READER’S CHOICE AWARDS 12 With the largest turn-out in history check out the winners in 14 categories. NATALIE STOVALL 16 Natalie strikes gold taking the top spot as Best Music Artist and Best Female Artist. COLEMAN PRODUCTIONS 28 A developing agency with strong leadership and an enthusiastic roster takes the top agency spot.
APRIL 2010
JUSTIN KREDIBLE 32
Justin makes Campus Activities history by becoming the first artist ever to win Entertainer of the Year for FOUR Consecutive Years.
WINE TO WATER 38 A NC Bartender takes on a project to provide clean water to 1.1 billion needy people worldwide. D E P A R T M E N T S
From the Publisher Laff Guru Reader’s Choice Intro Reader’s Choice Awards
4 8 12 14
Rock ‘n Road Show Wine To Water Entertainment Warehouse
Z-MAGS® ONLINE VIDEO INTERACTIVE EDITION: campusactivitiesmagazine.com
36 38 42
RANDOM THOUGHTS & OTHER MINDLESS DRIBBLE
Reader’s Choice Awards Draw Record Numbers
For the second consecutive year now, Campus Activities Magazine readers have been guided to our website to vote. While we still allowed traditional paper ballots to be mailed or faxed to us, 94% of all votes came through our website. The numbers were impressive because nominees used social networking sites to solicit votes for their bids for the top spots. This garnered 27% more individual votes than
in 2009. Despite the huge numbers, many categories were unusually tight with as few and 20 votes separating first and second place winners.
While the total response was exciting, it put a lot of work on the staff. Mail and fax ballots had to be hand counted. Totals from the web were even a bigger task. While the program would actually count the ballots for us, it did not tell us if the votes were genuine. So the result was we had to check every email address to be sure that the voting was actually coming from a school and a legitimate school. This delayed the process, especially
4, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
when you had to consider over 20,000 votes.
So, simplifying this process was the first thing on our agenda with our new web site development team. By mid-summer, the new campusactivitiesmagazine.com website should have been beta-tested and functional. This new site will allow for Campus Activities Magazine to develop the first world-wide campus activities community consisting of all campuses regardless of their membership in any association. The site will be completely free and it will only require that you sign up as a student, advisor or professional personnel
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
from a college or university to become part of the community. Agents and artists will also be allowed to join for free creating a huge artist and agency database for campuses to find information, videos and access to the entertainment population. The site will have a Facebook interface as well as the same look and feel. This will be a secure site and information retrieved from members will not be sold, bartered or traded to outside sources. It will be through this campus community site that next year’s nominations and awards will be decided. When you sign up for the community, you will give us basic information that will allow us to accredit you as an active participant. When the nominations and the voting occurs, you must be a registered student, director, artist or agent to be allowed to nominate or vote. The system will automatically check your nominating or voting information against the community membership and if you are not signed up, your nomination or vote will be rejected. At that point, if you are qual-
ified to nominate or vote, you may register for the community and re-submit your nomination or vote.
While it may sound like somewhat of a process, it really is pretty simple. It allows us to qualify the nominations and the awards vote. These awards have a history of delivering the very best in the campus market. As technology has changed, a few unscrupulous individuals have a found ways to circumvent the traditional system that was in place. As the number of votes have increased substantially, we decided we needed a better way to be sure that fictitious nominations and ballots don’t corrupt the final results. Agencies will still be allowed to use Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites to request votes from students and directors, but now the access to the nominations and voting will require validation through our website. On another note, campuses, artists and agencies currently using our database online will need to sign up again later this summer when the new website testing is
6, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
complete. If you gave us your email when you signed up, you will be notified as we approach that date. If you are an agency with a rather large roster and need assistance, we will be happy to help you in this transition. For campuses, it should be a simple, easy process that will take you only a few minutes to complete.
As for this year, thank you for the tremendous support. While it took us a little longer, 98% of the votes were qualified and I think campuses, artists and agencies did a great job of identifying excellence in programming. The entire roster of nominees represented the cream of the industry and each of you should be proud of your achievements. Please note that available video on all the winners and runner-ups should be on our online z-mags edition at campusactivitiesmagazine.com to give you a better idea of their talents.
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
Call Jacqui V. from CEG!
(866) 297-9671
Jacqui@ColemanProductions.com www.ColemanProductions.com
Call Brooke to Book! (866) 328-3762
Brooke@ColemanProductions.com www.ColemanProductions.com
FUNNY MONEY: The Comic Struggles With Wealth
“You have to pretend that your life is a financial pleasure even when your autographs are bouncing. You begin to believe that all dentists and married couples are happier than you are. Many’s the night you feel lonely, empty, homesick for Heaven. Everybody you know thinks you’ve really got it made and suddenly you find you’re a jet-set gypsy cryin’ on the shoulder of the highway…” Kinky Friedman
Just read about a place, Hillsborough, California, that is reported to be the wealthiest town in the United States. The median price for a home there is a whopping $2,606,764, with the average annual income of each household a comfy $263,456. The well-to-do of Hillsborough must enjoy having rich neighbors because they passed city ordinances that ensure there is no other kind; building codes prohibit construction of any home less than 2,500 square feet or building on any lot less than half an acre, and totally forbids apartments, condos and townhouses altogether. (Of course the title wealthiest town is relative; consider Baker, Missouri, with an average household income of $455,000, but only two households.)
The reason these statistics caught my eye is because the town I was born in, Wichita Falls, was, at the time, considered the wealthiest town per capita in the country. This title was the result of the Texas oil boom, a windfall my parents failed to participate in, much to their regret and my chagrin. Due to the relatively small population there were no expensive private schools for the rich children to attend, so they were forced to rub elbows in public schools with people on the lower end of the economic ladder; people like me.
The only other city I am aware of that does not separate the rich and poor (with gated communities and such) is Manhattan, NY, where it is not uncommon to see a billionaire
8, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
sitting outside at a sidewalk café dining on a meal that costs as much as a car payment while a homeless person is laying hungry on that same sidewalk mere inches away. For much of my childhood I felt like that homeless person. Not to say my parents lived below the poverty level; we were just middle class surrounded by millionaires. I never went without decent clothes or enough to eat, well, not until I left home at the tender age of fifteen with the legal title of “emancipated minor.” While my wealthy classmates were getting new cars for their sixteenth birthdays I was getting food stamps. However, this was cool with me; I believe if given the choice between a new car and their own apartment, most sixteen-year-olds would opt for independence. www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
core, however, the way I am perceived does vary; when I am flush, people say I am eclectic, when I am poor, people say I am crazy. As a teen I learned to use humor to cope with the financial inequalities I was frequently exposed to. For example, when I discovered that the Wichita Falls Country Club refused to allow minorities to join, I was so enraged I snuck on their golf course at night and scattered several bags of jumbo marshmallows, just so the following day, my friends of color and I could sit outside the fence laughing at rich racists trying to find their golf balls.
To this day (even though my personal financial situation has improved considerably) I sometimes find myself irritated with the überwealthy. To be painfully honest, I suppose I get annoyed with billionaires for the same reason I sometimes get annoyed with teenagers: because I’m not one. But despite being plagued with an occasional tinge of envy, I can honestly say that money has never been the highest priority on my list. If it had, I certainly never would have pursued a career in the performing arts. For me, and I suspect most artists, the burning desire is just to perform, to get the art out there; any monetary reward is just gravy.
Where money is concerned I’ve always been somewhat apathetic, and as such, I have never really fit in any social class, rich or poor. To the poor, anyone who doesn’t care about money must be rich; to the rich, anyone who doesn’t care about money must be poor. The gypsies have a proverb: a millionaire is not a man with a million dollars, but a man who’s spent a million dollars. By this standard I am a multimillionaire! One of the benefits of not being obsessed with making money is I am also not overly stressed about losing it. I have seen my fortunes rise and fall like a rollercoaster many times and expect this pattern to continue. Regardless of my current bank balance I feel I remain the same person at my
I’ll admit my spending habits are easily viewed as nutty as a squirrel turd. I have always been repulsed by status symbols and the people who flaunt them. I’m sure Rolex makes a fine watch, but I’m also sure it tells the same time as my Timex, my Maxima gets from point A to point B as quick as your Hummer, and although I have a weakness for fine clothing, I insist the logo be tucked inside the garment. However, this does not mean I am thrifty; I will spend my last dime on a creative endeavor, or something that might bring me a few laughs, or a friend in need.
Because I frequently appear on television (just taped my 51st appearance – yippee!) there is a common misconception this must translate into me being wealthy. Even with minor stardom (I can barely describe how minor) people expect my life to be all limos and Learjets. I am often approached by people that have seen me on TV asking why I am still riding the subway. There is probably a student at each of the 800+ schools I’ve performed at, who handed me a sizable paycheck, wondering the same thing. People do not realize that my check gets severely divided: the government takes a third, travel expense takes a forth, the agent takes a fifth, and the manager takes a tenth, leaving me (indeed most performers) with a pretty damn small slice of the pie.
My attitude is: if it is enough to get by then it is enough. I’m thrilled just to be able to do what I love and love what I do. Have I ever craved a bigger pie? Sure, but as I learned from the Tao Te Ching: “To know you have enough is to be rich.” I consider myself lucky to have avoided the trap of trying to live up to people’s expectations of a glamorous show biz lifestyle. Many major celebrities are less fortunate, which is why I wasn’t surprised to learn superstars like Larry King, Burt Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, Jerry Lewis, Debbie Reynolds, Kim Basinger, Randy Quaid, Don Johnson, Zsa Zsa Gabor,
10, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
and Francis Ford Coppola have all filed for bankruptcy.
With money-matters dominating the media these days I’m sure it must be a terrifying time for a college student about to embark on a career. Please do not despair, you will survive this economic downturn and emerge with a deeper appreciation of the good times once they return. The best advice I can offer is for you to find something you love to do, then find someone to pay you for doing it, and don’t worry how big the paycheck is. Having been on both sides of the economic fence many times I have learned that the rich and poor both suffer, albeit in different ways; but perhaps the poor have a slight advantage—they live with the hope their lives would be painless if only they had money—the rich, sadly, know better. I can attest there is great truth in the old adage, “Happiness is not getting what you want but wanting what you have.” I’ll close with a story from my show last night. I told the following joke: “Beautiful day today, huh? I don’t think it gets much more pleasant than springtime in New York. There was that summer I spent in Paris…Hilton. That wasn’t so pleasant; it’s always so crowded that time of year. Paris Hilton is living proof the only thing worse than poor white trash is rich white trash.” This gag apparently offended a rich guy in the audience; he stood and yelled, “Hey, I can buy and sell you!” I reminded him that he indeed could buy me, but he was going to have some trouble selling me. (Lord knows I’ve tried.)
“The Laff Guru” has taken his message of LAUGHTER=NIRVANA to all 50 states and 23 countries. To find out more about his award-winning comedy act please visit: myspace.com/laffguru GET YOUR ARTIST REPORTS IN BEFORE MAY 31 TO BE INCLUDED IN THE 2010 DRAWING FOR CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE’S ROCK ‘n ROAD SHOW
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
2010 Agency of the Year! Call Brooke to Book! (866) 328-3762
Brooke@DatingDoctor.com • www.DatingDoctor.com
No one ever imagined that when all the voting was completed there would be such tight races in many of the categories and some surprises in others. With the second year of on-line voting, artists used contacts at social networking sites like Facebook to bolster their popularity in the marketplace.
Natalie Stovall took the honors in two categories this year beating out Impulse for Best Music Artist by only 44 votes. She won Best Female Artist over Dana Alexandra by 20 votes. Both categories had extremely tight vote counts among the participating artists.
Justin Kredible made it four for four, winning En- David Coleman blistered the competition for the tertainer of the Year for the FOURTH consecutive Top Speaker slot with 1048 votes. CL Lindsay year, a feat never before accomplished in the took second place honors with 380. award’s history. Best Male Artist was a battle among Bass /Schuler Jason LeVasseur took the Best Small Venue acts, but Frederick Winters mounted a crushing Artist, a category he has consistently won for campaign out-distancing Daniel Martin 667 to 511. nearly a decade. He more than doubled the votes of the second place contender, Jared Campbell. Fastest Rising Star was a battle to the end with the vote distributed pretty evenly. At the final bell Matt Glowacki also took a commanding lead in the it was Ryan Clausen with 520 votes against ProjDiversity category. He topped Black Jew Dia- ect Dynamite with 514. logues, the runners-up by some 150 votes. 12, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
Best Major Artist was a run-away for Jason Mraz. The University of Akron won Campus Program of In his second year at the head of the class, he The Year with 802 ballots. Western Michigan Uniwon with 961 votes, more than double that of Jeff versity followed in second place with 560. Dunham in second place. The Agency of the Year was a blow-out this year But Dunham would have his place at the head of for Coleman Productions with 766 votes. But the the table. Jeff Dunham won Best Comedy Artist rest of the field ran pretty tight with 470 for GP Enfor 2010 with 1008 votes over Mission Improvable tertainment and 455 for Bass/Schuler. with 445. And while Justin Kredible won top honors as EnBass /Schuler’s Project Dynamite ruled in the Best tertainer of the Year for an unprecedented fourth Novelty/ Live category with 31.74% of the vote time (996 votes), David Coleman was right on his over Daniel Martin (66another Bass/Schuler act) heels with 906 and Frederick Winters followed with 19.39%. Norman NG had 18.7%. with 741.
The top spot in the Novelty/Games category goes to the legendary ThinkFast from TJohnE. ThinkFast took 31.65% of the total vote with Game Shows To Go garnering 26.9% for the second spot. www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
It was an interesting year for the awards. Check out the profiles of the winners on the pages which follow. For the acts with video, you will be able to see them showcased at campusactivitiesmagazine. com April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 13
Jason LeVasseur is undoubtedly one of the most popular “small venue” artists in campus market history. In this case, the term “small” covers the perfect intimacy and rapport inherent in each of Jason’s shows, but don’t think that means he is “small time” or confined only to the coffeehouse venues . Jason is a highly experienced performer who has occupied every type of stage at some point, from major performances like a recent one with artists Ludacris and LMFAO to venues from small to large across our nation’s campuses. If there is one aspect of this artist that makes him more overwhelmingly popular than any other, it has to be his humble and personable nature. When asked about the fact that he is one of just a few “Reader’s Choice Awards Staples,” he merely compliments the competition. “The thing is,” he says. “I see the guys who win awards year after year and I’m like ‘Those guys are awesome.’ I look up to the award winners and to put myself in the same category as someone like David Coleman is like... wow. When I am hanging around him, I am looking for advice. When it comes to the seasoned veterans, I am wise enough to look to them for guidance. It’s funny because now I have young(er) artists (laughs) come up to me for advice. I still haven’t made the leap that I am an ‘expert’ in something.” “This year I was invited to speak at a college about success. I was asked to talk about finding one’s passion and pursuing a successful career doing what you love.”
As always, Jason is deeply grateful to his fans and thanks the campuses who continue to bring him in and continue to vote.
BOOK IT! For more information contact Bass/Schuler Entertainment at (773) 481-2600 or for virtual links: www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
Jared Campbell has been traveling the country selling over 18,000 CD’s independently and making his mark on the indie scene. He was hand picked by the editors of Billboard to perform in the Disc Makers Independent Music World Series and his music has appeared on MTV’s “Real World” and “Road Rules” as well as College radio from state to state and his newest release “Beyond the Gray” is said to be his best work ever. 14, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
Matt is an artist we consider to have a truly inspiring story, not just because he is a handicapped person who won a diversity award, but because Matt Glowacki is out there teaching people that judging each other is the wrong way to go.
Matt was born with no legs, but that certainly didn’t stop him from taking steps most people would never dream of. In addition to spreading a message of tolerance and diversity, Matt is an entrepreneur. He started playing wheelchair basketball as a young man and quickly realized that the standard wheelchair model used in the sport wasn’t right for him. “These chairs had leg rests which were quite cumbersome,” he says. “This struck me as a little funny, since I didn’t have anything to put in them and they were just in the way.” Matt went into the workshop, hacked off the unnecessary parts of the device and tested things out. “This led me to the idea to start my own company and produce these custom sport-model wheelchairs.” Matt now supplies eight International Paralympic teams. “Diversity According to Family Guy and South Park” is an interesting look into pop culture and satire that brings to light not only significant social issues buried just beneath the layer of slapstick, but also our perception of these people. The fact that every situation is grossly exaggerated and mocked doesn’t make them any less real to people dealing with these issues. For example, nearly every episode of South Park ever made is a disgusting, shocking and a political romp on real world issues that many of us choose to ignore until we see them pop up from homelessness, HIV/AIDS, women’s issues, endangered species, global warming etc. Family Guy practices much the same method and nearly every joke in these shows has a superficial offensiveness to it, but under the surface reveals real and important social issues which need to be explored, not ignored.
The media image is something Matt tackles head-on and is the pivotal point in his lecture. The ridiculous standards we hold ourselves to because of what we see in the media goes part and parcel with the incredible amounts of self-image issues we have in this country today. Matt’s presentation is insightful, funny, inspiring and has a message everyone should hear. BOOK IT! For more information on bringing Matt Glowacki to your campus, contact Brooke Sims at Coleman Productions at (866) 328-3762.
The fast-paced 90-minute program was written by and stars Emmy award-winning veteran Boston performer Ron Jones and award-winning actor Larry Jay Tish, “The Black Jew Dialogues” combines sketch comedy, improv, interactive video, and audience participation to take you on a hysterical and poignant journey through many of our closest held beliefs (and misbeliefs). Performers play a myriad of characters with numerous costume changes. www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 15
16, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
f experience counts for anything, Natalie Stovall has it in spades musically, gaining professional experience and being exposed to playing music at home at a very young age. “I started playing the violin when I was four,” she says. “When I was 10, I auditioned for a show called ‘The Opryland Kids Club.’ Opryland was a theme park in Nashville and I got up and played my fiddle for them. The judges reactions weren’t exactly encouraging (laughs). They said ‘Oh, that’s really sweet honey, but you have to sing for this show.’ I sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and got the job! That was really what started my singing professionally.”
I
A snowball effect is really the only way to describe Natalie’s rocketing career since that fateful childhood day. “I did the Opryland show for about four years and then began doing conventions, conferences and anywhere else that would hire me at the time,” she laughs.
She continued her part-time endeavor throughout high school and then, upon graduation, decided to use her higher education opportunities to kick her passion for music into high gear. “I ended up attending Berklee College of Music in Boston which is when I really got serious about music. I was always intensely devoted to it and knew it was something I was going to do for the rest of my life, but at Berklee I formed my first band and began songwriting in earnest.” Natalie says songwriting has been a pastime for her since she was a kid, but the skills she developed under the tutelage of Berklee opened up a new world for her artistically. “I have been writing since I was about 11, but I never really showed anyone my music or arranged it to play for people. At Berklee, I put a band together and we started playing shows with some of my original material.”
The band would travel around Boston during the school year to Natalie’s native Nashville area during summers for gigs. “We did that two summers in a row and once I graduated we moved back down to the Nashville area. I was looking for band members in Nashville and that took awhile. Believe it or not, we are on our
INPULSE creates a powerful sound that features stunning solos, exceptional harmonic blends000000000, and driving rhythms. Their performances showcase the beauty and versatility of the human voice, drawing from virtually every genre of music - from Pop to Rock, Country to Hip-Hop, and Jazz to R&B. INPULSE has sold over 25,000 copies of their recordings.
30th band member at this point, it was hard to find the right group of musicians with the right chemistry.”
Once they had settled on a lineup, Natalie and her cohorts began gigging around Nashville with a vengeance. “While we were playing around Nashville, we discovered the college market and found an agent with Ari Nisman at Degy Entertainment. Everything just started snowballing from there. It was amazing the way all that worked out once we got in and started playing for colleges and military bases. Everything took on a life of its own and now we are on the road constantly. It’s awesome.” Bringing us into the present day, Natalie and the band’s schedule is now dominated by college and military dates. “It is a huge part of what we do now,” she says. “I play many other gigs because we try to fill in as many dates as possible while we’re on the road. We’ll play clubs, festivals and many performing arts centers as well. Colleges are really the biggest part of keeping us on the road though. There are so many colleges across the country, when we get confirmed dates in a certain area through a single or block of college dates, it gives us an opportunity to explore new venues by filling the slots in between. Colleges provide the anchors for where we’ll go. That is the wonderful thing about performing on campus, they really want me to come do my thing. I don’t go in and play a bunch of covers, I play my music.”
Natalie has obviously found her niche, because she and her band have kept themselves very busy playing right where they want to. “We have been very fortunate with our schedule, it has been so packed. Last year we did almost 200 dates. We were home very little, but that is what I always wanted.” BOOK IT: For more information contact Ari Nisman at Degy Entertainment at (732) 818-9600. For virtual links, head on over to our website at www.campusactivitiesmagzine.com
With a distinctly delicate voice that could relax even the most uneasy mind, Dana shows she is not only a beautiful voice but an accomplished songwriter as well. Dana has appeared nationwide on Fox’s Fearless Music Television and has lent her voice to national commercials. At a time when the music industry is looking for someone to lead the way, Dana Alexandra may just do that as you stop to enjoy her down-home sweet and soulful sound.
Story by Ian Kirby
18, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
This is David’s 10th win for CAM’s Speaker Of The Year honor and he has clearly cemented himself as one of the top speakers in the Campus Activities market. No other presenter has even come close to this many awards in this category. Along with this, David was runner-up for Entertainer of the Year. “To be named runner-up to Justin for Entertainer of The Year was a real surprise. He is obviously tops in our profession at this time, so to be mentioned in the same breath with him is rewarding. ”
In the past year or two, the newest and most rewarding element in David’s career has been his work with military service members. He estimates these dates to now cover nearly 25% of his overall schedule of over 200 dates a year. As we sit and talk just outside metro Atlanta, military transport choppers and planes are running a training operation. Every time the buzz or rumble of an aircraft goes by, it’s clearly evident David is thinking about the men on board as he glances over his shoulder and up. “I have spoken on military bases and installations across America, as well as in Italy and Germany to our troops and their families.
This race was so close this year that even insiders at CAM had no idea who would win until the final tally on February 15. The final result saw David as Runner-up by a mere six percentage points. Folks, that’s only 90 votes. What an impressive run for him and a possible omen for the future.
On a personal note, I had the chance to spend a couple of days with David and the gorgeous and talented ladies of the Southeastern Panhellenic Conference. I was able to witness two of his live presentations, “Why Be Ordinary When You Can Be Remarkable,” a session on unleashing potential and being the best and most ethical “you” and “The Dating Doctor ‘Unplugged’” a Q&A session with the audience of about 300 ladies and 4 gentlemen, myself included.
“When I first started out in campus entertainment, I had several ‘heroes and role models’ that I hoped to emulate and even remotely approximate their success.... Barry Drake, Tom DeLuca, Craig Karges, Buzz Sutherland... To have won 10 awards now and to be even casually considered among these incredible performers who have sustained magical careers is a wonderful honor. I really have to offer a sincere and deep thanks to all the students, directors and other folks who have supported me along the way. I began in this field as an activities director years ago, so I understand the needs and perspectives of the people on that side of the fence.”
Another point of pride for David in the Awards this year was the excellent performance of the roster of his blossoming agency Coleman Productions/Coleman Entertainment Group, not to mention the agency itself. Winning their first Agency of The Year title, the ladies of the Coleman camp will certainly have a bright future in the market and are proud to represent 2010 CAM winners like America’s Fastest Rising Star, Mr. Attraction Ryan Clauson and Diversity Artist of The Year Matt Glowacki.
“They are hard working, driven and tremendous role models for all of us. They allow us to live a life with freedoms that other countries can only dream of. I have been so thankful to be able to speak with them and do my best to help them form, mend and sustain healthy relationships and bring hope, humor and happiness to their lives. My dream...goal...desire is to speak to every single one of our military personnel on the planet and help them feel connected to home.”
The sheer level of experience David has in his field is immediately evident in the way he handles questions and personally responds to each person. He stayed after the show for over an hour helping the ladies with their personal issues and it was obvious he cared deeply. It’s not hard to see why he keeps taking down this award. BOOK IT! For more information, contact Brooke Sims at Coleman Productions at (866) 328-3762.
C. L. Lindsay III is a recognized expert in the field of student rights and educational law. He is the founder and executive director of the Coalition for Student & Academic Rights (CO-STAR), which works with a national network of volunteer attorneys to offer free advice and advocacy to college students and professors. C.L. is the author of the nationally syndicated column “Ask COStar” and is regularly quoted in both national media and regional publications.
When booking an act like Fred’s, one thing you can be sure of is that you are getting a veteran professional’s level of experience. With 20 years and well over 2,000 shows in the campus market, there aren’t any problems Frederick can’t handle. Frederick’s utter competence is especially important in a hypnosis show, where volunteer reactions can be unpredictable and the crowds want to know they are in good hands. “There are a lot of things that can happen which you might not want to. It’s all in how you handle it, and very quickly.”
Frederick can be considered a master of re-booking, with many schools repeating his show for 15 consecutive years, with his record at 18 straight years! “I am so grateful that so many of my schools are this loyal. I probably push that 200 show limit every year and 80-90% have booked me for 10-15 years in a row.” The fact is, you’ll never meet a nicer, more humble or generous guy. Every show of Fred’s is packed full of action and can easily run two hours. “I have three shows that are completely different from start to finish, each running about 2 hours long, unless I am needed for a 60 minute noon show.”
rederick Winters has had a conspicuous absence in our awards since his Entertainer of The Year Award in 2006, but he is one of the most nominated acts in the RCA’s history.
Probably the most infectious aspect is how much fun Fred has too and the crowd knows it. “ I think that is what possibly sets me apart from other hypnotists, – there is no tight, scripted 60 minute show where every word and footstep is in place. My show just flows. I have a lot of fun and there is a lot of strength to the show and I think it comes from an entertainer who really loves being at the school and on stage making students laugh.” BOOK IT! Contact Bass/Schuler Entertainment at (773) 481-2600.
Daniel Martin has quickly become one of the country’s top, in-demand college entertainers. His unique blend of insane magic, exhilarating escapes, and sarcastic improv are continually leading to record breaking crowds nationwide. His magic has been featured on NBC, CBS, WGN, and VH1, and he is continually hailed by his peers as one of the most original acts in the college market! He has been nominated for the 2nd year. 20, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
R
yan is not only a bright, good-looking and engaging, but he is also proof positive that you don’t have to be born the “life of the party” to become that person later if you really want to be. “Well, I guess I should start at the beginning and say that my major mission statement and core message is this: Attraction is a learnable skill. You can learn how to get better at attraction and dating; they are skills that can be honed like any others. Most people however, don’t think this is true. It is my opinion that all over America, young men and women are in a way, suffering in silence. They feel a lot of tension about dating and are very uncomfortable with how to ask someone out, what to do on a date, etc. No one has ever told them or given them advice on these topics and I think there is practical resolution for this internal sort of struggle they feel.” A HUGE portion in the part attractiveness our society overlooks is the role our own personal health maintains in how fetching we may seem to that comely lass (or lad) you’ve had your eye on. Ryan is a huge proponent of a healthy lifestyle including proper diet and exercise and covers the basics in his program on attraction (he also has a program dedicated completely to health and wellness for interested parties).
Ryan himself is a health nut, but he explains moderation is a great rule of thumb and he understands not everyone will go out and purchase a $500 blender. Ryan is a Type 1 diabetic and has to be more cautious than most. “Stick to the 80/20 principle when it comes to your health. Meaning, commit to eating healthy foods 80% of the time, and 20% of the time relax and do what you want.” Ryan is fresh, affordable and eager to share his message of relationship self-empowerment to college students. BOOK IT! Contact Coleman Productions at (866) 328-3762.
Project Dynamite's edgy humor and charismatic high-energy will blow you away, literally. Their grande finale brings danger to an all new level, David and Alex climb 20 feet into the air and balance atop six folding chairs to perform their most perilous stunt. This signature trick, matched by their non-stop humor, has led them to international venues. They're funnier than Dane Cook and sexier than Barbara Streisand. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll pee your pants. www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 21
When he took a well-earned break, something unexpected happened: He rediscovered himself. After a few months, “I suddenly woke up and real songs started coming out of me,” Mraz recalls. “Songs that I didn’t plan on writing. But that just became a reflection of how I felt and the mood that I was in and these awakenings that I was having,” he says.
The result is We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. his most self-assured effort to date. In true Mraz style, the 12 tunes are wrapped in clever, observant lyrics and strong, engaging pop melodies, but this time they are inspired “by these moments of self realization, self empowerment and self improvement. “I was happy to be able to write an album at the same time I was coming back to earth.”
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. comes six years after Jason Mraz saw his major label debut, Waiting for My Rocket to Come explode off the success of such hits as “Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” “You & I Both” and “Curbside Prophet.” Shortly thereafter, he returned with his Grammy-nominated, critically acclaimed Mr. A-Z, which continued his chart success with “Wordplay.” Throughout, his reputation as a tremendous live act soared.
For Jason Mraz, his life-altering journey began with a single word: No. No touring, no recording, no work for a year: “I said, I want to go to the grocery store again. I want to do my own laundry. I want to tend to a garden. I want to raise a cat.”
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. has earned three Grammy nominations in 2009, including Song of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “I’m Yours” and two nominations in 2010, including Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Make It Mine” and Best Pop Collaboration for “Lucky.” The album, Mraz’s most self-assured effort to date, is characterized by songs wrapped in clever, observant lyrics and strong, engaging pop melodies, all inspired by “gratitude.”
BOOK IT! Contact Paradigm Entertainment at (212) 897-6400.
With humor that transcends any and all demographic boundaries, Jeff Dunham is consistently setting and breaking records and conquering every realm he enters. Over the last decade, he and his hilarious troupe of comedic sidekicks have risen from the standup comedy clubs to charm the world and become an unprecedented entertainment phenomenon with an astounding international 360-degree reach.
24, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
ThinkFast is the brainchild of Tim John and family, including daughter Marin, son Jaisen and wife Linda. Tim is justifiably proud of his accomplishments and views ThinkFast as the preeminent interactive game in the college market, with the configurations of the show being booked at almost 1000 performances a year. For folks who aren’t sure exactly what ThinkFast is or how it works, we get the scoop straight from the horses mouth. “ThinkFast is an interactive show that has intellectual property, music, various stupid human tricks and really anything that a booker wants,” Tim says.
The show is completely customizable and programmable. Basically, there is an audience response system in which every member has a remote control to answer questions as they pop up on a large projection screen. The people (or teams) who “ThinkFast” and buzz-in first get the chance at cool prizes, often cash. It is an overwhelmingly popular show. “It is funny, because when you think of the fact that we are up to almost 1000 shows a year now, it’s obvious people like coming back and doing the things we make them do to play the game. Essentially, the people who win are the best singers, dancers and most knowledgeable people in the room. It allows for many different types of people to enjoy the event and makes it completely interactive. The students are the stars of the show.” One fascinating aspect of this show is its utter chameleon-like ability to fit into any program. If a college or University audience
wants all the questions to relate to their campus, community or school, that’s fine. The show can be used to educate on topics such as alcohol, or it can even be used as a training aid. TJohnE has begun working with state and federal government agencies to use the system for workers. In addition, ThinkFast couldn’t be a better tool for corporate and association audiences who want to impart a message to their crowds. Many campuses use the show multiple times each year. BOOK IT! Contact TJohnE at (877) 295-5559.
High production game shows include Survey Says - a feud style show, Brian Cell - a game show that everyone plays using their cell phone and BONK - a comedy game show where contestants hit themselves in the head with a mallet to "Bonk In". All shows are high energy, audience involved and have all of the bells and whistles of a TV game show. All shows are available in full production or budget versions and most are customizable for themes.
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 25
n
up the team and have impressed people in the college market enough to be picked up by Bass/Schuler right out of the gate.
The two met and first did a show at an amusement park, quickly realizing they weren’t fulfilling their potential. “We realized it wasn’t for us because we could do bigger and better things,” Alex says. “We started street performing at a ton of fairs and festivals and then found the college market. We were hooked immediately.”
“We sent out a media package to all the best college agents we knew of,” Dave says. “When Bass/Schuler responded, it was really a match made in heaven. We were performing at some schools before we hooked up but it wasn’t until we got with Chris and Scott that things picked up and became fun and rewarding for us.” The duo has only been on the roster since last January. Obviously they really jumped on the ball, winning enough support (thanks in no small part to their agency) to garner this award and a nod for Runner-up for “Fastest Rising Star”. “It is awesome,” Dave says. “It proves that hard work and dedication really pay off. We have a fan base now.” Their success is based on personal interaction. “We get involved with the people that like our show, because without them, we know we won’t get very far.”
Breaking onto the market is a brand new act that is fresh and apparently taking things by storm. Project Dynamite is a fastpaced, edgy and action-filled comedy show, which is highlighted by juggling, whip cracking, throwing things, yelling and generally a good time for all. Alex Clark and Dave Caplan make
Alex adds, “We get email addresses at the end of our shows and then we stay in touch. We always read and respond to emails and if you call and leave a voicemail, we’ll even play it and address it for you in one of our webisodes.” BOOK IT! For more information, contact Bass/Schuler Entertainment at (773) 481-2600.
Daniel Martin has quickly become one of the country’s top, in-demand college entertainers. His unique blend of insane magic, exhilarating escapes, and sarcastic improv are continually leading to record breaking crowds nationwide. His magic has been featured on NBC, CBS, WGN, and VH1, and he is continually hailed by his peers as one of the most original acts in the college market! He has been nominated for the 2nd year.
26, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
There aren’t many markets out there that appreciate comedy more than the college market and Jeff is probably as well-known among that group as any. With his saturation on Comedy Central and now more and more appearances on network shows to promote it, Jeff is able to reach a very wide audience. This isn’t something that just magically happened one day though, Jeff has been working at building his fan base for a long time now. “I started with ventriloquism when I was in the second grade and started doing shows from there. I kept it up all the way through elementary school, through high school and college. I have been doing it pretty much my entire life now.
“I did it the way most do – you learn the skill of ventriloquism and then you think you’re in show business (laughs). Unfortunately, there are many ventriloquists that aren’t funny and I realized quickly that to be entertaining the funny is far more important than having good ventriloquist’s skills. So, I strike a balance and try to do both. I try to be as funny as possible while still being as technically proficient as possible. But for me I’d rather see a horrible ventriloquist that is funny than an excellent ventriloquist who is not.” And funny he is. His amazing talent as a ventriloquist may only be trumped by the fact that he is an excellent writer and his talent for delivery of the comedy material is spot-on. No one in the industry has ever come close to the comedy interaction Jeff has with his cast of “dummies.” And of the celebrity entertainers, he delivers more bang for the buck. BOOK IT! Contact Matt Blake at CAA (Creative Artists Agency) at (424) 288-2000.
This Chicago & LA based troupe has been touring the college circuit heavily over past years. Mission IMPROVable is one of the top ranked comedy companies in the country. You're guaranteed to laugh out loud when these guys are around. They have also been shooting multiple TV and web pilots. With various regional and national showcases under its belt, this group of improv masters has perfected the art of making its audience laugh.
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 27
Tim Moyer & Rich Nikodem formed GP Entertainment in early 2004. Their roots are embedded in working the college marketplace where they have established long term relationships with clients. Their diversified lineup of programming includes Justin Kredible, John Zaffis, Joshua Seth, and Jason & Grant from “Ghost Hunters� along with cutting edge game shows. They go out of their way to make sure you have the most pleasureable programming.
If one agency has blossomed into new life over the past year, it’s Coleman Productions and its baby sister Coleman Entertainment Group.
The agency was founded by The Dating Doctor, David Coleman, but he will be first to tell you it’s the “Coleman Ladies” that make everything happen. Brooke Sims is a familiar face in the college market and is the agent in charge of the speaker division Coleman Productions (CP). Coleman Entertainment Group (CEG) falls under newly anointed entertainment professional Jacqui Volkman, a 2008 graduate of Western Michigan University (our Campus of The Year Runner-up!) and the newest addition to the Coleman staff. The veteran staffer and perhaps the real backbone of the operation is Jerene Lee, who works in the shadows behind the everyday happenings (as the most instrumental people often do) to make sure all of the nuts and bolts business aspects are taken care of. Jerene has been with David the longest at around 8 years, seeing just the beginnings of the transformation his speaking career into a larger scope. “When I started with David, things were fairly small. The people that were initially with him grew in popularity and moved on to their own thing and we began taking on new speakers little by little. I believe a good portion of it is the fact that David is so good at what he does and is able to take guys that have a basic knowledge of their own topic and turn them into real pros through guidance to allow them to really find themselves. I strongly feel under David, Brooke and now Jacqui, they have done an outstanding job on the outside of taking David’s ideals and moving them forward as up-and-coming young speakers. For me it is wonderful to see David finally get rewarded for all the efforts that he has made.”
Brooke is the most recognizable face in the company to most of us in the campus activities market and has been around long enough to be considered one of the top campus agents in the country. “I am at around six years with the agency now, starting in 2004. I met David at one of the conferences back when I was working for another agency booking novelties and it was a great new direction for me working so closely with a live artist. Things just grew and grew as David trained and became a mentor to more speakers who shared the same goals and dreams as we did for where the company should go. We really have just continued to expand the roster and client base one day at a time.” Such persistent and notable success was following CP that their own clients started requesting to work with them outside of the speaking world. “As people got to www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
know more and more names on our roster, some of the clients started saying ‘You really should get into the entertainment side of things because you guys handle these shows so well and have great communication.’ I met Jacqui at some of the conferences and she came with awesome references from her previous activities director.” Jacqui came on board first working as an intern and quickly fell in line with the company’s common goals. “She has really taken the bull by the horns and has formed the entertainment division into what it is now.”
Through a combination of incredible hard work, skill and luck, Jacqui was able to land her dream job right out of the gate and is now personally working with name campus acts like Buzz Sutherland and Wayne Hoffman. “It is very exciting, it really was right place/right time,” she says. “It is funny how it all fell into place. Brooke and I were both originally from the Grand Rapids area and coincidentally met. I was ready to go to grad school at the time but once Brooke and I got together and started talking I realized it was an opportunity that I definitely couldn’t pass up. I was very eager to work with the Coleman group because we worked with them on the board at WMU. They were already a great company and definitely a team that I wanted to be a part of. That changed my life plan a little bit.” Brooke thinks there are a couple of factors contributing to their win, including their intense campaigning through personal contact and Facebook. “I think it all has to do with not only our clients being happy, but also the quality of artists on our roster. Jerene really does a great job of handling them and a lot of the business management aspects and finances of the company. When it comes to the clients, Jacqui and I are both always very eager to assist the schools with promotional or marketing materials, co-sponsorship ideas, messaging, audience demographics, etc. We really try to work hand in hand with them and figure out what the best way to make their event a success is.” Well, this Reader’s Choice Award for Agency of The Year leaves little doubt that the “Coleman Ladies”are doing something right.
BOOK IT! For more information Coleman Productions’ speakers, contact Brooke at (866) 328-3762. To talk to Jacqui about comedy, music, live novelty or cultural diversity, call her at (866) 297-9671. April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 29
WMU has about 25,000 students and is the fourth largest campus in the state. The programming board at WMU consists of an executive board of 12 members and anywhere from 50 to 75 members in the general assembly. At WMU the movie night was in fact the genesis for all other activities on campus. With a 3,500 seat theater and an average student attendance of 2,500, it was around before WMU booked even live entertainment.
The University of Akron is undoubtedly one of the most active college campuses in the nation when it comes to programming activities. Director Tom Faessel and his cohorts are well-known faces around the national conference scenes and in Campus Activities Magazine, they have been one of the most reliable sources for submitting Artist Report Cards we have seen. This campus employs a unique structure in the buying and booking of their activities, really incorporating two different programming boards into one. The ZIPS Programming Network covers all the action that goes on in the bustling student union while the Residence Hall Programming Board books much of the entertainment within residence halls and around campus.
To tell us about the structure and system at AU are Melanie Schneider, President of RHPB, Anne Bruno, Director of the Student Union and Advisor for ZPN, Steve Pagios, Residence Life Coordinator for CO-Curricular Programs & Activities and Tom Faessel, Associate Director of Residence Life and Housing. “The institution has about 27,000 students,” Anne says. “Some of the things we are known internationally for are the polymer sciences and polymer engineering. We have an outstanding college of education, nursing, engineering and a wonderful honors program on campus. We have recently added a brand new on-campus football stadium that seats about 30,000 and has three floors of classroom space in the press room tower. We are also going to be building a new college of education and a new polymer engineering research building on campus as well.” Amazingly the construction on this stadium was only 21 months long. Apparently, the community was motivated.
The pride is evident in Anne’s voice and apparently it’s infectious as Steve takes over. “Right next to the stadium is a brand new residence hall which was just finished in July,” he says. “There are about 400 beds there and it will be primarily a living/learning center. On the 5 floors, the students living there will be a part of a living/learning community. It is an opportunity for students to integrate what they are learning inside the classroom with life outside the classroom. They are among a community of people attending some of the same classes and studying the same social programs, so right away they are building bonds and networks of shared experience. We are very excited about that; it is a top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art hall complete with a new theater, classroom space and computer labs.
Now that we’ve dispensed with the descriptions of Akron’s exciting and shiny new toys, some definition of just how they operate is appropriate. Melanie elaborates, “RHBP does programs primarily for residence hall students, generally every Tuesday. We are much smaller than ZPN is with only 9 board members, although we do have some freshmen who work as part of our committees to help with bigger events, like Welcome Weekend.” ZPN is the more active organization when it comes to campus-wide activities and entertainment. “ZPN is also a recognized student orwww.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
ganization on campus and they are structured with a president and chairs for the specific areas they program within,” says Anne. “Those categories vary from adult and family programs to Greek life programming, diversity programming and of course traditional events. We have seven different chairs that focus on their own types of programming, along with associate members who join the organization and stay connected through weekly associate meetings. That population now is roughly 50 students and where we draw all the chairpersons for specific events.” Because of their fields of expertise, the student population is very diverse. “For starters, since anyone who is older than 24 is classified as nontraditional, that population comes in at over 30%.” This makes a significant impact when it comes to programming activities for all to enjoy. “We do program events directly targeted at our older and family populations, many on weekends and later in the evening. Some students will go home, pick up the family and come back for movies, bowling, swimming or other events.”
“One of the neat things we have done between ZPN and RHPB in the past couple of years is a collaboration with the E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall,” Steve says. “They started a ‘Rock the Roo’ (AU’s mascot is a kangaroo) series in the fall semester. During the first six weeks of school, every Wednesday from 11:30 to 1 o’clock, they hold an event with live music outdoors and give away food and T-shirts. They have an equally successful ‘Rock the Roo After Dark’ series on Thursday nights which features music for the most part, but is now also branching into some variety shows. Also, we have ‘Roo Talk’ which are the lecture programs. Both boards have been involved with this project and have been great with being hungry for student feedback.” Steve wraps up with a concise little victory statement which reflects the ultimate goal of most campus activities boards out there, “It’s hard for students here to say ‘there’s nothing to do on campus’ (laughs). Between all the organizations and different areas of programming, we give them many opportunities to get involved within the community and go out there and meet some new people.” We mentioned Akron’s outstanding Artist Report Card submission rate and want to again commend and thank them for providing valuable feedback to not only us, but EVERY READER of this magazine. As such, we’d also like to congratulate them on winning the 2010 Rock N’ Road Show sponsored by Quantum Talent and look forward to seeing them in person to cover the FREE live weekend of entertainment they won in an editorial this fall. If you want YOUR SCHOOL to be eligible for the 2011 Rock N’ Road Show sponsored by the Auburn Moon Agency, submit us a report card on EVERY EVENT you have next year. The 10 most active school will be entered into a drawing for the free event. For more information on Akron University, contact Tom Faessel at (330) 972-7800. April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 31
32, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
O
bviously as one of the most meteoric presences in the campus market for the past 5 years, Justin Kredible has become one of the elite performers in the college market.
Playing hundreds of dates a year for colleges across the country, Justin has been able to secure himself as a name in the market. He credits this as a combined effect of the other significant development in his career, a budding television hosting personality. For the past few years, he has done segments with magic and without on “Rachael Ray” with the hopes of transitioning from magic to a full time career on the screen, just as his idols Johnny Carson and Steve Martin did before him. “It is kind of a weird thing to step out of the identity of ‘Justin Kredible’ I have been known for now for so long and go back to using my real name for TV (laughs).” His latest and most exciting television news is “Cupcake Wars” a show he is hosting on Food Network under his given name of Justin Willman. As a pure host with no magic, he has to let the personality and charisma that has made him so popular on the stage entertain a television audience. Be sure to check it out. “I shot a pilot last fall, which is a baking competition show. It’s like high drama meets tongue-in-cheek humor. I am now the Ryan Seacrest of cupcakes,” he quips. “I am a host and not doing any magic, so they have me going by the name on my driver’s license. It is interesting because I am on set everyday working here and people in L.A. know me as a TV host first, they don’t even www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
know I am a magician. It is a brand new identity crisis for me and I am okay with it. It has been fun getting used to not having magic as my secret weapon.”
When it comes to his qualifications as a host, there really could be no better training than the rapport-building skills gained as a working magician. “If you want to be a TV host, there is no ‘host school’ to attend. So, what is it that makes someone able to host? I feel like for me, it is the fact that I have been a magician for all these years, doing all these college shows in front of a new crowd every night. If you have seen my show (especially more than once), you know I don’t go by a script, it is all loose and improvisational. I have fun with the volunteers from the audience and we just make up really funny stuff every night. “In retrospect, I realize that every time I do my magic show I am training myself as a host. I am essentially hosting my own TV show every night on campus, it just happens to be focused on magic. I am learning these skills and have gotten honed at being able to interact with people and keep a show moving.” The most gratifying thing for his fans to see in all of this however, despite his great success, is how humble Justin remains (and cognizant of his roots). He knows who got him where he is and continues to devote much of his time to the college market and entertaining students. He credits his career in the campus market, the FOUR consecutive Entertainer Of The Year Awards and the readers of Campus Activities Magazine as the reason he was able to get his foot in the TV door. April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 33
Justin always keeps himself ultra-busy, but no one man can do it all, so we want to ease the concerns of all those fans out there with a white-knuckle grip on this magazine and the image of Justin going to TV exclusively, lost to the college market forever. One thing Justin plans on making his utmost priority is to retain a balance. “I am never going to abandon the live performing. I see the TV stuff as a way to open up my show in not only what I do and where I go but also the increased audiences I can reach. I will use whatever publicity I get from TV to book more shows, play bigger venues and continue to build a following. I think the TV exposure will just enhance the other side, not detract from it. Live performing is my first love and where my passion is and always will be.” That brings to mind the word “synergy.”
that will be, but it’s definitely floating around in my brain for the time being.”
It’s crazy to think, but students reading this article who are seniors now, were freshman when Justin won his first of these four consecutive Entertainer of The Year Awards. They have never known Campus Activities Magazine to have another EOTY! “(Laughs) ...that is interesting, I have never thought about that. The intriguing thing is, the first time I won this award I could have been considered a freshman as well. I was really just coming out of the gates and that was my first year with a strong presence in the market. I was doing a ton of shows, but still just figuring it all out. Maybe now I have graduated as well. Maybe I am headed to the ‘grad school’ of college entertainment (laughs). I feel like I have my schtick together and as an entertainer have evolved so much. The thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that I understand everything is about rapport. The people I see year after year and who continue to bring me back and spread the word mean everything. If I had to start from scratch every year, I would be nowhere and I will continue to go out and have crowds challenge me to become a better performer.”
“I feel like I have my schtick together and as an entertainer have evolved so much.”
In the future, Justin hopes to perhaps make a more meaningful impact with his skills, beyond that of just entertainment value. With a strong presence and dynamic ability to relate to an audience, is there perhaps a message-oriented show in the cards? “I have always thought about taking what I have and making it mean a little more. I love being able to provide entertainment and give an audience an escape for a while, but to have them walk away with a message or something that could positively impact their lives sounds really awesome. I want to do something deeper and I don’t know exactly where or when
34, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
One thing Justin has never done, no matter how many times he’s won this award, is to undervalue the level of his competition. “Every year the people I am
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
nominated with I always have such massive respect for. It is strange, because sometimes I don’t even get to see these people, we just kind of float around in the market. While they are out there doing their thing, I am doing mine, but I see their posters up around campuses and I hear amazing things about them. Just to be able to share that spotlight with them is great, but who knows what’s next? I feel like it might be time to pass that torch, you know?” Sometimes the gracious champ retires his belt?
What is ironic and what Justin doesn’t at first realize, is that he is now the model for many aspiring entertainers who want to climb the ladder and, this is a good thing. Entertainers like Justin set a positive example for the next draft; he is humble, talented, tenaciously detailed, energetic and takes great care of his people. It would be hard to find a better model to follow for success. “That is so weird to hear man, I even get emails like that. People that are in college and do magic want to get into it full time and they say I made them want to do it. It is very gratifying because I remember it wasn’t so long ago when I was the one writing magicians asking for their autographed head shots. It catches me off guard sometimes that I am ‘that’ guy for someone else and I can sometimes feel not worthy of that high praise. I am thrilled to inspire people.”
This year almost all of our awards were tight, but this particular category was a real squeaker. At the end of the tally, only 90 votes separated Justin from our runner-up David Coleman, who would have in fact been, the first ever speaker to win the award (and was the first to be nominated). “I had a quick hang with him in Boston recently and he is just the nicest guy (laughs). He is such a cool guy and so sweet and humble. He swept up his other categories in the Awards and has a great company going so kudos to him. I’d love to collaborate with him in the future, perhaps there’s a mentor role there,” he says, only halfjokingly. “Maybe he can help me take what I do and transcend it into speaking and take it to a new level. If there were someone I was honored to be in such a tight race with, it’s him.”
Most races with Justin aren’t tight because when it comes to what makes an entertainer all-around great, Justin is the total package. He can entertain any audience in any venue from the big screen to your campus stage. He will continue to work actively in the campus market, so put your call in today and get him on the schedule for your next great event!
BOOK IT! For more information contact Rich at GP Entertainment at (866) 812-8248. For virtual links and video, head on over to our website at www.campusactivitiesmagzine.com for our Z-Mags edition. www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 35
MIEKA PAULEY
RONNIE JORDAN
Cosmo Star Launch's 1st Ever Fun Fearless Female - her style has been compared to Ben Harper, Cat Power, Neko Case & others. Defining her own personal sound and style, she's shared the bill with Erric Clapton, Jason Mraz, Citizen Cope, Wyclef Jean, Black Eyed Peas, John Hiatt, Edwin McCain, Mindy Smith, John Legend and many others.
Ronnie Jordan broke college touring records last Spring with 102 colleges in 112 days all in 2 regions. He broke booking records in 3 regions his first year with Auburn Moon on the college circuit. Ronnie has shared concert dates with stand-up heavyweights Rickey Smiley, Bruce Bruce, Earthquake, Mike Epps, Arnez J. and headlined the RJE Comedy Cabaret Tour; the longest running and highest grossing comedy tour targeting colleges and universities.
GREAT COLLEGE DRIVE-IN MOVIE The 4 time novelty event of the year and finalist every year for the last 9 years running, The Great College Drive-In Movie has The biggest, best giant inflatable screens touring colleges nationwide with the best professional crews, 12,000+ watt 5.1 Surround Sound System, Stereo FM Broadcast to your car for a real drivein experience, state of the art projection systems in any format, and many more one of a kind features.
FLOREZ The #1 music act of the college circuit nationwide last year, Florez was also the most booked act of NACA nationals and was runner-up music artist of the year. While your audience will recognize bass player Erik Huffman as a Survivor: China reality TV star, the band has a long list of accomplishments on their o w n : Their music was featured on NBC's Scrubs and shared stages with Gavin DeGraw, Will Hoge, Talib Kweli, Amos Lee, Robert Randolph, Josh Kelley, Sister Hazel, Better than Ezra, Martin
A COMPLETE FREE ENTERTAINMENT WEEKEND. ANY CAMPUS CAN QUALIFY! SPONSORED BY
Open to any campus in the United States that subscribes to Campus Activities Magazine速. To be considered, simply submit Artist Report Cards on any and all the shows performed on your campus. The top twenty (20) campuses submitting the most reports will be included in a drawing for the winner. Winning campus must be willing to schedule a weekend within one year from the date of notification at a suitable performance facility. All artists will perform for FREE. School will be responsible for general show production as well as reasonable travel and accomodations. Campus Activities Magazine速 will cover the event LIVE! with a full feature in the campus program, the artist involved and the shows.
38, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
The story we present here is one we at Campus Activities Magazine® are truly excited and honored to feature. All too often there are those folks who wander through life, feeling they should be a part of something greater or should do something greater than they have, but just don’t know where to direct that energy. Doc Hendley is truly an ordinary guy struck with extraordinary inspiration and found the motivation, heart and luck he needed to create something greater than himself and of undeniable significance to people all over the world. We now want to open your eyes to a shocking fact – we reveal this information not only because we want to hook you into reading the rest of Doc’s story, but because of the utter level of grave importance which it supports. It is truly something EVERY person in our country and across the globe should know: The lack of clean drinking water is THE
leading cause of death in children the world over. That’s right, more than hunger itself, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. It is estimated that 1.1 billion people on our earth do not have access to clean water, and Doc Hendley is out to change that, by turning Wine To Water. www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 39
As your average small town, southern, easygoing guy, Doc fits in well with the bar crowd. As well he should, for not only is he a bartender, but a musician gigging the same bar scenes he works with his friends in the service industry. He spends his time with the people he enjoys, serving drinks and playing music, but a few years ago found himself wanting to do something more. Suddenly the idea of combining his two talents led him to organize events under the “Wine To Water“ moniker and use his skills of pouring and playing to attract people to charity events. As charity wine tastings turned into donations for his cause, the power and scope of “Wine To Water” started to become very clear. For Doc though, the down-to-earth tattooed, guitar-playing bartender, things really came down to igniting his passions. “I started the organization in early 2004 but the roots for the idea came about in late 2003. I was a bartender in Raleigh, North Carolina because I had decided to go back to school to finish my degree at NC State University. I worked in the
service industry before that, in some biker bars and similar places because I was a gear-head and a motorcycle guy.” Once Doc was back in school he knew bar tending could be a perfect way to pay his way through school. “That was my life man,” he says, not without some measure of wistfulness in his delivery. “I was in class during the day, but I was around the bar crowd all the other times. I truly fell in love with the service industry. I fell in love with the regulars, the staff, the environment, the entire scene.”
The description and emotion in Doc’s voice conjure up a scene in one’s mind of the ideal place you sometimes want to go, where everybody knows your name, and shouts of ‘Norm!’ go up as George Wendt meanders over for a drink. “It was crazy, it was almost like ... family. With the typical scene of the bars where I worked, you would have the regular crowd that would come in that really cared about each other. If something great was happening like a marriage or a promotion, everyone celebrated and had a good
time. If someone came in with bad news – the loss of a loved one or divorce, the patrons would come in and grieve.
By late 2003, Doc was getting close to his last semester in school and was ready to graduate, already being quite a bit older than his peers because of a long break. “I had a degree in communications, but I knew that I didn’t want to be in the corporate world. I never had a desire to sit at a desk, talk on the phone or fill out paperwork.”
Considering Doc’s lifestyle on his initial hiatus from college included nomad-like cross country trips on motorcycle, one might see where he wouldn’t exactly be the perfect fit for the nine-tofive mold. “When I took my long break from college I was riding my motorcycle all over the country, working from place to place as I went.”
During this period of discovering our great, wide, open continent (and himself), Doc came to a realization. “I knew that I wanted to do something that was completely different and out of the box, but at the same time I knew I wanted what I pursued to somehow integrate that crowd I had fallen in love with. At the end of 2003, I was really racking my brain. I wanted not to just be able to travel, or work an unconventional job, or even be able to just hang out with the people I loved; I also knew I really had the desire to help people.” His character comes out in the absolute earnestness he displays in his voice and in his escape from the prototypical definition of a nomad. Instead of the Hell’s Angel, think the Good Samaritan. “During my travels, one of my favorite things to do was lend a hand where I could. I really had a heart for helping others.”
We all know the paradoxical frustration of trying too hard to generate a creative idea or come up with a solution to the average perplexing problem. It seems the harder you try, the further out of reach it becomes. Sometimes, we have to let our conscious minds go, realizing that we just aren’t as smart or clever when we try to force it upon our awareness. No, like the great Thomas Edison before us, trust the subconscious. He would take short naps upright in a rocking chair holding steel ball bearings over pots and pans with the idea that as soon as he fell asleep his subconscious mind would take over and deliver the answer he sought. As he’d drift off, the ball bearings would clatter down startling him awake and, more often than not, he would have his solution. Doc may not have specifically sought out this technique to derive his answer, but the net result was essentially the same. 40, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, April 2010
www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
“It was crazy, one night in December of 2003, it was like a ton of bricks fell on me. I couldn’t sleep and was lying in bed and all of a sudden ‘Wine To Water’ just popped in my head, I don’t know where it came from. I wrote below that, ‘Why water?’ To this day I don’t know whether I came up with it subconsciously or it came from somewhere else. I jumped on it then and there and sat down to put into words the entire concept on the spot.”
This is where some of us have to believe in coincidence and some will take a leap of faith, either way the end result is undeniable. Somehow Doc tripped over this incredible idea like a starving blind man locked in an empty warehouse with one hunk of food somewhere inside. Either he found it, or it found him. Maybe he just got lucky, maybe he was somehow guided that way, but once he latched onto the concept, he knew he’d found a winner. “It was weird, because when the phrase ‘Wine To Water’ popped into my head, I had no cognizant idea of the dire situation the worldwide water crisis posed to our entire undeveloped population. I started doing hard core research on the water crisis and what I found out was shocking and appalling.” What he discovered is that water is the undeniably biggest need in the world, hands down. “I learned that water was killing more children that HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, combined, which are the remaining top diseases killing kids throughout the world.”
It may sound strange to think these diseases would be overshadowed by something as basic as water, but that is the sad reality. “As I learned more, I was really floored with all of this new information, but what really blew me away was the fact that nobody knew about it. Everyone knew about HIV/AIDS, malaria, lack of education, hunger, etc., but no one knew about the water crisis and I wanted to change that.”
This fact, while perhaps surprising at first, really isn’t all that unusual if one takes into account the philanthropic paradigm of our country. Almost anyone, who does anything for any charitable cause in the U.S. does so because they have been personally affected by the cause they are trying to support. Parent’s of kids with Leukemia donate to St. Jude’s, folks who have lost loved ones to suicide work toward prevention, people who have gone hungry or been homeless often return to work the food kitchen or soup line. “I usually have to explain to people that most of us only help out on the things we can empathize with. The fact is that anyone in this country, even the homeless, can walk into a public restroom somewhere and get a cup of www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
clean water that’s not going to kill them,” he says with fervor.
So, here’s the conundrum; there really isn’t anyone in our entire country who doesn’t have access to clean water in one form or another, so how could a problem like this be in our collective consciousness, when it is an issue we are completely ignorant about?
Enter Doc Hendley stage left. “I decided I wanted to start something that integrated the bar crowd and gave them a chance to give back and be a part of solving the biggest problem in the world. Once the title ‘Wine To Water’ hit me, it all came together and we started hosting events to drive in donations. We got wine and beer companies on board, had wine tastings and invited people to come and have a good time for free. However, at some point throughout the night, we are going to bring light to this topic and let them know there is a water crisis going on and we need their help.” Within a little over a month (February 2004), Wine To Water hosted its very first event, which was quite successful. “A few hundred people showed up; it was very simple to put together and easy to do. We raised over $6,000 in our first night and I was encouraged to do yet another event. I was still working and playing live music at some of the local bars so I could coordinate these events.”
The second go around had the same outcome and Doc was able to spring into action. “That really continued to perpetuate my wheels turning. I knew this could work, because I had found that the service industry and bar crowd really didn’t have anything like this coming directly to them – a way for them to actively get involved. People were involved with churches and ministry work, but often those groups frown upon the bar crowd. This was open to one and all and I knew the great hearts these people had.”
Once the initial funds were collected, Wine To Water jumped into action. Doc immediately took the show on the road. By late summer 2004, Doc himself was living in Darfur, Sudan installing water systems for victims of the government supported genocide. By the time he had returned a year later, the haunting memories of what he had seen in Darfur drove him to continue building the organization with renewed vigor. By 2007, after working two jobs and volunteering his time for over three years, Wine To Water became an official 501 (c) (3) and Doc's dream finally became a reality. The project has since drilled wells or provided hospital-grade filtration systems for people in Uganda, India, Cambodia, Peru and Haiti.
Perhaps the most important thing Doc does, even more so than the in-the-trenches work
he loves so much, is the role of figurehead and spokesperson he champions for the organization. He speaks to groups everywhere about the importance of the water crisis topic. This including fund raisers and corporate and association events where motivational aspects of Doc’s message can be utilized by audiences and catered to specific groups. “I do many speaking engagements now, and even before working with Christa at See Agency I would speak to anyone, any chance I got. I would speak to rotary clubs, elementary, middle and high schools, colleges, whatever. I didn’t even know there was a speaking world out there, I was just doing it because I felt like it was my job to tell the world about this.”
In the process, Doc was struck by something profound. “I found out this really important thing,” he says contemplatively. “If I started off talking about all of these huge figures (like the 1.1 billion people who don’t have access to clean water), people’s eyes glaze over. They don’t even pay attention, because it is just too big of a thing for them to wrap their heads around. So, what I do is personalize it. I tell stories of real people who are affected by this tragedy. I tell a little of my story and why I got into it. I explain that I am just a regular guy – a bartender, washed-up musician, who is trying to do something bigger than myself. “I tell people about real stories, like two children I saw about a month ago when I was on the ground in Haiti. It was just after the earthquake; I was trying to figure out just what my personal response would be to this crisis – how it would affect me. As I was walking along, I looked over and saw those two children bending down and drinking water out of a ruptured vein in the ground in the city. Water was pouring down the side of this street and I looked up just a few feet from them to see this smoldering pile of trash, a human head and body parts in it, just upstream from where they were drinking. This water was running through human waste, it was the filthiest water you could imagine and that was all they had to drink, that was it.”
These types of anecdotal stories from Doc’s time on the ground make his presentation not only profound, but also entertaining. He is animated and passionate and will surely rouse a fire in your audience they didn’t even know they had. Consider bringing him in to speak at your next event today, or host your own Wine To Water event and not only can you please your audience, but you and they can do some socially and globally constructive good.
BOOK IT! For more info on Doc Hendley contact Christa Haberstock at See Agency at (310) 903-1971. For virtual links including a sample video, log on to our website at campusactivitiesmagazine.com
April 2010, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 41
CALL (800) 728-2950 OR (843) 278-4978 • INDEPENDENT ARTISTS/ SMALL AGENCIES
ADS IN THIS SECTION START AT ONLY $199 PER ISSUE (BASED ON 8x)
Cameo Publishing Group CA Apr. 2010 PO Box 509 Prosperity SC 29127 Change Service Requested
PRST STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID COLUMBIA SC PERMIT #706