Samantha Simon

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

“A joyous lifelong learner passionate about entertainment, promoting representation in business, and developing community.”

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Fun fact about yourself: I love to play Mah Jongg with friends and family and wrote my application to Marshall about the similarities between the game and business.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Scripps College, BA

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? American Express, Marketing Operations Analyst

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023? Roku, San Jose, CA.

Where will you be working after graduation? As I plan to work in the entertainment industry after graduation and much of that recruiting occurs just before one’s expected start date. I have not yet secured a position after graduation.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: President, Business of Entertainment Association; Marshall Leadership Fellow; AVP of Community, Marshall Graduate Student Association.

The highlight of my community work at Marshall has been my leadership in the Business of Entertainment Association. After being elected, I put together an Executive Board of 26 people and throughout the last school year, we executed 2-3 events per week for our 150+ members to learn more about the landscape and opportunities within the entertainment industry. We put together job treks, hosted smaller alumni networking dinners, provided interview and casing preparation, led an internal case competition, brought in a multitude of guest speakers, held an alumni networking event in collaboration with Graduate Career Services for over 200 alumni and students, and introduced the inaugural BEA Symposium – a full-day speaker series event. Having the opportunity to take on this role and helping my peers reach their full potential in a sector that I am passionate about has been an incredible and highly fulfilling experience.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of competing in and winning the National MBA Media and Entertainment Case competition from UCLA and Paramount Pictures. Participating in this competition was a labor of love as my team chose to focus on how Paramount can adopt AI to be more inclusive of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community on their platform. It was tremendously rewarding to gain recognition for something my team cared so much about and for which the process was so much fun. Additionally, this was one of the best teams I had ever worked on and gained friends and colleagues through this collaboration that I hope to have for a very long time.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career?  When I was at American Express, I was responsible for executing our Card offer for Amazon Prime Day and getting our advertising banners onto the Amazon website. It was a huge challenge for me because I was new to Amex and had to learn by doing. I built a new strategy for success based on the feedback of past Prime Day teams that I was just getting to know. When I presented it to them, the feedback I received was that they really felt we’d listened to them. Often times, when working with so many different teams, your project isn’t the number one item on their radar. However, the open management style that I took advantage of worked to my advantage because everyone understood the goals and the timeline with which we worked. Ultimately, I kept track of the results of the campaign and, by pooling everyone’s knowledge, our offer resulted in a 6% increase in spend on the card from the previous year.

Why did you choose this business school? After reflecting on my career before business school, I realized that so much of what I worked on was focused on one small detail of very large organizations. For example, I was creating a web banner for a marketing strategy that took a year to ideate. I wanted to attend business school to learn how to think about and solve business problems in a more macro way. I chose to come to Marshall specifically because after time spent at American Express, I realized how much I missed working in the entertainment industry, which was my first role out of college. Marshall embraced the entertainment industry in the way they approached education and extracurriculars; I knew Marshall could give me the tools to reenter the industry upon graduation. Also, because of Marshall’s smaller class sizes, I was confident they could teach me to take the step back I so craved and think more broadly about solving business challenges in a data-focused way.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite MBA professor was my finance professor, Scott Abrams. Scott had a background in finance at Sony before coming to Marshall. I was someone who lacked a strong finance base at the beginning of my MBA journey. Scott made this complex topic approachable and applied it to a subject matter I care about. Additionally, when I became President of the Business of Entertainment Association, he served as my faculty advisor. He was the best collaborator and teammate I could have asked for in this journey. 

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course in the MBA program was Leadership and Improvisation. In this course, co-taught by USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, we worked with two professors to learn the art of improvisation and tie it into how we want to behave as leaders navigating the complexity of business. As a freshly-minted club president, having the chance to reflect on my abilities as a leader and get out of my comfort zone was invaluable.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? My favorite MBA tradition from Marshall is their 100 Days Celebration. This happens when, 100 days before you are expected to graduate, the school puts on a beautiful dinner and party for its students. As Assistant Vice President of Community for Marshall in my first year, I saw how this tradition united the class ahead of me and honored their accomplishments. When it was my turn to participate in this tradition as a second year, I was overwhelmed by how proud I was to be a part of the Marshall community. The MBA class at Marshall is small. Because of that, we are a tight-knit community with shared values and experiences. It was a joy to celebrate that with so many of my classmates throughout the last two years.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? When I first began my MBA, I put off networking with Marshall alumni because it made me nervous to put myself out there. If I could experience the MBA program again, I would spend more time at the beginning honing my connections and being confident of what I could bring to the conversation. The Trojan Network is not only robust, but genuinely kind and excited to help. By the time I started this process, I realized how fun and interesting it was and wished I’d started sooner.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? My favorite part about living in LA while attending Marshall is without a doubt its incredible access to the entertainment industry. I moved from New York to be closer to this space and it was 100% the right move for me. I’ve had the chance to visit and learn from every major studio on their lot since I started at Marshall. We’ve brought countless alumni and industry experts to speak because we are in their backyard. I’ve even had the chance to go to a live taping or two. The learning opportunities for the entertainment industry in LA are abundant and being at Marshall makes them endless.

What surprised you the most about business school? I had always heard that the MBA was an incredibly social experience, but what I hadn’t expected was to meet friends and hopefully, future colleagues, whom I will admire and respect for life. Because Marshall is a smaller program, I’ve gotten to know roughly two hundred people incredibly well over the last two years and made a tight-knit group of friends I can’t ever imagine living without. People often say it’s challenging to meet new people after college, but the MBA has provided me with a community that I won’t ever let go of.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? The MBA classmate I most admire is Andrew Lung. Andrew has had two active leadership roles on campus both as the Admissions Ambassador Co-Director and as the Marshall Consulting and Strategy Club President. I had the profound privilege to watch Andrew take on these positions with grace and calm. While these two positions can be demanding, he always made time to coach other students and get involved in school activities. I often sought his advice in the last year as a President of another club on campus and he always would give me thoughtful responses. I am grateful for both his leadership on campus and for his friendship.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1) We are seeing a large amount of movement in the streaming landscape and, as someone who is business-oriented, this is an exciting space. I’d like to have the opportunity to work on the strategy behind either the creation or consolidation of a streaming platform. Using data to determine how consumers make choices and spend their money on entertainment seems like a task I would love to be a part of.

2) Being President of the Business of Entertainment Association has made me realize how much I love to coach and lead other people. Because of this, I hope to reach a high level of leadership during my career, which promotes mentoring others in a high-impact way.

What made Samantha such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“Samantha Simon’s contributions to the Class of 2024 have been nothing short of remarkable, clearly demonstrating her invaluable presence within our academic community. Her leadership as President of the Business of Entertainment Association (BEA) in which she led a 35-member board has been a tour de force in enriching the educational and professional landscape for her peers. Under her guidance, BEA and its board successfully hosted an impressive array of events, including 17 speaker panels, 13 career workshops, 10 job treks, nine social events, four networking sessions, three small group alumni dinners, two case competition events, and a memorable trip to the Sundance Film Festival. These events and initiatives have not only enhanced the learning experience but also fostered a vibrant community spirit and networking opportunities among students.

Samantha’s innovative thinking was notably evident when she pitched and managed the Career Journeys: Tech & Entertainment event, a collaboration with Graduate Career Services and co-hosted by the High Tech Association HTA and Marshall Interactive Gaming Association (MIGA). This event brought together over 200 students and alumni, showcasing her ability to bridge gaps between current students and alumni, thus enriching the academic and professional journey of those interested in the technology and entertainment sectors.

Her role in presenting the inaugural Business of Entertainment Symposium was pivotal. By bringing in 15 alumni to speak on various facets of the entertainment industry, she not only provided the student attendees with invaluable industry insights but also highlighted critical issues such as the dynamics of FAST, music industry trends, and the challenges faced by women in the sector.

Furthermore, Samantha’s strategic foresight in revamping BEA’s casing strategy, in collaboration with HTA and the Marshall Consulting & Strategy Club (MCSC), has led to the creation of a comprehensive casing guide as well as events specifically tailored for casing in the entertainment industry. This initiative has significantly enhanced the practical learning aspects for students, equipping them with the skills and insights needed to navigate the industry more effectively.

Sam is also helping us in our development of the entertainment track for the new Career Week course for the class of 2026. This underscores her commitment to academic excellence and her desire to help current and future students in the pursuit of careers in entertainment.

Lastly, her leadership in spearheading the internal Paramount Case Competition demonstrates her exceptional ability to motivate and guide students towards achieving excellence. Coaching two teams to the finals of the National Media & Entertainment Case Competition with Paramount Pictures, with one team securing the first-place prize, Samantha has proven her exceptional mentorship and leadership skills.

In summary, Samantha Simon’s dynamic leadership, innovative initiatives, and dedicated mentorship have made her an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024. Her efforts have not only significantly enhanced the academic and professional development of her peers but also contributed to the enrichment of our school’s community and culture.”

Scott Abrams
Academic Director, Full-Time MBA Program
Associate Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics
USC Marshall School of Business

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