Vibrant Work Culture

Sonali Shah
Sophomore
Information Systems and Marketing

Started the day bright and early with breakfast before hopping on the shuttle, headed to Sony Pictures Entertainment! I was so excited to tour the studio and meet George Semann, the SVP and Divisional CFO at Sony Pictures Entertainment; and Tania Missad the EVP for Insights, Strategy & Analytics. After sitting through classic LA traffic, we finally arrived at Sony. We were eager to walk the lot, connect with inspiring business leaders, and maybe even spot a celebrity.

George and Tania shared incredible insights on the importance of building relationships, strengthening emotional intelligence, and staying intellectually curious throughout our careers. It was especially meaningful hearing George’s perspective as a Loyola alum and very cool knowing we took the same accounting professor! Tania offered a powerful look into Women in Business, particularly on the data analytics side, explaining how film projects move through the approval process and how much of it is driven by data.

After our discussion, we met our tour guide, Emma, and explored the lot. We visited spaces like the Foley studio, the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage, and the Jeopardy! studio. It felt surreal standing in production spaces where some of my favorite shows and movies have been filmed or developed.

We then grabbed lunch on the lot, and I loved seeing the vibrant work culture at Sony. Around lunchtime, everyone was outside eating together with colleagues, and it really reflected a strong sense of community that I admired.

Before leaving, George shared some final advice and encouragement. He was so personable and genuinely cared about the future of Quinlan students. After heading back to the hotel for a quick break, we walked over to Yard House for dinner, where we met Hector Cuellar, President and Managing Partner of Gassó Capital Markets. We also had great conversations with the Dean of Quinlan, Dean Behnam and Eric Hornick, Director of Development. 

We ended the night back at the hotel, relaxing by the pool and reflecting on such an upbeat, insightful, and fun day. I can’t believe it’s already day four but I’m excited for the rest of the trip and continuing to explore LA!