This was another exciting first for the IE Film & TV Industry Club, which has also organized short film festivals and on-campus seminars with industry professionals. Sergio Sempere Santos, a student of the Dual Degree in Business Administration + Laws, started the club three years ago. Though his degree is in a very different field, he has always been drawn to a career in the entertainment industry. Noticing a lack of extracurricular offerings in this area, he decided to take the initiative to start his own club. We sat down with him to hear more about how the Inside Netflix event evolved.
Tell us a bit about how you came to start the IE Film & TV Industry Club.
Given my interest in the entertainment industry, I felt there was an unmet need to link students with leading professionals in this expanding field. At IE University, you’re encouraged to take initiative—the culture is one of self-starters and support for individual projects. Initially, there wasn’t a great deal of interest, but now, our newsletter boasts over 2,100 subscribers. This reflects a growing engagement and interest among the student body.
Many people assume I’m majoring in communications and are often taken aback when they find out I’m pursuing the Dual Degree in Business Administration + Laws. This, to me, represents the essence of IE University; it’s a place where diversity is the norm, and students are encouraged to venture beyond traditional pathways.Â
How did this event with Netflix come about?
Every year before summer, our club team gathers for a lunch meeting to decide on the speakers we’ll invite in the coming year. We invest considerable effort in preparing for all our panels, ensuring we address topics from the right angle so that participants leave feeling fulfilled and satisfied. As we focus on entertainment, we consider the time of our audience extremely valuable, and we take every step to make sure they enjoy and find value in our events.
Netflix had always been on our list, but we were holding out for the perfect opportunity to approach them. We wanted to make sure we were ready and capable of organizing a high-quality event. This past year, we’ve seen significant growth, with all our events reaching full capacity. Believing we were prepared for the challenge, we decided it was the right time to invite Netflix.
Why did you choose to approach the Unscripted team?
In my view, unscripted content is gaining momentum in the streaming industry and is likely to become even more mainstream in the next five years. It is captivating and entertaining, and its production costs are considerably lower than those of scripted content.
Personally, I am particularly fond of the transformative power of unscripted content. Talent shows inspire individuals to improve themselves, while documentaries possess a potent educational impact. Reality shows celebrate the uniqueness of being different, highlighting that diversity is not just acceptable, but cool.
What did the organization of the event involve?
The planning involved four main aspects. The first was coordinating with Netflix’s team on the event specifics. Next, we tackled the logistics. We really needed a competent, experienced team, which is where the support from IE Campus Life became essential; they were always ready to assist.Â
Once we had the event planned out, we launched the promotional materials to publicize the event. Lastly, there was the event execution itself. In total, the Netflix event required collaboration with over 35 individuals from various departments, highlighting the importance of coordination.
How did the event go?
The positive feedback we’ve received after the event has been overwhelming. For example, several first-year students reached out to me, sharing that they had never considered a career in this industry, but now they are. To me, this is a significant success.
We are deeply thankful for the attendance of over 500 people and we are pleased that we were able to add value to our community. We’re also grateful for Netflix’s exceptional eagerness and cooperative spirit, which made the entire planning process enjoyable. They truly are a dream team!
What’s next for the IE Film & TV Industry Club?
We have already secured two prominent figures in the industry for next year’s seminars and are in the process of finalizing dates with other significant contributors. Next year promises to be a transformative period for the club, and we are looking forward to revealing the details soon.