Yiqun Li

University of California, Riverside, School of Business | A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM)

“I believe in dreams and in the determination of pursuing dreams.”

Hometown: Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China

Fun Fact About Yourself: Besides being a professional private equity investor in the movie industry, I’m also enthusiastic about movie dubbing and voice acting. On my own channel, I have dubbed more than 1,000 video clips from hundreds of movies, television series, and cartoons. I enjoy expressing my own interpretations of a movie or of a character through dubbing, and by doing so, I feel like I’ve gained a whole lot of different life experiences.

Undergraduate School and Major: Beijing Foreign Studies University, Korean language

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Tianhua Enterprise Management Group, vice president

What word best describes the UC Riverside MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far? It must be “proactive.” In my opinion, proactivity is in the genes of UCR MBA students. The students and alumni I’ve met so far are all so proactive about everything, and they are always well-prepared, whether facing a new course or trying to achieve something different and embracing challenges. You can feel the energy and determination; and no matter how hard or impossible the task or assignment is, they will give whatever it takes to make it success. My peers started preparing for job interviews on Day 1, and they are eager to discuss the group assignments way before the class has started. As part of the class of 2024, I am enjoying my MBA life with these proactive and energetic people.

Aside from classmates, what was the key part of UC Riverside’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The resources for career development and the down-to-earth vibe is what led me to choose UCR’s MBA program. The university has made great achievements in social mobility, which means students here are truly able to change their lives. From faculty to students, AGSM’s focus is not just on academic results; they also care about our employment opportunities. Many job fairs, employment workshops, and other events are offered, and resources, such as the Career Development Center and Handshake, are always available for students seeking opportunities.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at UC Riverside? I personally enjoyed the Information Systems course. I had been in the venture capital industry for three years, and internet start-ups were my main field of investment. In this course, the professor teaches not only coding and visualizing, but also the foundation of the information industry, business logic, and models. All of these are so practical and helpful for understanding how product managers think and how business is created using information systems. The way we learn to code is also very creative and easy. And, for those who have no background in computer science or information systems, it is also easy to start with this instruction and put the knowledge into real-world business practice.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: As the vice president of the leading Chinese movie investment private equity company, I built a research model based on the movie industry data and set up a new system of investment strategies. By applying those strategies and through the detailed analysis of all theatric release-related indicators and market statistics, I accurately predicted the trend of Chinese blockbusters. As a result, the company and the funds I managed had successfully invested in every year’s top-three movies in China over four consecutive years and grossed more than 30 billion RMB ($5 billion) at the box office. I managed two private equity companies within the group and oversaw more than 100 funds and more than 14 billion RMB ($2 billion) in assets. I also invested and incubated the largest filming equipment rental company in China, which is also the largest in Asia, with a total of more than 1 billion RMB ($138 million) in equipment assets, such as cameras, lenses, cranes, trollies, etc.

 Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? I would say creating a new business idea and leading my group to make a practical business plan is my options—monthly, quarterly, per semester, or yearly—for students. At biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far. During the Information Systems course, the professor encouraged us to come up with a new, workable business idea. I am so proud to be the one who had a great and unique idea, which is both practical and likely to make profit: A rental service for high-end technological products—such as computers, drones, and entertainment equipment—exclusively to college students at a competitively low price. By subscribing to customizable variable services, students could affordably rent expensive and fancy tech items for school or other projects. The rental service would provide payment the end of the rental period, users can choose either to return the product or purchase it at a fair price. Leading a group of my excellent classmates to work on the business plan and achieve our goal was a great experience because we are future managers and CEOs.

What is your class’s favorite hangout away from school? Why do you gather there? Huntington Beach. As one of our MBA professors said, pursuing an MBA is about business and that mindset, but it is also about enjoying life. AGSM held a series of amazing orientations, welcome events, and a bonfire party at Huntington Beach, which certainly taught us how to enjoy life while studying. After that, we have hung out a lot at this beautiful beach. Walking around the beach, listening to the sound of waves, and feeling the power of nature really gives us inspiration. It’s also a good place to release pressure after a week of classes and assignments.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? I spent the last five years in investing and financing for Chinese movies, and I realized that the content creation and production management in the Chinese movie industry are still in their infancy. As I looked at strategy management, it was not surprising to find out that almost every big movie company or institutional investor has a lack of foresight and strategy, let alone effective implementation of such strategy. Most are either keen on pursuing the latest hot topic or content to simply follow suit.

Therefore, it was the appropriate time to resume my academics and develop strategic thinking skills and improve my leadership of management. I wish to become the chief strategy officer for a large Chinese movie company, where I would provide leadership showcasing how best to apply strategic thinking to help Chinese movie content creation and risk mitigation. With a global perspective, I would help the company create more diverse, trend-leading, and popular movies beloved by audiences.

In the future, I would like to start a new movie company based on my own concept and become the CEO. Using the most advanced production management methodologies and strategies, I would build a producer- and story/content-centered movie company and make content that would appeal to diverse audiences around the world. I would also like to introduce more financing models that are commonly-used in the U.S. for completion guarantee of my movies. And by doing so, I would find a way to improve Chinese film finance. Based on my understanding of local markets and audiences, I believe that I will make a real difference in the development of the Chinese movie industry.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE UC RIVERSIDE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MBA CLASS OF 2024