NYU Stern & Tisch Entertainment Business Association

In collaboration with NYU Stern Business and Law Association (SBLA), STEBA hosted “The World of Entertainment Law,” a panel exploring the role of legal administration and counsel in working with artists, companies, and creative projects across the entertainment industry. Our panelists, Ashlie Major (NBCUniversal), Haleigh Hopkins (Paramount), Jessica Guard (Sony Music Entertainment), and Oliver Bystricky (Paramount), walked students through their day-to-day roles, career paths, and approaches to dealmaking and negotiations. They also shared advice on everything from law school to navigating career transitions, highlighting how legal teams support creative initiatives across the media landscape. Thank you to our panelists for sharing their time and perspectives, and to our moderator, Emma Li, for leading a thoughtful and engaging discussion. Thank you as well to everyone who attended and contributed meaningful questions throughout the evening. We look forward to continuing these conversations at future STEBA events!

This week, STEBA hosted “Beyond Borders: How Entertainment Travels Globally,” a panel exploring how films, music, and stories reach audiences across international markets. Our panelists, Aminata Sylla, M.S. (Warner Music Group), Marcus Tjernlund (NEON), and Brittney Dias (Warner Bros. Discovery), shared valuable insights into their work across global marketing, distribution, and multicultural campaigns. They discussed how entertainment travels internationally, how teams connect stories with audiences in different regions, and what it takes to successfully bring creative projects beyond their home markets. A special thank you to our panelists for taking the time to speak with our members and share their experiences in the industry. Thank you as well to our moderator, Alexander Pagonis, for leading the conversation and guiding such a thoughtful discussion. Finally, thank you to everyone who attended and contributed thoughtful questions and engagement throughout the evening. We look forward to continuing these conversations at future STEBA events. Happy spring break, everyone!

This week, STEBA hosted “Behind the Scenes: Video Production in Entertainment” featuring panelists Ella Ruffel Prebensen (Vanity Fair), Lauren Shamo (CNBC), Tiara Chiaramonte (CNN), Jesse Mico (BBC Studios), Olivia Mendolera (People Inc.), and Trevor Scholl (iHeartMedia). Our panelists offered insight into the ever-evolving digital media industry, where video formats thrive on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. They walked us through their creative processes, from shooting on set to editing and packaging a video for release. Students gained a strong understanding of the importance of staying versatile and adaptable. A special thanks to our amazing panelists and moderator, Emma Li, for these discussions and organizing the panel. Thank you to our attendees for your engagement and curiosity. We can’t wait to see you at our next STEBA event!

This week, STEBA hosted “Global Games: International Audiences and Growth in the Sports Industry” featuring panelists Jillian Schmidt Sturken (National Football League (NFL)), Jeffrey Chan (National Basketball Association (NBA)), Marcela S. (Major League Soccer), Isabel Adler (National Basketball Association (NBA), Andrew Frenkel (TKO), and Kaartik Jain (WWE). Our panelists offered insightful knowledge into their work, how they approach varying markets, key factors in any international deal, and more. Our members left with a well-rounded understanding of different roles that support the fostering of global audiences. A special thanks to our amazing panelists, our moderator, Jamie Huang for these discussions and organizing the panel. Thank you to our attendees for your engagement and curiosity. We can’t wait to see you at our next STEBA event!

STEBA hosted our second Professional event of the semester “The Business of Buzz: Entertainment Marketing and Publicity” featuring panelists Mike Winton (NEON), Cheryl Family (The Family Business NYC), and Sarah Peters (Searchlight Pictures). These three panelists walked students through the development of current-day campaigns and how to best shape future releases through creative strategy and execution. Attendees of the event took home valuable knowledge about the importance of marketing and publicity in the modern digital landscape, gaining a deeper understanding of how these fields work together to drive the entertainment industry forward. A special thanks to our amazing panelists and moderator, Ari Winer, for these discussions. Thank you to our attendees for your engagement and questions. We look forward to seeing you at our future STEBA events!

STEBA hosted our first Professional event of the semester “Internship & Job Searching in the Entertainment Industry” featuring panelists Kate Kresser (Warner Chappell Music), Amaka Nwokocha (Cinetic Media), Freya Haque (Ogilvy), and Kaitlyn Marer, M.S. (Versant Media). The panelists walked students through their careers in film, music, and more, sharing how they broke into the entertainment industry through internships and early opportunities. They offered practical advice on standing out to professionals at every stage, from applications and interviews to showing up confidently in the office, and discussed strategies for turning internships into full-time roles. A special thanks to our amazing panelists and moderator, Emma Li, for these discussions. Thank you to our attendees for your engagement and questions. We look forward to seeing you at more of our exciting panels this semester!

STEBA hosted its last panel of the semester, “Live Entertainment: Inside the Industry of Experiences,” where we explored what it takes to bring large-scale live events to life across concerts, sporting events, and festivals. We were joined by Patrick J. Ridings (Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.), Katie Hendler (AEG Presents), Hayata I. (The Bowery Presents), Davis Luceriaga (Live Nation Entertainment), and Victoria Huerta (Live Nation Entertainment), who all sparked a thoughtful conversation on everything from choosing brand partnerships that feel authentic to building trust with clients, as well as the unique career journeys that ultimately led them to live entertainment. Thank you to our incredible panelists for sharing their experiences and perspectives with us, and to our moderator Abigail Ecarma for leading the conversation and organizing the event. And of course, a special thank you to everyone who attended and helped us wrap up our final panel of the semester. We’ll be back with more programming in the spring, so we hope to see you there!

STEBA hosted its sixth Professional event of the semester, “Beyond the Game: The Business of Sports Entertainment,” featuring panelists Nick Leone (ATP Tour & WTA), Carlisle West (Major League Baseball (MLB)), David Spampinato (New York Mets), Nikhil Makharia (Motorsport Network), Lauren White (National Football League (NFL)), and Robert Garcia, MBA (National Basketball Association (NBA)). The panelists walked us through their roles, insights on how they approach different campaigns, and current challenges within the industry, plus the initiatives needed to combat them. Students walked away with valuable knowledge about the industry and how to break into it. A special thanks to our amazing panelists, our moderator, Jamie Huang, for these discussions, and Abigail Ecarma for helping organize the panel. Thank you to our attendees for your engagement and curiosity. We can’t wait to see you at our next STEBA event!

STEBA hosted its fifth professional event of the semester, “Product Management in Entertainment,” in collaboration with the NYU Product Management Club. We were joined by Clarke Spinosa (Peacock), Adam Traina (Bravado), Gregory Mizii (Paramount), Shashank Agrawal (Amazon Prime Video), who discussed how they build, scale, and manage products that connect audiences to the stories, platforms, and artists they love. A huge thank you to our panelists for joining us, to Parul Veda for leading the conversation, and to Abigail Ecarma for helping organize the event. Thank you to everyone who attended, and we can’t wait to see you at our upcoming events this semester!

STEBA hosted its fourth professional event of the semester, "Navigating the Modern Music Industry." We were joined by Kathleen Shao (Warner Music Group), Niki Khosrowshahi (Reservoir Media), and Piper Page (Reservoir Media), They talked about their experiences across the music business, artist marketing strategies, and how they’ve seen the music industry continue to evolve. A huge thank you to our panelists for joining us, to our moderator Abigail Ecarma for leading the conversation, and to Harveen Jhamatt for helping organize the event. Thank you to everyone who attended, as well. We can’t wait to see you at our other events this semester!