Strategic Digital Media Entrepreneur

A goldmine of strategic insights and practical business guidance covering all aspects of media entrepreneurship in the Digital Age

The media industry is facing epic upheaval. Revolutionary new technologies compel those in businesses as diverse as broadcasting to book publishing to radically recreate their business models or be left in history’s wake. At the same time, those with the next big idea are eager to acquire the business know-how needed to make it in today's brave new world of media. Written by a uniquely well-qualified author team, this book addresses the concerns of both audiences.

Penelope Muse Abernathy and JoAnn Sciarrino provide timely lessons on everything from media financing to marketing, business strategy to leadership, innovation to business accounting. They use numerous case studies and real-world vignettes to reveal the success secrets of today's hottest media entrepreneurs, as well as the fatal flaws that leads many promising new ventures down the road to ruin. They begin with a primer on digital entrepreneurship basics, covering how to create a winning digital business model, obtain financing, do business accounting, identify strategic challenges, and more. From there they show you how to:

• Develop sustainable customer-focused strategies while overcoming the unique leadership challenges of the Digital Age
• Define your company's unique value proposition, prioritize investments in key assets, and form strategic partnerships and alliances
• Understand and prepare to exploit the vast potential inherent in the next generation of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and blockchain, among others

The two companion websites feature a wealth of supplemental material, including updates, instructional videos, essays by media leaders, as well as PowerPoint presentations and study guides for instructors.

Packed with practical insights and guidance on all aspects of the business of media in the Digital Age, The Strategic Digital Media Entrepreneur is a must-have resource for professionals and students alike in advertising, marketing, business strategy, entrepreneurship, finance, social media, and more.

PENELOPE MUSE ABERNATHY, MBA, Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics, University of North Carolina, has more than thirty years of experience as a journalist and senior business executive at The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Harvard Business School Publishing and the Paley Center for Media.

JOANN SCIARRINO, MBA, Knight Chair in Digital Advertising and Marketing, University of North Carolina School of Media and Journalism, has nearly thirty years of experience as a senior advertising and marketing executive, including BBDO.