This is the 100th episode of Mentors on the Mic podcast, so I discuss how I started podcasting, my gratitude for my audience and mentors, and celebrating our wins.

Our Mentor this week is Shaurya Nanavati, who manages the greenlighting process and provides guidance to drive content, distribution, and strategy decisions. Prior to his work at Lionsgate, he managed a music publishing company, wrote & toured as a musician, and, as a CPA, worked in public accounting at PwC in Texas.

Shaurya considers himself a citizen of the world - born in India and raised between Mumbai and Houston. Post high school, he travelled to Austin where he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at The University of Texas at Austin. After his stint in the world of music, he moved to Los Angeles to obtain an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and pursue a career transition to filmed entertainment.

In this episode, we talk about:

•  Going from CPA to Hollywood and how he realized early that his passion for music would not earn the lifestyle he wanted

•  He started researching people he wanted to be like and saw what they did, deciding whether to pursue Law or a Business degree.

•  Why he went to business school for the networking and how that helped him find the job he wanted

•  Getting an internship at 30 and why age shouldn’t discourage you from doing anything

•  Whether they are more focused on development or acquisitions at Lionsgate

• Filmmakers choose Lionsgate because they are the best place for storytellers and talent within the parameters of being a smart financial decision (plus great marketing)

•  "It’s a lot of effort to learn what you know, but it takes an equal amount of effort to try to put yourself in the situation and the places you want to be."

Guest:

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If you like this episode, check out Becoming... CEO of Samuel Goldwyn Films Ben Feingold

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