Career Path Of A Director Of Content Operations At Entertainment Studios
Dillan Domadar, Director of Content Operations and Financial Analysis at Entertainment Studios, built a career in entertainment starting with independent film production and an internship at Freestyle Releasing, where they explored various departments before focusing on distribution. This led to a full-time role, leveraging the mentorship of industry veterans and contributing to over $50 million in revenue, showing a progression from "producing [their] first feature film" to overseeing the "marketing and distribution budgets" for successful movie releases.
Film Production, Entertainment Business, Marketing & Distribution, Financial Analysis, Strategic Planning
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Dillan Damodar
Director, Content Operations
Global Media Company
University of California, Irvine
UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA, Spring 2024
Economics, Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Operations and Project Management
Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Dillan's career path highlights a strong foundation in film production and a strategic shift towards the business side of entertainment. Starting with producing his own feature film, he recognized the importance of financial aspects and transitioned into film distribution, gaining broad experience in various departments like sales, marketing, finance, and operations.
2. His internship at Freestyle Releasing provided invaluable hands-on experience across multiple departments, showcasing the benefit of internships in exploring career options and gaining practical skills.
3. The acquisition of Freestyle Releasing by Entertainment Studios demonstrates the potential for career growth through company mergers and acquisitions. His current role highlights the successful application of knowledge gained in various departments, showing how a broad skillset can lead to senior positions such as Director of Content Operations and Financial Analysis. The impressive revenue generation further underlines the success and impact of his work.
Transcript
Please introduce yourself: your name, your role, and your company. Then, walk us through your career path, starting with your experiences in college. Share any internships or jobs you had before your current role, and specifically how you got your first job.
Hi there, thank you for being here. My name is Dylan Domador. I am the Director of Content Operations and Financial Analysis for an entertainment company called Entertainment Studios, a division under Allen Media Group, owned by Byron Allen.
I first got started in the industry right after undergrad. I went to UC Irvine and majored in film and economics. I was very interested in learning about the business of entertainment and film.
I began by producing my first feature film in 2010, with a small budget, produced independently. The hard work and collaboration it took to finish the film made me obsessed with the prospect of generating sufficient revenue to make a living.
This drove me to learn more about the business and understand the qualities and parameters by which content was acquired and films made a profit. This is where I found film distribution. I had begun doing a lot of production assistant work for music videos and other marketing and video content.
Eventually, I found a company called Freestyle Releasing, which was hiring interns for theatrical distribution. I was most excited to learn how to operate at the highest level for theatrical movies at the time. The team there was very supportive and allowed me to explore all facets of their departments, including acquisitions, sales, marketing, finance, and operations, which is where I found my home.
I eventually went on to be a full-time employee there. I first started in sales, working under the General Manager, Mike Simon. He came from his days at Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema, where he released big movies like "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Matrix" films. Under his wing, I learned a lot more about the business.
Freestyle Releasing was eventually acquired by Byron Allen's company, Entertainment Studios. They rebranded and invested in it to produce and release their own feature films theatrically. That's where I am now.
I work on releasing movies. We bring in new films that are acquired for a certain amount, and I build the marketing and distribution budgets for them. We execute that spend and hire all the marketing agencies, publicists, and creative vendors to make trailers, posters, and all the assets for a marketing campaign. We also come up with the distribution strategy.
My role is specifically to execute on that and ensure all parties involved, whether internal, external, or our clients, the film producers, have a well-run campaign and a successfully released movie. As far as contributing to revenue, pandemic aside, we generated over $50 million in revenue. We've done pretty well for ourselves so far.