Enter, stage right: How a Binghamton University student joined a global talent agency

How do you go from studying anthropology — the nuances of human connections — to working alongside “Saturday Night Live” stars and, finally, landing a dream job with a global talent agency?

For Binghamton University School of Management graduate student Sydney Ferreira ’24, MBA ‘25, it began with a well-timed email.

She asked the University Student Association Programming Board how she could help after a speaking event featuring actor Elliot Page showed her how the business behind entertainment could prove to be a fun experience. She went on to work with talents such as Rainn Wilson and Giancarlo Esposito, and during her sophomore year, she set up dressing rooms and shared ideas with “Saturday Night Live’s” Mikey Day and Alex Moffat ahead of their performance at the University’s Anderson Center for the Performing Arts.

In September, Ferreira will step onto a much bigger stage: joining United Talent Agency in New York City, a prominent company that represents actors, athletes, musicians, writers, gamers and digital influencers worldwide. It also oversees content production, strategic advisory and marketing with some of the world’s biggest brands.

As a talent agent trainee, Ferreira is eager to discover how her unique perspectives might expand representation in an evolving industry.

“For me, change in media comes from people who are both passionate about the craft, who are informed about where the business is in terms of technology advancement and what sort of representation we’re seeing in the storytelling,” said Ferreira, who graduates in May with her Master of Business Administration. “I want to go into this business with a sort of holistic view of what entertainment could be, what the future of TV and movies and, ultimately, storytelling could be by fostering authentic and inclusive representation.”

Where does this ambition come from? Ferreira is open about being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive blindness condition, and she was initially interested in finding ways to help others navigate their unique challenges. When she started at Binghamton, she took the first steps by delving into epidemiology, genetics and public health.

The prospect of using the talent industry to convey her perspectives on inclusion had never crossed her mind.

However, during a stint as hospitality director with the Student Association Programming Board, she realized there was a way to accomplish it without being in the spotlight. Amusingly, this came about when SNL’s Mikey Day and Alex Moffat were performing at Binghamton, and Ferreira spent an hour telling them about the University — from academic programs to Baxter the Bearcat — material they incorporated into their comedy set.

“My favorite thing about the programming board was just being in a place like the Anderson Center, full of hundreds of students who just wanted an escape from the stresses of life and maybe gain a new perspective or have fun with their friends,” she said. “Coming into business didn’t really change the game for me too much. It just meant honing new skills, which could help me to bring a perspective into the business side of entertainment that could be really valuable.”

When she became president of the programming board in May 2023, Ferreira began laying a foundation for pivoting her academic journey by creating a 21-person team with students of varying academic and skill backgrounds to fine-tune the organization’s operations of booking talent for University shows and building campus community.

Once she joined SOM as a graduate student, she was quickly impressed by how faculty connected business concepts with real-world applications, making even the most complex subjects seem relatable.

“There are so many professors who teach in a way that is so full of heart, in addition to the hard truths and facts about the technological advances of the world we’re going to experience as we enter the workforce,” Ferreira said. “I think having that context has made it so much more enriching.”

To find her place in the business world, Ferreira had to first build connections. United Talent Agency was one of the entities she and her programming board team connected with, and for the summer of 2024, the agency offered her an externship.

During that summer, she met with agents, partners and assistants to learn what their roles entail. Put simply, talent agents are liaisons between clients and their opportunities. They’re responsible for helping create a future for the talent they represent.

“If you look at data, some of the most successful shows and movies right now are ones that really authentically tell a story that’s different from what we’re used to,” she said. “I want to be a talent agent because I think that there are so many people who can have an impact on their audience in a way that goes beyond just representation by hopefully contributing toward building a person’s sense of identity.”