The President of Marvel Studios shares the biggest career tip

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But the president of box office giant Marvel Studios announced this week that not only was he rejected from the film program at his alma mater, the University of Southern California, but that he had to apply for the course six times before it was accepted.

In conversation with the graduating class of 2023, Feige shared this story and the most important lesson she conveyed to him: “My wish for you graduates is that you can come to terms with failure and rejection. Accept it’s a possibility, but never let it define you. Never let that hold you back.”

A quick look at Feige’s CV proves that adversity has never interfered with his professional development.

Feige began a free internship at a production company while he was in college—he paid the $40 shuttle fee to the studios himself—before landing a position as a producer X-Men movie in 2002.

In the years to come, Feige worked on projects such as Spiderman and the Fantastic Fourand was named in 2007 production manager of the company. In 2008, projects such as iron man And The incredible HulkCharacters that would shape the Marvel Universe in later years.

In 2019, Feige received an additional title: Head of the design departmentwhich means he’s now taking over the creative direction of the entire Marvel brand in film and television.

In his opening remarks, Feige emphasized the need to adapt, whether in response to change or failure, and cited this ability as one of the factors that led him to his position Arguably one of the most influential people in Hollywood.

origin story

fig that was received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater this yearIn his speech, he dreamed of working in film at the age of 10 and hoped it would be “the greatest job in the world”.

His Hollywood dream was simple, he recalls: “You get accepted into USC, you get accepted into the School of Cinematic Arts, you do a student film that gets made into a big motion picture, you do.” war of stars and then you become George Lucas.

“It didn’t work that way.”

Instead, Feige was “lucky for the sixth time” to get into the School of Cinematic Arts and then landed his first “glamorous job” as a production assistant.

“I’ve taken hundreds of lunch orders, washed dozens of cars, babysat other people’s dogs, chauffeured people to meetings, chauffeured their dogs,” he recalled.

“If your story is similar to mine and you know what you want to do, that’s awesome. If you’re unsure about your next chapter, that’s awesome too. If you just have that degree and a few scraps of an idea, that’s fine.”

The key difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is action, Feige added: “Success comes from action.” It comes from trying new things, taking risks, and saying “yes” instead with “No”.

underdog mentality

Marvel’s heroes fail on both small and “spectacular” scales, Fiege said, but importantly, failure is “never the end of their story.”

That was a lesson that Feige learned and adopted early on Marvel Studios – part of Disney.

I remember the studio 15 years agoFiege narrated “a seedy group sitting on the roof of a dingy building in a car dealership” and attempted to create a cinematic phenomenon out of lesser-known characters than “a lot in Hollywood thought.” [they] were doomed.”

“We came close to agreeing with them,” admitted Feige. “But do you know what you have to lose by being an underdog? Nothing.”

This mentality is “appreciated” at Marvel Studios, the president continued, and has been ingrained in the company from the start – despite everything Creating the greatest film franchise in history.

“We never forget where we come from,” said Fiege. “It drives us to keep challenging ourselves and trying new things, collaborating with new filmmakers and trying new types of stories. Even after you get established, that mentality can serve you really well.”

know who you are

Whether it is the spirit of spider man Peter Parker, the trust of avenger Character Black Widow or the genius of Fantastic Four Reed Richards, Fiege said the most important thing is to be clear about who you are as an individual.

“To be successful, you need to understand your strengths and weaknesses, whatever they may be,” he explained.

Quote a Marvel movie He adds: “The measure of a person, a hero, is how well they manage to be who they are.”

He advised graduates to embrace their mistakes and “embrace failure” and to understand the power of teamwork and collaboration.

He ended his speech with a revelation about the cast iron man Lead actor – Tony Stark – and a “lucky streak” that cast Robert Downey Jr. in the role.

“Because this is our first Marvel film, the stakes couldn’t have been higher,” said Fiege. “The success of the film and the future of our entire studio rested on the shoulders of that one person.”

They found the “right man,” an actor they “were confident would be a smash hit” —Clive Owenan English actor best known for his work in children of men.

“He wasn’t interested,” Feige said. “Not getting your first pick could be the biggest thing that can happen to you. You know what’s better than making your first choice? Make the right choice. In our case, of course, that was Robert Downey Jr.”