Curtains Up!

Probably one of the most asked questions in an interview with anyone in the industry has to be: “How did you get started?”  As a current undergrad at Missouri State University in the Entertainment Management degree program, I have often asked this question and received various replies.

However, I can’t tell you how many times, no matter what the path is of an individual within the industry, it almost always involves not necessarily just who you know, but who also knows you. I have been fortunate enough to have the great opportunity of an early start of getting in the mix by working for the huge conglomerate Live Nation as well as working here with Gig Salad and Book The Best and Steiner Talent.  I have made great contacts which I am very confident will lead to the start of my success within the industry.

With all this said, I can’t help but wonder how other people in my program plan to actually make it. I have a feeling people have the notion that as soon as they get the little piece of paper that says “Entertainment Management Degree”, they will receive a job offer.  With little to no actual job experience with entertainment, it’s just not going to happen.  I have met numerous people with great jobs in the entertainment world that don’t even have a college degree and have been working in the field for 10-30 years.  And these undergrads think that they will just magically get hired in similar positions because of what a piece of paper says?

If you want to make it in this business there are a couple key things I would suggest:Â

Get a degree first! Even though jobs in this field don’t always require a degree, it can only help you have a competitive advantage.  It might also be required further along with a different job title or company in your career path.  The Entertainment Management degree at my university has great aspirations and ideas; however it has a lot of flaws as well because it is so young.  This degree is basically a combined management, finance, and accounting degree with a minor in entertainment.  You really only take about 3-4 classes dealing with entertainment, along with a required internship which brings me to my next key.

Get your foot in the door at a company that you think can help you get to were you eventually want to be.  If this requires you to pack up your bags and move to L.A. for the summer interning for free, working a second job to pay for your overpriced apartment, living off ramen noodles 3 meals a day, than do it!  While you’re there, make sure you work your hardest every minute for that chance that someone will notice and remember you.

Don’t settle. If you know you want to work for CAA someday and you know that you deserve to, but the only thing that seems to be biting is an entry level position at a nightclub, don’t do it.  All you are doing is prolonging your job search.  Get out there and start searching as soon as you know what you want to do.  This doesn’t mean once you graduate.  Do it today!

The last key I am going to suggest is to never burn a bridge! Not burning bridges is key in this business, because everyone knows everyone somehow and it will always come back to you.  It doesn’t matter if you have the worst boss or co-worker in the world, or if you have that day in life where your high school sweetheart just admitted to you over a text message while you’re driving to your part time job, that she cheated on you with your roommate.  Once you arrive at work late because you ran out of gas, you check your email and your professor of your hardest class just posted your grade for the final exam and you failed.

About that time an older gentleman walks by your desk asking for directions to your Mr. Jones’ (your boss) office (even though there is a big sign right in front of your desk that says Mr. Jones with an arrow).  So you reply very rudely “look at the sign”.  Little did you know that job interview you have been trying so hard to get for months happens to be with this older gentleman who will remember you next week when you show up at his office.

-Murdock