Mission: Impossible? How to stay Human as a Senior Executive in Hollywood

Join us for this intimate fireside chat with Jim White, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Paramount Pictures (LA) and University of Technology Sydney (UTS) - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences alumnus, UTS International Alumni of the Year in 2019 and UTS Fellow – an honour that he was awarded recently in October.

Interviewed by UTS FASStival Director James Lew, they will discuss Jim’s international career including insights and strategies in leading change during uncertainty and technological revolutions, while stay human(e) as a Senior Executive in Hollywood.

They will also discuss Jim’s life, his influences and his philanthropic work to help combat poverty and homelessness in LA.

About Jim White:

Jim White grew up in Carter Lake, Iowa, just across the way from Omaha. After studying at Bellevue University and University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, he has built a career focused on human resources and organizational development for the entertainment industry. His career path took him to live & work in 22 countries, and companies like Blockbuster, Universal Music Group, Video game company Activision Blizzard, and music tech company Napster.

Some 35 years later, White is still in the entertainment industry. Today, he’s Senior Vice-President of Human Resources at Paramount Pictures, where a background in business and education makes him a unique hire.

In addition to his work at Paramount, White is heavily involved at United Way of Greater Los Angeles, an organization dedicated to developing systemic approaches to combat poverty and homelessness among families with children, and to enhance family economic security and well-being.

Jim has a long-time commitment to community involvement and philanthropic development with downtown L.A.’s premier real estate, travel and lifestyle company called Ultimate Life Living. The company name expresses Jim’s greater vision for our world and his belief that every person deserves to live an “ultimate life.” He’s also on the board of Beyond Shelter, a non-profit that combats poverty and homelessness.

He is the Chair of the North American Alumni Advisory Board at UTS.

Jim’s book, THE WORLD IS A SAFE PLACE, is another part of his making a difference in the world.

James Lew is the Senior Partnerships and Business Development Manager at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at UTS. He is also the organiser and director of FASStival.

This event is part of FASStival 2024.