What a Director of Finance at Paramount Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Entertainment Industry
Tim, a Director of Finance at Paramount, emphasizes the crucial need for patience and diligent work in the niche studio business, stating that "it's not going to be something that's overnight." Success requires years of absorbing industry knowledge and consistently working harder than peers to overcome the steep learning curve.
Patience, Hard Work, Business Knowledge, Learning Curve, Work Ethic
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Tim Gardner
Director of Finance
Paramount
University of Scranton 2008
UCLA EMBA Class of 2023
Finance
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Finance
Video Highlights
1. Patience is crucial for success, especially in niche industries like the studio business. Building the necessary business knowledge takes time.
2. Hard work is essential. Success rarely comes without significant effort and a strong work ethic.
3. Working harder than others helps you overcome the learning curve faster and achieve faster results in your career
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
Patience is critical. It's very difficult to be successful in a business without the foundational business knowledge. The studio business, in particular, is quite niche.
There aren't that many huge studios across the country; they tend to be segmented in certain areas. So, being impatient as you build that knowledge means not expecting overnight success. It will take years.
Just be patient as you absorb information about the business. The other thing I'll say directly is that you need to work hard. You need to work honestly, and you need to work harder than others.
This has to be part of your work ethic. You'll notice that very rarely is anyone successful who isn't working hard. Nine times out of ten, it's someone willing to put in the effort, and there's no way around it.
When you work harder than others, you also get past the learning curve faster. That's where the benefit and the return come in.