Manager of Movie Industry Technology
He followed his parents’ advice to launch his first career but eventually he took a reasonable risk to begin a practical business route, working within an industry involving his lifelong passion: movies.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
KD’s father was a college professor; his mother was a nurse. Together, they ‘nudged’ him toward college and a career as an electrical engineer, though not a traditional career path for an African American.
CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER
Movies were a passion for KD since his childhood. He spent most Saturdays at the local movie multiplex. When it came to picking a career, his parents insisted on practicality – hence his dutiful decision to study electrical engineering at the university level. Always a hard-working student, KD set his sights on doing well in school to follow his parents’ wish.
EDUCATION
Following high school, KD earned his Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from a university and then a Master’s in Business (MBA) degree from that same university’s graduate school.
FIRST CAREER PATH – ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
This path lasted only the four years KD studied electrical engineering in college. Earning that degree served as a ‘fall-back’ career path if KD’s pursuit of involvement in the movie business never developed.
SECOND CAREER PATH – INVESTMENT BANKING
Self-assessing that his interest and talent were oriented more toward business organization than the artistic, creative side of the movie business, KD’s first adult job was as an associate with an investment banking firm, where his focus was the business side of film production.
KD’s exposure to the need for the movie industry to earn profits was helpful to his future career path but his early learning process about the business side, served to convince him that he wanted to work inside rather than outside a film production company.
INTERNSHIP AFTER PUSHING FOR AN IN-PERSON INTERVIEW
KD was on crutches after breaking his ankle playing basketball, but he had no time to sit around, waiting for his ankle to heal because he had adopted a self-imposed deadline to change his career path from electrical engineering to the ‘wild and woolly’ move business. He interviewed all over Hollywood for jobs within the movie industry but was rebuffed. Just as he was about to give up, he heard about an internship in the DVD department at Disney. It was supposed to be a phone interview, but KD pushed to meet in person. “I wanted to be in the room,” he said. The low-level Disney executive conducting the interview, BC, hired him nearly on the spot. “I’m not here today without that,” KD said later. “It changed everything.”
By coincidence, BC rose through the company over the next 20 years, to become the Walt Disney Company’s chief executive, often involved in promoting KD to work with him (Editor – not out of coincidence or friendship but because the opportunities were earned), first in business development for Disney’s consumer products and eventually to movie distribution strategy, which would affect both Disney’s business oriented and creative employees.
CHALLENGE – SKEPTICISM FROM LONG-TIME EMPLOYEES YOU’RE ASSIGNED TO MANAGE WITHOUT HAVING THEIR SAME CAREER EXPERIENCE
The chief executive officer who promoted KD to head Disney’s global operational and profit-and-loss responsibility for Disney’s streaming service, involving managing employees whose skills and interests are focused on the creative side of the movie business, has full confidence in KD’s ability to deliver profits on the business side while keeping the creative side motivated with their roles. “KD is a ‘Renaissance man’. When you combine his experience and incredible business sense with his love for the art of storytelling and deep respect for the creative process, it’s a recipe for success.”
Others have been less convinced that KD is ready for this big of a job. Some inside Disney were stunned by his promotion, noting that KD had only been in his previous role as President of the smaller consumer products unit, for six months. “People who come from operations are not always sensitive to the heartbeat of our business, which is talent,” said an agent for one of the actors often hired by Disney. So, because the agent knew she would soon be working with KD on behalf of her clients, she decided to learn more about him. “I made a concerted effort to get to know KD and have been pleasantly surprised,” she said. “He is brimming over with high levels of EQ (emotional intelligence) and yet he doesn’t pretend to know everything. He’s curious and listens. And most of all, I am convinced that he really does love movies.”
The agent’s impression is accurate: KD is known for peppering conversations with movie lines, sometimes playfully testing subordinates to guess from which movie a famous phrase was born. KD collects original movie posters and is capable of discussing movie plot intricacies ranging from historical fiction to teen focused, to sports related, to ethnic movies. KD has attended the Sundance Film Festival 21 times. “He has seen more movies at Sundance than almost anyone, and he does it because he loves it” said a fellow Disney executive.
Though KD noted some early skeptical attitudes among employees he was promoted to manage, he never displayed any problem with it. “I’m comfortable being uncomfortable,” said KD. “I try to get up to speed quickly, working very hard, trying to understand as quickly as possible what the needs are, knowing that I don’t have to be the expert in the room. I only need to manage experts.” (Nine people currently report directly to KD. They have an average of 18 years’ experience with Disney, in contrast to his much shorter tenure in a different Disney unit.)
CAREER SATISFACTION
KD’s current career path as an entertainment executive, incorporating his engineering background, business judgment, people management skills and his passion for movies, is far from over. But already KD’s story demonstrates that passion and business can be mixed well if an individual is willing to listen to people with more specific experiences while trying to understand the issues to keep those you must manage, both positively energized and mindful that the goal of any business is to be profitable.
Editor’s note – KD has achieved career satisfaction to date by unintentionally following the wisdom of the esteemed American poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, within his poem entitled:
“Success”
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children.
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends.
To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others.
To leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition.
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.”
This career story is based on a news article by Brooks Barnes, published in The New York Times on 6/27/22, which made no reference to Emerson’s poem which the Editor of this career stories collection deemed appropriate for inclusion.
