Claudio Tavares’s journey to become a successful entrepreneur just took a giant leap forward! Even after 20 years in the entertainment industry, he knew there was much to learn about starting his own business.
He had been running a company for some years, but he knew that to turn a good idea into a great one, he needed all the guidance he could get.
That’s why Claudio moved to Australia, a hub for global creative content. With so many options for education and business, he knew it would fast-track his career. He had the drive, the ideas and the dream, so he enrolled in the Master of Creative Industries (MCI) at JMC Academy.
He gave us some inspiring insights into his experience.
What do you love about JMC’s Master of Creative Industries?
The teaching quality at JMC – it’s great! The teachers are incredibly supportive. They don’t just tell you what to think or do, they guide you towards realising your full potential. We’re all individuals with our own goals, and the MCI teachers appreciate that. They’re specialised professionals in the industry too, not just academics.
What do you like about living in Australia?
What’s not to like? Friendly people, nice climate, interesting culture; it has some similarities to Brazil, but it’s also very different. You get to meet all kinds of different people. So many people with different backgrounds and stories. It’s very fascinating.
And of course, there were no Entertainment Business Management or Master of Creative Industries courses in Brazil. There are no limits here when it comes to education and bettering yourself.
Even though you’d already had considerable success, you still decided to do the MCI. Why is that?
I’m a very creative person, and that’s my true passion. I started off as a choreographer, dancer and producer! But to be an entrepreneur, you need a goal, a vision, a network. JMC gave me these things.
The MCI showed me how to run a truly successful business, and how to turn a concept into something real and profitable. They gave me information from inside the industry; examples from real people creating real businesses. It wasn’t all practice and theory.
The head of the MCI when I was studying has been a wonderful mentor to me, and that wouldn’t have happened if hadn’t enrolled at JMC.
What made you switch from the Entertainment Business Management degree to the MCI?
Business management is fun and exciting in its own way. I put on big musicals on cruise ships for seven years and travelled all over the world. And the Entertainment Business degree, doubtlessly, would have helped me to reach my full potential in that area of the industry.
But I’m an entrepreneur at heart. What I realised while studying at JMC was what I really wanted to do: I wanted to own and run my own business helping creative people get work.
The idea was there; a website that connects artists with clients. Whether you’re a dancer, writer or singer, you jump on there and land a job! Think LinkedIn, but specialised for creative people.
Even with a great idea, though, there was so much I didn’t know. Marketing, for example, was one of them. I had some experience, but experience only gets you so far.
When the MCI degree started up at JMC, I just had to do it. I knew I would meet people working towards something similar to me, and I knew I would get the right guidance.
Tell us a bit about networking within the MCI.
Well, one of my lecturers is actually now a co-founder of my business! She was incredibly encouraging while I was studying at JMC, so when I finished my degree, I invited her to join me, and she said yes. It’s very exciting stuff, and now we have an app on the way, too. It’s going to be a commodity.
With my classmates, I just found it incredibly easy to make connections. They were all very friendly and a lot of them were international students, just like me. There was a great deal of involvement there; we got together and swapped ideas. The course had a really positive and inspiring vibe.
Do you have any advice for people wanting to be successful in the Creative Industries?
Never give up! Don’t be afraid; follow your dreams.
But if your goal is to create a profitable business, think of it from an angle of giving value. Of course, you need to put your business first, but think bigger. Think about the others, the community, the world.
