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Lights, Camera and Action on IPS

Narissa Dalla's interests in business and film have led her to the entertainment industry. Through internships both at Sundance Film Festival and with MTV she hopes to ultimately become a film producer. How have her experiences with Mason highlighted and defined her and strengthened her career skills? Narissa's thoughts are below:

dalla_1About Me

I am a junior majoring in Marketing with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Film Studies. Film and Business might seem like two diametric areas of study, but they are certainly relatable as anyone in the entertainment industry can tell you that it's 90% business and 10% creative. At the end of the day, powerful writing is essential to any business operation and I feel like my film background has equipped me with this creativity; to this day I have completed four films and three television shows.

In addition to my passion for screenwriting and filmmaking, I love to surf, play squash and golf, and travel. At the College, I am involved in several organizations such as the Finance Academy, Student Marketing Association, Alpha Kappa Psi, Alma Mata Productions Film Committee, and the Delta Delta Delta sorority. 

dalla_2Highlights

The main highlight from my Business School experience thus far was Simulation Week in the first semester of the program. Sim Week was one of the most difficult weeks of school but also the most meaningful and applicable to the real business world. In effect, it allowed me to apply and experiment with the knowledge I had learned in the classroom and put my education to the test. I think that it is the best possible way for students to learn business strategy so I'm thankful for the experience. And of course, who couldn't love the celebration of the completion of Sim Week, Masonfest, an event that brings all the undergraduate students and faculty together at Miller Hall.

Defining Moment

My defining moment was the business "Block" in the fall of my junior year. This semester was phenomenal, in that it introduced me to all branches of business from marketing to finance to business ethics. I also really enjoyed my group experience as it introduced me to students that I never else would have encountered and can now call my friends. Further, it taught me how to balance my time efficiently and obtain the important life skill of working with others on projects. Ultimately, it was a fantastic environment to freely bounce my ideas off my team members as well as approach projects and presentations from a different perspective.

dalla_3Future Plans

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to go into the entertainment industry. I got my first taste of the industry when I interned at Octagon Worldwide, Inc in the Athlete & Property Marketing. One particular project directly connected the entertainment and sport world, and gave me the opportunity to do substantial research on the entertainment industry and certain celebrities who would be in attendance.

As I did research and visited the Sundance Film Festival after my internship, I realized that I wanted to have a career in the business avenue of the entertainment industry and ultimately be a film producer. Slowly but surely, I secured an internship with MTV Networks in the Series Development and Production department in New York City for the following summer. MTV was an eye opening and certainly educational opportunity as it gave me insight through hands-on experiences. This internship reaffirmed my quantitative and qualitative interests in the industry. After graduation, I am moving to New York City and working at Deutsche Bank.