a trace remains. We have learned what does not expect entrepreneurs opening their own business.

1. Launching the project – almost a quarter of the way

Yuri Lifshitz, co-founder of coworking center "Coverage" — Yuri Lifshitz, co-founder of coworking center “Coverage”

When you start, it seems that the main challenges will be completed with the launch of the project. Hell stop and start will take more or less normal life. But it was not there. “The launch of the project – about a quarter of the way, –says Yury Lifshits, co-founder of coworking center” Coverage”. – We have come to the point where service or product created is the first customers is a complete operating activities. At the start it seemed that the goal is achieved, it is time to give free rein to rest. In fact – this is only the first stage. Now begins the main work: optimization of processes, active advertising, improving the quality of services, the expansion of business scope, scale. “Unjustified expectations due to the fact that start-up businesses often exaggerate the value of the product, underestimating the complexity and the importance of marketing. “Before customers realize the value of your product, they want to use it and talk about it to your friends, take a long time” – warns Purnima Vidzhayashankar, CEO BizeeBee.

2. It turns out that in the world are not enough people

When you look at the world through the eyes of management, it seems that the interest of vacancies is much less than the decent people. When you become an entrepreneur, the world turns. “Find a responsible, professional employee – a rather trivial task,” – says Gabriel Levy, CEO Dnevnik.ru. In addition, a startup or small company operating in turbulent conditions, to get a good manager is particularly difficult. “Most people want to work for a stable job where the salary is growing, – says Alexander Kim, founder of travel-projects www.sptnik.com and sashatravel.ru. –We do not have a strong culture to take and create something new.”

3. Everything is going according to plan

Max Litmus, the creator of the resource Planeta.ru

Starting a business, an entrepreneur, as a rule, has a plan, which he intends to strictly follow. During the first months, it is clear that it can be hung in a frame on the wall for interior decoration – no other use of it. Reality is too unpredictable – important time to regroup and learn to act according to circumstances. “A series of minor and seemingly inefficient accidents could lead to a global solution that would never have occurred to me without these small but very important nuances, – says Max Litmus, the creator of the resource Planeta.ru . – You just do not think that I’m going to the esoteric. But I am increasingly convinced that there are no coincidences. Now I pay attention to every detail, which is regarded as a portal to a parallel reality, and not as a cog in a careful business process mechanism.”

4. Accounting takes half of life

Vyacheslav Semenchuk, founder My-Apps.com

Few people starting a business to deal with accounting. And few who are preparing to the fact that most of the time will take a nasty little different routine, and not the great achievements. “My Web Studio was the first business – tells Vyacheslav Semenchuk, founder of My-Apps.com. – It is an online business, but very quickly we realized that it was not some mythical way of earnings, and the usual variety of classic business, just with a new class of services. It requires the company, accounting, customer communications, document management and other “joys.” All these processes require a lot of time, and, in fact, the very professional work often took less than half of it.”

5. Buy – it is difficult

When you have no money to start difficult. But when they are, life, in fact, too, “no sugar”. Spend them is not easy. “Purchases were much more complex issue than I imagined – admits Yury Lifshits. – The choice of the contractor by the logo or roller takes a long time. Microphones, pumps for toilets, projector, chairs… The first purchases were frequently passing, had to re-allocate budgets and make a second, more informed choices decisions. The desire to save is often counterproductive.”

6. If the goods are sold, it does not mean that you will get the money

Most do not want to bother with the problems of receivables on the way to great achievements. However, defaults and empty account – this is the reality with which the entrepreneur has to face in the very beginning. Soon after picture of the world is changing: it is clear that all must all, no one no one is paying in time: so life works. “Delays in payments for small businesses are critical because there is no financial cushion, – says Vyacheslav Semenchuk. – Creating a small business, you need to be prepared for the non-payment and deception on the part of customers. It should be mentally prepared not to get their “salary” for the current month, as there is no employer, but only you as an entrepreneur. At the start it is very difficult.”

7. A lot of work – is not a panacea

Startups are cultured work wear. It is believed that to make your company, not ditching when this all his life, is simply impossible. But co-founder LessAccounting Allan Branch once realized that this path leads nowhere. “We have worked with my partner more than eighty hours a week instead of the usual forty – he admits. – When we have brought ourselves to the point of combustion, we realized that the work twice longer means to promote your company to twice as fast. Upon additional forty hours it was always not as productive as the first forty. Now, knowing that in the affairs of the business and work is always endless, at four o’clock in the afternoon we turn off their computers and go home to rest.”

Maria Gorbacheva

By author Maria Gorbacheva

Success Secrets of Masha and the Bear
«Анимаккорд»: как возникла самая успешная российская студия анимации

Reading time 8 minutes

[responsivevoice_button voice=”US English Male” buttontext=”Listen the text”]
One of the episodes got over1 billion views on YouTube, all around the worlds related products are sold, and the creators have managed to produce two cartoon spin-off about a little girl and a big bear. We found out how the most successful Russian animation studio was created.

Where did Masha appear from?

Animakkord Studio was created specifically for the Masha and the Bear project completely on the money of the investors, whose names were not disclosed. According to thef serial co-producer Dmitry Loveyko, it was not clear, whether the project would shoot off / be a success or not, but in the creators hands there were 8 scenarios, and the entire series’s plan has been developed. Fortunately, investors were ready to wait for five years until the series would be recompensed and return the money to them. All was left as to to set up technical project line, engage experts, prepare the intellectual protection and work out a marketing campaign.

Initially, creators did not plan that the studio would have a complete production cycle. From the very beginning two Russian animation studios offered to take up all the technical side of the cartoon production. However, six months after the launch the authors realized that the Russian studios basis was good but it was not enough. “For licensing activities and development of the brand it would better if the entire production of” Masha “was focused under our control,” – says Loveyko. Therefore, it was decided to set up his own studio in 2008. Due to a crisis many studios were closed so it was possible for “Masha and the Bear” to recruit a highly professional team.

All the technologies and staffing originally were built to create an animated TV series of premium status in all components: animation, image and music. “We realized that there were a lot of animated series, especially in the West and in Asia – says Dmitry Loveyko – as it is required format for today’s niche of children’s television.”

To avoid being like anyone else in the market, the creators decided that the cartoon hallmark should be a three-dimensional animation with a very high level of imaging. The benchmark for the series was the 3D animated movies like Pixar and Dreamworks.

Who is Masha?

“The idea of the show came from the fact that we wanted to present the relationship between adults and children is not a didactic, but in a comic form so that all the spectators had a clear understanding of that heroes experience”, – says the director of the project Denis Chervyatsov.

According to Chervyatsova Masha has been drawn from a real prototype. In 90th Art Project Manager Oleg Kuzovkin was resting on the sea and saw a little girl on the beach. The baby was so genuine and open for communication that could easily come up to a stranger and play chess with him or pick up flippers and go to swim in them. However, after a few days holidaymakers began to hide from the girl – so active and annoying she was. This story stayed in Kuzovkin’s head and a few years later came into the idea of the serial.

Plots for the serial creators were also takenf rom private life. “Most of us have children, – says Chervyatsov. – Those who are engaged in animation, copy the behavior of their children or friends, in the same way as writers do. ”

International success

The series about the friendship and adventures of a little Russian girl and a big bear quickly gained popularity all around the world. The cartoon is broadcast in 22 countries, and one of the series, “Masha + kasha” brought together more than a billion views on YouTube, becoming one of the 17 most popular videos in the history of the service.

The popularity of the series is explained by its creators in a simple way: such a light-hearted, playful and cheerful “Masha” is present in almost every family, irrespective of its nationality. “I think that all children up to 5 years in any country are not much different” – says Denis Chervyatsov with a laugh. In the series, there are no long dialogues. According to the creators, they made an accent action rather than on dialogues, they are closer to the silent movies format, where everything is clear without words.

In addition to the audience recognition “Animakkord” also won professional respect. One of the most influential professional publications, Canadian Journal Kidscreen, since 1996 has presented its own award called Kidscreen Awards, a kind of Oscar in the field of animation. In 2015, Masha and the Bear won Best Animation nomination for this award. Moreover, Kidscreen called this studio one of the most successful production companies of the year on a par with such masters of animation as the Cartoon Network Studios and Dreamworks Animation Television.

What’s next?

Apart from the main series Masha and the Bear it has been expanded to two spin-offs. Masha’s fairytales were launched in 2012, and in 2014 they released their second spin-off Mashkin’s Horrors. In Masha’s fairytales Masha introduces the viewer to the world of Russian folk tales, and in the horror stories” she tells“scary” stories, which in fact become / turn funny and instructive. The creators of the show do not want to comlete it, hoping to further expand the universe of the project. Together with partners Animakkord creates a network of interactive learning/ educational museum. Masha and the Bear alsoproduces magazines and educational computer games.

However, the producer is sure that in the next couple of years, Masha and the Bear will just remain a series, they are not considering full-length film because it need huge resources. Since the project has no state maintenance, Animakkord can count only on themselves.

“I hope that in a year or two we will become a full-fledged international brand, then if we have a partner with a successful experience in the production of three-dimensional full-length films, of course, we will consider cooperation”

– says Dmitry Loveyko.

Now in the studio there are about 100 employees, who work simultaneously on several cartoon series. It takes about three months to create one series.
According to Sosial Blade estimates, through advertising on the YouTube brings to Animakkord about $ 1.5 million per month. Most of the profits of the project comes from the licensed products with Masha and the Bear. This is food, stationery, toys and much more. An agreement on the products of the same brand has already been signed by Annimakord with major players in the market as Danon, Burger King and the German toy maker Simba Dickie. As estimated by the studio, this year’s sales revenue could reach $ 300 million, which would mean a $ 15 million profit for the company.

The producer gives a simple explanation of the success of Animakkord: “Masha” is made with love and a very good team of professionals. “We work on the principle that the next series should be better than the previous one” – says Loveyko. Masha and the Bearis primarily a “series that is clowanage, a clowanage that is clear on all continents to adults and children.

Nadezhda Ustinova

By author Nadezhda Ustinova

How to break into journalism
Куда берут с дипломом журналиста? Этот вопрос звучит как крик души

Reading time 7 minutes

[epapop id=’3958′]
[responsivevoice_button voice=”US English Male” buttontext=”Listen the text”]
The answer is simple and merciless: only diploma will not practically take anywhere. The top of your ability – an opening for a call centre operator, press officer or copywriter.

the First seven tips – most, in my opinion, is basic and universal for every budding journalist. Maybe someone will disagree with me, but in my case it worked. Hope will be useful to you.

the

Experience more valuable than education

No journalism will not teach the craft of the journalist. Unfortunately, no matter how diligently you studied at the University, in the best case you will get a good theoretical base for the overall development. Without applied skills with one diploma you nobody wants you, because your value as a specialist is negligible. Still have to go all the way from Intern to the position you are applying for. Therefore, the sooner you’re on that path join, the higher the chance before graduation to get a job dreams. The faculty of journalism of the good that leaves plenty of time for work, so don’t wait for last year – get a internship now. And it is better to choose the direction that is closer to you and where you plan to work.

The grab all

We are not talking about the legwork for the coffee and the functions of the courier. Here I try to distinguish for yourself where you openly use, and carry out a course of the young fighter. But if you are loaded on business, do not shy. Rest only when you really need to rest. Do not neglect any opportunity to prove themselves and show how much you mean for this work. And, of course, use every chance to learn something new or improve your skills. If you send the twentieth time at a boring press conference, invent how to make it interesting for the viewer or reader. To tell a story about an interesting event can be a lot, but the “create an event” out of the blue only a real journalist.

If you send for the twentieth time at a boring press conference, invent how to make it interesting for the viewer or reader — If in your twenties a time to send at a boring press conference, invent, how to make it interesting for the viewer or reader

The practice, Practice and more practice

To learn how to ride a bike, you need to sit on the bike. Want to learn how to write articles – write articles. If you ever do write for myself, keep a blog, as if you write for publication, where you want to work. If you have friends among experienced and competent journalists, ask them to read and edit these publications. If you have no such people urgently get them. A journalist without the right people – no.
the

Be aware

No, do not have to know everything about everything, but have a broad Outlook, the journalist is obliged. If you already have a specific area in which you want to specialize, – follow the news in this sphere. If you got to illuminate the subject in which you are the expert – do not be lazy to spend a couple of hours on the study of “materiel” and history. In addition, the more you know, the less likely that you will be lost in the event of a spontaneous interview. Imagine that you suddenly appeared on the buffet with little available to journalists person: Michel Platini, woody Allen, Anton Siluanov – select your option. If you know of recent events, will always be ready to ask the speaker questions without prior preparation.
the

Learn from others

Read, watch, listen to reports on their topics. Be alert to what they liked, what made them especially interesting, and where you missed a whole paragraph. Analyze, from any interview, you learned something new, and which turned out to be quite banal and predictable. Try to feel what the authors of the reports were really on the scene, and what was written in press releases.

whatever you write, always think, what's interesting let your audience — whatever you write, always think, what’s interesting let your audience

Tell stories

What happened? Why do you talk about it? What you want to convey? As a rule, any story is easier to tell in a specific character. However, with specific techniques to become better acquainted in the process. Most importantly – learn to see all over no information, and history.
the

just chill out

No matter to whom you are writing for a newspaper or for TV coverage – do not wrap the artistic and graphic techniques. Means of expression is good in moderation, better with them to gleaning than to touch. Try to write as if telling something to his friends – of course, printed language. Not zagromozhdaet weighty syntax, don’t kill the text kantselyarizmami. Keep it simple.

In the next Chapter I will talk more about television, about how to combine work with studies and other Hobbies, and how I achieved your dream job.

Eugenie Dolina

By author Eugenie Dolina