top of page
Miriam, Scrum Master/Program Management Office at Film Studio: Advize Career Interview
A career in the entertainment industry's corporate side offers diverse and exciting opportunities, as evidenced by a successful Scrum Master/Program Management Office professional's journey.
Starting with an internship and leveraging networking, a path at Fox and Sony Pictures led to managing multimillion-dollar, multi-year projects with global teams.
This multifaceted role blends agile methodologies, financial expertise, and leadership, demanding strong listening skills, a big-picture perspective, and meticulous organization.
Daily work involves varied tasks including Scrums, budget analysis, and cross-time zone collaboration.
The most rewarding aspect involves project transformation and building solutions, while the biggest challenges include managing global communication and optimizing stakeholder time.
Aspiring professionals should focus on developing agile project management skills, networking effectively, and understanding basic finance; entry-level positions include internships, coordinator roles, and structured rotational programs.
Effective communication, particularly in delivering both good and bad news, is vital for success.
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Miriam Holzman-Sharman
Scrum Master/Program Management Office
Film Studio
UCLA
Masters of Business Administration, Loyola Marymount University (LA)
Communications
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Operations and Project Management
Watch all of this Advizer's videos below
Career Path of a Program Manager at Film Studio
Miriam's career began with an internship at a local TV station during college, leveraging networking opportunities prevalent before social media to break into the entertainment industry. After twenty years at Fox, progressing through various departments and earning an MBA, the professional transitioned to Sony Pictures, utilizing their project management skills in finance transformation despite lacking a finance background, "taking new processes and new technologies and bringing them together".
Main Responsibilities Of A Scrum Master In Program Management At A Film Studio
Miriam's role as Scrum Master/Program Management Office at a film studio involves managing a "multimillion dollar multi-year project," encompassing budget oversight ("tracking the budget...forecasting"), Scrum Master duties for agile teams, and providing leadership updates to executives and international stakeholders. This multifaceted role showcases their expertise in both agile methodologies and project financial management, demonstrating a career path blending technical project management with financial accountability.
A Day In The Life Of A Scrum Master And Program Manager At A Film Studio
A day for this Scrum Master/Program Management Office professional is highly variable, starting with a daily Scrum and including meetings across multiple time zones (the UK, Poland, and Los Angeles) due to the global nature of the project. The afternoons are dedicated to deliverables like budget analysis or leadership updates, showcasing the blend of collaborative and independent tasks inherent in the role, with "week to week [the] schedule [looking] very different" depending on the demands.
Most Important Skills For A Scrum Master Or Program Manager At A Film Studio
Miriam, a Scrum Master/Program Management Office professional in film, highlights the crucial skills for success as "listening," a "big picture view," and "good organization," emphasizing the importance of neutral communication focusing on "the deliverable and the work and not the person" to navigate potentially political situations. This approach, combined with experience and attention to detail, allows Miriam to effectively manage complex projects and diverse teams.
Favorite Parts Of Being A Program Manager At A Film Studio
Miriam, a Scrum Master/Program Management Office professional at a film studio, enjoys the "transformation" aspect of projects, specifically tackling complex challenges like optimizing large finance organizations. The opportunity to build solutions from a "blank slate," such as designing work streams to gather 50 data points from various departments and seeing the project's successful delivery, is what excites Miriam most about their role.
Biggest Challenges Faced by a Program Management Office at a Film Studio
Miriam's biggest challenges as a Scrum Master/Program Management Office at a film studio involve managing a global project's time zones— "there's no substitute for talking to someone in real time"— and optimizing stakeholder time on a mandated compliance project, striving to ensure every meeting is worthwhile and avoids the common pitfall of being "a complete waste."
Favorite Parts Of Working In The Entertainment Industry As A Finance Professional
Miriam's career in the entertainment industry transitioned from a hands-on role where "going on the lot" and witnessing productions like "How I Met Your Mother" filming was a highlight, to a finance position. Now, Miriam appreciates the "neutral" nature of finance, focusing on delivering results rather than the "political" aspects of other entertainment sectors.
What Type Of Person Thrives In The Film Industry, According To A Program Manager At A Film Studio
Miriam, a Scrum Master/Program Management Office professional in the film industry, distinguishes between the creative and corporate sides of entertainment, stating that their experience is solely within "the corporate world." They advise aspiring professionals to consider whether a corporate environment suits their personality and to develop a basic understanding of finance and accounting, regardless of career path, because "you need to understand a little bit, you need to be conversational in what accounting and finance means."
What a Scrum Master at a Film Studio Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Film Industry
Miriam's career progression highlights the importance of project management methodologies like Scrum and Kanban, which were skills she lacked initially despite extensive business experience. The advice Miriam offers aspiring professionals is to familiarize themselves with agile approaches and tools like Jira, stressing that understanding these frameworks, even at a basic level, provides a significant advantage in navigating the complexities of corporate roles and interpreting job descriptions accurately.
Entry-level positions for aspiring Project Managers at Film Studios
Miriam, a Scrum Master/Program Management Office professional in the film industry, highlights the evolving landscape of entry-level positions, emphasizing the increasing prevalence of structured, paid internships offering "lunches and learning events." Beyond internships, Miriam suggests exploring coordinator roles, junior project management positions, or even competitive rotational programs like Sony's finance associate program, which provides "mentoring and coaching" within a structured environment.
Significant Career Lesson from a Scrum Master at a Film Studio
Miriam's most significant career lesson centers on communication, emphasizing that "good news [travels] fast, bad news [travels] faster," requiring constant refinement of communication strategies. This includes understanding "who to tell what, when," adapting methods based on individual personalities and preferences, and mastering various communication channels, from memos to instant messaging, to achieve desired outcomes.
College Experiences That Helped A Scrum Master At A Film Studio Succeed
Miriam's key advice for college success centers on effective networking: "start building your network," using platforms like LinkedIn, attending alumni events, and reaching out to professionals with specific, actionable requests, such as, "Hey, can you refer me for this job?" instead of vague pleas for help. This approach, learned from experience and refined over their career, proved crucial in securing opportunities, even if the initial job search did not yield immediate results.
Advizer Personal Links
LinkedIn.com/in/miriamsharman
bottom of page