From Tokyo to Orlando: Following a Dream

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Mai Sugiyama had grown up listening to and deeply admiring American music. “I always knew I wanted to be a part of it,” Sugiyama says, “it was always my dream to work in the American music industry.” She attended many concerts in Japan, but always had a particular fascination with the American music subcultures and concert etiquette – especially with her favorite genre: electronic dance music, EDM for short.

She attended her first live EDM concert in Japan when she was 18 and fell in love. “I love the energy and culture of EDM music,” Sugiyama says, “It was so fun in Japan, but I couldn’t wait to experience it in America.”

After stage managing a school festival and overseeing events like a dance competition, fashion show, and an arm-wrestling competition, she began to consider the possibility of working in entertainment management. She had been taking English language classes at school since she was six years old and had developed conversational fluency, so the option to study overseas became a huge possibility for her – one that soon became a reality.

Shortly before her 20th birthday, Sugiyama took a leap of faith and moved halfway across the world from her home country to her new home in the United States. Besides a brief trip to Hawaii when she was very young, she had otherwise never been to the U.S. “I was very nervous but also very excited to begin my new life in America,” Sugiyama says.

A New Home and a New Gateway to Opportunity

Sugiyama began her undergraduate journey at Sierra College in northern California, where she earned her associate’s degree. While she was in school, she started researching colleges across the U.S. that offered programs in entertainment management, which is when she discovered UCF Rosen College.

“Rosen College’s entertainment management program stood out from all of the others I researched,” Sugiyama says. “I loved the career focus and thought the location in Orlando was perfect because there were so many possibilities and opportunities available.”

Another thing that stood out to her was the affordability. “Rosen College has a private school feel with a public school cost,” Sugiyama says. “It was much more affordable to me as an international student than most other states, which was very important to me.”

After being accepted into Rosen College’s entertainment management program, Sugiyama packed her bags and made another big move from California to Orlando, Florida, starting her first semester in January of 2023.

“It finally felt like my studies abroad had begun,” Sugiyama says, noting that now she had taken all of her general education classes and finally had the opportunity to take in-person classes, it started to get very “exciting and real.”

Sugiyama quickly got involved with campus activities, becoming a Rosen College undergraduate admissions student ambassador. “I wanted to connect with other potential out-of-state and international students, while also working on my public speaking skills and English fluency,” Sugiyama says. Her involvement in campus activities soon led to many more opportunities – including one in particular that was right up her alley.

Finding her Calling in Entertainment Management

In Fall of 2023, Rosen College Instructor Chris Goyzueta’s Entertainment Production Management class was doing something new and exciting: producing an entertainment festival on campus, featuring industry leaders from all across the entertainment industry and hosting celebrity guest keynotes with high-profile talent, including NSYNC’s Joey Fatone. For an undertaking this big, Goyzueta had his students apply for
positions in the festival, like festival director and sponsorship director, and one in particular that caught Sugiyama’s eye – marketing director.

After applying and interviewing with Goyzueta, Sugiyama was chosen to lead a team of nine. She excelled in this role, creating eye-catching and successful social media posts and promotions that resulted in over 600 registrations. She did such a great job, in fact, that this led to several other opportunities: marketing internships with the Rosen College Marketing Department, the City of DeBary, and entertainment company, Ever 7 Management.

What is perhaps most exciting, however, is what she developed in her Portfolio Management class the next semester. Like the Entertainment Production class, students were responsible for planning, promoting, and executing a live event – only this time, the events were off-campus and the possibilities were endless.

Breaking Records with Baddie Bash

That semester, Sugiyama became the marketing co-director of a team of nine, many of whom also worked on the previous semester’s entertainment festival, and they decided to do a female-focused EDM party at a popular club venue in downtown Orlando. They named the event Baddie Bash, and it wasn’t long before it started going viral on social media.

She started posting reels on the group’s Instagram account, and after seeing an influx of notifications, “I thought something was wrong,” Sugiyama says humorously, noting that the amount of phone pings she got was concerning at first. “Then I saw they were all from people liking, commenting, and sharing our posts and I was thrilled.”

In the two months leading up to the event, Sugiyama and her team continued creating high quality and extremely successful Instagram posts that reached an audience that far surpassed any of the team’s expectations. By the time the event rolled around, the team had broken the class record for number of attendees at 310.

“My team and I were so thrilled at the high attendance numbers,” Sugiyama says. “I was so proud that our online success turned into real life success.” And Baddie Bash’s success only continued from there. The venue owners were so impressed with the event and Sugiyama’s team that they wanted to host another Baddie Bash in the summer.

In the months since the first event in April, Sugiyama and her team have gone on to produce four additional Baddie Bash spin-off events in three different locations, including one in Miami.

“Being able to produce such successful events reminded me of why I came to America,” Sugiyama says. “It feels so good to say I’ve started achieving my dreams, and I’m so excited to continue working in the entertainment industry.”

“These opportunities and successes wouldn’t have been possible without Rosen College,” Sugiyama continues. “I’ve found another home here.”

If you’re ready to turn your passion for entertainment into a successful career, find out more about Rosen College’s entertainment management degree or visit us at our upcoming Open House to learn more about the opportunities and experiences that can help you achieve your dreams in the industry.