Part-Time MBA Student Gabe Lehrman Blends Industry Experience with Strategy in VIP Entertainment Project
As a seasoned entertainment marketing professional with experience spanning livestreaming,
music, and live events, Gabe Lehrman knows how to connect brands with audiences. Now,
as a Part-Time MBA student at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and a Senior Client Success Manager
for Amazon Ads on Twitch, Lehrman is sharpening his strategic lens while continuing
to thrive in a fast-paced industry.
Through the Pepperdine E2BTM (Education to Business) program, Lehrman and a team of his classmates in Professor John Buckingham’s Marketing Management class, worked on a live case study with SUPER, a company that curates VIP fan experiences. The collaboration proved to be a natural fit, blending his professional expertise with the opportunity to explore new avenues for business growth in a space he’s passionate about.
Read more to learn about Gabe’s experience and how the project propelled his long-term aspirations in the entertainment world.
From the Classroom to Real-World Strategy
Lehrman credits the foundational skills he developed in his Art and Science of Marketing class with Professor John Buckingham for preparing him to lead in a high-stakes, client-facing project. “The course provided a solid foundation in the marketing frameworks and methodologies we used throughout this project—everything from competitive analysis to market segmentation,” he said.
Having already completed an E2B project before this one, Lehrman knew how to manage expectations, deliverables, and strategic recommendations in a high-impact setting.
Zeroing in on Growth Opportunities
One of the first challenges the team faced was narrowing the scope of SUPER’s many potential business verticals. Lehrman led the charge in grounding the team’s decisions in data. “In entertainment, it’s easy to get swept up in gut instinct or creative ideas, but we needed objective data to support our choices,” he explained.
He took on the Music Merchandise vertical, leveraging internal insights and academic research. His findings revealed that the growth in that area was slowing, leading the team to pivot toward more promising opportunities.
Finding Strategic Advantage in Brand Partnerships
The team evaluated each vertical using Porter’s Five Forces framework and determined that brand partnerships presented the strongest potential for scale and profitability. Lehrman pushed the team to exceed expectations in their midpoint presentation by delivering a detailed strategy focused on genre segmentation.
He identified three high-growth genres—K-pop, Country, and Afrobeats—and proposed targeting brands that aligned with fan demographics and behaviors. “We presented a fully fleshed-out strategy around genre segmentation and brand fit. I believe that level of specificity played a big role in our team being assigned the brand partnerships vertical,” he shared.
Backed by Research, Driven by Passion
To support their final recommendation, the team launched a custom survey to gather first-party data and continued market research using academic and industry sources. Lehrman was especially struck by the untapped potential of Afrobeats superfans. “They spend 121% more than the average U.S. listener and are 164% more likely to attend live shows. That kind of engagement can’t be ignored.”
Their final pitch recommended aligning SUPER’s VIP offerings with major brands—like Ford and Jack Daniel’s for Country, and Hennessy and Moët for Afrobeats—backed by clear data and strategic alignment. The client’s positive response affirmed that their recommendations were on the right track.
Looking Ahead: Strategic Marketing and a Clearer Career Path
“This project gave me the chance to step away from execution and focus on strategy—something I don’t often get to do in my day-to-day role,” said Lehrman. “It also pushed me out of my comfort zone with public speaking and reinforced that I have solid instincts when it comes to marketing and business development.”
The experience not only confirmed his passion for the entertainment industry but also gave him new tools and confidence to drive client impact beyond campaign execution. With this immersive experience, Lehrman is one step closer to shaping the future of entertainment marketing.
About the Part-Time MBA at Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University's Part-Time MBA program equips students to excel as business leaders through a dynamic hybrid curriculum that blends ethics, global perspectives, and advanced business strategies. With hands-on learning opportunities such as real-world projects, internships, and case competitions, students graduate ready to drive meaningful change in their careers and beyond.