In his annual visit to Penn, Disney Channel President Rich Ross, a College alumnus, enlightened students Thursday afternoon on how to make it in the entertainment industry.
After giving a short history of his career, Ross shared what his typical day is like by giving a synopsis of the last 48 hours of his life. They included flights to New York and Toronto, meetings with producers and discussions with colleagues about how to merchandise Disney for the holiday season.
"I certainly have the most crazy job out there," Ross said. "But it's also the most fun job."
While categorizing the entertainment industry into two arenas -- those that bring in revenue and those that spend money, classifying himself as a member of the latter -- Ross went right into what jobs are out there and what types of people are needed to fill each of them.
"If you feel you can spot talent," he said, "then you might make a good talent manager... If you are a night owl, then music is a great industry... If you are good at spotting books, you better be a good and fast reader."
Ross offered areas for those with analytical minds as well as those with creative talent, including programming, which is deciding when to put out music, a movie or a product, and research, for those who "like to find out why people like things."
Before fielding questions, Ross gave a list of tips for those prospective job applicants in the audience, such as e-mailing resumes to as many people as possible, living in cities, especially Los Angeles and New York, looking for summer internships and making friends with assistants.
"No one ever gets to me," he admitted with a smile. "They get to my assistant, Dean."
During the question-and-answer session, audience members, a large portion of whom were seniors, seemed to be concerned with the application process and availability of entry-level positions.
When asked what her impressions were of the talk, College sophomore Lauren Fisher said she was happy that Ross was more optimistic than last year about finding jobs.
College sophomore Camila Aguirre admired how Ross "managed to include humor in a topic that is dry." She liked how the talk was not just about Disney. "You could identify with him. He put you in a realistic frame of mind."
"It exceeded my expectations," College sophomore Heather Holmes said. "I'm happy that it wasn't the same questions being asked over and over again... He didn't lie. Making it relies on a little bit of luck, not just your GPA."
"I hope this concrete and practical advice will help seniors to either decide their next step or make them think if this industry fits them," said Peggy Curchack, associate director of Career Services and organizer of the event. She also noticed that "not once in his speech did he mention grades. I hope students come away with a grounding in what is really required."
When asked what he hoped students will get out of his talk, Ross responded, "If they are passionate, then they can get into this line of work. There are lots of stories people at Penn have to tell. I hope they tell them."
