137: Maintaining Creative mindsets in Fast Past Working Environments

Catalyst is a Creative Industries podcast, from Chapman University. Each episode features Chapman students who have completed a Podcasting course through the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries at the university. Students who had no podcasting experience or technical ability in the genre before taking the course were able to contribute all the segments to Catalyst this season with the goal being that they will take this ‘hands-on’ experience and carry it over to the launching of their very own series. Each episode of Season 15 will feature one to two different interviews conducted by CCI students, exploring different aspects of the Creative and Cultural Industries.

Lizbeth Alvarez, Corporate Communications Manager at Warner Music Group, starts us off today when she sits down to speak with Madeline White. Lizbeth traces her career path from broadcast journalism student to PR professional, crediting a pivotal narrative writing class with sparking her love of storytelling and brand communication, and reflecting on the mentors who shaped her along the way. Lizbeth opens up about the fast-paced, ever-changing environment of working in entertainment and one of her proudest professional moments: helping emerging country music songwriters gain the recognition they deserve. Looking ahead, she predicts that nostalgia, authenticity, and technology will drive the next wave of audience engagement, and she closes with advice for aspiring PR professionals that says it all: market yourself the same way you have practiced marketing others.

Mia Reyes helps to conclude our episode via her conversation with Sophie Roth. Sophie, who is an Assistant to the Chairman and CEO at a major global sports, music, and entertainment marketing and talent agency shares the projects that have excited her most. She and Mia discuss the skills that define success in the role, and Sophie also speaks directly to students who feel lost in their post-grad search, reminding them that everyone's timeline looks different and that her own path involved a healthy dose of luck.