Jake Daniels, MIT Sloan MBA Class of 2025
Jake Daniels, MIT Sloan MBA Class of 2025Age: 27
Hometown: Boston, MA – but was living in Los Angeles, CA before Sloan
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Northwestern University – Radio/TV/Film, Computer Science
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): I was at NBCUniversal for 4 years, most recently as a Coordinator of Drama Development
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
This year’s SAG-AFTRA and Writers’ Guild strikes make clear that, for a number of reasons, I think the entertainment industry’s business models have to grow and adapt. I want to be a part of helping to make TV, film, and other forms of media into supportive, sustainable industries amidst all of that change, and for that, I think an MBA would be instrumental. I have the ability to dive deep in personal research on which trends are shaping the media environment and how, to get skills to better understand and advocate for certain paths, and to form connections with the broader world that will have an increased impact on how entertainment works.
Why did you choose MIT Sloan? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Having studied film and computer science in undergrad, I’ve long believed that technology is fundamentally reshaping the ways we create and consume media, and that the impacts will only continue to grow to be more seismic. There’s no better place to learn how to think about new technology than the MIT campus. Already, I have been able to talk to a number of the world’s leading researchers about how generative AI impacts labor forces, and I’ve been able to ask them how I might look at similar questions in entertainment. With the vast resources for entrepreneurship, I’ve also been able to start to dive in mechanically to creating tools of my own for tomorrow’s artists, so that I can gain a fundamental understanding of how all this new technology works. I wanted to couple my business education with a technology context so that I could understand the intersection of both when I return to entertainment, and it seemed to me that there’s no better place to do that on Earth than MIT Sloan.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025?
I think there aren’t so many people coming to the MBA world from a creative background, so I bring a slightly different perspective on what a company can look like and the problems it might run into. Considering how to attract talent is a separate challenge from negotiating with manufacturing suppliers, but looking at the ways they are similar and different is an interesting exercise. I also have followed the developments of generative AI very closely, so I’m able to speak to some of the ways it can impact the education we have here or the industries we enter.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I used to be a research volunteer at the LA Zoo! I try to stay active with some level of volunteer work with animals or nature at any given time, but to know the stories and social relationships of the elephants at the LA Zoo was a unique joy for me.
Post-MBA career interests:
I want to re-enter the entertainment industry in a creative technologies capacity, helping artists find and develop the tools that allow them to most clearly tell their stories.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Making fit very clear – researching your desired programs deeply and showing clearly why attending would be a good fit for both you and the school. It’s easy to see them all as simply “MBA programs,” but each is so different and exists in the context of universities with very unique cultures and missions.
I’m also glad that I went through the journey without much outside input – I think I was able to really lean into the things that make me unique rather than feel pressure to present myself in a certain way.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I wish that I’d let more people know sooner that I was applying – it was a bit of a surprise to people when I told them I’d been accepted, and they were so supportive that I think they would have been helpful support along the way as well.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
It was difficult to get an accurate sense of schools’ cultures from just admit days, but talking as much as I could with students at each program was useful.
What is your initial impression of the MIT Sloan students/culture/community?
Everyone here is intensely collaborative, and very curious about the ideas that others bring to the table. It’s a smart group who likes to talk about the world.
What is one thing you have learned about MIT Sloan that has surprised you?
How current the curriculum is! In all of my classes, we talk about ongoing challenges happening in the real world and are given plenty of space to engage with one another’s experiences and opinions.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
There are more classes that I want to take than space that I will have in my schedule – choice is a big source of confusion, but it’s a wonderful problem to have.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’ve been accepted to the MIT arts startup incubator program, so I’ll be spending next semester working with mentors and fellow members of the program (from throughout MIT) to gain a better understanding of the ways creative-supporting companies come to exist.
