Ann Welch: PBS
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I spent my summer in Washington, DC, at PBS (Public Broadcasting System) in the Ventures division, which focuses on how to add incremental revenue to the bottom line. I completed a strategy for the creation of a business development unit, a competitive analysis of online kids games, recommendations for the forecasting of bandwidth use, and business process requirements for the implementation of a film editing software. I learned about a whole new industry (public television), was given a lot of independence to work on my projects, and had a sense of ownership and pride about what I completed. My supervisor was great; he made sure to keep in touch on what I was doing, was enthusiastic about the work that I did, and worked hard to make sure that my work was substantive and MBA-level.
This Summer I worked at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. Sydney Opera House is governed by Sydney Opera House Trust, which is affiliated with the Australian government. I worked for Naomi Grabel, Director of Marketing and Development and a graduate of the Yale School of Drama’s Theater Management program. It was especially interesting to see how SOH is building its development initiative in Australia’s emerging philanthropic environment. I helped to initiate collaboration between several major local arts organizations in order to create a more cohesive and overt Sydney Arts Community. Through this project I helped establish a committee of marketing directors from the various local arts organizations and facilitated the conception and initial production of a Sydney Cultural Guide. It is hoped that the Cultural Guide project will serve as a launch pad for other future collaborative projects within the arts community.
This summer, I worked for both AMS Planning and Research and The Momentum Group. AMS is an arts management consulting firm focused on market research and strategic planning. I built a pro-forma model for a proposed Performing Arts Center in California and I conducted extensive research on New York City dance activity for a major arts facility.
In the context of users’ changing needs, the New York Public Library continues to redefine its mission. During my internship, I helped to identify and prioritize metrics for Senior Management to include in a monthly evaluation of the overall health of the organization. I researched and analyzed best practices of metric assessment within and outside the industry, and I met with key internal stakeholders to set monthly performance targets and to incorporate their interests into the design of the Library’s first balanced scorecard. The internship provided me with the incredible opportunity to combine my interests in culture and education with the quantitative and integrated management skills I’d honed in my first year at SOM.
On March 30, the Arts and Culture Club sponsored a trip to Long Wharf Theatre, a professional non-profit theater in New Haven, that included a discussion, tour and performance.