THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS: The Game: Inside the Business of Sports and Entertainment
When you think about a career in the sports and entertainment fields, you think of a glitzy, glamorous job. The reality, according to the panelists at The Game: Inside the Business of Sports and Entertainment, is a lot of hard work and, for most people, a long-term plan that requires gaining experience outside the industries. "It’s not easy to move into sports or entertainment industries and timing, along with who you know are important," says John Rice, founder and CEO of MLT. "The key is to make a three to five year plan to gain experience that applies to the position you want in the industry and develop specific skills that will enable you to add value to the job you want." Also be prepared to work hard, says Keith Clinkscales, senior vice president of content development at ESPN. "These jobs look like fun from the outside but they all require a great deal of hard work," he says. For this reason, be sure you are passionate about working in the industry, he adds. "I wish I had known about the financial model of the industry," says Kevin L. Layton, president of Axis Consulting. "There are few entry level positions so you have to gain experience outside the industry, then you take a job that pays less within the industry to gain entry," he says. The lower wages are an indicator of the great numbers of people wanting to work in sports or entertainment who are willing to make less to pursue their dreams, he says. Finally, make sure that the relationships you develop, through networking or with co-workers, are authentic, says Vicki L Free, executive vice president of marketing for BET Networks. "The most important networking you do is not at the conference you attend, it is through the follow-up contacts you maintain with people you met at the conference." These relationships can develop into opportunities that will give you an opportunity to enter the industry, she adds. |
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