PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY | GRAZIADIO SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT | MAY 2007
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in the news
events Pepperdine EventsDoing Business with China Seminar Dean's Executive Leadership Series Northern California Alumni Golf Outing Insight from VCs: Developing Your Idea/Preparing Your Pitch Directorship Magazine's 2007 Annual Boardroom Forum University Alumni Events Community EventsProfessional and Diversity Career Fair Technology Council of Southern California
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who's hiring
20th Century Fox Film Corporation Academy of Business Leadership Accruent Corporation Activision Adobe Systems Inc. AeroVironment Amp’d Mobile Boingo Wireless Bridge Gate LLC Cleveland Research Company Countrywide Disneyland Resort DLC Dow Mazur (search firm) Edison International eHarmony.com Equity Pacific Partners/ACCS, Inc Farmers Insurance Group First American Home Buyers Protection Freedom Communications Broadcasting Division General Reinsurance Corporation Genie Industries HireRight Inc HouseTech Inc Infosys Consulting IRS Johnston and Company JT Consulting Group LAEDC Lionsgate LowerMyBills.com Marylander Marketing Research MeadWestvaco Move.com Nuveen Investments Outlaw Productions Oxfam America Passenger PeopleSupport Pepperdine University Pictage Princess Cruises Santa Monica Seafood Saga Foundation Seso Media Group Sony Pictures Entertainment Southern California Edison Sperry Van Ness Step Strategy Advisors Stonefield Josephson, Inc Taco Bell Technicolor Entertainment Services The Gallup Organization The Kor Group Volvo Cars of North America Yahoo! Search Marketing |
in the know Hire the First, Hire the BestCompanies looking to hire new MBA graduates often have to wait until May, but those in the know turn to their alma mater to hire first and hire the best. The Graziadio School has a strong tradition of alumni hiring new April graduates from its Full-time MBA program, job candidates who are part of the earliest graduating MBA classes in the country. Frequently alumni are first introduced to their new hires through internships or the Graziadio Talent Career Fair held every January.
“Given identical candidates, with the exact same qualifications, you’d love to pick the Pepperdine graduate to support the value of your degree,” says Jay Richardson, Vice President and Senior Investment Advisor for Wilmington Trust Investment Management and a 1994 Full-time MBA graduate. “As long as Pepperdine keeps doing what it’s doing, educating qualified job candidates, alumni will hire them.” This year, 60 graduates of the Full-time MBA program are seeking employment. Graduates have found placement with companies such as AT&T, Countrywide, Paramount, and Daimler Chrysler. Many secure full-time positions after serving as interns. Last year, Full-time MBA graduate Michael Wu was hired as a portfolio manager by Wilmington Trust Investment Management after having served as a summer intern and working part-time during the school year. “We lobbied to have Michael hired full-time because of his performance during his internship. He had a strong analytical background with practical experience managing a portfolio,” adds Richardson. “We were happy to have him join us.”
The Graziadio School’s Office of Alumni and Career Services helped make the connection between Richardson and Wu, and did the same for Andy Cohen, Director of Sales Planning with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. “Karen Weiss of the career services office had kept in touch with me and referred Joel Gustafson,” says Cohen, a 2000 graduate of the Full-time MBA program. “Joel and I met over lunch, which led to a more formal interview, and he was eventually hired as our Manager of Sales Planning.” According to Cohen, he would hire a Graziadio graduate again based on his experience with Gustafson. “I think Pepperdine produces well-rounded graduates with high analytic capabilities.” Cohen, who secured his first post-school job at Warner Bros. due to a Pepperdine connection, recommends that graduates reach out to Pepperdine alumni to build their network. “I’m always available to meet with recent graduates. I’ll go to lunch with anyone who asks. However, lunch should be about more than having the Pepperdine connection. Have a clear goal in mind when setting up a meeting. Think about why you’re interested in the entertainment industry.” To learn more about how you can build your talent base while contributing to the value of your degree, please contact Karen Weiss at the Office of Alumni and Career Services at (310) 568-5760. To access the Graziadio Online Alumni Directory visit http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/career/community. * This Pepperdine editor gives Spider-Man 3 two thumbs up!
managing your career Exploring Your Options: Employee, Consultant, or Entrepreneur? 40 Is the New 30: Employees in Their 40s Are Increasingly Being Asked to Relocate Survey: Employers Form Opinions of Interviewees Within 10 Minutes Recruiters Top 10 Complaints
Two Pepperdine Graduates Team Together to Launch FilmBankers International LLC Brenda Doby-Flewellyn (EMBA) and Anup Thakkar (BSM) are a perfect example of why two heads are better than one. Combining bank film financing expertise (hers) and studio entertainment insight (his), the two Pepperdine graduates are breaking new ground in film development and financing with FilmBankers International. Here’s their success story, in their words: Building a Company
Brenda: My partners and I launched FilmBankers International in 2006 to address a real need in the film market. We brought Anup along not long after to leverage his studio home entertainment and finance experience. Our primary customers are filmmakers who produce, direct and / or write. They may work for the studios, but may be looking for more ownership and control over their work. They come to us for strategic and financial advice, as well as arranging film financing. We also serve as a force multiplier for banks and financial institutions that want to get involved in production financing without the need to build out an expensive division. We have all the capabilities right here.
Anup: Currently companies in our entertainment space can only do one thing at a time. What makes FilmBankers International unique is that we’re more of a 3-D company serving filmmakers, the investment community, and managing sales and distribution. If a filmmaker comes to us with a project, we can take it from script to screen. We’ve developed a 35-step process that eliminates a lot of uncertainty and which culminates with a viable project suitable for financing. We do what no one else does – in one office. Rewards of Entrepreneurship Brenda: I find the mixture of disciplines – studio and bank financing – helps bring out fresh ideas. We do things our way, breaking new ground. Clients are seeking us out because they like our fresh approach. Thinking outside the box? We don’t even see a box. Anup: Our team is small and flexible. We have an open business plan, so we create new strategies as we go along. Leveraging their Pepperdine Experience Brenda: My Pepperdine experience was the best. As a student in the Executive MBA program, I had presidents of companies as classmates. Starting my own business was my thesis. It gave me the best background to launch my company today. I’ve always worked for entrepreneurs, including working for a company that was ultimately owned by George Graziadio and George Eltinge’s Imperial Bank. Anup: I had a bachelor’s degree from India, but was looking to earn another degree in the United States. I decided a Pepperdine degree would carry weight. And I had a beautiful experience. Before starting the program, I was considered quiet. Then after having to make a presentation in nearly every course, I’ve been told now that you can’t stop me from talking! Looking Ahead Brenda: One of things we’ll be focusing on in the future is raising $200 million for investment in film financing. If clients have projects that are partially funded, and if they pass our vetting process, we would then recommend them for the investment fund. We’ll also be exploring starting a management company. Looking back, with all the years of experience that I have, I wish I had launched this company earlier. I would tell any Pepperdine alumnus thinking about starting a business not to be afraid. If you have the talent and you have the resources in terms of relationships in the market, you can do it. FilmBankers International (FBI) is experienced in the dual worlds of banking and entertainment and brings a unique knowledge and strength to clients and their projects. Its consulting practice is the centerpiece of FBI’s offerings with a disciplined three-phase approach to risk-assessment, saving clients’ time and eliminating uncertainty. Visit www.filmbankers.com for more information. |
Jay Richardson
Andy Cohen - Joel Gustafson
Brenda 
Anup