Strategy at Netflix: a chat with Stacy Nagata
It is no secret that Netflix has revolutionized the entertainment industry. They provide users across the globe with content when they want it and where they want it. Their original series, from Narcos to Orange is the New Black, have amassed incredible success and popularity. And their commitment to innovation as one of Silicon Valley’s giants is unwavering.
But who are the talented leaders behind Netflix’s famous red logo?
At Harvard Business School’s 27th annual Dynamic Women in Business Conference, we had the chance to sit down with Stacy Nagata, head of Marketing Strategy at Netflix for the Americas.
With a resume featuring traditional media companies like Comcast, NBCUniversal and Discovery, Nagata has a unique perspective on the entertainment industry because she witnessed its various transformations in the span of her professional career.
Nagata’s experiences go beyond the world of entertainment. Her time at Opsware, the company that pioneered cloud systems for enterprises, allowed her to understand the technology required to run massive internet operations. It is no surprise that she finds herself at home today working at a company built on the marriage of entertainment and technology.
Due to her experience in such a rapidly changing industry, we asked Nagata how she pieced together her career path and used lessons from the past to build the future.
You have worked for many years in the entertainment industry — how long did it take you to find out that this was what you loved?
I very much knew that the convergence of media, business and technology would be my area of interest. It started because of a company in Seattle called Real Networks which kind of invented streaming media. I saw this Britney Spears music video and I was just in awe. From that grainy, pixelated little video, I knew that this technology was going to change the world. I made sure that I learned everything I could about the technology, business and eventually entertainment side of it too. I’ve always had this personal vision of wanting to shape the driving forces of the technology and business sides of the entertainment industry.
After spending a lot of time working at fairly “traditional” media companies, you now find yourself playing a key role at one of the giants that has transformed the industry in recent years. How do your past experiences allow you to make an impact today?
My time at NBC was immensely important to the person I am today. I was very lucky to come in when they acquired Universal Studios. I had the chance to see how the entire business worked from the ground up: from the television production, to the networks to the consumer products that helped monetize franchises that sit within the studio. That opportunity has helped me understand how the business is transforming and in what ways the digital era has changed the way customers find and consume content. I had the benefit of seeing how things worked before and can now at Netflix think about how things can be automated and improved by technology. We have the tools, the data and engineering skills to make the future happen.
What is your job search mantra?
It’s about finding places where you can learn the most, in order to figure out what you like, what you don’t like, what you’re really good at and what you’re not so strong at.
As a young professional, how did you go about navigating what the next steps in your career were?
I asked questions and asked people out for coffee all the time. It wasn’t just business leaders — more often than not it was people who were a couple years ahead of me in school or perhaps who had a position above me but in an adjacent function of the company. Especially through the latter, I got to understand all aspects of the company I was working at and see what others did and how it fit together in the bigger picture. Also, funnily enough, It’s the people a level or so above you who will find you more senior jobs if you’ve articulated what you want, not the CEO! This happened to me at least three times in my career.
What words of advice do you have for students of all stages hoping to work in the entertainment industry?
The hard part about the entertainment business is that it is very much an apprenticeship kind of industry or at least has been traditionally. This means that opportunity has to meet a lot of hard work — if you’re ready all the time, then your moment will come.
With regards to your current experience, what can you tell us about working at Netflix?
Netflix is an incredible place to work and grow at. I love the fact that we have so much amazing content coming out of the company that can be distributed globally. I think it’s such a powerful business and it encompasses all the things that I love: great storytelling, technology and smart people trying to figure out how to make entertainment accessible to the world.
