Lights! Camera! Action! Internship shows Binghamton student the business behind entertainment

If you've watched The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, Dark Winds or scores of other AMC series, you have a team of content licensers to thank, including Emmanuel Fuentes, who interned this summer at the network.

"I didn't know I could go into entertainment; It never occurred to me that there was a business side to television," said Fuentes, a senior in the School of Management, majoring in business administration with a concentration in management information systems. "AMC Networks owns the rights to a lot of different shows and films. Content licensing is selling the rights to these shows to different clients."

Streaming has completely changed the television and movie landscape. Fuentes, who worked with the team to support these sales, noted that the industry has shifted its focus from cable channel broadcasting, which at one point was the main source of revenue.

These days, big sales to companies like Netflix and Hulu are common, though AMC Networks also licenses to smaller international studios. Altogether, the company manages and sells the catalog of AMC+ originals, BBC America, IFC, Sundance, Acorn TV and Shutter.

"AMC is different because they know their target audience," said Fuentes, who learned from AMCN President, Dan McDermott, about the network's demographics. "They have a standard. They don't really want to make kids' shows, for example, even though that may be popular."

At AMC Networks, Fuentes mostly assisted content sellers with their deals. To do so, he would create availability reports using an application called Filmtrack, which harbored all the information regarding films and series that AMC Networks has the rights to license. This made it possible for clients to easily engage with available content and prevent legal issues that could arise.He also participated in a project to update the sales projections for each quarter so the Finance department could track quarterly forecasts.

Image Credit: provided.

Fuentes said working with the network provided him with a better understanding of what a "nine to five" can look like. Along with that knowledge, he also felt a strong sense of connection to the staff and met many C-level suite executives, which offered him a glimpse into duties across the field.

This was a unique opportunity, for many reasons. Fuentes didn't know what to expect from this internship, since he didn't know anyone else with this type of experience; he is also a first-generation student and the youngest of four siblings, as well as the first to go away for college. He came to Binghamton University through the Educational Opportunity Program, which provided him with critical support that helped set him on his current path.

"My interest in data comes from my experience of being a math tutor. In high school, I wasn't the greatest math student, but in the EOP program, there was a professor that I connected with, Daniel McKinney," Fuentes said. "He helped me understand math in a way that made a lot of sense. Those problem-solving skills, trying to find the solution, are what I carried with me, and I've just applied it to whatever I do."

Later in his college career, and with urging from a friend, Fuentes shifted his focus to business. His interest in data and problem-solving became a perfect fit for the School of Management, and he felt information systems provided him a means to prepare and adapt for higher roles in the field.

"I found that technology in business is probably one of the most interesting aspects of a career for me. One of the things that I've also learned throughout these courses has been to never resist the adaption of technology and how technology helps shape businesses," Fuentes said. "That was probably why I chose this field - trying to be prepared for the future."

Although his data analytics side has taken precedence in his schooling, Fuentes had an earlier introduction to entertainment, the field he now hopes to pursue. Entirely self-taught, he has been studying guitar for eight years and is a member of The Dialogue, formerly known as From The Bronx, a student band that headlined Binghamton's Spring Fling in 2023.

He also played bass and guitar in a song written by his friend Leo Belsky titled "Fool For You," which was picked up by Paramount for the movie Finestkind, featuring Jenna Ortega and Tommy Lee Jones.

"Music is a really big part of my life," he said. "It's definitely a lot of who I am."

His interest in business and entertainment has also led him to be involved with Pipe Dream and the Student Association Programming Board, where he serves as business manager and treasurer, respectively.

"I want to be in a role where I can steer the ship, where I can direct people, and have my own team," Fuentes said "I want to make sure a team is working effectively toward its goals. I feel like that's where I shine - where I've currently been shining. The work has been gratifying, and I want to take that into the real world."

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