Behind the Scenes Club: Get Up Close and Personal with the Entertainment Industry | College of Business and Economics at CSUF (behind-the-scenes-club-get-up-close-and-personal-with-the-entertainment-industry)

A diverse group of Mihaylo College students outside Warner Bros. Television near Los Angeles on a trip sponsored by the CSUF Behind the Scenes club.

Mihaylo students visit Warner Bros. as part of the Behind the Scenes club, which seeks to prepare students for careers in hospitality and media.

The Mihaylo College Behind the Scenes club hosts networking events, industry tours and panel discussions relating to the tourism, hospitality and entertainment fields. Club President Maureen McLandrich ’18 (entertainment and tourism) discusses the club’s activities and how students can join.

With miles of beaches, theme parks and the world center of the movie industry, entertainment and tourism are major drivers of the Southern California economy. Los Angeles and Orange counties lead the state in related employment.

Behind the Scenes (BTS), a student club related to the Mihaylo Entertainment & Tourism Management concentration, offers business workshops and panels, socials and tours of entertainment companies; the club seeks to provide participants a well-rounded understanding of how the world of entertainment operates.

Building Business Skills

Like many Mihaylo-affiliated clubs, BTS helps students prepare for the work world through résumé development, dress for success and networking workshop events. BTS focuses specifically on the entertainment sector by bringing in industry guest speakers for these events.

“BTS socials allow students to build relationships with each other, permitting BTS and the entertainment and tourism concentration to form a community,” says BTS President Maureen McLandrich ’18. “This helps students in the classroom because the more they know people, the more outlets there are to learn and have fun.” Involvement also demonstrates interest in the field, which can help when looking for jobs.

Three students at a table representing the Behind the Scenes club at an event in the courtyard of Steven G. Mihaylo Hall at Cal State Fullerton.

Behind the Scenes is on hand at the beginning of each semester in the Mihaylo Courtyard to answer questions and register new members.

As in most fields, internships are often the door to success in the entertainment industry. BTS helps students attain these opportunities due to the concentration’s professional network. “When internship openings come up, we post them to our Facebook group and email me them to our members,” says McLandrich. “Among the employers that BTS members have interned with include Disneyland Resort, Paramount Pictures, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, TicketMaster, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Studios.”

Getting Behind the Scenes

“BTS tours are our biggest draw for students,” McLandrich says. “Within entertainment and tourism, there are two major subfields: media and hospitality. Every semester, we offer tours at companies that fall into both of these categories.”

Company visits this fall include Angel Stadium, Harkins Theatres, Morongo Casino Resort and Spa, Spotify and Warner Bros. Studios. On tours, students typically hear a presentation from a company executive, engage in a Q&A session and get a behind-the-scenes look at the facility.

Get Involved

Students may join BTS at the beginning of each semester, so the next chance to join is in January, when they will have a table in the Mihaylo Courtyard with a registration form and more information. BTS is designed for students who are either pre-business or declared entertainment and tourism majors. However, students of other majors may fill out a petition form for review by the club’s board. Dues are $35 per semester.

For more information, contact the club at [email protected], visit them online or check out their Facebook page.

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