Name: Atorina Samuel

Position: Coordinator, Production Finance

Company: Netflix

Degree: MBA ’20, Entertainment Concentration

What excites you about this company? 

I am excited to be working at Netflix because it is both a studio and a tech company that uses data to back both their business and creative decisions. They are also constantly innovating and not afraid to disrupt themselves and their usual way of doing things in order to be more efficient or effective. They have a unique company culture that allows for lots of individuality, the freedom to make your own choices and the space to learn from your mistakes. I look forward to joining the production finance department specifically because I will learn the decision-making process of how budgets get allocated for different feature films. Coming from production accounting, this will be more large-scale and will give me a bigger picture perspective from the studio side. It is also very exciting because I use the product every day and genuinely enjoy the content they produce.

How did you strategize landing this role? 

In this industry, in particular, I’ve noticed landing a job is a combination of experience, education, and a little bit of luck. As soon as I started the MBA program, I was taught the importance of networking and the benefits that come with creating strong personal connections in your professional life. I was always nervous about going about things the wrong way, but I made it a habit to set up informational interviews with those in my network that worked for a company I wanted to work for or held a position I wanted. I never pushed anything in these conversations, but I knew it was important to communicate my interests and what I was looking for in a career. Most people were very helpful and offered other colleagues I could speak to or to take a look at my resume and eventually pass it on. My job came from a friend I spoke with a year before she reached back out to me about this open position. It may take time, but you never know when something will open up and they will remember your conversation.

Give students some career advice for anyone looking for an internship/job in this market (based on what you did)

It is important to create positive personal connections with your peers. Half the work of landing a job is getting people to like you. I take that to mean making genuine connections, not a one-sided relationship that will only benefit you. Take interest in those around you and they will eventually be the people who are in the positions you want or at the company you dream of working for. A professor at Dodge once said to remember that the students in your program are your future colleagues, and that stuck with me. I think it is important to just work hard, be genuine, be clear about your intentions and try to help each other out. There is enough room for everyone.