MESA Career Panel Shines Light on How to Land a Job in the Media Industry
Lisa Zusman
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: News
Hundreds of Sternies from various functions attended a November 4 career panel hosted by MESA. Moderator Mark Mackenzie of AllianceBernstein wasted no time getting down to brass tacks. He led the panel in revealing how to go after your dream job in media and entertainment hard and fast. Advice focused on internal drive and clear understanding of career goals within the large and varied media industry. Harvard Business School alumni Alex Michael, who currently works at Madison Square Garden, said the most important thing to convey in an internship interview is enthusiasm. You should focus on the social aspects of school, he said, and gain experiences to learn from. He practiced what he preached by sneaking out early to watch the Yankees game.
Andre Stapleton, from Sony Music Entertainment, had similar advice, not having a traditional MBA because he was educated in the UK. His perspective was that you need to "show love of the thing you're trying to get into… follow your heart."
Kim Lau, a Darden graduate now working for the Hearst Corporation, emphasized the importance of networking and luck. Besides having the drive to stick it out through an undefined career path, she said "you have to build the relationships and from there be in the right place at the right time."
Advice from other panelists proved a little more concrete. Ori Dov Gratch and Tim Hobbs, both NYU Stern grads who teamed up to create Torch films, recommended game theory classes and, specifically, Decision Models.
Mike Church of Google/YouTube, a current part-time NYU Stern student, agreed that you should "find out what you like" in media and "start to experiment" because it's such a big industry with varied opportunities. He recommended we "take the time to meet the people inside the company and looks at all the roles" before settling on a path.
All the panelists recommended displaying an honest passion for the industry, a sincerity that is necessary due to its ambiguous and unpredictable career paths. Panelists agreed that those interested in careers in media should commit to a lifetime of learning in a quickly growing and changing industry.
To contribute to students' continued learning, MESA's next event on November 17th will focus on the Business of Sports. For more information, look for MESA on Facebook and check out the new MESA Blog on CampusGroups.
Andre Stapleton, from Sony Music Entertainment, had similar advice, not having a traditional MBA because he was educated in the UK. His perspective was that you need to "show love of the thing you're trying to get into… follow your heart."
Kim Lau, a Darden graduate now working for the Hearst Corporation, emphasized the importance of networking and luck. Besides having the drive to stick it out through an undefined career path, she said "you have to build the relationships and from there be in the right place at the right time."
Advice from other panelists proved a little more concrete. Ori Dov Gratch and Tim Hobbs, both NYU Stern grads who teamed up to create Torch films, recommended game theory classes and, specifically, Decision Models.
Mike Church of Google/YouTube, a current part-time NYU Stern student, agreed that you should "find out what you like" in media and "start to experiment" because it's such a big industry with varied opportunities. He recommended we "take the time to meet the people inside the company and looks at all the roles" before settling on a path.
All the panelists recommended displaying an honest passion for the industry, a sincerity that is necessary due to its ambiguous and unpredictable career paths. Panelists agreed that those interested in careers in media should commit to a lifetime of learning in a quickly growing and changing industry.
To contribute to students' continued learning, MESA's next event on November 17th will focus on the Business of Sports. For more information, look for MESA on Facebook and check out the new MESA Blog on CampusGroups.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
essay services
posted 12/21/09 @ 8:15 PM EST
I think that it is good that all the panelists recommended displaying an honest passion for the industry, a sincerity that is necessary due to its ambiguous and unpredictable career paths. (Continued…)
Post a Comment