Master ’95 and King ’23 find mentoring connection through Prep Brotherhood

When thinking about his calling after high school, Grayson King ’23 had his mind made up early. “I knew my skills and passion lent themselves to connecting with people,” King recalls. “I knew I wanted to do something in the entertainment industry, whether as an actor or on the business side of the music industry.” 

As he finished his time at the Prep, King focused his college search to the West Coast to be close to Los Angeles’s entertainment hub, and ultimately matriculated at the University of Southern California. “USC stood out to me with all of the history, the sports, the academics, and the opportunity to explore the entertainment world, while also giving me the opportunity to explore a new culture and city independently, across the country from where I grew up,” King says. 

During the winter break of his freshman year at USC, King attended the College-Aged Alumni Networking Night hosted by the Prep’s Alumni Association. It was there that he met Bryan Master ’95, who has built a successful career in the music and content-production areas of the entertainment industry.  “I was assigned to Bryan’s small group for one of the breakout sessions and we discovered that my interests aligned closely with his career path,” King explains. The two hit it off immediately, with King garnering valuable insights into the entertainment industry. “Even in the crazy world of the entertainment business, Bryan was able to give me tangible things to do that could get me on the right path to break into the field and be successful,” King says. 

Since the initial introduction one year ago, King and Master have had a standing monthly check-in meeting. “I try to stress the importance of network-building and test-and-learn opportunities so that he is getting a variety of experiences,” Master explains. 

It is safe to say King has taken that advice to heart. He recently completed a fall internship at Bridge Entertainment Labs, and will begin another internship at Shore Fire Media later this month. The path to this latest internship began with an introduction from Master, who had done work with the company in the past. “I’m excited to be working in an office environment, meeting like-minded people with similar interests, and seeing how the behind-the-scenes aspects of the industry work,” King says. Following his spring internship, King has another job in the field lined up for the summer.

Even though 25 years separate the two men, there is a bond that is shared between Master and King. “Grayson’s drive, work ethic, and determinism was evident immediately, a likely result of four years at the Prep,” Master says. “He’s going to do great things — in fact, he already is doing great things. This mentoring experience is extremely gratifying. There’s as much to learn from a mentee as there is from a mentor.”

King encourages current students at the Prep to focus on personal connections as they begin their own professional networking journeys. “I think the importance of maintaining relationships is the biggest thing I’ve learned,” King explains. “Whether it’s having a monthly check-in, providing someone you connected with a while back a quick update on where you are, or reaching out to someone to pick their brain on a certain topic, all of this is maintaining and cultivating a relationship that may prove invaluable, even if you aren’t specifically asking for something in the moment.”