Career Paths in Media: Lessons from Vice Media’s C-Suite Shakeup

Feeling lost about a career in media while companies restructure? Learn the business paths executives take — and the exact courses, internships and funding moves students should make now.

The media world is shifting fast. Between streaming consolidation, AI-assisted content production and companies reinventing themselves after bankruptcies or mergers, students and early-career professionals tell me the same thing: “I want an executive career in media, but what should I study and how do I fund it?” This article uses the Vice Media C-suite shakeup of late 2025–early 2026 as a case study to map concrete career paths — from CFO to EVP of Strategy — and delivers a step-by-step plan you can use today to land media internships, scholarships and the skills for execs that hiring teams actually value.

The 2026 context: why Vice’s hires matter for students

In late 2025 and into early 2026, Vice Media restructured its leadership as it pivoted from a production-for-hire model toward becoming a studio. New hires like Joe Friedman (joining as chief financial officer after years at ICM Partners and CAA) and Devak Shah (brought in as executive VP of strategy from NBCUniversal business development ranks) signal a broader industry pattern:

• Companies are prioritizing executives who combine financial rigor with rights and talent expertise.
• Strategic roles now require experience in distribution partnerships, IP monetization and studio-production economics.
• The post-bankruptcy playbook emphasizes efficient capital allocation and partnership-first growth — so finance and strategy leaders who can negotiate output deals and secure co-financing are in demand.

“Vice’s expansion of its C-suite is a reminder: media firms hiring now want operators who can translate creative value into reliable revenue streams.”

For students, this means a shift in what counts on your resume. It's no longer enough to be a creative generalist — top media companies want people who can link storytelling to balance-sheet outcomes.

Core business roles explained (and what to study for each)

Below are the primary corporate roles emerging at studios and production companies, what those roles actually do day-to-day, and the educational route and skills you should pursue to reach them.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

What they do: The CFO runs company finance — from financial reporting to capital strategy, M&A, investor relations and production finance. At companies like Vice in 2026, CFOs also manage complex revenue recognition from subscriptions, ad partnerships and licensing, and structure co-financing and deficit financing for productions.

Recommended study and credentials:

• Degrees: B.S. in Finance, Accounting, or Economics; many CFOs add an MBA with a media/entertainment specialization.
• Courses: Financial accounting, managerial accounting, corporate finance, valuation, mergers & acquisitions, production accounting, revenue recognition (ASC 606), and media economics.
• Certifications: CPA helps with accounting credibility; CFA or CMA signals advanced finance skills (optional but useful).
• Tools: Advanced Excel modeling, SQL for financial datasets, familiarity with ERP systems (NetSuite or SAP), and familiarity with BI tools (Tableau, Power BI).
• Experience: Intern at production finance teams, studio finance, talent agencies or Big Four accounting firms; rotational finance programs are gold.

Executive Vice President, Strategy (EVP Strategy)

What they do: The EVP Strategy defines growth paths — distribution partnerships, co-productions, M&A targets, and long-term studio positioning. They fuse market data with creative roadmaps and often lead strategic partnerships and corporate development.

Recommended study and credentials:

• Degrees: B.A. or B.S. in Business, Media Studies, or Communications; an MBA focused on strategy or corporate development is commonly preferred.
• Courses: Strategic management, negotiation, media law/IP, business analytics, partnership and licensing strategy, and media distribution economics.
• Tools & frameworks: SQL and Python basics for data analysis, cohort analysis, customer lifetime value (LTV) modeling, Porter’s Five Forces, scenario planning and OKRs.
• Experience: Biz-dev internships at networks, production companies, streaming platforms or talent agencies; strategy consulting stints are a fast-track to EVP roles.

Head of Production / Production Finance

What they do: Oversee budgets, scheduling, vendor contracts and rights accounting for shows and films. They bridge the creative team and the CFO’s office.

Recommended study and credentials:

• Degrees in Film/TV Production, plus coursework in accounting and contract law.
• Hands-on production internships, union crew experience or production assistant roles.
• Certifications in project management (PMP) and budgeting tools used in production (Movie Magic Budgeting).

Skills for execs in 2026: the blend that wins interviews

Hiring teams in 2026 prioritize hybrid talent — people who can read financial statements and who understand how content travels through the ecosystem. Here are the non-negotiable skills to build:

• Financial literacy: Forecasting, P&L management, cash-flow models, and experience with revenue recognition for ads, subscriptions and licensing.
• Commercial negotiation: Terms in output deals, distribution windows, talent participation and backend points.
• Data fluency: SQL, Excel modeling, and the ability to interpret audience analytics and recommendation-system signals.
• Legal & IP basics: Copyright, licensing, talent contracts and rights reversion clauses.
• AI and production tech awareness: Understanding generative-AI tools for pre-production, localization and editing to forecast cost and quality trade-offs.
• Leadership & communication: Synthesizing complex financial or strategic ideas into executive-ready one-pagers and investor decks.

Actionable roadmaps by stage: what to do in the next 12–36 months

If you’re in high school

• Take AP or IB courses in economics, statistics and English composition to build quantitative and communication foundations.
• Start a media blog, YouTube channel or podcast and document budgeting and planning — even basic spreadsheets show business thinking.
• Apply for summer media camps, film workshops or local internships at community TV stations.

Undergraduates (years 1–3)

• Major or double-major in finance, business, media studies or communications; take elective courses in entertainment law and data analytics.
• Secure a paid internship at a studio, production company, talent agency or business development team — prioritize roles that let you touch contracts or budgets.
• Build a portfolio: include a mock production budget, an investor pitch deck for a series, and a short strategic memo analyzing a distribution deal.
• Apply for departmental scholarships and industry fellowships early and often (see funding section below).

Undergraduates (senior year & early career)

• Pursue rotational finance programs, corporate strategy internships, or entry-level roles at agencies — these accelerate the path to mid-level leadership.
• Consider a master’s or MBA if your background is heavily creative and you need formal training in finance/strategy.
• Network by attending industry conferences (Sundance, SXSW, NATPE, MIPCOM). Use informational interviews to craft a 3-year career plan.

Early career to senior manager (3–10 years)

• Target jobs in corporate development, production finance or talent agencies; volunteer for cross-functional M&A or partnership projects.
• Lead projects that demonstrate you can close deals, create forecasts and present to senior leadership.
• Collect sponsor letters and build an internal track record of revenue-generating initiatives.

How to fund this path: scholarships, admissions strategy and student funding

Executive pathways often require extra credentials — MBAs, certificates or unpaid industry labs — so funding matters. Here’s a practical playbook for financing your studies and internships.

Scholarships and fellowships to prioritize

• Departmental scholarships at journalism, film and business schools — these are competitive but often underused; contact department administrators early.
• Industry-sponsored fellowships and diversity pipelines — large studios and streamers ran expanded fellowship programs through 2024–2026 to diversify exec ranks. Search each studio’s careers and inclusion pages for current offerings.
• Festival labs and grants (Sundance, Tribeca, regional film commissions) that provide both funding and executive mentorship.
• Business school merit scholarships for MBAs with a media focus — use your media internships and strategic project experience as evidence in application essays.

Admissions & application strategy

• For MBA applicants: emphasize measurable impact — projects where you improved margins, closed partnerships, or led licensing deals.
• Use scholarship essays to show industry insight — cite trends like streaming consolidation or AI-driven production efficiencies (with examples from late 2025/early 2026) to demonstrate topical awareness.
• Apply early — many scholarship pots are first-come and tied to early decision tiers.

Alternative funding options

• Employer tuition reimbursement (many studios and agencies offer partial or full tuition for advanced degrees).
• Paid internships and apprenticeships — in 2025–2026 companies expanded paid pipeline programs to attract talent; prioritize paid roles over unpaid ones when possible.
• Income-share agreements (ISAs) with certain bootcamps or specialized programs — read the fine print on repayment caps and timelines.
• Small grants from arts councils or university research centers for project-based work.

How to win media internships and build a funding-worthy portfolio

Landing the right internship is often the hinge point between an entry-level job and a fast-track executive career. Recruiters tell us they look for curiosity, measurable outcomes and the ability to translate creative risks into numbers.

1. Target the right teams: apply to production finance, corporate strategy, business affairs and distribution teams — not just editorial or production assistant roles.
2. Customize your application: include a one-page case study (1–2 pages) showing a simple financial model and a strategic partnership idea for a current show or format.
3. Network systematically: reach out to alumni from your school who work at target companies. Ask for informational calls and follow up with a short analysis or question to stay memorable.
4. Show impact: if you interned on a short project, quantify results — cost savings, increased reach, ad yield improvement — even small wins matter.

Case study: What Joe Friedman and Devak Shah’s backgrounds tell you

Looking at Vice’s hires is instructive. Joe Friedman’s tenure at ICM/CAA means deep exposure to talent economics, agency packaging and representation deals. A CFO with that background understands how talent participation clauses and agent commissions flow through production budgets — a critical capability when pivoting to a studio model.

Devak Shah’s business-development experience at a major network shows why strategy roles now require distribution expertise — deal structuring, windowing strategies across AVOD/SVOD/TVOD, and international licensing. A student aiming for EVP Strategy should mirror that resume: combine a solid analytic base with on-the-ground distribution or agency experience.

Practical projects you can start this month

• Create a 3-year financial model for a 6-episode limited series. Include production budget, marketing, licensing revenue and break-even analysis.
• Write a strategy memo proposing a distribution deal for an indie doc: define partners, revenue splits, marketing activations and rights reversion terms.
• Complete a mini-analytics project: scrape public viewership data (or use sample datasets) and present a dashboard showing audience retention and monetization levers.

Trends to watch (and cite in essays and interviews) — 2026 and beyond

To stand out, reference specific industry shifts. Recruiters want people who are anchored in 2026 realities:

• AI as cost-savings and augmentation: Studios are using generative tools for localization, script refinement and scheduling automation. Understand both opportunity and IP/ethics constraints.
• Consolidation & cross-platform bundles: Continued consolidation of streaming services has made cross-platform licensing and co-financing more common.
• Studio-first strategies: Companies like Vice are pivoting to own more IP and produce for third parties — making production finance expertise valuable.
• Data-driven content slates: Audience-first development means strategy leaders must combine qualitative creative instincts with quantitative testing frameworks.

Checklist: 12-month plan to move toward a media exec role

1. Enroll in one finance course and one data analytics course this semester.
2. Complete a production-budget case study and add it to your portfolio.
3. Apply to 6 targeted internships focused on finance, biz-dev or production finance.
4. Identify 3 scholarships/fellowships and prepare applications (use specific industry trends as evidence).
5. Conduct 12 informational interviews with professionals in studios, talent agencies and distribution firms.

Final takeaway: Build transferable business judgment, not just credentials

Vice Media’s C-suite hires in 2025–2026 are a blueprint: companies want executives who read creative opportunity through a commercial lens. If you study the right mix of finance, strategy and rights management — and fund that education through targeted scholarships, paid internships and fellowships — you position yourself for leadership even as the entertainment industry pivots.

Actionable next step: Draft a 12-month learning and funding plan using the checklist above. Prioritize one skill (financial modeling or SQL) to master this quarter, and build a small portfolio project to show in interviews.

Call to action

Ready to plan your route into media leadership? Download our free 12-month roadmap and scholarship tracker, or sign up for our monthly briefing on media careers, internships and funding opportunities. Take the next step: start building the skills for execs hiring teams need in 2026.

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