Madison Square Garden's VIP Services Coordinator is a 2014 SAEM Alumna Thursday, September 1, 2016
Meet Meredith Savage
Job title: VIP Services Coordinator
Organization: The Madison Square Garden Company
Degree earned: Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management
Graduated: May 2014
College activities: SAEM Club
Scholarship from Point Park: Presidential
Hometown: Sylvania, Ohio
High school: Notre Dame Academy
Now living in: New York, N.Y.
Hobbies/interests: HAMILTON, going to see Broadway musicals, going out to dinner and trying new restaurants and cooking
LinkedIn: Meredith Savage
Update: Meredith is now a VIP Services and Hospitality Specialist at The Madison Square Garden Company
-- Robert Carter, Director of VIP Services, Madison Square Garden
"When I visited Point Park, it was my first time to Pittsburgh, and I fell in love with the city and the SAEM program."
-- Meredith Savage
As a native of Northwest Ohio, what attracted you to Point Park?
A career in theatre or arts was certainly my plan when I graduated high school. I wanted to be involved in theatre/arts but I knew I did not want to be on the performing side of the business. The sports, arts and entertainment management major at Point Park was exactly the type of program I was looking for when searching colleges.
When I visited Point Park, it was my first time to Pittsburgh, and I fell in love with the city and the SAEM program. I knew that I wanted to move to NYC after graduating college, and the city of Pittsburgh was a great size and offered the opportunity to get used to living in an urban area before moving to NYC.
How did you land your position with Madison Square Garden soon after graduating in 2014?
I was incredibly fortunate to spend my last semester of college in the student associate program in the VIP services department at Madison Square Garden. This was a wonderful experience, which really allowed me to build on much of what I learned in the SAEM program.
A few months after completing the program and graduating, a full-time position in that same department opened and they reached out to me. I went in for an interview in September, and, on October 6, 2014, I started the job.
How has the SAEM program prepared you to work and live in NYC?
All of the SAEM faculty members are top notch. Teresa Gregory was my advisor and helped me find various internships and provided great direction for a career path.
David Rowell showed me how to look for internships and jobs in different performing arts centers across the country. I visited NYC with the SAEM Club during my sophomore year for the Performing Arts Managers Conference. This trip solidified my plans to live in NYC. I only wish I had joined the SAEM Club my freshman year!
Also, although I did not know it at the time, the Ticketing class turned out to be the most valuable class for me. This class led to a number of great internships and invaluable experience, which helped me get to my current position!
Please list the various internship and career-related experience you had throughout college.
- VIP services student associate, The Madison Square Garden Company
- Assistant box office manager and box office/marketing intern, The Croswell Opera House
- General management intern and job shadowing, Attack Theatre
- Administrative intern, Quantum Theatre
Share with us a favorite Point Park memory.
One of my favorite memories from Point Park was when I went to NYC for a week for the Performing Arts Managers Conference and being able to spend almost a week living in NYC. I fell in love with NYC during that trip and knew that I had to move there after graduation.
Do you have a favorite quote?
"It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap." — Wicked The Musical