UCLA Anderson School of Management Blog

UCLA Anderson Alumnus Joby Branion Grooms Athletes at Their Career Apex — and for the Transition to the Rest of Their Lives

Joby Branion (J.D./MBA ’95) studied law and management at UCLA, then began a career in transactional law. An old college buddy tipped him off to an opportunity to meet and possibly work with legendary sports agent Leigh Steinberg, who inspired the character Tom Cruise portrayed in Jerry Maguire. Branion joined Steinberg’s firm and later he founded Athletes First in 2001. That company ultimately was ranked by Forbes #2 on their Most Valuable NFL Agency list in 2014. Branion is the founder of Vanguard Sports Group, a company created “based upon the principle that agents have deep obligations to fulfill to their clients — to support, to guide, to counsel and, ultimately, to empower each individual throughout every phase of their careers. These obligations extend well beyond the traditional negotiation of contracts for a fee.” Vanguard’s clients include the Denver Broncos’ Von Miller, who was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2016 Super Bowl.

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Q: How did you switch from a career as an entertainment lawyer and executive to representing athletes as a sports agent?

I went to law school and business school while at UCLA and then I started practicing law right there in Westwood at a multifaceted firm that did litigation and transactional work. I was on the transactional side doing both general corporate stuff and some entertainment stuff. The reality is that while I was compensated very well, I just didn’t feel the intrinsic reward out of my day-to-day job. After a year, I got a call from my old college roommate who happened to also be a UCLA law graduate and he knew someone who was looking to hire somebody to help represent professional athletes. That person ended up being Leigh Steinberg, and Leigh was, at the time, at the top of his game. He had Steve Young, Warren Moon, Troy Aikman, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas — along with a significant baseball practice.

I did some research into Leigh and got an idea of the things that he stood for: primarily making clients understand that they’re role models whether they like it or not. He drove home the importance of giving back to the community that shaped their lives and it just seemed to me to be more of a real commitment to the person as opposed to just the athlete. So, I went and had a few interviews and then decided to cast my lot in that direction.

Center for MEMES’ Jay Tucker: Relentless Problem Solver, Unrepentant Optimist

 

Jay Tucker (’09) is the new executive director of UCLA Anderson’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports. He graduated from Anderson in 2009 and embarked on a career with a certain local competitor school, where, as CMO of the Institute for Communication Technology Management at USC and founder of the Silicon Beach initiative there, he led an interdisciplinary team to launch a $50,000 venture competition combined with a conference focused on innovation, emerging technologies, tech startups and digital entertainment. It’s early days, but Tucker has had his finger firmly on the MEMES pulse (presiding, in fact, over the 2017 Pulse Entertainment, Sports & Technology Conference). He is busy preparing for NextFest, the collaborative cross-disciplinary event with FuturizeX UCLA on March 2.

 

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Q: What in your educational or personal background led you to your current professional interests?

I’ve always had a passion for entertainment and its impact on popular culture, and even taught courses on media literacy before attending business school. My interest in the business of entertainment grew over time as I saw a rapid increase in franchises jumping from publishing to feature films, video games, TV series and other platforms. One of the essential questions I had at the time was whether quality alone was enough to ensure business success for content — in other words, is content really king? Another was the converse: Could exceptional business operations be a substitute for amazing content?

These days, it’s clear that my questions were far less important than the question of how Hollywood would harness innovation and disruptive technologies to delight audiences and finance the next wave of storytelling. But the drive to understand the industry, and the business of storytelling, were a big part of what compelled me to come to UCLA Anderson.

Q: Before starting your MBA, you worked in a range of marketing, tech and educational roles. How did earning your degree enhance or influence the direction of your career in the years to follow?

At Anderson I had the opportunity to connect with industry leaders in film, video games and more. One advantage I brought to the table was deep experience as a technology leader and as a Web developer in the early days of the commercial internet. My time at Anderson coincided with the rise of a number of digital and social media platforms, and some of the business leaders in Hollywood were interested in my perspectives on how technology would impact the industry.

UCLA Anderson African-American Alumni Association Expands Reach and Goals

Karen Williams (’93) is a career coach at Management Leadership for Tomorrow, a career development institution that works with high-potential African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. Previously, she served as the executive director of UCLA Anderson’s Center for MEMES. She has also held posts with Hearst Magazines, Disney, Time Inc. (with Essence Magazine) and USC’s Marshall School of Business.

Williams is currently the president of the Anderson African American Alumni Association (5As). She was gracious enough to answer a few questions from the UCLA Anderson blog.

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Q: What are the purpose and goals of the group?

5As is a forum for black alumni to convene, communicate and contribute to mutual professional development and the cultivation of Anderson African-American graduates both present and future. We are committed to building and strengthening the Anderson African-American community.

The goals are as follows:

• To enhance the professional and personal development of our members at all stages of their career journey.
• To support the academic, career and personal development of current students.
• To increase the number of talented African-American students applying and choosing to attend Anderson.
• To assist in identifying, recruiting and retaining underrepresented African-American administrators and faculty.
• To create initiatives for members to serve the communities in which we live and work.

Def Jam’s Steve Bartels on the Iconic, the Reverent, the Genuine

By Carolyn Gray Anderson

In the ever-evolving business of music, streaming services have eclipsed CDs and even downloads. So it was with awe and more than a little nostalgia that Steve Bartels (CERT ’92) — CEO of Def Jam Recordings and a special guest at UCLA Anderson’s 2017 Pulse conference — recalled hauling luggage carts full of vinyl to his early gigs as a DJ in the 1980s, when he brought a New York sound to the San Fernando Valley.

Bartels began his industry career under the wing of late legendary executive Charlie Minor as national director of promotion at A&M Records. “He completed people,” Bartels said of Minor, whom he called “happy and energetic.”

Bartels describes many people and things he admires with a string of positive adjectives: When Dean Judy Olian asked him about Def Jam’s origin story and his early days with the label, he replied, “Eclectic, vibey, authentic, honest.” Asked who he thinks perfectly represents Def Jam, whether a type or particular artist, he tossed out descriptors like “reverent,” “genuine” and “icon.” He cited underground newcomer Amir Obé and rising talent Alessia Cara as unconventional artists poised to join the pantheon of greats. That’s high praise considering the label has included legends like LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Jay-Z, Nas, Ludacris and The Roots, as well as contemporary stars Big Sean, Jeremih, Jhene Aiko and 2 Chainz, who just won a 2016 Grammy for Best Rap Performance. Iggy Azalea, Bartels said, is “quietly working on something that’s going to blow your socks off. She definitely says what’s on her mind.” And, he finished, “if anybody exemplifies what Def Jam subscribes to, it’s Kanye” — to whom he applied the terms “topical” and “genius.”

Andrea Wade Walks Her Talk as She Helps Alumni Tap into the Lifelong Value of Their MBA

By Carolyn Gray Anderson

In 2016, UCLA Anderson alumna Andrea Wade (’96) celebrated her 20th reunion. “What started out as a way for me to see what old classmates were up to turned into something much more meaningful,” she says. Now, six months later, she finds herself working with UCLA Anderson’s office of alumni relations (OAR) as the director of alumni programming and events to develop the strategy to engage alumni where they live, work, think and play.

A few of her past employers include Creative Artists Agency, Bank of America, e-commerce pioneer eToys and Arthur Andersen, where she worked as a business consultant following graduation from Anderson. She has also worked as a brand marketing consultant, helping organizations and individuals amplify their brand positioning to improve awareness and profitability. Amid that range and variety, Wade is an ambassador for continuity.

The Time Is Liao: Alumna Committed to Social Responsibility Finds Like-Minded Colleagues at High Impact Tea

By Carolyn Gray Andeson

Vicki Liao graduated from UCLA Anderson in 2011. “I came here wanting to earn my MBA as quickly as possible and get a good job in entertainment,” she says. The degree, combined with a field study project at an entertainment tech startup, certainly helped her accomplish this goal: After graduating, Liao went first to Disney and ESPN Media Networks as an account manager and she is now director of pay TV at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Liao returned to Anderson recently for a talk in the High Impact Tea series organized by Impact@Anderson and students in Anderson’s Net Impact chapter. She’s glad she reengaged with the school: The self-described prodigal is becoming increasingly committed to corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability and stewardship.

The guest that night was Aspen Institute fellow Max Schorr, co-founder of GOOD, the Los Angeles-based media platform and publication known as the force behind numerous progressive initiatives, including Earth to Paris, PepsiCo’s Refresh campaign, the Sports Matter campaign with DICK’S Sporting Goods that broke employee engagement records and won GOOD a Clio, and the Starbucks community outreach project that enabled customers to direct $4 million from the Starbucks Foundation to fund 124 local and national nonprofit organizations.

Positive Prognostication: Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten on BAMTech and the Business of Baseball

By Paul Feinberg

“The baseball business has never been stronger,” said Stan Kasten, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers. “We bought the team for $2 billion five years ago and everyone perceived it was too much. But we spent so much because it was worth so much more.” Kasten’s proclamation came during his keynote conversation with UCLA Anderson Professor Sanjay Sood at the 2017 Pulse Entertainment, Sports & Technology Conference held in Korn Convocation Hall.

The discussion covered a range of topics, from baseball’s business practices and innovations to the Dodgers’ prospects for the upcoming season. The former largely revolves around the quality and quantity of content the sport has to offer.

“We have more live attendees than other major sports put together,” Kasten said. “That made our digital business better because we have so much more content.” He noted that the Major League Baseball’s “At Bat” app allows fans to access games, news and highlights via their smart phones and tablets wherever in the world they find themselves. Kasten also talked about baseball’s decision to unify its content. “We made the decision in 2,000 to merge all the digital intellectual property. Everything was tightly controlled to the benefit of everyone.” That effort, known as Major League Baseball Advanced Metric (MLBAM) led to the spinoff media company BAMTech. Disney invested $1 billion in BAMTech last summer; the media giant now owns 33 percent of BAMTech with an option to become a majority stakeholder.

A Standout Visit to a South Africa Leadership Training Program Brought Social Entrepreneurship into Focus

The common area of Red Bull Amaphiko's Academy in Langa township, South Africa (Photo: Heartbeatmedia)

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By Bradley McGough (FEMBA ’18)

When UCLA Anderson’s summer global immersion programs were announced, the Center for Global Management-sponsored trip to South Africa intrigued me. I hadn’t ever been to the country, but had heard great things. The course topic was Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, led by Gayle Northrop. Now, I had no idea what “social entrepreneurship” was, but I had great interest in startups, and South Africa was home to safaris and shark diving, so I applied.

As the lecture component got underway at UCLA, we spent a lot of time researching South Africa and talking about what defines a social enterprise. I found that my eyes were opening up to a world I didn’t know existed. While discussing the itinerary for our trip, Professor Northrop told us about the companies we’d be visiting, and that’s when I started to really get excited. These companies were doing amazing things for society and they were making money.

Learning about them in class was one thing, but visiting them in person was so much more motivating and inspiring. I could go down the list, one-by-one, to talk about how great each company visit was; instead, I’ll focus on the one that stands out the most: Red Bull Amaphiko. Yes, it is the same Red Bull that makes the energy drink you guzzle while pulling all-nighters.

AT&T’s Cynt Marshall Is a Leader in “Leading with Values”

 

View the full gallery of photos from Velocity

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By Carolyn Gray Anderson

She’s spent her 36-year career with AT&T, holding the title of SVP of human resources and chief diversity officer since 2015; but it wasn’t the telecommunications field or the company, specifically, that ignited Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall’s early passion. Marshall’s passion is simply what she brings to whatever she does, wherever she goes — to work, to higher education, to her son’s swim meet, to surviving colon cancer and, last week, to a stage at UCLA Anderson in front of 400 people she literally brought to their feet.

Introduced by Anderson Women board member and Velocity conference co-chair Sherry Jackman (’10), Marshall gave the audience a post-prandial shot in the arm for the second year in a row. “To say she’s back by popular demand is a complete understatement,” said Jackman, followed by loud applause. AT&T was the presenting sponsor of Velocity, the UCLA Anderson Women’s Leadership Summit, whose theme was Empower Together. An enormous component of the company’s generosity was sending Cynt Marshall (and a cheering section of AT&T staff) to represent. Among her prominent colleagues are UCLA Anderson alumni John Stankey (’91), CEO of AT&T Entertainment Group, and Norberta Noguera (Riordan Fellow ’95, FEMBA ’01), vice president of AT&T’s security and advanced applications.

Paramount Television President Amy Powell Rewards “Strong, Tenacious Women” Like Those Who Influenced Her

View the full gallery of photos from Velocity

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By Paul Feinberg

Amy Powell (’05) president of Paramount Television and Digital Entertainment, was the morning keynote at UCLA Anderson’s second annual Velocity Women’s Leadership Summit, whose 2017 theme was Empower Together. Powell used the specifics of her own life and career to illustrate universal lessons for those gathered.

Powell grew up in “a household of very strong influences, parents who encouraged her to go out and get what she wanted,” and she was inspired by a close relationship with a grandmother who was “the epitome of a strong woman.” Those influences infused Powell with a confidence that enabled a recurring theme in her life: moves that took Powell outside her comfort zones.