How Harvey Waites Turned His Passion for Business into a Career in Film

Posted on: 28 October 2025 in Where are they now?

Picture Credit - Harvey Waites at the 69th edition of the British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Fest.

Harvey Waites, a Class of 2024 International Business graduate, shares his journey from studying at the University of Liverpool to launching his career in the film industry. He reflects on what inspired him to pursue international business, the highlights of his course including a year in industry with Warner Bros, and his current role at Sony Pictures. Harvey also discusses his volunteering experience, post-graduation travels across Southeast Asia and the lasting connections he’s built through the University’s athletics community.

What inspired you to study International Business at the University of Liverpool?

I think from a young age I knew that business was the discipline I wanted to pursue, and from my time at college, I grew increasingly curious and interested in how businesses operate multinationally. When looking for universities and opportunities to explore this, I think what stood out to me about the International Business course at the University of Liverpool was the career support that the university offered, their alumni team having a great reputation and a support system both during and post university life.

Additionally, the opportunity within the course to do a year in industry. This was something I thought would be invaluable to not just my future regarding tangible experience for my CV, but in terms of the sheer skills I would learn during this time that would allow me to discover more about myself and my future career. The course stood out to me for its flexibility - from the wide range of modules to choose from, to the option of changing courses after the first year if I wanted to explore a different area of business. I was particularly drawn to the variety of optional modules available throughout the three years, as they would allow me to focus on topics that interest me, tailor the skills I develop and shape the kind of experience I gain from the course.

What were some of the highlights of your course that really stood out to you?

I think one of the highlights for me of the course was being able to work on real business case scenarios, such as a case study of Co-op expanding into new markets I worked on during my final year. This involved working alongside company representatives within their development/management team, and the research and data they provided gave real insights into the challenges and factors that real companies face when deciding expansion strategies. This has always been a real interest of mine and was a big part of why I chose International Business so being able to apply this to a real case scenario was very interesting.

Harvey at graduation.

You completed a year in industry at Warner Bros as a European Film Business Placement Intern - how did you find that experience and what skills did you develop?

My time working for Warner Bros really gave me a taste of corporate life and helped massively shape the area and industry I wished to pursue in the future, which has manifested in where I find myself today. My role was within theatrical distribution for the EMEA region, so here I helped analyse box office performance for both Warner and competitive titles, as well as track audience awareness both post and prior to theatrical release. This multifaceted role really gave me the scope to understand so many different parts of the business and how they operate together. From getting to work with various teams within the company such as legal, research and finance, which helped develop my interpersonal and communication skills, to networking, which I’ve found to be crucial when applying for roles post-graduation and within my current role.

Additionally, I learnt so much about the industry itself and how it functions, which fuelled my wider passion for cinema and engaged me to all of the current business affairs and allowed me to be more contextualised with my analysis. The culture of the company also allowed me to feel free to ask questions and query decisions and opinions of the team, which really fuelled my curiosity to challenge business decisions. There was also so much technologically that I developed during this year, with the analytical skills and familiarity with different internal systems being something I brought into my final year studies, as well as into my current role.

Alongside your studies, you volunteered at LOROS Hospice. What did you gain from that experience, both personally and professionally?

LOROS is a local charity that I hold very close to my heart and I’m always trying to give back in any way I can. Being able to have the opportunity to volunteer at their local charity stores alongside my studies was something I jumped at the chance to get involved with. This charity only survives on public donations, which is why it is so important to contribute as much as possible. Working in the charity shop gave me this opportunity, to feel like I was making a real difference in people’s lives with the work I was doing and this was something you could see tangibly with people in my local community. Everyone has someone that requires that sort of care in their lives, so hearing from them how important LOROS has been to them and the difference it has made is such a rewarding feeling.

In addition to this, it’s also aided me so much professionally, not just with the perspective it has given me to seek jobs that make a positive difference in people’s lives and to give back, but with the soft employability skills the role taught me  such as customer service and interpersonal skills, as well as understanding the value and power of the community around you. Seeing how much time and effort the volunteers give back to their community with their work - it’s awe-inspiring - so the experience has changed me forever for the better.

After graduating, you travelled around South East Asia. Where did you go and how did travel broaden your horizons?

One week after graduation, me and my two flatmates boarded a one-way flight to Thailand with no plan and our whole lives tucked into the backpacks on our backs. In total, we visited 6 countries in 6 months, from the shores of Koh Tao, to the bustling city of Hanoi, and the mountains of East Java, we made some absolutely unforgettable memories that will last us a lifetime.

This journey taught me so much about myself and gave me so much perspective about the type of person I want to be - from the fellow travellers we met, to the locals that have devoted their lives to giving back - it really made me want to be able to make a difference with what I do.

The journey also allowed me to experience and put myself in scenarios I’d never been in before and were out of my comfort zone such as scuba diving and mountain climbing, even travelling in a foreign country by myself! This exposure has made me more confident, more decisive and helped me learn more about myself that I’ve been able to carry into my life now.

You’re now working as a Sales Planning and Operations Coordinator at Sony Pictures. How are you finding the role and what does a typical day look like?

In sales planning, I sit between the sales, legal, distribution, finance and formats teams, and my role is to coordinate and facilitate the formation of deals for our content to streaming platforms across the EMEA region. My role can differ quite extensively depending on the stages the deals we negotiate are at, so a typical day can vary from sending out proposals to clients, working with sales to benchmark product fees against prior deals, setting up deals in our internal system, working with legal to draft contracts and amendments, and liaising with finance to approve the material releases and delivery of our products to clients.

Although the variation and coordination across many different teams and departments can be challenging, I find that the role and in fact the industry is constantly evolving, which always makes the work dynamic and interesting - seeing deals from their initial negotiation phase all the way through to their execution and the content appearing on these platforms is a very rewarding feeling. Being given the responsibility to manage these deals independently, and input into negotiations and deal proposals makes my work and effort feel valued and that I’m effectively contributing to the business, and working across so many different departments gives me so many insights into how the business and industry functions.

You recently ran the Belfast City Marathon alongside other University of Liverpool alumni. How did you find that experience?

A massive part of my time at the University of Liverpool was being part of the athletics and cross-country team and being able to continue to race and take part in events such as the Belfast marathon with fellow alumni, is a testament to how much of a community the club has created. It has formed and established lifelong friendships that have and will last long after university. This is something I’m immensely proud of and being able to see the achievements and development of everyone in the club is an amazing feeling, so I cherish weekends like Belfast, to be able to see how the legacy of the club has continued and has a lasting impact on people.

Harvey earlier this year running the Belfast City Marathon alongside 13 other members and alumni of the University of Liverpool Athletics and Cross Country team.

Looking ahead, where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Whilst it’s always hard to foresee where you’ll be in the future, I think what is a testament to the culture at Sony I’ve experienced so far, is that I can see myself still at the company and progressing within sales planning or potentially within a sales role. This is the industry I’ve always wanted to be in since my time on placement and I’ve found such a great community and culture within Sony, with so many opportunities to develop both personally and professionally, that I’d love to stay here for the foreseeable.

Finally, what advice would you give to current students or recent graduates hoping to follow a similar career path?

You don’t have to know what you want to do in the future or post-uni, there’s always so much pressure and it’s easy to compare yourself to others, but these are the years to figure these things out.

Go and explore, make mistakes but most importantly, take your time. Don’t see it as failure if you don’t get the grade you wanted or you get rejected from that job you really saw yourself doing. There are still so many opportunities and things to explore, it will work itself out.

Thank you to Harvey for sharing his career journey so far. 

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