UCLA Anderson School of Management Blog

Raising Storytelling Standards Is the Key to Social Impact

Entrepreneur Anna Bulbrook (center) took first place in the Impactathon pitch competition with her social impact project, GIRLSCHOOL, an annual music festival in Los Angeles

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Enjoy Photos from UCLA Anderson’s 2017 Impact Week, Purpose + Profit

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By Margaret Bliss

What makes a great social impact project? Now that I have an idea I think solves a problem, how do I present it to the world? How do I get others involved with my pro-social business?

Those were a few of the questions entrepreneurs were asking during UCLA Anderson’s annual Impact Week, particularly at the all-day Impactathon workshop held in collaboration with Innov8Social marketing consultancy. For answers, attendees looked to invited speakers who included Somya Munjal, founder of Youthful Savings; Andrew McDowell, founder of With Love Market and Café; Kaitlin Mogentale, founder of Pulp Pantry; and Innov8Social founder Neetal Parekh. In a nutshell, they seemed to agree, social impact is a niche that improves a community and actually makes a difference in the lives of those it touches.

Among Impactathon attendees’ primary goals was learning how best to tell their story. GOOD strategist Andy Morris introduced approaches and techniques from the South Africa-based Red Bull Amaphiko Storytelling Lab as an exemplar that “assists entrepreneurs in achieving their goals of effecting positive social change in their communities.”

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.”

Energetic PULSE Conference at UCLA Anderson

Left to right: Adam Leber, Reign Deer Entertainment; Scott Manson, SB Projects; Betty Tran, Insomniac Events; D.A. Wallach, Spotify; Mike Chua, Live Nation.

Enjoy our PULSE album on Flickr

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By Cheechee Lin and Bijan White

The annual PULSE Conference hosted by UCLA Anderson’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment, and Sports (MEMES) gathered together leaders in film, sports, music and media industries to discuss adapting strategies to address the challenges in ever-evolving business models.

Mike Hopkins (’01), CEO of Hulu, was the 2015 Game Changer Award recipient. During his opening keynote, Hopkins discussed Hulu’s strategy to grow subscribers and launch buzzworthy originals. Hopkins believes that the strength of Hulu, not to mention its main revenue source, lies in targeted advertising, and that people stick with Hulu because of accessibility and the variety of content available.

Andrew Goodman, AT&T’s VP of digital content, delivered the closing keynote, talking about the AT&T and DirecTV merger that transpired last year. Goodman says that DirecTV has a “clear value placed in sports and a very passionate fan base... You look for specific content to engage a passionate fan base, whether it be sports or other genres.” AT&T is also looking to invest in Mexico, as the Mexican market has favorable regulations and a growing middle class. The potential for cross-border broadband makes Mexico an attractive destination for global expansion. Goodman also believes that short videos distributed through YouTube, Facebook and Vine are becoming increasingly popular and represent a growing business opportunity.