Meet our March Alum of the Month, Matthew Thomas, a strategy consultant who is passionate about entertainment, media and technology. Matthew says "I've had the great pleasure of working for leading companies in these industries, including Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Spotify and now YouTube."
What’s your current job?
Senior Strategy Associate, YouTube Strategy and Operations
Where have you worked previously?
NBCUniversal, helping to manage the merchandize business for Downton Abbey; Roland Berger, learning how to be a management consultant; and at MTM, where I was able to combine my consulting skills with my interest in media and tech.
What motivated you to transition from consulting to the media industry and how did you do it?
I knew I wanted to work in media when I started my masters at LSE, so I don’t feel I transitioned from one to the other. Consulting was a path into the media industry that I felt would keep me interested, challenged and well compensated. The skills one learns as a consultant are widely demanded but junior commercial roles (let alone grad schemes) in media are not in high supply. The trick is finding the few companies that do offer these types of roles, and massively overpreparing for the applications when the roles come up.
What is the best thing about working for YouTube?
The best thing has been having an opportunity to shape decisions about products or content that will positively impact 1.8 billion users for many years to come—it’s a big responsibility but very rewarding. Recent projects have included helping the content partnerships team build a new management framework for Multi-Channel Networks, and working with product to build a pricing and business model for some new monetization features (not yet announced). So many other things are great, too: the team, the travel (not too much, not too little), the office, the perks (it’s true what they say about Google).
How has studying at the Department of Management allowed you to make an impact?
In many ways! As a headline, I think the MSc Management helped me take a much more mature approach to work than had I gone straight into a job after my English undergrad at Oxford. This covers all sorts of things, from hard skills like basic finance and accounting to softer skills like managing upwards and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I think this has made it easier for me to progress quickly in roles and stay happier while doing it. One specific example I'd highlight were the Organisational Behaviour classes at LSE - being aware of concepts like prospect theory and cognitive biases from an early stage in one's career puts you in the right mindset to tackle many real world problems. It also goes without saying that the friends you make while at LSE will continue to be super important for everything from professional development to partying!
Do you have any hobbies or interests alongside work?
I go to the gym most mornings during the week and enjoy boxing. I do a lot of cooking, whether it’s at Google’s amazing cookery school (I know - this is ridiculous) or during weekday evenings. I sing in a contemporary choir, the London Contemporary Voices, which rehearse most Wednesday evenings. I recently completed an introduction to drawing course at Central St Martins, which I’d like to keep up. New years resolution: get back to playing the saxophone.