During my six weeks with Reel Works, I was working on scaleup strategy for its Media Makers (MMKRS) program. Reel Works is a New York-based nonprofit that provides free, intensive in-school and after-school filmmaking workshops to youth, encourages youths from the underserved groups to tell their stories through filmmaking, and helps create pathways for diverse youth in film and television. The MMKRS program, the flagship program of Reel Works that focuses on job training and career exploration, has established partnerships with industry leaders such as HBO, Netflix, etc., and has created more than 150 intern positions a year. Increasing the scale of MMKRS is Reel Works’s first priority and most direct way of delivering its impact.

The project was a typical strategy consulting project, and I applied my knowledge in driving a consulting project through hands-on experience. During my MBA program with Columbia Business School, I focused on consulting by taking classes in consulting and joining the Management Consulting Association. I learned how to build frameworks to analyze problems and to break down a complicated task into several resolvable tasks. The methodology that I learned through my study at CBS helped me be able to navigate the project. At CBS, I was able to have a comprehensive education in business including strategy, finance, operation, leadership, etc. The comprehensive business knowledge that I learned at CBS gave me diverse perspectives to work on strategy. I also practiced soft skills, like leadership and communications working with staff from different management roles and taking the initiative to conduct client interviews.

There were two major challenges that I faced. The first challenge was communication. Reel Works is a nonprofit, and they have a very different language system than the business world. Therefore, communication was very challenging at the beginning. I initiated several talks with the founder and confirmed multiple times to make sure that we were on the same page regarding project goal and methodology and that I fully understood what Reel Works and the MMKRS program were doing. In the business world, scaleup usually relates to terms like revenue, number of users, or product volume. For nonprofit, social impact is the first priority. I spent quite some time to understand how the scale of social impact is measured. The second challenge was the remote working environment. It was hard for me to integrate with the team and since summer was the busy season for Reel Works it was hard to get time from other staff members. Strong and consistent initiative is important.

After graduation I am going to join McKinsey & Company, and I have been very interested in media and the arts, as well as nonprofits. But I barely had any knowledge of these industries. The first big takeaway is to understand my clients. Nonprofits have different missions, stakeholder structure, and professional language. I was rushing to start the project at the beginning, so my first and second draft of project outline were totally off point. After I realized how insufficient my understanding of my client was, I slowed down to take time to understand my client. I read through all the files, initiated talks with staff from different teams, and added time to confirm what I learned with the team. This experience also helped me learn about the filmmaking industry ecosystem, nonprofits in the United States, as well as the tremendous challenges in finance, operations, and the new ways of working and communicating brought by COVID-19, which will definitely help me handle the virtual working environment in consulting work.