As an MBA student at Tuck, STARZ President and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch T’99 remembers jumping at the chance to have lunch with the late Glenn Britt T’72, who was the chief executive of Time Warner Cable and a visiting executive at the time.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without taking that opportunity,” he says. “That chance encounter at Tuck helped me see how I could be successful in what was a pretty nontraditional career path.”
The meeting with Britt ultimately led to a job working for the division president of Time Warner Cable in New York, and kickstarted a 15-year run with the company as Hirsch rose through multiple senior leadership roles to become chief marketing and sales officer and executive vice president. After joining STARZ in 2015, he was quickly promoted to COO in 2016 and has been leading the business since 2019. Hirsch drove the network’s industry-leading transition to digital, helping STARZ become one of the fastest companies to reach two million subscribers on its direct-to-consumer streaming platform. STARZ also became the only linear network to remain profitable throughout this unprecedented transformation with roughly 70 percent of its revenue now coming from digital.
As a chief executive in an industry disrupted by seismic shifts in technology and consumer behavior, Hirsch has taken every opportunity to share what he has learned while also seeking insights and fresh perspectives from Tuck students and alumni. This includes his participation in the CEO Challenge during Tuck Launch where study groups of first-year students work with alumni CEOs on real-world challenges impacting their businesses.
This past summer, Hirsch welcomed Justine Goggin D’18 T’26 as a summer intern at STARZ, an experience that provided her with broad exposure to the inner workings of the entertainment industry. Much like Hirsch’s meeting with Britt nearly three decades ago, Goggin views the internship as a key inflection point in her career.
“The experience gave me a crash course in the entertainment ecosystem and its shifting dynamics,” says Goggin. “Thanks to Jeff [Hirsch] and the team, throughout the summer I was able to explore how the business operates across different functions.”
We spoke with Hirsch and Goggin to learn more about the internship and the power of the Tuck network.
What inspired you to bring a Tuck student to STARZ as a summer intern?
As I’ve returned to campus for things like the CEO Challenge, I’m reminded of how much talent there is at Tuck. It’s been interesting to lay out some of the business challenges we are facing in front of a group of students that haven’t even started digging into the core curriculum. Seeing what they’re able to accomplish even at that early stage and how sharp their instincts are is eye opening. Those experiences had a big impact on the decision to bring Justine in as an intern this summer. We’re fortunate to have a bunch of smart people at STARZ, but it’s always great to have a fresh set of eyes on the challenges we’re facing.
What did Justine contribute that stood out to you during the internship?
Something that was valuable for us and I think for Justine as well was having her in rotations throughout the summer so she could learn about issues impacting different parts of the business. For example, she worked with the original programming team which brought her up to speed on how we build a TV show, a scripted drama, from the day we put it into development until it gets on the air. Having her in those meetings helped us learn and gain perspective on things we can improve or do differently, whether it’s a better process for going out and bidding things or ways we can better leverage AI tools. Justine had great insights and everybody, across the board, loved working with her.
I think it’s our responsibility as alumni to help the next generation of students figure out what they want to do and how to be successful.
— Jeffrey Hirsch T’99
You’ve consistently welcomed Tuck students into STARZ and returned to campus to share your experience. Why is “paying it forward” to the next generation of Tuck leaders important to you?
My career wouldn’t be what it is today without a chance encounter at Tuck in the visiting executive program my first year. I went to Booz Allen for my summer internship, and I knew that I didn't want to be a consultant. Because of that relationship with Glenn Britt, I was able to gain a wealth of experience in operations, marketing, and P&L that ultimately led me to where I am now at STARZ, as a public company CEO running a business. I would be on a much different path without that opportunity, and I think it’s our responsibility as alumni to help the next generation of students figure out what they want to do and how to be successful.
What advice would you give current students as they think about their careers?
More than anything, I think it’s critically important that students use their time at Tuck to get clarity around what they are passionate about and then chase a career in that. If you’re working in a business that you’re not passionate about, ultimately, you’re going to find yourself pulling away and you won’t accomplish as much as you would otherwise.
What drew you to STARZ for your summer internship?
STARZ is the home of iconic franchises like Outlander and Power. I've built my career at the intersection of creativity and business, so when I had the chance to work for a company creating content for women and underrepresented voices, I knew it was exactly the kind of work I wanted to do. More than that, being able to work for and learn from Jeff was a huge draw. He's an industry leader. I really admired how he transitioned STARZ from a traditional linear cable network to a digital-first company and did so while ensuring the company remained profitable. What stood out to me was how Jeff came to the interview prepared and invested. He had read my resume, listened to my music, and asked questions that showed he genuinely wanted to understand who I am and what drives me. I left my interview so motivated and inspired.
What was the most valuable part of your experience working with Jeffrey and the team?
Jeff gave me the opportunity to shadow him. I sat in meetings and honestly couldn't believe the access I had. Jeff’s door was always open. He checked in on me daily and encouraged me to ask questions. Watching him lead in real time taught me more about what it takes to run an entertainment company than I ever could have learned in the classroom.
How did Tuck prepare you to succeed in this role?
It's hard to quantify all the ways Tuck prepared me for this summer. If I were to boil it down, Tuck gave me the toolkit to think strategically, tackle analytical problems, and build relationships. I pulled from the frameworks I learned in Professor Ramon Lecuona's Core Strategy class, relied on presentation skills from our Management Communication class, and drew on my experience leading an early-stage First-Year Project for a Thayer School of Engineering professor’s venture-backed startup. Whether I was working behind the scenes or presenting to senior leadership, I could see each piece come into play.
I was floored by how the Tuck ethos lives on thousands of miles from Hanover, all the way in Los Angeles.
— Justine Goggin D’18, T’26
What did this experience show you about the strength of the Tuck network?
I was floored by how the Tuck ethos lives on thousands of miles from Hanover, all the way in Los Angeles. From day one, Jeff made it clear that I had earned my spot there because of what I brought to the table. That shared Tuck experience gave us an instant foundation of trust and mutual respect. It meant I could walk into his office, ask hard questions, and get real answers. It was a reminder that the strength of the Tuck network is in the real relationships it makes possible.
This story originally appeared in print in the Winter 2026 issue of Tuck Today magazine.
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