The Stanford Business Reporter

Celebrity sightings – Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore and Michael Eisner! Digital distribution. Video on Demand. Talks of a marriage between Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Paying your dues in the mailroom. Creative vs. Business. This is a flavor of the myriad of topics at the AME recruiting trip to L.A.

Over 50 members of the Arts, Media and Entertainment Club traveled to Los Angeles on January 22nd to explore as much of the entertainment industry as possible in less than 48 hours. The odyssey was fun-filled and informative.

From Sunset Boulevard to Burbank, the group listened to presentations filled with juicy anecdotes of the entertainment business and helpful advice about the job search in this not-so-pleasant economy. Laurie Hoye, MBA2, the mastermind and key organizer for the trip, offered an amazing itinerary filled with top-level executives both on the creative and business side of entertainment. Her hard work and flawless preparation amazed everyone!!

The trip started off at the Cat and the Fiddle, where we kicked-off the festivities with other Stanford graduate students, Anderson (UCLA) and USC students and Stanford alumni.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat as my area of the table listened intently to Stefanie Schwartz, MBA1, our MTV Networks expert, eloquently answering Will Kuntz’s, MBA1, question: "Who holds the power in the television industry?" This exchange foreshadowed the conversations to come.

We then learned more about Russian journalism and online offerings through our Russian Knight Fellow Sergey Kuznetsov and everyone tried their hand at mingling with others with similar media interests.

The next morning, the entire group headed to Disney where we weren’t able to see Mickey or Minnie, but settled for an introductory presentation from Disney’s CFO, Tom Staggs, GSB ’87. His approachable style was much appreciated and after intelligent questions from Kareem Daniel, MBA1, and Samantha Cohen, MBA1, he discussed the likelihood of MGM falling under Disney’s umbrella. Even though our intuition tells us that MGM’s extensive film library will become more and more important with Video on Demand, Tom believed less popular movies will not have a prayer in the soon to be "flourishing" VOD market.

Tom was just the tip of the iceberg at Disney. We also had the opportunity to listen to: Daniel Solnicki (Director, Finance, Studios), Andrea Wong (Sr VP, Alternative Series & Specials at ABC Entertainment Group, GSB ‘93), John Loie (Business Planning, Consumer Products), Liz Gill (VP Strategic Brand Management, Resorts, GSB ’89) and Eric Muhlheim (VP Strategic Planning, GSB ’96). Andrew Hui, MBA2, remarks: "It’s amazing to see how MBAs are playing such diverse roles in this fascinating company."

After a chance encounter with Michael Eisner in the Disney studio lot, the group separated. One group headed to Universal Music Group, where representatives explained the structure of music industry and development at UMG’s eLab. The group then visited the master Website creator Media Resolution and the William Morris Agency. Other groups visited a competing agency, United Talent Agency and then headed to Fox New Media and Sony Digital Entertainment.

The agents elicited a binary reaction. Doreen Oliver, MBA2, our club Co-President was thinking of the possibilities after listening to a recent HBS graduate talk about her beginnings in the mailroom. (Yes, believe it or not, EVERYONE starts in the mailroom) While Sally Wolf, MBA1, validated her assumption that the industry of making connections and resorting to desperate measures to get business for clients might not be up her alley. Doug Scott, MBA2, added: "Even though this industry is not for me, agents are a critical element to the entertainment business. It is vital to understand what they do."

A climax of the trip was the CMC and Alumni Association-sponsored cocktail reception at North, a lounge so devastatingly hip that it has no street sign and is virtually impossible to find. After sending secret directions to a constellation of starlets, power brokers, movers and shakers, over 80 guests bellied up to the bar after making it past the list at the door, manned by the CMC's inimitable Rainbow Chen.

Alumni from TV, music and film popped in to slake their thirst, meet bushy-tailed MBAs, pass out demos, and marvel the power and might of the Stanford network. The reception also drew screenwriters, directors, actresses, and loudmouths. Business cards finally came in handy, networking skills were polished, mentors found, and a fun time was had by all!

But for some of us, the real highlight was the dinner. We concluded the trip with small group dinners thanks to Michael Wertheim, MBA1, and Jeremie Sokolowsky, MBA1. The crowd at Orso was able to spot Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston. Jeremie describes the encounter, "I saw her [Aniston]. She looked at me… and I squealed." While Jon Daves, MBA2, kept his "cool" and said, "These things happen every day in L.A."

Chloe Sladden, MBA2, club Co-President, adds: "While the company presentations gave us an intensive education into the current challenges and opportunities in film, TV and music, the most revealing moment of the trip occurred when the AME Club witnessed Jeremie Sokolowsky turn into a hyperactive goose upon meeting Jennifer Aniston. I believe his exact words to her were: "Goollooogoolloogoo" (uttered while waving his arms in her face)."

Nonetheless, this 36-hour foray has truly been a unique experience for most of us. Special thanks to CMC, Alumni Association, and all alums and students who helped to make it possible.