Media and Entertainment Careers

heres a great article from wet feet, I worked in entertainment and its right on the money, cant speak on the sports info but it's probably right too.

https://www.wetfeet.com/Careers-and-Indu ... ports.aspx

Was just talking to some classmates and friends and realized that Haas' placement in tech companies is pretty impressive. Here are some random stats:

- almost 1/2 of last summer's MBA interns at Yahoo were from Haas
- 20% of PMs hired out of school for Zynga are from Haas, higher if you only count the MBA hires (Sloan beats us by 1)

That's all for today.

any suggestion for people who cant get into haas? any 10-20ish schools you see gaming companies might be interested in? Tepper seems to be a decent tech school. I think easing in Sony/MS/Nintendo is also a great plus since they have their fingers in all aspects of gaming...

I was going to say Tepper myself... Duke is potentially good, a few Duke (engineering) grads here at Zynga, not sure about MBA. UCLA and USC seems to have some good penetration in the gaming ranks with their MBAs.

The entertainment industry sure is impressive, especially with the schools listed.

Hi Guys,
I need your help on my applications.
I know that CBS, NYU, UCLA and USC have strong programs in Media and entertainment.
I am an Indian Male with GMAT 700 and 4 years of IT experience.( An overcrowded demographic)
I want to change track and get into M&E industry.
I have dropped CBS from my list based on my chances and affordability.
I have also heard the Notre Dame-Mendoza school has a very active media club and a good presence in M&E.
Could you please let me know how strong ND, UCI and BU are in Media and entertainment?
Also I came across the MS-MBA in Media Ventures program by BU.
Could anyone please let me know how good the program is?

Your inputs will help me a lot in making my decision.

Thanks
Ganesh

Hi Guys/Kryzak,
Hoping to get your inputs in time for my applications.

wanted to revive this....

it seems to me that mant of the most compelling post-MBA careers in entertainment are actually crossover jobs with technology. So, how many of you are looking at digital entertainment positions, digital BD or marketing jobs in traditional studios, netflix or amazon creative executive positions, etc? This is a convergence industry now. It's technology meets hollywood -- which is great for MBAs because tech appreciates the degree more than traditional hollywood. I would think this would create opportunities for career switches, wannabe ladder hoppers, and the like..... anyone else in this boat?

Hi Cole,
I too am on this boat. A career switch is my reason for pursuing an MBA. I am targeting BD positions. What about you?

Cole - I agree that there should be opportunity going forward with media/tech convergence, and it is definitely an industry that I am targeting (I'm applying for my MBA this fall). I'm privy to this industry due to my current work in equity research (I cover M&E), and it has gotten me really interested in the BD/corporate side.

Can anyone speak to the opportunities available to MBAs specifically in the

1) digital media and emerging distribution platform realm? Are any career services efforts at top M&E schools targeting the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Roku, Hulu, HBO (for its new online platform), etc.?

2) international media space? Pay TV is still a major growth industry overseas, especially in developing countries. US Media conglomerates spend a lot of time and $$ exploring ways to get their networks to new countries, where cable subscriptions are growing rapidly.

I think both of these would be exciting career paths. Though I would imagine it would be hard to find opportunities in either.

There is a lot of chatter on this thread about "jobs that don't exist" for MBA grads when talking about the film and tv industries. While I agree that this has, and still is for the most part, the reality within the industry, that reality is starting to fracture a bit. I am an actor in NYC and LA - have done over twenty tv shows, films, video games, you-name-it - and the reality is that the industry is changing - fast. The most profitable current model for a film company is Pixar, which is structured almost like a start-up company. Netflix, Hulu, and down the road, Apple and Google I'm sure, are going to start generating their own content. It is currently the wild west for innovative new film/tv business models. Having an MBA going forward may (notice I say 'may') pay off down the road as studios, et al, try and navigate some uncharted tech, distribution, and global market waters. Going to Stanford, Haas and MIT may actually be a better bet than trying for the quant/creative type-thing at UCLA, NYU, USC. One of the big Hollywood agencies just opened up an office in Silicon Valley, and they don't know their tech heads from a whole in the ground. Some tech savvy MBA film geek may actually find themselves a nice home in Hollywood (though I think Hollywood might become Siliconwood pretty soon). Stay tuned ...

Where do Sports tie in to these specific sectors of M&E?

I'm really interested in developing, promoting, and building tennis as a more popular sport in the United States and I want to get opinions on how an MBA might help me break into that field so I can help the tennis world!

Thanks for your thoughts

As far es I know, all of these branches are so extremely popular - just having an MBA without any specialisation in this area or any previous experience in the branch, you don't really stand a chance to get into the big companies. And the small ones don't really care for an MBA - that's at least what I know of the German market.

I think this is probably the most clear cut answer I have seen for this question. So many people make money off selling the idea of working in film (whether its the business or production side) as being glamorous and that the opportunities abound. The bottom line is that could not be further from the truth. There are so few jobs at the higher levels of the industry- and as Alex explained- even the upper echelon are still working on a project to project basis. If you are established and have deep pockets- this might not be a problem. But if you are just starting out or don't have tons of money to live on between projects- I would not recommend entertainment- especially film- to anyone. Pick a more tried and true sector with transferable skills and you will probably be able to write your own ticket.

Just my two cents from working in the entertainment industry for the past 11 years.

Thanks so much for your advice, Leo1.

I'm actually not scared away from the prospect of working at a talent agency - that's actually my intended career. I've worked at a pretty cutthroat corporate PR/crisis management agency for the past 3.5 years, and want to transition into a role in talent management. Yes, I'm aware that I'll likely have to get coffee and work in the mail room for a while. I'm just wondering if I'll realistically even get a shot at getting the job if I go to a non-LA school, because of networking, etc. Any tips?

I have spent several years working in the Entertainment Industry (Film/Television). Networks and studios are big companies, that are owned by even bigger parent companies. There are places for MBAs in these structures. The MBA positions are not creative positions, they are typical finance, HR, and strategy positions.

I am applying to UCLA/USC, as I believe these are the best bets for a career in Film/TV.

Nice post....