Bryan Rozycki, BPE '13
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in a small town outside of New Orleans, Louisiana and have been slowly making my way around the coasts – New York for six years and now in Los Angeles for seven. Outside of work, you can find me riding bikes or reading books, a product of my West Coast lifestyle.
What is your current position?
VP, DirectToConsumer Strategy at Warner Bros Discovery.
Can you walk us through your career trajectory?
I spent my first two years post-grad at Deloitte Consulting, where I focused on Tech and Media clients across the US. I ultimately knew, though, that I wanted to make my way into the media space, so I relocated to Los Angeles and soon thereafter became one of the first members of Hulu's Corporate Strategy team. In my time there, I helped launch Hulu with Live TV and developed the strategy behind Disney+'s Star / Star+ brands outside of the US. After five years at Hulu, I joined Discovery to help launch Discovery+ and am now part of the combined Warner Bros. Discovery, helping drive DTC content strategy across HBO, Discovery+, and our future combined service.
What stands out to you most about your BPE experience?
First and foremost is the people. In most things that happen in life – school, work, travel, otherwise – it's the people who make the experience what it is. While in school, BPE felt a little like our own fraternity. This was the crew that you could hang out with, vent to, study alongside, prep for interviews with – whatever you needed, this group was there for you. I count my fellow classmates among my friends to this day.
When you look back on your time at Stern, how did the BPE experience influence your career decisions and professional development?
BPE made me want to have a career that wasn't just "one" thing. Not just finance or just marketing or just xyz. In BPE you get exposure to so much – so many classes, so many people, so many cultures. Why would you NOT want to replicate that in your career going forward? Consulting is a great place to start that, but I still look for that varied experience in my current role as well.
How was your study abroad experience?
I would trade just about anything to study abroad again. So, safe to say it was amazing.
What were some of the most valuable lessons you learned at Stern?
It's ultimately that there's a lot of roads that lead to the same pace. Many former classmates are in similar roles to where I am today, but we all took different paths to get here. In other words, there's rarely only one right answer.
What advice would you give to current BPE students?
It's easy to get caught up in the "Stern" of it all – the Finance classes, the recruiting, the city. I get it – you want to leave college with the best career possible and making all of the money tomorrow. But college is also about growing as a person – learning how to hold a conversation, have stories to tell, and get along with others. So prioritize that – prioritize being a person you yourself would want to have a beer with.
