On September 26th, Rob Light spoke at the Whitman School of Management about his experiences in the music business and gave some valuable advice for future members of the entertainment industry. Rob Light is the managing director of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and is also the head of its music department. As a Syracuse University (Newhouse) alumnus, he was able to relate to the audience of students, telling us of his past SU experiences such as his involvement in the University Union. He told his story very casually, with a series of his past experiences along with lessons learned from those experiences.
Light began the story of his career with his first job in the entertainment business, a mail room deliverer for a talent agency. He was unpleasantly surprised by the dullness of his job in a supposedly glamorous industry, and became very discouraged about his future in the business. One day, one of his co-workers told him of a job interview he had for ICM Talent Agency. Looking for any opportunity to move up in the business, he then approached the interviewers without appointment and tried to convince them that he was the right person for the job. He ended up getting the job. Light then followed this story with the lesson: information is power. He used the information that his co-worker gave him to his advantage, and it paid off.
The next story Light told was his experience with the 70s group, the Bay City Rollers. The group, a client for the agency he worked for, was on a failing tour at the time. Light was sent by his agency to convince the band to stop the tour, and he knew that if the band thought that he was going to ask them to stop touring, they would ignore him. He gained their trust by supporting them and listening to their goals for the band. When they began to trust him, they asked him how they could achieve these goals, and he simply told them that they needed to cancel the tour, to which they agreed. Light’s lesson for this story was that listening is more important than speaking. By listening to and understanding the band’s motivations, he was able to gain their trust and get them to make the right decision.
Light’s third story was about a job opportunity that he once received. The company offering him a position told him about a plan they were proposing to create a cable network that would air music videos. He said that the concept would never work and turned down the job offer. This cable network ended up becoming MTV, which was obviously a huge success. Light’s lesson was that everyone’s career path will lead to forks in the road, and there is no right or wrong answer. He encouraged us not to worry so much about which direction to take in our careers because there are so many opportunities that could all lead to successful outcomes. Although he turned down what turned out to be a great offer, he ended up just as successful where he is now at CAA.
I learned a great deal about storytelling from attending this lecture. I learned that in storytelling, it is good to include some kind of lesson or moral to the story. This gives the story meaning rather than just being for the sake of entertainment. Rob Light used the lessons that he learned through his life experiences to show how he got to where he is today. This method of storytelling served the audience well. As college students, we are at a time in our lives in which we are trying to decide our futures and often need guidance to do so. If someone can provide guidance simply by telling his life story, that is ideal. I also learned that good storytelling consists of answering questions about the story. Light answered any and all questions from the audience, and was willing to stay long after the lecture’s scheduled end time to do so. I learned plenty of additional information just from the many questions asked after Light’s initial lecture.
I found Rob Light’s lecture very informative and interesting. It is inspiring to know that someone who works at the top of the entertainment business once attended Syracuse University. He gave plenty of useful advice that I will be able to use in my future career in the entertainment industry.