How this VCU professor's 'random idea' transformed his class

RICHMOND, Va. -- Welcome to the media entrepreneurship class at Virginia Commonwealth University where Media Production Instructor Robert Milazzo has a question:

“Sweat equity. Does anyone know this term? It's your effort. It's all the effort,” he said to his students.

Milazzo’s students learn to use technology and multimedia applications to create a business that's appealing and maintainable.

"Our professor [Milazzo] had this random idea," VCU student Ashley Miller said. “This was not the way the class was supposed to go."

"The intention was that a group of 24 students would all do individual entrepreneurship projects," Milazzo said. "But quickly, maybe in the first few weeks of class, I proposed the idea of them all working on one project. And they liked the idea."

"We literally turned our class into a production company," Miller said. "We're creating our own documentary and we're screening it."

"We're in this Shark Tank nation now," Milazzo said. “You can do anything, but I think it's more important at this stage that they learn 'the how' they're doing, not 'the what' they're doing."

Business experts will tell you communicating an idea is most important these days. Building communication through a group effort is Building Better Minds.

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