What connects Network Capital and Hollywood?
What connects Network Capital and Hollywood?
It is not the glamor..
Before we start, this is the former CEO of KKR India, Sanjay Nayar, talking to us about his career principles.
What connects Network Capital and Hollywood?
Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and Jennifer Lawrence are some of the clients of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a well-known talent agency in Hollywood. It represents actors, negotiates contracts for them, manages their auditions, propels them to expand their network, promotes them, and provides career guidance.
You might think Tom Cruise doesn’t need all this—he's already established, and most directors would go to great lengths to have him on their side. However, Tom Cruise was once an unknown. The real genius of a talent agency lies in spotting outliers before fame finds them. In return, actors would offer a percentage of their earnings or a fee for the service. It seems like a win-win for everyone.
Now take a look at the table below, which explains the parallels between CAA and Network Capital. While CAA is a much older and substantially larger organization, both CAA and Network Capital share a common focus on career development. CAA specializes in advancing Hollywood careers, while Network Capital is dedicated to helping ambitious professionals build their category of one.
Michael Ovitz, the founder of CAA writes, “Nobody wants to be treated as just what they are. Everyone wants to feel encouraged to become even more than they are—to become the best version of themselves"
This is not too different from why people come to Network Capital. Some reasons include:
Achieving an important career milestone
Broadening and deepening their networks
Build their personal brand
Be part of thought-provoking discussions
Find interesting projects to work on
Come to think of it, many top MBA programs also offer similar benefits. So should we call Wharton a talent agency? Probably not.
What defines a talent agency is the agent. In CAA’s case, it was Michael Ovitz and his team of trained staff (agents) whose main job was to get the best deal for the actors. Wharton has a career development team, but its main purpose is to connect recruiters with students. Advocacy on behalf of individual students is not part of their mandate.
Network Capital has survived several ups and downs in the edtech industry but its long-term success is likely to come from the talent agency model. Take a look:
Attract motivated students and professionals to apply to join the network
Help them figure out their career trajectories
Open doors for them, position them for long-term success
Step 3 is unlikely to be a mass product. Consider the masterclass shared in this newsletter. It is by the India CEO of one of the most revered private equity funds. While it is unlikely to receive as many likes and shares as a cat video on TikTok, it could be transformational for someone looking to build a solid career in the financial services industry.
Hypothetically, if someone is applying for a role with one of the CEOS we host, meets the eligibility criteria, and has done well at Network Capital, we will go all out to help them get a fair shot at getting hired.
Thankfully this is no longer hypothetical. Network Capital subscribers are regularly positioned for leading roles across industries, recommended for top graduate programs, funding opportunities, speaking roles, publishing gigs, among others.
Ultimately we are in the business of making our subscribers as successful as they possibly can. We take a hands-on approach and intentionally grow our network so that they can find exciting opportunities and prepare systematically for the road ahead.
Some of them will end up being inspiring CEOs, writers, world leaders, creators, investors, and change makers. We will bask in their glory and be there when things aren’t working out.
Many of them may not make it to the newspapers and magazines. That’s perfectly ok. Life isn’t a popularity contest. What we can assure you is that we will leave no stone unturned for them to have a real shot.
Welcome to Network Capital 2.0. Hope you enjoy being part of our talent agency built with a lot of intention and care.
P.S. We are hosting this orientation for new members. You should join to explore.