Legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” This quote directly connects to my MSBA experience because the program has already helped me learn so much about the sports industry through my internship, my Mentorship Collective, the Speaker Series, and the Workshops. For example, I’ve learned that even small daily tasks, such as getting to my internship a few minutes early or conversing with my fellow interns, are important ways to conduct myself as a professional. At the same time, I have created memories every single day. This program is truly a unique experience, and I want to enjoy every moment of it – especially exploring New York City with my MSBA 2016 classmates.
“Through the MSBA program, I am learning something new every day, experiencing New York City, and fully discovering my passion in the sports industry.”
This summer I am interning in the Marketing Services division at Wasserman, which is a global agency working with athletes like Russell Westbrook and Jason Day. As a UCLA student, I have always felt a deep connection to Wasserman, which was founded by UCLA alumnus Casey Wasserman. My internship has been extremely interesting because I have had the ability to work on so many different types of projects ranging from the MLS to the NBA. More importantly, I have been able to ask questions and learn from the experiences of my co-workers.
Today, I finished my internship at 5:30 pm and travelled downtown to attend an Office Field Trip at Cogent Entertainment Marketing, a company that specializes in celebrity engagement and influencer marketing. My MSBA class and I had the amazing opportunity to listen to a genuine and thought-provoking presentation by the company’s CEO, Mark Zablow. I felt that Mark’s discussion about creating a successful culture at Cogent was one of the most interesting parts of the night. Mark talked about the necessity of having employees fill different roles for his company, describing the five primary roles as winners, scorers, clutch players, reliable players, and game changers. Mark’s NBA reference really convinced me that a successful sports company is just like a successful sports team. Of course, every team would love to have a Michael Jordan or a Kobe Bryant. However, in order to be successful, a team must have other players that are satisfied with filling smaller, niche-type roles such as a Robert Horry, Steve Kerr, or Allen Iverson. All five of these roles are equally important in creating both a championship team and a championship company.
Finally, Mark ended his talk by discussing how one can get the most out of his or her work. He described that a good job contains at least one of the following three things:
- Passion for what you are doing
- Love for your co-workers
- Love for the money you are making
Through the MSBA program, I am learning something new every day, experiencing New York City, and fully discovering my passion in the sports industry – all of which will one day help my team of five win a championship.