Disney Channel exec says internships key to hiring

From working in the "bowels" of the infamous William Morris mail room as a summer intern to his current position as general manager and executive vice president of the Disney Channel, 1983 College graduate Rich Ross has hit it big. Introduced as the "daddy bear of day-to-day operations," Ross sat atop a desk in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Annenberg School yesterday afternoon, returning to the University to share his personal experiences in the entertainment business and to dispense advice to students with aspirations in the field. "Pick a job you love," he advised in his opening words to the attentive students. "You are going to have to do it for quite some time." Ross recounted his post-graduation history, from Fordham Law School to positions at Nickelodeon, the fX Channel and, finally, the Disney Channel. His "big break" at Nickelodeon actually occurred because of a Penn connection, a resource that he later stressed as integral to effective job networking. The Viacom-owned network, still small at the time, needed assistance in booking celebrities, and what had been a brief stint turned into a position in which Ross helped develop such well known programs as The Kids Choice Awards and Double Dare. Under his direction, the Disney Channel's customer base has grown from 14 million to 58 million subscriber homes, ranking as the third most profitable subscriber cable network. And as evident from the talk, he couldn't be happier. "I just turned 38 and every time I get a job there is nothing better than learning it and being good at it," Ross said. With a smile on his face, he confidently declared "every single day I have loved my job." A major component of Ross' discussion focused on the different sectors that exist within the broad field that is entertainment. "There are three jobs in entertainment," he said. "There is the making of things, the marketing of those things and the selling of them." From marketing to creative services, he demystified the inner workings of major production companies. Ross continually stressed the absolute importance of summer internships. Drawing on his own experiences, he told students of his progression in the William Morris Talent Agency from mail room worker to assistant to the head of casting. "The goal behind internships is different experiences," he said, noting that it is "a lot easier to hire people who have had internship experience." Whitny Perkins, a College junior and member of the Undergraduate Communications Society executive board, held an internship at ABC last summer. She praised Ross' presentation, saying "his advice is not idealistic, but very specific, while still appealing to students with broad tastes and interests." To help students better grasp the tools necesary to succeed in the incredibly competitive entertainment field, Ross enumerated several tactics he discovered through his own experiences. He encouraged students to "do their homework" by reading trade magazines and becoming acquainted with industry lingo. When it comes time to send out a resume, "send it to everyone," he added. Rosette Pyne, assistant director of Career Services for Engineering students, attended the presentation in hopes of better understanding how her advisees could fit into the entertainment field. "There are lots of opportunities for our students, especially with the new Digital Media Design program being offered," she said.