• MBAs are business people…not entertainers. Be 100% honest with yourself on your intentions for being an MBA in entertainment. Understand that MBAs are highly trained business people that specialize in the traditional functions of business. You will most likely work in marketing, strategy, finance, supply-chain management, or a similar function. If your passion is to produce music with the latest music mogul, an MBA is probably not the best path. However, if your passion is to start your own record label and control all distribution…now you are thinking more like an MBA.
• Jobs will come from networking…not on-campus recruiting. With only a few exceptions, entertainment companies do not recruit at MBA schools. Most entertainment companies hire “industry insiders” with relevant experience and contacts. Your main mission during business school will be to become an “industry insider”. This is easiest if you choose an MBA program in a strong media market. Los Angeles and New York are two great places to start looking. These schools will have the most targeted classes and the most connected professors. Still, your success will come from your ability to gain experience, exposure, and new contacts. Leave no stone unturned.
• Opportunities may not come as quickly…but they are there. Companies like Citigroup, Kraft, and Accenture typically have fast track programs to accelerate an MBA’s growth within the company. Companies like Arista Records, Warner Brothers Pictures, and Vibe Magazine typically do not. Your MBA degree alone will not catapult you into the executive ranks. As a matter of fact, you are probably going to have to make a lateral career move in terms of salary and responsibility. Your career will accelerate once you establish your unique niche in the new culture. Be patient, and know that opportunities are everywhere.

I want an MBA and I want to work in entertainment…how do I get started? Each year there is a pool of MBA students with aspirations very similar to yours. Know that there is support for you not only at your school, but also across the country. There are multiple conferences held each year where industry executives meet and discuss new business trends. For example, http://www.mbamec.com/ is a good place to start. Another tactic is to work for a more traditional company and focus on the entertainment sector. Think about how many companies leverage entertainment to build their brand and pursue some of them. Most importantly, know that this can be done. Quality companies need quality people and entertainment companies are no different. Be clear about your ambitions, meet plenty of new people, and learn as much as you can. Good luck to you!

Don’t get me wrong, a quality professional statement is good. Actually, it is necessary. Still, for too many people the document has short term scope. MBA applicants spend so much time on their professional statements only to throw them away once they are admitted. The assumption is “I’ll revise it once I get settled in school”. Little do they know, that time never comes. MBA students are busy! School work, job search, and social activities eat up whatever time previously thought was going to be used to revisit career goals. And because there are so many interesting jobs offered to MBAs…students end up running around like a kid in a candy store “looking at all the cool jobs”. They choose the coolest one, graduate, and one year later are wondering where the “cool” went. This brings them right back to their professional statement. They may not re-write it, but they certainly revisit their career goals in order to clarify their career path. When I talk about a professional story, I am talking about looking at your MBA career with a long term perspective. It’s like having a living, breathing professional statement. Take a look at the video above to see what I mean. Agree? Disagree? Would you like to hear more? Post below to let me know.