H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference - Alternative Careers in Entertainment

What's Next in Alternative Careers in Entertainment and Media

How do you know when it’s time to pursue your personal passion and forge your own career path? How do media and entertainment companies plan to inform and entertain the masses in upcoming years? What are media companies doing to stay ahead of the curve in the face of globalization, decentralization, and digital & social media? What does it take to break away from the traditional post-MBA career path to pursue a career in media? Entrepreneurs and executives in media and entertainment offer their advice on pursuing careers in the industry.

Panel Speakers

Dan Reed, President, NBA Development League

As President of the NBA Development League, Dan Reed is responsible for the league's business and basketball operations. Under Dan’s leadership, the league has grown to an all-time high 16 teams, established a national broadcast partnership with VERSUS and a relationship with AOL Fanhouse, set record attendance, and experienced strong growth in sponsorship revenues, all while team valuations have quadrupled. Former NBA D-League players now make up 20 percent of all NBA players, with GATORADE Call-Ups reaching an all-time high during the 2009-10 season.

Dan spearheaded several innovative new initiatives to drive the league’s growth, including the new Single Affiliation Partner program, which creates the opportunity for mutually beneficial, one-to-one relationships between NBA and NBA D-League teams; NBA FUTURECAST, which allows fans around the world to watch all NBA D-League games online; and NBA Dream Factory, which showcases the league’s most talented players during NBA All-Star. In addition, Reed has overseen the successful expansion of the NBA D-League to the Northeast, attracting new teams in Portland, Maine; Springfield, Mass.; and Erie, Pa., in addition to new teams in Frisco, Texas and Reno, Nev. In 2009, Reed was recognized as a “40 Under 40 Rising Star” by Crain’s New York Business.

A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Dan earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and American Studies from Northwestern University and MBA from Harvard Business School. He received the prestigious Dean's Award for outstanding leadership in 2004. Prior to business school, Dan worked for A.T. Kearney in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., where he worked as a management consultant.

Zuhairah Scott Washington, Principal, Be Media LLC

Zuhairah Scott Washington is a seasoned business professional with over a decade of experience in online media, private equity, and strategy and business development. Currently she is a Principal at Be Media LLC, a strategic media consultancy and social innovation lab that operates at the intersection of creativity and business and a Director at TruthAids.org, Be Media's non-profit arm. She is the Founder of The Billion Dollar Girls Club, a financial empowerment platform for women (www.thebdgclub.com) and The Goodness (www.the-goodness.com), a DailyCandy-like newsletter for the socially conscious crowd.

Previously, she worked in London as the Director of Business Development for Europe's largest local search and review company with 17M uniques across six countries where she was responsible for business development and strategic partnerships. Prior to that, she was a Regional Vice President for MacFarlane Partners, a real estate private equity firm with $20B in AUM.

Zuhairah has held various positions at MTV, Booz, Allen & Hamilton, and Goldman Sachs and won several accolades including being named one of Washington DC’s Top 35 Under 35. Zuhairah writes for NBC's TheGrio.com where she covers stories related to business and personal finance and sits on the Board of the Harvard Business School Alumni Club of London. She has a BA from UCLA where she graduated magna cum laude and a JD and MBA from Harvard University.