There’s more to the movie business than just actors, directors and
producers. Hollywood also employs a small army of executives who
produce, market and distribute motion pictures.
According to the
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., employment in
California’s motion picture and television industry increased by nearly
10% in 2011, adding 11,700 jobs. But while Tinseltown may have a
reputation for being more about who you know than what you know, many of
its executive positions require a formal post-secondary education.
Many area schools offer advanced degree programs designed to give entertainment industry executives a competitive edge.
Edward Noeltner is president
of Beverly Hills-based Cinema Management Group, which acquires, licenses
and distributes motion pictures worldwide. He holds a master’s degree
in critical studies from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.
“That
sort of critical background has helped me immensely in my career in
terms of picking some winners,” said Noeltner, who has licensed movies
including “Chicago” and “The Hours.”
“First of all, I got a bachelor’s degree in radio and television production [from the University of Arizona in 1980],” he said. “That set me up for working in the industry … the technical ins and outs.”
Gregoire
Gensollen is vice president of international distribution and strategy
at FilmNation Entertainment, an international sales, distribution and
production company with offices in L.A. and New York. He earned his MBA
from UCLA Anderson School of Management in 2006.
“Most
of my electives were in the producers’ program in the [UCLA] film
school,” Gensollen explained. “It’s extremely hard [for me] to have a
macro view of the [movie] business … without having the different
classes that are offered at UCLA, both the pure business MBA and the
film school.”
As of this year, UCLA Anderson offers an entertainment certificate within its general management MBA.
People considering an entertainment-related degree should take into account not only a program’s ranking but also its location, Gensollen said. He recommends L.A. because of its bountiful opportunities for entertainment internships — he did nine while at Anderson — and networking opportunities.
Legal eagles
People considering an entertainment-related degree should take into account not only a program’s ranking but also its location, Gensollen said. He recommends L.A. because of its bountiful opportunities for entertainment internships — he did nine while at Anderson — and networking opportunities.
Legal eagles
The movie industry’s myriad contracts and negotiations provide plenty of work for entertainment lawyers in Los Angeles.
G.
Fabricio Lopez, principal counsel at a major entertainment company,
enrolled in UCLA Extension’s Paralegal Program upon arriving in Los
Angeles from Ecuador in 1994.
“It was very hands-on,” Lopez
recalled. “One instructor was a judge, another a prosecutor, another a
paralegal. So they were very academic, but at the same time very ‘This
is what you do on a daily basis.’”
Lopez graduated from L.A.’s Loyola Law School in 2004, where he now teaches. His advice to aspiring entertainment attorneys is to seek out schools, like Loyola, that offer the option to focus on this area of law.
Lopez graduated from L.A.’s Loyola Law School in 2004, where he now teaches. His advice to aspiring entertainment attorneys is to seek out schools, like Loyola, that offer the option to focus on this area of law.
Professor David Ginsberg,
who heads UCLA School of Law’s Entertainment, Media and Intellectual
Property Law Program, advises students contemplating an entertainment
law career to choose an undergraduate degree they are passionate about
rather than one that necessarily pertains to entertainment or law to
better round out their skills.
“Between the UCLA School of Law’s
first-year and entertainment law specialization program, we will provide
a curricular and analytic approach appropriate to training a
well-prepared entertainment lawyer,” he said.
Accounting is
another specialty offering good opportunities in the industry. Los
Angeles is home to more than 50 accounting firms specializing in
entertainment, according to Roger L. Torneden, director of business,
management and legal programs at UCLA Extension.
“Differentiation
is key for a new entrant [into entertainment accounting], as is
up-to-date continuing education,” Torneden said. “In addition to a
bachelor’s degree or higher education … courses in entertainment studies
or a new certificate program in accounting, finance, taxation or
personal financial planning would seem indisputable evidence of such a
personal commitment.”
Supporting roles
Supporting roles
As
for talent managers and agents — though many have no related academic
qualifications — post-secondary programs can help launch an agency
career.
“A jurist doctorate or MBA with an undergraduate degree in
marketing would be ideal,” said Von Johnson, who created and teaches
UCLA Extension’s Business of Entertainment class. “Students will
benefit from electives in content production, post-production and
theater.”
“My biggest lesson for students is that they must learn
how to network,” said Larry Auerbach, who had a 47-year career at the
William Morris Agency. As associate dean of student industry relations
at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Auerbach created the school’s
Graduate Certificate in the Business of Entertainment program and its
undergraduate Business Cinematic Arts program, both in conjunction with
the Marshall School of Business.
