5 Questions with Jeffrey Sullivan (’24)
Jeffrey Sullivan (’24)
Q: How did your interest in the business of entertainment evolve?
In high school, I had to take an arts class and I opted for theater. I fell in love with theater production. Ugly Betty was on the air when I was trying to figure out what to do professionally and it got me thinking about publishing and stories and writing. For college, I knew I wanted one with a good business school, a good journalism school and a good theater program. I chose the advertising path in journalism school at UNC Chapel Hill, then worked as a graphic designer in the summer.
After college, I gained a lot of marketing and communications experience. I found I was able to tell stories that had people on the edge of their seats. I also developed as a community outreach specialist, most recently in the town of Chapel Hill’s municipal government.
Q: How did those skills and talents combine to influence your decision to earn an MBA?
I always wanted to have a big impact, and I have always enjoyed entertainment. But I needed a financial education. I went to A-Days at Anderson and attended a panel jointly hosted by the Entertainment Management Association and the Sports Business Association. While there, I learned about “franchise management” in entertainment and saw that there were jobs in the industry that fit my skill set! I had researched business and entertainment for two years, and, in one afternoon at Anderson, I learned something I never knew. Anderson has resources to answer questions you don’t even know to ask yet.
Q: You’re heavily involved with several student clubs, among them EMA. What opportunities has your leadership role enabled you to create for your classmates and yourself?
The EMA education team organizes Industry 101 presentations that invite alumni industry professionals — and, in some cases, current Executive MBA students — to speak to club members. They teach us about current industry trends, describe their functions and tell us about their career journeys. Their presentations help us prepare for job and internship recruiting.
In classes, we’ve looked at entertainment company case studies like Nickelodeon’s activity in Latin American markets, and we’ve had guest speakers, like Sandra Stern from Lionsgate, who outlined deal structuring.
Our close connection with Fully Employed MBA students is useful because they share real scenarios of their workplaces. FEMBA Justin Delaney (’24) works for Warner Bros. Discovery and through him, we arranged a set tour for EMA members and even dined with Warner executives.
Q: So, it helps to be located in Los Angeles! Who do you admire in the industry?
My friend and I joke about wanting to be the Betsy Beers to someone’s Shonda Rhimes. Beers is the producer behind successful ShondaLand productions. And I admire Rhimes, whose combination of creative and business talent gave us shows like Bridgerton, which challenges established narratives. Ryan Murphy is a champion of queer inclusiveness, from Glee to American Horror Stories. They all do so much to drive representation for the audiences they serve. Entertainment has a huge role to play in shaping perspectives of underrepresented or misrepresented groups.
Q: As you finish your first year at Anderson, what have you discovered or become more certain of?
There’s no better way to have a profound impact on people than to tell a story well. I’m good at explaining things verbally and visually, and I’m good at helping creative people build things. I want to bring cool projects to life and help people access them. Anderson has opened my eyes to storytelling within the TV and movie industry, and informed my self-perception. I want a hand in eradicating ignorance, helping people seek perspectives outside themselves.