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What do you do when your industry is changing? What do you do when your innovations are fueling the changes? Those problems have plagued Eastman Kodak Co. for three decades and the company’s experience provides some lessons for those running legacy media businesses. Eastman Kodak’s success began when it introduced the first effective camera for non-professionals in the late 19 th century and in continual improvements to cameras and black and white and color films throughout the twentieth century. Its products became iconic global brands. The company’s maintained its position through enviable research and development activities, which in 1975 created the first digital camera. Since that time it has amassed more than 1,100 patents involving electronic sensing, digital imaging, electronic photo processing, and digital printing. These developments, however, continually created innovations damaging to its core film-based business. Digital photography created a strategic dilemma for the com...

This week The Business sheds a Sean and gains a Scott. With Kean off doing an honest fifteen minute's work for an honest fifteen minute's pay, The Business welcomes Scott Capurro to it's stage! San Francisco favorite Scott Capurro has appeared on television, movies and stages worldwide, and occasionally performs encores in the nightmares of audience members long after the show. His act is not for the timid or frankly the stu pid, and we are lucky and excited to have him on the show. This quote sums up nicely: “Yet accept the ferocious, corrosive material in the provocative spirit it’s intended, and it is brilliantly, shockingly funny. So far beyond the pale that the only reaction IS to laugh, partly out of discomfort, partly out of the sheer audacity of it all.” - Chortle Bucky, Chris and Alex will also be around, but don't expect any hand holding. Your a big audience and you can take it. Remember: don't let the grey days of Summer get you down. Let...

The decision to close the News of the World in the UK because of the fallout from the phone hacking scandal shows the importance of ethical behavior and public credibility for media firms. The paper had been hacking the private communications of celebrities, politicians, crime victims, and even relatives of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and then spent four years trying to cover it up by paying hush money and—according to some reports—bribing police officers to ignore its crimes. The paper, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., was Britain’s largest selling Sunday newspaper until it spectacularly unraveled in recent weeks. Continuing revelations of illicit activities and the announcement of Parliamentary and police investigations led advertisers including Ford, Sainsbury, Lloyds Banking Group, Virgin Media, Dixons, and Vauxhall to pull their advertising. Perhaps it was embarrassment—but it was more likely the loss of revenue, the loss of almost $3 billion in market value for ...

This Wednesday The Business returns to it's roots with a lineup of the four original Businessmen: clean, simple and bold. It's our four faces on the logo damnit, and you should come to The Dark Room and see why we deserve to be on there. The Business has had many great guests, but sometimes, it's best to go back to the core four. After all, would the Beatles have hit it big with Stu Sutcliffe playing bass? Would there have been a "Fast Five" if producers hadn't brought back Paul Walker for the 4th movie? Would we have won independence had we signed the Declaration of Independence on July 5th? Hell no! Tonight at 8, 4 is the magic number. As always, burritos are encouraged.

BIG UPDATE: Special Guests joining The Business this Friday are: Kumail Nanjiani Knuckles & Tits and Tony Sam! Just Added: Ryan Singer! Summer is here, America is born (again) and The Business returns to LA, but this month we’ve got some brand new digs, you dig? Last month we said goodbye to The Improv Lab (and mucho thanks!). This month we say hello to the new home of The Business: Meltdown Comics! This unique venue is already home to some of the best comedy shows currently in Los Angeles, and we’re proud to be partnering with @NerdMelt to bring the Business to the roster. We wanna kick off our first show with a bang, so stop the world and melt with Chris, Bucky, Alex (Sean is MIA, FYI) and some very special guests nerds! As always we will be raffling off a new, medically-transported Mission Burrito for all you hungry Biz fans. God Bless Nerdmerica! TICKETS: http://www.meltcomics.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=89&zenid=789b08ced9...

The decision by News Corp. to dump MySpace once again reveals the risks of over exuberance toward digital companies that do not have a proven business model or long-term customer loyalty. There are plenty of digital investments that meet those requirements, but a number of the most hyped firms moving toward IPOs and acquisitions do not. They need to be considered with hard headed pragmatism. MySpace was launched 2003 and rapidly became the toast of the digital world as a social networking site and “the place” for musical stars and fans to connect. By 2005 it was the fifth most visited site on the Internet. New Corp., which was anxious to benefit from growth in digital media, jumped at the opportunity to acquire the service and paid $580 million in 2005. It was an enormous price for a company with an unclear revenue potential. Within two years MySpace had grown to be the world’s number one social networking site and was receiving 100 million unique monthly visitors. But it still had rev...