The entertainment industry is a good place to find examples of successful leaders. As a class assignment at Full Sail University, I collaborated with two other students to discuss whom our entertainment mentors are and how we believe they have similar characteristics.
George Lucas, Dr. Dre and Mathew Knowles may seem like they have nothing in common, but after looking at their careers, they are similar in many ways. Obviously, all three are successful businessmen, but they also have extreme influence within their respective fields. Plus, their attitudes and self-discipline are leadership traits that have made them successful.
George Lucas has been able to capitalize on people’s imagination. He is most notable for his Star Wars movies and the impact they have had on the way people think and act. He has also played a factor in the development of technology. Lucas is a renown producer who has collaborated with many successful directors such as Steven Spielberg, Jim Henson and Francis Ford Coppola. He has inspired such films as ET and Indiana Jones, which both are famous for allowing people to suspend their imaginations. Lucas has also inspired many video games and secured his position as a director and producer with an incredible vision for the future.
Andre “Dr. Dre” Young is a legendary producer; businessman and pioneer in hip hop music. He was the original music producer for the legendary “gangster rap” group NWA. In 1991 he later formed Death Row Records with the notorious Suge Knight. Death Row Records was home to legendary artists such as Snoop Dogg and 2pac. He is the current owner of Aftermath Records, and is responsible for finding multi platinum talent Eminem, 50 cent, and most recently Kendrick Lamar. Today Dr. Dre is best known for his newest business venture Beats Electronics, LLC with Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records chairman Jimmy Iovine and music cable company Monster. As of 2011, the Beats by Dre Company have 53% of the $1 billion market (Mitchell 2012). The Beats by Dre brand has expanded from just headphones into cars, computers and smartphones. This type of move takes broad vision in order to balance all of these career decisions. I feel that Dr. Dre’s accomplishments are not only admirable but can be used as a template for others who want to use their leverage to move their brand into new arenas.
Mathew Knowles is a prominent music executive that is most notable for being Beyonce’s father and Destiny’s Child’s manager; however, he is a reputable force in the entertainment industry in his own right. I admire Knowles’ ability to set his own path in business that secures his longevity in an often fickle industry. As CEO of Music World Entertainment (MWE), which is an independent entertainment company and record label, he has taken his career into his own hands. He not only manages the careers of many successful artists, such as the solo careers of each of the members of Destiny’s Child, but he has grown MWE into many different sectors of entertainment such as movies and television. Most interesting to me is the creation of Music World Gospel, which is currently one of the most successful independent Gospel music labels in the world. His career is to be admired and studied by all who are interested in holding any stake in the entertainment field.
Mitchell, G. (2012). Dr. Dre. Billboard, 124(23), 28-29.
Maxwell, John C (1993) Developing the Leaders Within You, Nelson Business publishing
Collins, L. (2013). The gospel music industry round-up 2013. Los Angeles: Eye on Gospel Publication. Retrieved from http://www.gospelroundup.com
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