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Rob McEntire '08
United States
No one saw it coming - especially Rob McEntire. But this globally minded go-getter found himself in a Hollywood finance position hobnobbing with celebs.


Rob McEntire '08

If Rob McEntire '08 had been asked seven years ago what he thought his profession would be today, he definitely would not have guessed he'd be a CFO and corporate controller.

Nor would he have predicted that his path would lead him to a finance position within Hollywood's entertainment industry.

"The whole time I was in undergrad, I was determined to never be an accountant," laughs McEntire, who majored in global marketing at the University of Southern California. "But since the changes in the industry with Sarbanes-Oxley, the Controller/CFO position has become much more prominent and interesting. And the CFO role has developed to more of an internal consultant and strategist rather than a financial paper pusher."

Of course, McEntire's job has another dimension, given that his employer, Hollywood and Broadway Entertainment LLC, caters to the showbiz industry. "It's a little taboo to talk about the famous entertainers we meet, because we generally try to provide an anonymous place for celebrities to have fun," says McEntire, who reluctantly admits to having met celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Mahr and others.

"My contact with celebrities revolves around charity events and Grammy parties," adds McEntire, indicating that the company operates entertainment venues in California, New York and Boston. "Last year we hosted Kanye West's Grammy party in our Hollywood location." The celebrities he's met, says McEntire, are just "normal people – like you and me."

When he's not attending events, the Hollywood-based McEntire keeps a watchful eye on the finances of the company's eight venues that include 22 operating units. To get a head-start on the day – and to make up for the east coast time difference – McEntire arrives in the office three hours before his staff.

"Generally by 11 a.m., I have had about 15 conference calls and meetings, and have returned about 100 e-mails and 50 phone calls," says the 34-year old former Corpsman in the U.S. Navy. His afternoons are spent meeting with or talking to bankers, investors and mentoring his staff.

While the company has not made the overseas leap yet, McEntire spent nearly a year conducting feasibility studies for a possible expansion to Ibiza, Spain; Paris, France; or Budapest, Hungary.

Thunderbird, he says, helped tremendously. "In our Global Marketing class, we created a new market entry strategy for the 'smart car.' This project showed me how to take a methodical approach to a possible overseas expansion at my own company, without paying consultants – saving us a lot of money."

And while the native Californian has experienced great success throughout his career – in the military, as a project manager in the construction industry, as a successful entrepreneur, and now as a CFO – he's looking forward to the next step.

"Ideally, I'd like to land a CFO position in a larger company, or in Mergers & Acquisitions with a large bank." Thunderbird, says McEntire, has paved the way for him to do just that – by giving him a broader understanding of global business concepts and offering exposure to talented and cooperative global classmates.