Sasha Foster
(formerly Sasha Taylor)
Listen to the interview (approx. 43 min.) or download it.
Graduated in 2011 with a major in Music Business. Principal instrument: voice.
Position: Production Coordinator in the Management Operations department at ESPN. In this multifaceted administrative role, Sasha schedules film crews and producers, books flights and handles other logistics, deals with payroll and other accounts, helps the online ad sales team with ensuring that purchased ads work properly on the website, and runs analyses to help get things done more efficiently.
Overview: Unsure what she wanted to do after graduation, Sasha moved home to Connecticut after graduation, and got a job on the sales floor of an Apple Store, as a “specialist” but also selling to businesses. One day a customer she was chatting with said his wife was a dean at Bay Path University and encouraged Sasha to look at Bay Path University’s Online MBA program. It looked good, so Sasha enrolled in the summer of 2012, and earned her MBA at the end of 2013.
As she was finishing up her degree, Sasha reached out to AccountTemps, a temp agency for skilled employees, hoping that would get her some good experience and a better job. She left the Apple store, then in January 2014 got a temporary position processing invoices and expense reports at ESPN. Eight months later, ESPN hired her into her current position.
You can seen Sasha’s LinkedIn profile here.
Choice Quotes: “I’m the behind-the-scenes of the behind-the-scenes. Production is all-hands-on-deck and you do whatever’s needed.”
“An online MBA program really is about time management. If you don’t get it done on your own, it doesn’t get done, and some folks need that ‘push’ of being in a classroom. I recommend it to people who are self-driven.”
“I enjoy the people I work with. We all get along well and that makes the work environment easy. I also enjoy diving into the more analytical side of things, being able use the program MicroStrategy and I’m one of the few people at my company learning to use it. Analytical stuff take time, but it’s like a puzzle, and when you get it it’s such a feeling of joy!”
“I went to school for music, but ESPN is still entertainment, so a lot of things feel similar. Also in some projects I have to deal with music licensing, and my music business background means I can talk to other folks and know exactly what’s going on.”
“While I’m not doing music professionally at this point, I still sing weekly in church and coordinate my church’s music services.. In addition, my husband–also a Berklee grad–works in music and he often asks me for financial advice.”
“Take chances and reach out–all they can say is no. You never know unless you ask.”
See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.