UM Entertainment Management students help with concert series

MISSOULA, Mont. — A University of Montana entertainment management student gained real-world experience, working behind-the-scenes on the Pearl Jam concert at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

A UM student in the program, Maddie McCoy ran errands all day ahead of Pearl Jam’s performance.

McCoy picked up the crew from the hotel, picked up 90 hamburgers from Wally & Buck for the crew, dropped off the crews laundry and picked up packages.

The program began in 2001 and teaches students about the entertainment business.

The Entertainment Management program was recently approved to become a major from a certificate by the Montana Board of Regents.

The University of Montana sent out the following:

Before the iconic band Pearl Jam played a sold-out concert last week in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, University of Montana student Maddie McCoy was busy working behind-the-scenes to help bring the show to life.

McCoy, a senior business student from Longview, Washington, is pursuing a certificate in entertainment management and was among a group of students hired to work during UM’s concert series, which also featured country singer Tyler Childers and concludes Wednesday with pop superstar Pink.

The day before the Pearl Jam concert and the hours leading up to the show were extremely busy for McCoy. She was tasked with running several errands, including driving a van to pick up members of Pearl Jam’s crew from their hotel.

“I picked them up from the hotel and drove them to the stadium,” McCoy said. “They were super nice. One guy stood out and wanted to get to know me and know what I was doing in school.”

McCoy then drove the van to drop off three giant bags of dirty clothes at a laundromat and picked up packages for the crew. She also picked up 90 hamburgers from the Missoula restaurant Wally & Buck for Pearl Jam’s crew before the concert. It was the largest order the restaurant ever received.

“You have to have the go-getter attitude,” McCoy said. “I think regarding entertainment, you have to have that attitude because things are not going to be handed to you. And the more experience you have, the cooler roles you can do.”

Getting real-world experience is a highlight of the UM College of Business’ Entertainment Management program. Since it began in 2001, it has offered students ways to learn about the entertainment business, including music, television, film, sports, live performance, literary and visual arts.

The Entertainment Management program gained popularity over the years, and recently the Montana Board of Regents approved efforts to explore transitioning the program from a certificate to a major.

The program’s growth continues this fall semester with a concert stage that was built over summer outside the College of Business’ Gallagher Business Building, which will be used as hands-on learning for students to produce and organize their own venue and book local bands.

Peggy Keiper, an associate professor and director of the Entertainment Management program, said she is seeing a record number of students interested in the program. Her focus is to prepare students in different career pathways, including music and events, sales and promotion, athletic administration and booking and agency work.

“We want students to get a job when they leave here,” Keiper said. “That’s our big goal.”

Many of the students do go on to work in the entertainment industry, and keep in touch with the program. Keiper connects current students with alumni, such as Austin Mullins, a former Griz football player who earned the Entertainment Management certificate and went to work for WME, one of the major talent and media companies in the entertainment industry. He works closely with country music star Lainey Wilson, who will play at the Adams Center in Missoula on Sept. 15.

“The pipeline of alumni has always been there,” Keiper said. “That’s always been the strength of the program, and we are going to continue to build on that.”

Current students also support each other through the Entertainment Management student group. McCoy is the vice president and said the group allows her and other students to attend conferences, meet with the founders of the program and find opportunities like the concert series in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

“The student group has been amazing with all the opportunities and networking,” McCoy said. “I’ve grown a lot within that.”

Marley Miller, president of the Entertainment Management student group and a senior business student from Kalispell, said he is happy to see students get real-life experiences at different shows.

Miller, who works at the Adams Center as an operations assistant, also helped out before the Pearl Jam concert. He was backstage setting up the band’s green room and running around the stadium to assist with any issues.

One memorable moment was tracking down a baseball cap with a Griz logo for one of the Pearl Jam band members. Miller made some calls and found a Griz cap for the musician.

“Seeing all the moving parts come together is always super rewarding,” Miller said. “Every time I work a festival or a concert it makes me want to dive deeper into the roles that are possible in entertainment.”

McCoy completely agrees with how rewarding it is to work in entertainment. During Pearl Jam’s encore, McCoy took a moment to watch the final songs.

“If you ask anyone in this industry what their favorite part is, almost everyone says it’s when you see the crowd,” McCoy said. “Being able to see the crowd enjoying all the work you did is definitely the coolest part.”