Alumni Q&A: Taylore Fowler

Alumna Taylore Fowler's success is now on an international level. After working as a Community Specialist at Disney Music Group, Fowler joined Netflix, taking on the role of Project Manager in Global Product Creative. On the daily, she's working with people from around the globe, so perhaps it comes as no surprise that her number one advice for students is to study abroad. 

Read our Q&A with Fowler below to learn how she launched her career with a Music and Technology degree from the College of Arts and Letters. 

To kick-off, tell us all about your position at Netflix.

From a high-level view, the scope of my role is ensuring that what a member sees on the service is presented with all of the right assets, at the right time, in the right countries, to all of the right people.

On a daily basis, I work with a variety of teams including post-production, content acquisition, globalization, marketing, editorial creative, innovation, and launch strategy. Currently, I work on Netflix International Originals stemming from the Nordics—Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway—Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg (aka Benelux), and the United Kingdom.

The team I am on—Global Product Creative—touches every aspect on Netflix and the member experience. From metadata (e.g. cast names, release year), to ratings, supplemental assets (e.g. trailers, video montages), artwork, secondary audio (e.g. dubs), timed text (e.g. subtitles), and the content (e.g. video) itself, we all have a part in ensuring that when a member turns on Netflix, they have all of the information they need when deciding what to watch next.

Do you enjoy the work?

I love being at Netflix and part of my team. We are growing so fast, especially internationally, which keeps us flexible and always learning.

How did your time at Stevens prepare you for this role?

More than anything, Stevens taught me how to prioritize my time.

During a semester in sophomore year, I took 26.5 credits. Looking back, I remember how much I juggled that semester with coursework and all of the organizations I was in. Despite this being a difficult semester, it taught me the value of planning ahead, sticking to goals, and being self-sufficient.

In the Music & Technology program specifically, the production and hands-on classes were very useful. Although I'm no longer solely in the music industry, I often work with production or post-production teams in my role. Having a broad understanding of software that is being used is extremely helpful and allows me to get up to speed a quicker with new projects.

What were you up to before Netflix?

I worked at Disney Music Group for almost two years as a Community Specialist. I primarily worked on social and digital soundtrack campaigns (e.g. the live-action Beauty and the Beast and Moana), but also worked directly with artists too (e.g. Sabrina Carpenter, Sofia Carson, Jordan Fisher).

There would be times where I would get to attend sound checks, rehearsals, and even recording sessions. Having majored in Music and Technology provided a foundation for me to jump into this role, even if it was more business-oriented than my composition concentration coursework during undergrad.

So what did bring you to Stevens?

Hands-on coursework and internship opportunities were the two factors that drove me to Stevens Institute of Technology.

I loved that classes were small, and the largest class I had was maybe 50 people. (By the way, the one 50 person class I had was for physics, a non-major specific course.) Professors were always available to provide advice, feedback, and guidance as needed too, which was always helpful.

In five to ten years, where do you see yourself?

Tough question! Looking back 5-10 years ago, I don't think I would ever have imagined being in the career that I am in right now.

However, right now, I would say digging in more to understand the specialties and viewing habits of different regions internationally, especially within EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa). All of these regions are growing but still have a long way to go. Content types in each of these regions vary, and I imagine they will only continue to change as technology evolves.

I also love working with people from all over the world and learning more about different cultures. I hope that I can continue to do this in my role and for many years to come.

Last but not least, what advice would you give students at Stevens now?

Internships are extremely important. Do not take these for granted. Internships allow you to make valuable connections and discover more about your passions and interests prior to graduating from college. I don't think I would be where I am today if I did not intern.

In addition, study abroad! It may take away time from other items that you have in mind, but I highly recommend spending time in another country to learn more about how other people experience everyday life. You may never truly get this time back, once you start working full time. For me, living abroad was extremely humbling and eye-opening regarding all of the opportunities that are available.