Junior SAEM Major Lands Two Summer Internships in Live Entertainment Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Meet Adam Valen
Internships: Marketing Intern, Street Team Leader and Production Manager for Drusky Entertainment and Social Media Marketing Intern for Altar TV
Major: Sport, Arts and Entertainment Management
Expected Graduation: May 2015
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
High School: Taylor Alderdice High School
College Activities: SAEM club and guitar performances at Point Park as part of the indie rock band, Nevada Color
Hobbies/Interests: Music and spending time with family and friends
What factors made you choose Point Park?
I liked the idea of a sport, arts and entertainment management program and heard good things about Point Park. The major selling point for me was when I attended an open house at Point Park and met Professor Ed Traversari. He talked in-depth about the SAEM program and I learned about the different areas I could work in this business. I've always wanted to know what goes on behind-the-scenes in the music business and felt that the right opportunity to learn about that was here at Point Park.
How did you land both of your internships?
In the "Introduction to Sport, Arts and Entertainment Business" class, we are required to complete a pre-professional shadowing experience. I already knew someone who worked at Drusky Entertainment so I immediately chose that company to shadow. After the shadowing experience, I kept in contact with the staff at Drusky and this led to my internship with them.
As for Altar TV, I first learned about the company through my colleague Josh Bakaitus, who works at Drusky. Soon after, I saw an internship posting for Altar TV on the SAEM Facebook page and immediately jumped on it.
What are you working on this summer at your internships?
For Drusky Entertainment, I am out on the streets promoting upcoming concerts as well as helping to run the day-to-day operations of the shows as a production manager. I am also managing and promoting events on Drusky's Facebook page.
At Altar TV, I'm responsible for live tweeting from shows, managing their marketing table, selling merchandise and sending out press releases to a variety of outlets from MTV to indie music blogs.
What are the benefits of going to school on an urban campus?
It's been cool to commute into the city. There's always something to do in Downtown Pittsburgh and yet it's easy to get around. I enjoy going to Market Square between classes and I like that the campus is not too big, but also not too small.
What's been your favorite Point Park experience so far and why?
I've really enjoyed my event management and marketing and promotions classes. In the events management class, we co-hosted an event with the Pittsburgh Zoo called "Zoo U." I managed the entertainment committee and booked the band for the event. It was cool to jump right into the booking scene.
In the marketing and promotions class, our final project was to develop a full marketing plan for the band, The Lumineers. We presented our plans to Amy Cooper, marketing director at Stage AE, and then the plans were sent to the tour manager who selected the winner.
Where do you see yourself after graduation?
Ideally, I see myself working in live entertainment and concert promotions. I attended the Pollstar Conference in Los Angeles with the SAEM club this past semester. It was a great experience and inspired me to pursue work in L.A. after graduation.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
If you have an interest in live entertainment, you would definitely be interested in the SAEM program at Point Park. I've learned so much about the music business already.