Manuel Pires attended a four-day Harvard University course on Entertainment, Media, and Sports. The course, designed by Anita Elbers, costs $12,500 and includes lodging and meals. Pires applied Coase’s strategies to strengthen the business model of content creators in Brazil.
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This told essay is based on a conversation with Manuelle Pires, 32, a senior strategic partner manager at YouTube based in São Paulo. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I manage gaming partnerships for YouTube Brazil. Among them is Nobru, which has over 15 million subscribers. I attended university in Brazil, earned a graduate certificate in marketing from UCLA, and started working at YouTube in 2021.
For years, I have dreamed of going to Harvard University and studying with Anita Elbers. She is a rock star in the entertainment industry who designed the “Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports” course in 2013. I wanted to know what she teaches the world’s best executives.
I had the opportunity to take her course this year and it was amazing.
A 4-day course for professionals who are not enrolled at Harvard Business School
The course costs $12,500, includes all lodging and meals, and is worth every penny. Google paid for about 40% of the course as part of the company’s educational benefits program, but I had to pay for the rest myself.
In the online application, we ask what you want to learn from the course and what you can contribute to the class based on your previous experience in the industry. My main objective was to develop my leadership and strategic management skills. I wanted to understand global trends, challenges, and untapped business opportunities for the people I care for.
I really wanted to do it, so I spent an entire weekend working on my application, and it took about a month or two before I got word that I had been accepted. I drew from my experience helping celebrities and creators expand their online presence while developing new revenue channels for their businesses.
I flew to Boston in early June.
Approximately 80 people from various industries gathered from all over the world. My classmates were of different ages and at different stages of their careers, all the way up to CEOs.
I met people in the music and sports industries who had the same issues and challenges as me, such as securing exclusive content deals and managing distribution rights.
Another common challenge is talent management. There is a shared need to effectively contract, negotiate talent, and maintain strong relationships to ensure mutual growth and success.
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All students have their own room on campus and several rooms are attached to the apartment. Since study groups were made up of students from the same course, during working group time we discussed case studies before class.
There were some famous people in the same class as me.
My course included a former professional soccer player, a comedian, and a UFC champion fighter. They were there to learn the business side of the industry as they move on to the next stage of their careers.
It was really great to learn from these people and others who are more closely aligned with my industry. It was interesting to understand the perspective of U.S. executives compared to executives from other countries when it comes to content acquisition, distribution rights, and talent management.
I now have access to an incredible network of people from all over the world. The course has a WhatsApp group where we keep in touch. There is also a WhatsApp group for all Brazilians who have taken this course to network in the last 10 years.
The course was from Wednesday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm, and I had to read about 8 case studies in advance.
There is no option to take the course online. You must go to the venue directly.
I spent about two weeks reading all the material Anita sent me before I arrived.
It was very intense. Before the first day, we had to prepare answers and questions for each case, in addition to data and information.
I found the MrBeast case study the most interesting and useful for my work
Anita detailed MrBeast’s process of creating videos in-house, from writing the script to choosing the right script, pre- and post-production, and creating video thumbnails to test the numbers. He’s very data-driven.
He is considered a standard on the platform and I thought it would be valuable to learn how he builds a brand for himself rather than just making a profit.
Other case studies include Beyoncé, Lionel Messi and David Beckham
We also had two great guest lecturers. Karim R. Lakhani led an insightful session on AI and its role in the entertainment industry, and financial expert Christine W. Mugford presented an interesting case study on Beyoncé.
The instructors explained how these superstars, after rising to the top of their respective fields, are able to maintain their presence in the industry even if they stop performing or making music. This was related to my work with gamers and content creators.
Some of what we learned can already be put into action
I started implementing the strategies discussed during the BEMS course. I focus on diversifying our content to respond to changing audience preferences and leveraging data analytics to better understand these trends. I also encourage talent to collaborate across disciplines, which allows me to introduce them to new audiences and opportunities.
Another key strategy is to help creators launch their own brands to diversify their revenue streams. Creating products and services allows you to build more sustainable and resilient business models.
I’m very glad I took the course
This has helped increase my ability to help content creators turn their online presence into profitable businesses with diverse revenue streams.
Since I returned to Brazil, three people I know have applied for next year’s program based on my positive experience. This course is most beneficial to entertainment, music, and sports professionals, especially investors, celebrities, athletes, managers, and senior executives involved in business development, marketing, or strategic planning.
Have you taken a business course that changed the trajectory of your career? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com.