Learning the Business of Creativity

Sophia Mesler thrives on being a part of the creative process. Over the years, this has led her to a production internship at a local ad agency, a job as a videographer for the Undergraduate Student Association, and a burgeoning career as a musician who writes, performs and records her own music.

A fourth-year student majoring in business administration with a concentration in international business, and minoring in Italian, Mesler was drawn to UB for its diverse offerings—music classes, the Honors College, studying abroad—while giving her a base in the School of Management. “I’ve had a lot of ideas of what career I’d like over the years, and business has been my way of exploring different avenues.”

This exploration took the Clarence, N.Y., native all the way to Milan to study abroad during the spring semester of her sophomore year. “My grandmother was born in Italy, and I had always dreamed of being able to speak to my relatives who live there who don’t speak English,” Mesler says. “When I came to UB, I was happy it offered Italian, which I’d wanted to challenge myself to learn.”

At the Università Bocconi, she was the only student from UB and one of only two from the entire SUNY system. She took classes alongside Italian students and others from throughout Europe taking part in the Erasmus Program, a European Union student exchange program established in 1987. Beyond the challenge and thrill of her courses, she grew a lot as a person. “I think that living by myself in a big city—going grocery shopping and cooking meals and using the transportation and forcing myself to speak Italian—I really had to put myself out there in ways I never had before.” She returned more confident in herself as a leader, with a newfound sense of independence.

Back on campus, she sought out a production internship at Mr. Smith Agency, an ad agency in downtown Buffalo, an opportunity that appealed to her because of its unique location at the junction of creativity and business. 

“When they called me and said, ‘we'd like to offer you the role,’ I was so excited. But I knew it was for credit only,” she says. And that’s where the Academic Enrichment Fund came in. As an Honors College student, Mesler has not only had opportunities to partake in peer mentoring and personalized advisement, but also was eligible for special funding. She applied for and received an award from the Academic Enrichment Fund, which provides flexible support for Honors scholars. “The Fund was really helpful because it allowed me to take on a cool opportunity and offset the costs, particularly since the internship was unpaid,” she says. 

Over her semester at Mr. Smith Agency, she worked with national companies like Labatt USA, as a part of an energetic, diverse team. She got the chance to work closely with Mr. Smith's director of photography, attending shoots and assisting when needed, as well as sitting in on content planning meetings and production meetings discussing shot lists and visions for the project. 

“The thing I loved most about being in production was the pace,” says Mesler. “There was always something new to work on: editing content, planning for an upcoming shoot, or brainstorming creative ideas. It’s a really cool feeling to see something you helped create receive positive engagement from an audience. One of the reels I made got over 100,000 views!”

Outside of academics, Mesler has been a member of the Sustainable Business Association and a videographer for the Undergraduate Student Association. She loves doing this work, which includes filming events for an array of student organizations. “I’ve been exposed to a lot of different groups, languages, cultures at UB that I wouldn’t have even known existed.” She has also gotten to film concerts on campus. “After, I get to meet the artists and be backstage—and get a taste of what it would be like if I work in the music industry,” Mesler says, whose video edits and reels have become her portfolio. 

When she graduates in May, she has a job lined up at JPMorganChase in their Chase Leadership Development Program, where she completed an internship last summer. She is excited about the opportunity, which she sees as a potential stepping stone to working internationally or going into the music industry. Like all college seniors, she is also acutely aware that she is facing the unknown. “I wouldn't be where I am today without being willing to take the risks and explore new areas that I’ve maybe never tried before. So, I’m reminding myself, ‘you won’t know until you’ve tried it,’” she says.