Andrea Wong ’88, president of Sony International Production and an alumni of electrical engineering, gave a talk and Q&A this afternoon at the Stata Center. Wong spoke about her introduction to the world of entertainment, how big a risk it was to develop ABC’s The Bachelor, why she left Lifetime Networks, and how her MIT background was helpful in her career. Recurring themes from her talk included the importance of networking, following your passions, and having good timing and luck.
The talk was followed by a series of questions from the audience, ranging from asking for advice to asking about how a technology background is useful in the entertainment industry.
The following are a few quick quotes from the talk:
“Because I had an engineering degree and a business degree, it took me much longer to prove that I could be creative.”
“It’s an advantage that I went to MIT because people think you’re much smarter than you are, so take advantage of it.”
“Having an engineering or computer science background can only help as digital converges with entertainment.”
“It is sometimes not easy to pursue your passions. Go out there, meet people, read all about it.”
