Media and Entertainment

According to the latest trends, attending a post-graduate course seems to be a great strategy for those interested in pursuing a successful career in media and entertainment, who have the practical experience but lack the business perspective of the industry. Pursuing a career in media and entertainment appears to be a very attractive option for an increasing number of individuals who enjoy the buzz and rhythm of the industry, but who wish to be part of it from a more serious perspective.

Needless to say, attending an MBA is not a mandatory pre-requisite that you should follow, and there are many successful professionals in the industry who have built up a reputation for themselves after devoting years of their lives to the industry. If you feel attracted to the idea of pursuing a career in media and entertainment, you will probably be glad to learn that there are multiple positions and areas in which you can develop your professional path. One of these is strategic planning, an area that plays a very significant role in any media and entertainment company.

Most of your fellow workers will be former bankers or consultants, as the department of strategic planning often acts as an inside consultancy bureau or the investment arm of the organization. Strategists are in charge of evaluating and reaching decisions for acquisitions, working on business plans for expansion or of removing business units that are no longer attractive. These projects have a significant impact on the organization, and the position usually implies sharing of power and influence with the top management of the company. You can also have a career in media and entertainment through working in corporate finance.

The employees in this area are usually former investment bankers who plan the growth and expansion of the organization through acquisitions of other companies, or via investment. It is a position that implies a lot of strategic research, and analysis of competitive and financial data. Corporate marketing is focused on studying the way consumers react to new projects or endeavors. Some media companies have different corporate marketing groups for each of their business units while others have a centralized corporate marketing department that works and analyzes different projects simultaneously.

If you develop a career in media and entertainment from corporate marketing you will spend your days undertaking quantitative and qualitative market research, managing outside vendors that are in charge of focus groups and surveys, estimating market penetration, creating pricing models and so on. Corporate public relations (PR) is much more than just helping a CEO successfully survive a hard time with the press. You may also be in charge of giving media training courses to executives, coordinating media appearances, organizing corporate events and so on.

Two other areas that are also worth considering are: internet strategy, which is closely related to marketing, and; real estate development, which focuses on extensions of brands. Pursuing a career in media and entertainment usually implies that your work/life balance will be altered, especially if you hold management positions that may involve meeting last minute deadlines, or attending meetings organized at very short notice.

However, many employees report that they are back home by 6pm and that they rarely have to work 12 hours in a row. Regarding pay, in corporate jobs remuneration is very similar to that earned by people working in banking and management consulting. Promotions for anyone developing a career in media and entertainment are based on your professional records and achievements, so there are strong chances that if you do your job well, you will be promoted relatively early.