MBA in entertainment/media/music industry

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I am planning to apply to Stern for round 2. I am interested in its Entertainment Media and Technology concentration. Here's my profile

Graduated from UC Davis in 2007, GPA 3.2

Worked as a Personal Banker at Citibank: 1.2yrs
Worked as a proprietary trader & M&A research intern: 2 yrs (none-paid during the recession)
Working as a Project Management Specialist at Allianz: 1.5yrs
Working as a Process&Compliance Analyst at Allianz: .5yr
Working as a Marketing Analyst at Profound Audio: 1yr

GMAT: 710 (Q51,V35)

I'm very interested in entertainment/music industry, as corporate strategy changed so much from the 90's when they profited selling tapes and cds. Whether I work for a big company such as Warner music or Sony, or start my own business, for me MBA is a must since I don't have much knowledge in the industry. I started working at a record label that my friend owns in order to learn the business, and to build my resume towards applying to Stern. I also reached out to few of the alumni who did Entertainment, Media & Technology concentration at Stern.

I understand that my career track has been somewhat not consistent but I finally found my passion and am trying to steer my career path toward music industry. I don't think my background is very solid, so I really need some advice on how I can strengthen my application. Some people also suggested me to focus on my project management and IT career track and don't bother mentioning about my interest in music on my application.
Please, kindly give me advice. Also, let me know if there are any other good schools that have entertainment industry focus. I know USC and UCLA are known for that but I'd like to stay in the east coast(I currently live in NY).

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by ivyctor2010 » Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:00 pm
Most crucial idea-flow behind your MBA app story is: Where do you wish to be in your career 5 or 10 years down the line? What have you done so far in that direction? How much interest do you have in your future career? Have you done any ground work in understanding your future career? If yes then it would bring a lot of credibility to your candidature.

Career change can be tricky but not if you handle it well in your MBA application. Now, consider this snapshot from application essay of an applicant - "I am a lawyer by profession and over a period of time I got interested in advertising. I attended a seminar on advertising and wanted to try my hands on it. I have shot 4 short videos and published it on social media. I see a huge potential in social media advertising as FMCG firms can get useful insights about their products and services..... ". Further you can talk about some more specific insights (they need not be number driven) - a genuine sense of enthusiasm should be brought out in your essays and interviews.

Work a lot on your essays, get them reviewed by multiple people, do a lot of iterations, and you will do well.
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by Jon@Admissionado » Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:48 am
Well if you aren't willing to move to the west coast, Columbia. Boston can also be a not bad destination. Not as colossal as NY of course, but plenty of smaller things going on esp. in Media and Communications.
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by whatjrohwants » Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:58 pm
Thank you very much Team Victor and Jon.
Jon, are you referring to BU or other schools in Boston? I did not know about media and communications growing in Boston, as I'm not familiar with other areas in the east coast except for New York. Could you be more specific about it? As far as I know, after some research, BU does not offer anything related to media&entertainment, nor has any club in that field. I would appreciate your advice.