Students studying away at NYU Los Angeles have countless opportunities to jumpstart their careers in entertainment, from networking with those in their dream careers to learning from some of the business’s most successful leaders. One such opportunity was Breaking Through the Noise, a four-part workshop series last spring led by Billboard Women in Music 2020 Executive of the Year Brianna Agyemang. With her years of expertise, Agyemang helped to immerse students in music branding, a crucial skill for aspiring artists, managers, and music business professionals.
A dynamic force in the music industry, Agyemang began her career at Roc Nation, where she excelled in digital marketing and artist management. In 2017, she joined Atlantic Records as senior director of marketing, amplifying the reach of major artists. And in 2020, she took on a leadership role at Apple’s artist services platform, Platoon, overseeing the global marketing and streaming partnership teams. She also cofounded #TheShowMustBePaused movement, catalyzing industry-wide change and commitments of nearly half a billion dollars to racial justice.
“The music industry is constantly changing, so while the class syllabus is set at the beginning of the semester, a program like Breaking Through the Noise brings in real-life, real-time campaigns for the students to learn from,” shares Agyemang. “It also exposes them to new people who are working in the field that they want to get into.”
Breaking Through the Noise was the first iteration of the new NYU Los Angeles Teaching Incubator, an initiative that empowers seasoned entertainment industry professionals who are new to teaching, like Agyemang, to develop a curriculum and share their expertise with students. After each workshop, they receive feedback from NYU Los Angeles faculty members to help them improve their instruction.
“The Los Angeles program is so specifically geared toward professional development and providing students with opportunities to interact with people in the industry,” says Nina Sadowsky, director of NYU Los Angeles. “I like the idea of bringing people on to teach who have great life experience and great education, but might not necessarily have a teaching background because they have so much other rich context they can bring. Agyemang fit the bill in the greatest way.”
Three of Agyemang’s workshops were held online on Zoom, and one was conducted in-person during Professor Bonnie Greenberg’s course Music Supervision for Filmmakers and Creative Entrepreneurs. Attendees included current and former students at NYU Los Angeles as well as students in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development’s music business program and the Tisch School of the Arts’ Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. Through class discussion, personalized instruction, and videos from music industry guest speakers, Agyemang imparted her credible industry experience. She covered topics such as understanding the data tools available on social media platforms, the key aspects of artist identity, how to decide who to work with, and methods of gaining visibility for an artist and their releases.
“Brianna not only shared useful tips from her own experience of working with renowned musicians but also showed two videos recorded by her colleagues. It was truly inspirational to hear from them as well,” shares a student participant. “The workshop gave me the chance to ask Brianna questions regarding my own brand identity. I received great advice, which I think will help me build it in the right direction.”
Beyond the music business, opportunities to gain industry knowledge and experience are plentiful at NYU Los Angeles for students interested in other entertainment fields as well, including film, television, new media, gaming, and technology. All NYU Los Angeles students are required to have an internship, and staff members guide students toward companies that align with their career goals, such as Atlantic Records, Hulu, HBO, Warner Music Group, Sony Pictures, and Creative Artists Agency.
NYU Los Angeles also offers a voluntary mentorship program that pairs industry professionals with students based on their interests and professional aspirations. One-off classes, called Discovery Sessions, teach students practical skills such as financial planning for creative entrepreneurs. And through the Discovery Experience Fellowship, students conduct research in conjunction with a professional partner, presenting their findings to a panel of industry experts at the end of the semester. One recent panel featured television department members from the production studio A24, while others have included television executives and staff from major gaming companies like Ubisoft. This program and others like screenings and concerts featuring industry alumni provide students many ways to make important connections.
“We create events where students can meet the key players that they really need to meet,” Sadowsky explains. “We provide real-world skills and access to the people who are doing what they want to do, and we make it very fun and easy for them to participate.”
Written by Olivia Richter