Media and entertainment industries targeted in annual trip

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., January 5, 2006 - After several years of building strong relationships in the media world, MIT Sloan School of Management MBAs are feeling confident as they launch their annual job-hunting trek to Las Vegas and Los Angeles this week, Jan. 6-12.

"There is a level of optimism and sense of opportunity within the Sloan alumni network to bring more MBAs into the media and entertainment industries," said trek organizer Laura Salom. "Companies are actively recruiting MBA students for internships and full-time jobs."

And some of MIT Sloan students think they are bringing something unique to their meetings with a range of Los Angles area entertainment, media, and other firms.

"The media and entertainment industry continues to mature and faces challenges ranging from the emergence of new technologies to ever-changing consumer demands," said David Beck, who before coming to MIT Sloan worked in investment banking in New York, and then landed a summer internship at MTV working for a Sloan alum. "The success of many media and entertainment companies depends heavily on their ability to innovate, leverage technology, and work harder than their competition. What differentiates MIT Sloan students from other MBAs is our understanding of the process of innovation and of the value that technology can bring to an organization or industry."

Right: Student group after visiting Harrah's executives, Las Vegas. Left: Student group during the visit to the LA Dodgers, Los Angeles Photo credits: Laura Salom

For more than a decade, MIT Sloan students have organized an annual job-prospecting and networking visit to California and Nevada, initially concentrating on Silicon Valley. This is the third year that Los Angeles and Las Vegas has been a separate trek focusing on media, entertainment and sports, which has become a major vehicle for students to learn about new technologies and industry trends while building and maintaining relationships between California entertainment executives, alumni and MIT. About 20 Sloan MBAs are on this year's trek.

"I'm going on the LA trek because of the potential impact of MBAs in the entertainment industry," said MIT Sloan student Heather Tow-Yick. "We are fortunate that we have a strong media, entertainment and sports club that has excellent relationships with key executives. Companies like Disney, Sony and the Dodgers are now actively looking to present the business development and media strategy opportunities to Sloan students."

A former college athlete and national champion in sailing, Tow-Yick is especially eager to visit with officials of the Los Angeles Dodgers, including Boston native Jamie McCourt, an MIT Sloan alumna who is a co-owner and vice chairman of the team. "I'm really eager to hear about what it takes to be one of the top women in sports management."