November 2013 Campus Act Mag

The Muslims Are Coming!

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Campus Activities LIVE at Stephen F. Austin University

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Laverne Cox

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Daryl “Chill” Mitchell

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It’s a show about comedy, understanding and tolerance.

It allows you to change your thinking and your ideas about other cultures.

The Student Activities Board explains how things are done in the Longhorn State.

From Netflix’s hottest show, “Orange is The New Black” comes a lesson in tolerance and understanding.

Here is one guy who knows adversity and refused to let his situation hinder his success. He now takes this message to America’s campuses.

BREAKING BAD’S GIANCARLO ESPOSITO 22

He Is One Of The Industry’s Most Successful Actors. CAM Takes You Behind The Scenes Of “Breaking Bad” And Giancarlo’s Career.

IT’S ALL INSIDE

From the Publisher Real Life Laff Guru Ron Placone

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Erik Rivera Barry Smith 2014 Awards Nomination Info Artist Reports

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RANDOM THOUGHTS & OTHER MINDLESS DRIBBLE Home Grown Events Can Help Build Your Audience

I get emails all the time from campuses that keep me informed about their student activities calendars. Of course they are chock full of traditional campus artists, ones that you would expect to see, plus a few nationally known names and several newbies.

What is even more impressive are the sensational ideas campuses come up with that cost them next to nothing to produce yet the attendance helps them build for their other more costly shows. These events are often brain storms of students on their activities boards or their director and some have even become campus traditions. This is an excel-

lent time to track down vital information on students attending these events so that you can target them for other shows that will follow.

Obviously most CABs have access to student email addresses, but a mass email is often lost among the hundreds of other emails to those recipients. When you track down a student who has actually been to an event, he or she is an excellent candidate to put their butts in the chair for other upcoming programs. The OnCampusText program is another one that you can consider because every student probably has his or her cell

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phone or their iPad with them the entire day.

A text message comes up and most can’t be ignored. It appears on your screen regardless of whether you anticipated it. Of course the student can delete it, but they almost always have to read a good part or all of the message before they decide it is not something they are interested in.

I have had the opportunity to visit hundreds of schools throughout the United States and the ones that capitalize on home grown events have nurtured the most consistent audiences each year.

Nothing can be more disconcerting to an artist, act or an activities director than to pay

PUBLISHER CONTINUES ON PAGE 36

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BY ELAINE PASQUA

Overcoming Adversity

For the past four years I have been providing rookie training for the NY Giants. Last year I met Jake Muasau who came to the team as a free agent from Georgia State University. He was the friendliest and most polite player of that rookie class.

heavy smoker, was diagnosed with throat cancer. He states that the defining moment in his life was when his father's larynx was removed and all of the power shifted to his mother. While still struggling with her mental illness she moved the family three hours south to a Days Inn in Sierra Vista. She blew through all of their money that week and they were back on the street, this time living in a Windstar van.

Months later I learned his inspirational story. Jake was one of three children born in Tacoma, Washington. His father was a pastor and his mother struggled with schizoaffective disorder. Their lives began a downward spiral when his father gave up everything and moved the family to California to start a church with Jake's uncle. They lived in their uncle's garage and money stopped coming in. His father abused his mother and was locked up twice on charges of domestic violence.

Jake's family sporatically lived in a 1985 Astro van. They would pull the van into parks in an attempt to befriend people, hoping they would be taken into their homes.

Jake remembers feeling embarrassed.

Their clothes were packed in boxes piled in the back of the van and they slept on park benches. They cleaned up for school at fountains or in public bathrooms. Breakfast and lunch were provided by the school, and friends brought them food which Jake brought back to feed his mother and father.

Jake's family moved to Phoenix to stay with his aunt. His mother's mental illness worsened and she spent months in and out of rehab. Eventually the family moved into their own apartment which was located in a bad neighborhood. They got involved in shady activities and Jake's brother was incarcerated for selling drugs.

When Jake was ten, his father who was a

Jake's father was hospitalized. One night while staying in the park, the police asked Jake, his mother and brother to leave. They moved to the parking lot of the hospital.

Since his father was on a feeding tube, Jake, his brother and mother shared his three meals. His father was transfered to Phoenix as his illness worsened. Days later the same policeman came up to the van in the park. This time he knew there was something wrong and he called child protective services. Jake and his brother were placed in a group home and his mom was taken to a home for battered women.

in a home and one brother was in jail. Jake and his brother Louie knew the only place to go was up. They wanted a different legacy for themselves and they worked to build a better life by channeling their energy in a positive direction.

Jake began playing football in his freshmen year of high school. A teammate took Jake and his brother in to live with his family for two years. It was then that he learned a new definiton of family, it was the people who helped him in times of need - friends, probation officers, coaches. Jake excelled at football. He became a star defensive outside linebacker for Georgia State and was picked up by the New York Giants in the 2012 season. Unfortunatly he was cut after suffering a hamstring injury. The Giants called him back for the 2013 season. In late August he was cut again. He is a realist knowing that this is common in the NFL, "You never know when your last down and last play will be." He is still training, with aspirations that he will be picked up next season by another team.

Jake said he is not where he expected to be today, but he is okay. He is moving back to Atlanta to finish his degree while continuing his training. He feels that all of his challenges happened for a reason. He learned to overcome adversity with faith and hard work and he knows that the tough times do not last. His past does not dictate his future; he dreams of helping others.

Eventally he wants to speak out on a much larger platform to teach people that they don't need to fall victim to gangs or poverty.

As I have always said, life is one percent of what happens to you and 99% attitude.

Questions on college life?

Email me at elaine@elainepasqua.com

It was at that point that Jake's father passed away. At age 13, Jake was devastated. His father was dead, his mentally ill mother was

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Making Spectacles Of Myself My life blurred so quickly I feared I had a disease, like glaucoma, but then I realized that was unlikely because, well... How should I put this to avoid legal complications? I knew I probably didn’t have glaucoma because during my aforementioned rebellious teenage years I got a head start on the treatment.

By Steven Kent McFarlin (AKA Spanky)

I am writing this with a brand new perspective on life. In fact, my new perspective arrived in the mail yesterday. I just got my very first pair of prescription glasses.

I have been expecting to need glasses my entire life, since all three of my siblings started wearing glasses in elementary school, and I can never remember my parents not wearing them. I am the only person in the family photo album that is not bespectacled, which led me to speculate I may have been adopted. (I confess during my rebellious teenage years I sometimes found that a comforting thought.)

Up until recently, I have never needed an ocular aid. However, years ago, I did purchase a pair of contacts when they came out with lenses that could change your eye color from brown to blue. I had recently begun to shave my head and was auditioning for different types of acting roles because of it. I thought blue eyes would help me get the Nazi parts in war movies (my Texas accent was not any help at all—“Sieg Heil y’all!”).

It came as no surprise to me when my vision finally began to deteriorate to the level of my family, but it was quite a surprise how rapidly it occurred. I expected the process to take years, but it happened in only weeks; within less that a month I lost the ability to read a newspaper.

But even without glaucoma I knew my eyesight was in rapid decline. What had I done to deserve such a fate? Was it Karma for one of the jokes in my comedy act: “If blind people wear sunglasses, why don’t deaf people wear earmuffs?” (On a side note, there was a comedy team, O’Brien & Valdez, and Valdez was blind.

I will not comment on the quality of their act other than to say other comics referred to them as “the blind leading the bland.” They heard my joke above and decided to steal it. When they realized the TV show 20/20 had recorded them in a contest doing my material, they called me out of the blue and tried to buy the joke. I declined. That night when the show was broadcast I had over fifty messages from friends saying they saw these two steal my bit. I was so angry I wanted to scare Valdez so bad his life would flash before his ears.)

Once I discovered my world becoming more fuzzy by the minute I hurried to the nearest optometrist. She appeared so young, I expected her to still have milk on her breath. I knew she could not have been out of medical school very long, and suspected this was her first job. My suspicions were confirmed when I experienced her less than delicate manner of patient communications. She asked, “Do you read a lot?” I answered that I read a book or two a week. Then she blurted out “Oh, well, you just have old eyes.”

Old. Eyes.

I thought, yes, my eyes are the exact same age as the rest of me—this bitch just called me “old!”

I wanted to punch her. Her perfect (immature) vision allowed her to read the emotions in my (apparently ancient) expressions and she backpedaled, “But your distant vision is perfect, so you don’t need prescription glasses. You can get by with over the counter reading glasses.”

So began my collection of reading glasses, buying a new pair each year with the next stronger strength, from +0.75 to +1 to +1.25, etc. My vanity at the time made me hide the need for reading glasses. I would look at menus on restau-

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rant websites prior to my dates so I could memorize my order. Pathetic.

Over the years with reading glasses my distant vision began to fade very slowly, until last month I noticed I could barely read a highway exit sign until I was almost past it. So I took my old eyes back to the optometrist.

My new glasses are called progressives, which is actually a gentle term for no-line bifocal. If I tilt my head up I can see up close and if I tilt my head down I can see distance.

The first day adjusting to them I nodded so much I could have got a job as one of Donald Trump’s yes-men. And to read anything at eye level my nose is so high in the air I look snooty enough to be a Kardashian.

If you are a young person reading this please do not fear your future. Sure, you will eventually trade your freckles, pimples, and braces for liver spots, crows feet wrinkles, double chins, and thinning hair, but nature buffers the onset.

These maladies will concur with the decline in your ability to see clearly, so as long as you never wear your glasses near a mirror you don’t have to see yourself growing old. Another benefit of aging is your vanity wanes, after a while you just don’t really give a crap about what others think of your appearance. It is very liberating!

Whereas I used to hide my first pairs of reading glasses, I now wear my progressives everywhere. In fact, a guy in my neighborhood told me I look better wearing glasses, although it is hard to trust his judgment since he is homeless (but I still have enough vanity to appreciate a compliment regardless of the source).

Take heart my young friends. My new nonfuzzy world is wonderful! Sure I’m still getting used to my glasses fogging up from the heat of my morning cup of coffee or when I open the oven and dishwasher, but the pros far exceed the cons. Turns out I really do have a high definition television. And now I can easily find my keys when I lose them. Unfortunately I can’t find my glasses...without my glasses.

Steven Kent McFarlin (AKA “Spanky”) has been described as a “campus entertainment icon.” He offers two great events at one low price, and has been voted “Campus Comic of the Year” (LaffGuru.com) and the “Campus Performer of the Year”. His credits include over 50 TV appearances, including: Showtime, Good Morning America, and The Late Show. He is represented by GP Entertainment.

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Two Comedians Entertain While Educating Them on Islam Culture It’s no secret that cultural tensions between the Christian world and Islam are nothing new, but here in the United States that has become decidedly more marked since the events off 9/11/2001. “Islamophobia” has become so pronounced that the many average people have come to conclusions that are quite unfair.

“The Muslims Are Coming!” is a documentary directed by two comics (and featuring a host of other special guests) who attempt to help educate the average person that not all Muslims are engaged in a Holy War with the rest of the world, and in fact are just like you and I. The movie features commentary from a range of special guests such as Jon Stewart, David Cross, Lewis Black, Colin Quinn, Soledad O’Brien, Rachel Maddow, Janeane Garofalo and more.

Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah spearheaded this project, which began as a documentary film (available on iTunes and Amazon) and has now taken form as a live show touring in the campus market. Both give Campus Activities Magazine® an interview to tell readers more about the project.

“There were a few different factors that were the impetus for this project,” Negin (pronounced “nay-geen”) says.

“Around 2008, during the primary elections and then during the general election when Barack Obama was running for President, there was this theme that started being stirred up about him being a Muslim (laughs). What was funny about it (other than it being such www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

a ridiculous notion) was that was like an accusation. It was like people were saying he was a pedophile or a terrorist.

Say he was a Muslim, so what? He still has the same policies and is the same politician. He was still an American.

The whole concept that we should judge people equally regardless of race, creed or religion had flown out the window. It was just so stunning that it got us riled up and we began to examine the other scenarios that exist where there is clear inequality. There are still states in the Union, Alabama or Mississippi for example, where a majority of people not only think Barack Obama is a Muslim, but that it’s a problem. That really got our goat.”

It’s both shocking and saddening the amount of xenophobia that exists in a society that most of us like to consider fairly progressive. “Absolutely. We are in New York City, so we are a little bit sheltered in some of the ways that Muslim is used as a derogatory term, but the election brought that front and center that this was actually an insult. Then the Park 51 thing exploded as well.”

“That was another thing that caused a lot of controversy, and certainly some hurt feelings in the Muslim community,” Dean says. “It revolved around the Ground zero mosque. The opposition to it was not about a mosque, it was about an anti-religious fervor that was going on with people using it as a talking point and a way to say the worst things about Muslims possible. I could not believe that was going on here in New York City, which is not only a blue

city but one that is so culturally diverse and generally accepting of all types of people. There was a lot of hate and literally thousands of people on the streets holding terrible signs about Muslims. It was really a wake up call that we could either just close our eyes and hope it goes away, or try to do something about it. We are comedians.

We just used our skill sets as comics to produce the movie.”

The project started initially with a series of free shows with the hopes of bringing people in and educating them through humor that we are all not so different.

From there it just grew legs. We decided to record it into a documentary and share it to try to open up people’s minds.

Bottom line, I think Americans on the whole are very open-minded people; it is just a lack of exposure that leads to fear. As people get to know Muslims, I wholeheartedly believe they will be fine with them.”

There is a certain concept that there are unquestionable tenets inside the religious texts of Muslims that all of them must follow which command them to strike down any infidels that are not a part of the faith. While this may be partly true and some of them can be found, these are not commandments that all Muslims believe in or adhere to. Just as the Christian Bible is not filled with only thoughts of peace and love, generally only the more extremist zealots take the arcane mandates of violence and holy war to heart. “That is something we tackled directly with the movie,” Negin

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says, “which is about 75 percent standup but mixed in with street action scenes where we go out and talk to normal everyday people.

One of the things we did in Birmingham, Alabama is to play a game with people called ‘Name That Religion.’ We would read a quote and ask them to guess whether it was Old Testament, New Testament, or the Quran.

On the whole, people got them wrong, because when you cherry pick quotes out of any of these texts they sound totally crazy and you can’t actually tell where they came from because they all contain some pretty disturbing and extreme material from a very, very different time and place than the world we live in today. There is one along the lines of ‘bring people in front of me and slay them if they are not my believers.’ Sounds like something most people would think was by some hardcore Muslim cleric right? Well, that was attributed to Jesus. You are going to find these things in all ancient religious texts, so you can’t judge an entire religion and its people based on the most extreme selected passages. We are more used to taking stories out of the Bible more as parable for the overall lesson, and not that we should be so literal with them. We don’t necessarily have that relationship with the Quran. It is a double standard. There are cultural Muslims, there are secular Muslims, the spectrum is exactly the way it is among Jews and Christians and part of the aim of the

movie is to showcase that. Muslims come in different shapes and sizes and different levels of practice. There are ones like me who drink, and then there are some like Preacher Moss who pray five times a day.”

For the show on campus, the performance will feature a screening of the movie, as well as stand up from Negin and Dean or a choice of other comics involved in the project and a Q&A session at the end for students to get personalized feedback for their audience.

“We really encourage students to ask us the most challenging questions. We are not there to judge them; we really want to answer their questions to better inform them on a topic they may have never had the chance to know about firsthand before. Frankly, we are tired of having people who are not Muslim answering their questions in a way that is not accurate and is sadly, often consistent with an agenda they might have, whether it’s political or otherwise. Other times, it is simply uniformed. There might not be any intention to be hateful, they just don’t know any better because they are going off of things they heard, despite their dubious accuracy.”

When it comes down to it, it is all about exposure. Regular folks, who are middle of the road Muslims want to separate themselves from extremism and terrorists just as much as

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the average Christian wants to separate themselves from abortion clinic bombers.

Dean and Negin think there is only one way to do that. “Get out there and meet people,” Dean says. “Apart from making a documentary,” he jokes, “you have got to get out and meet people and let them see that we are not so different. I think that the idea that we can expect people to go out and look up all the accurate information on Muslims in their own time when they are busy in their lives and have no interest in doing so is ridiculous. I think the burden is on us to move forward.

There are so many people out there doing great interfaith work, working with Christians and Jews, standing up against bigotry together, which I think is fabulous. We need to answer questions and counter misconceptions. We hope we can help that in some small part through distributing the documentary, and showing up in person to spread that message ourselves.”

For an eye-opening multicultural event, contact Gina at Kirkland Productions at gina@kirklandproductions.com or 866-7699037 and find out how you can begin to change perceptions on your campus.

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Various reasons were given for the group’s demise: Not enough campus interest, inadequate funding, lack of promotion, the list goes on. While the reasons for student groups coming and going are as varied as student groups themselves, I remain convinced there were only two reasons why our group didn’t take off: We were ahead of our time, and the group was named poorly.

Your Campus Needs A New Media Resource Center

Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt were students at Evergreen State College when they decided they wanted to start a record label. Sub Pop Records was born, and, with a little help from the campus radio station, started selling some albums.

Eventually they took a chance on a band called Nirvana and now they’re millionaires. More recently, Mark Zuckerberg and several of his classmates had an idea for a website while at Harvard. Despite a little bit of controversy, Mark’s done pretty well for himself. College is an ideal time to start a creative media venture. There should be some type of space for likeminded students to meet and exchange ideas and flex their creative muscles in manners that the classroom and the traditional student media outlets can’t provide.

Granted, this wasn’t a terribly a long time ago by any means, but our media landscape changes leaps and bounds rapidly. So in terms of media years (a concept of time I made up), this was eons ago (a concept of time I didn’t make up). Thanks to the expansion of social networking and websites like YouTube, independent content creation is thriving, and at this point, it’s a career field. I speak from experience here.

When I was an undergraduate I was among a small group of students that tried to create that very thing. We called it a Media Arts Group. Our group was basically just a small office space where we gathered every so often to discuss media policy, watch documentaries, brainstorm projects, and help the new alternative newspaper in town.

After a semester or two the group disbanded, and the alternative newspaper has since folded. The end consisted of myself and the founder reminiscing over a couple cans of Keystone (yuck!). “Well,” my friend said, “at least we got to hear Amy Goodman speak.”

“You did,” I responded, “I had an exam then.”

Reminiscing over.

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I am a member of the Young Turks Network. The Young Turks are the largest onlinebased news show in the world.

I release content daily on topics ranging from media policy, advocacy, pop culture, satirical segments and stand-up comedy. I knew joining this network would be a challenge, my video editing skills are adequate but not particularly advanced, and the amount of output they were looking for was significant. Back when I started though, I didn’t realize exactly how in-depth building a brand on YouTube actually is, and I’m still learning on a daily basis.

I spend hours upon hours uploading, optimizing and framing YouTube clips. I make mistakes on a daily basis. While I have come a long way since beginning with the Network several months ago, my beginner’s errors and technological clumsiness have on multiple occasions warranted a profanity-laced diatribe from the Young Turks’ Marketing Direc-

tor, fortunately to date I haven’t received one. (Side note: If there’s any aspiring student comedians out there here’s one piece of unsolicited advice from me: Take a film production class.) Anyway, the point is this work isn’t easy. I’d like to reiterate, it is WORK and it isn’t EASY. It’s a skill, a craft, with concepts to be learned and yes, money to be made. One word or tag can be the difference between a viral clip and a couple dozen plays and a handful of troll comments.

Meanwhile, on campuses across the country, student media, in most cases, consists of a newspaper and a radio station. Needless to say this is not reflexive of the media landscape in which we find ourselves, nor is it reflexive of the career opportunities that may or may not exist for students interested in some type of media or journalistic venture.

If a student wants to start a podcast, a web series, YouTube Channel, webzine, or even a print zine for that matter they should have a place to go to exchange these ideas and discuss what projects they want to pursue and who may want to collaborate with them. The resources are there, like-minded folks just need to meet and have a place to do so. Hence, a New Media Resource Center.

You may not discover the next Nirvana, but who knows? You start that YouTube Channel and do things right you could be pulling in a few thousand a month while still in college. Not a bad chunk of change, think about it, you wouldn’t need to drink Keystone anymore.

Give your student body the benefit of his insights and let them draw their own conclusions. Contact G.G. Greg Agency at gggregagy@aol.com or 440-266-1732.

Be sure to mention you discovered Ron through the magazine.

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rik Rivera is a comedian with a list of credits in television and a solid presence on campus. He’s been featured on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” he was official spokesperson for the ALMA Awards and NCLR and a presenter for them on NBC and has been featured on MTV, Comedy Central, TV Guide channel and NUVO TV.

E

Unlike many acts who find the college market through agents and subsequently struggle through its nuances, Erik couldn’t be more comfortable here.

“I actually started when I was in college myself and just like many of the students who bring me to campus, I used to put events together. I always knew I wanted to do something in entertainment and it finally happened right after 9/11. I went to Pace University, which was about four or five blocks away from The World Trade Center. I came up with an idea to put on these comedy relief shows to help relieve the stress of the campus considering everything that had just happened.”

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Despite New York City not being a great place to be when terror struck on that day, once it was over it was a great location for Erik’s purposes. “I didn’t have too far to go to scout out the talent I needed to put on the show.I was around comedy so much, I didn’t have to go to a conference to go see comedians, there are 14 different clubs in NYC. I was at a comedy show pretty much every night and one day it just hit me. I got the bug and started doing it myself and haven’t stopped since.”

When it comes to dealing with the stresses of putting on an event, Erik can relate, and help put students and advisors at ease. “I was on a student club that was under the activities board and my favorite thing to do was put on comedy shows. Most of the students usually came out to those events. I get their stress and understand the phone calls where they wonder if I’m going to show up on time, or at all.” he says laughing. “Planning these events can be one of the most stressful things you can do, you wonder about your talent, starting on time, sound, lights and

just keeping everything running smoothly in general. I always call them and try to be as helpful as I can and get them to settle down a little bit.”

It was about 5 years before Erik discovered NACA as a comic himself. “I was starting to gain some notoriety at the clubs and had been on TV a couple of times. My first experience was as a part of the ‘NBC Standup For Diversity Tour.’ I made it to the finals in that program and that was my first NACA National Conference around 2007. I had been doing a few local colleges here and there before that, but that’s when I really got to see what a beast the NACA conference was and how deep the market runs across the country.”

Erik is a comic on the rise. Contact Bass/Schuler Entertainment at (773) 481-2600 or info@bassschuler.com for more information and keep an eye on your TV set for more of this talented young act. .

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Becoming a rock star

I did not react well when I was asked to become a rock star/troubadour /voice of my generation. I said, “Yes.” In all fairness, it was me who was asking the question, and I was in no way authorized to make such promises.

Here’s how it happened: it occurred to me one day that all one needs to do in order to become the aforementioned rock star, etc. is: 1) buy a guitar, 2) travel around Europe and “pay your dues” by playing in parks and train stations before 3) returning home to awaiting fame and glory.

This brilliant career move occurred to me while I was actually in Europe, traveling alone for three months. I was already hanging around in parks and train stations, so I was clearly only lacking a guitar. And it turns out that if you reassign some of your travel budget from, say, the “food and lodging” category, well, a guitar is suddenly yours.

In the following months I had lots of time while sleeping in parks (see travel budget reassignment, above) to really ponder my decision. Seems I’d neglected to factor in my innate lack of musical ability, patience and

willingness to practice. Oops. The “being a rock star” part still sounded good, though.

Although I did get paid to play that very guitar, which is why it technically makes the list of every job I’ve ever had. While waiting for a train in Italy, I sat outside the station and strummed a haunting, bluesy song that, if listened to carefully, was “Frosty the Snowman” played really, really slowy.

And poorly. Fortunately, rather than listening, people just walked by and threw coins in my case! And whenever someone actually did stop to listen, I’d stop playing and stretch my hands out as if they were cramped from all the shredding I’d been doing just moments earlier. When the person walked on, I’d go back to my lame strumming. Thus began and ended my rock star career.

Plan ahead, right? That’s what they tell you. But don’t “they” also tell you to be spontaneous? So how can you know when you’re faced with a spontaneous good career decision verses absolute fantasy? In some cases (see above...again) it’s pretty easy to tell the difference, but sometimes career fantasy and reality are harder to distinguish. Remember, there’s no jump-

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ing right to “rock star.” Any career you choose will ultimately break down to the daily tasks at hand. Are these tasks ones that are going to bring you joy, creativity, satisfaction, worthy challenges and sense of purpose? Do your best to find this out before you put all your eggs in the same guitar case-shaped basket, lest you mistake the “dream career” for the “in your dreams” career.

And hey, I’m not saying that rock star is a bad career choice. It’s just a bad choice for me. And if you don’t believe me, allow me to serenade you with a particularly rousing rendition of “It’s a Small World…”

Barry Smith is a writer, comedian and speaker. His presentation, is based on the lessons learned from his life of offbeat employment choices, and how these lessons can help students in their own career evolution. “A refreshing guide to career exploration and served as a wonderful reminder that we can find happiness by following our passions." - Bryn Kass, Senior Class Council President, Tufts University.

Book Barry at Kirkland Productions www.kirklandproductions.com

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FINDING OUT HOW IT’S DON

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NE IN THE LONGHORN STATE One of the most interesting things about this Campus Activities Live! monthly column is exploring the ways every campus does things a little differently. Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas is no exception.

With about 13,000 students on campus, the Student Activities Association is run primarily by the 7 executive officers, who are facilitated by the 65 other general members. During a board wide meeting, each student suggests an event for the year and then the entire body votes on which acts they would like to bring.

Each general member is then responsible for one of those events, helped by the more experienced executive officers which includes a president, VP, secretary, special events, membership, PR, movies and movie PR chairs.

Saville Harris is the Coordinator of Student Engagement and details more about how the SAA operates. Saville has been with the school for about 7 years, since the beginning of his life on campus. “I studied my undergrad and masters here and now work as a professional. The Student Activities Association on this campus is a pretty big deal. There are many great people in this organization and you get a chance to experience a lot of great things in it and I wanted to be sure I was a part of that. It caught my eye from my freshman year and I really enjoyed it once I got into it. It gave me the opportunity to work hard and learn many valuable new skills.”

For these reasons, the SAA has plenty of personpower to go around. “Yessir, we have many students involved, but when we do major concerts or other big shows it pays to have many hands and they put in a lot of work for us.” There is a very active programming schedule at SFA. “We probably do over 100 events per semester, that includes our movie nights which show on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Those are only $2 per student and $2 more for popcorn and a drink.”

Not a bad deal. “Along with that we are always doing a wide variety of other types of events throughout the months.”

SFA programs all types of entertainment, from takeaway novelties, to gameshows, interactive games and a broad range of live talent. “About once or twice a month we will

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have a live event come in,” Saville says.

“Many of our events though are homegrown.

Students will come up with ideas or use some that they’ve seen and we will put together activities that are really cost effective but the students still really enjoy. Campus talent shows are really popular specifically.”

Although SAA does a variety of marketing for events including a highlight on social media like Twitter, campus radio, CCTV, posters, flyers, etc., word of mouth alone has these event packed to capacity. “I always tell the students that word of mouth is the most important way to participate in getting good turnouts. There is a lot of great student talent on this campus and the students always want to show up for their friends. It is unbelievably packed. Many of the people on campus already have a big following, so when we throw them all into a room together it’s a no brainer for attendance, and is always very cost effective.

When it comes to booking live talent outside the campus pool, SAA works with all kinds, not just limited to music and comedy. “We bring in all kinds of performers. We like to do our live performances where we have open air, so people passing by can hear what’s going on and come check the show out.

Bands, comedians, magicians, hypnotists, jugglers, all have worked well here.”

When it comes to sourcing the talent, Saville says SAA has trusted agencies they use on a regular basis, as well as using print sources, the web and showcases. “Many ideas come from NACA, and then the rest come from webbased searches and things our students go out and look for.”

One challenge SFA does not have to deal with is a lack of programming space. While many campuses have to work around large gaps in the capacity of venue sizes, here they have just about any size needed to fit any event.

“For coffeehouse performances we have a Starbuck’s and Einstein’s on campus, where we will do karaoke or the solo performers.

Our student center is pretty big and fairly new, that’s where we host most of our inside events, whether they are going to be medium

or large. The medium size goes in our Twilight Ballroom, which holds roughly 600 people and then our Grand Ballroom will go up to the 1000-1500 range and is also right in the student center. For major concerts we have our coliseum, or for our homecoming or other outdoor major events we have our intramural field where we can put a large stage.”

Most of the regular events for the SFA students hosted by SAA are free. “For any of our stuff like homegrown events or basic live shows, students always get in free. The only events we charge for will be major concerts and bigger names, like Miranda Lambert. It will still be very affordable for our students, but gives us a way to really stretch our budget.”

They don’t have problems hitting capacities at any of their events, partly because they know what size rooms to plan each event in and partly because they are smart about avoiding conflicts in the schedules. “We have been getting close to filling most events up. Here on our campus we have many other organizations doing events that can pull away folks, but we are usually close. We try stay away from our athletics games and don’t butt up against those to encourage students to go out and support the teams. For example our movie series are on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, we never play anything on Saturday because that’s football day. The only thing we might do there is support the game itself. This weekend we are doing a purple-out event, where we will be giving away purple T-shirts with the hopes of purpling out the entire stadium.” Special events will generally be held on the weekdays. “We know students usually want to have their weekends, unless it is a major concert.”

Novelties are big on this campus. “Huge,” Saville says. “Students love to be able to take something away to remember the day. Photo Keychains, caricatures, anything they can take home with them. Our students are ON it. .”

Students will have plenty to do at SFA, thanks to the Student Activities Association. If you have any particular questions about how they do things there, give Saville Harris a shout at (936) 468-1066 or harrisss@sfasu.edu.

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One of the most stunningly memorable characters on the iconic AMC show “Breaking Bad” was that of Gustavo Fring, the apparently legitimate businessman who used his chain of restaurants to distribute methamphetamine across the Southwestern US. Played

by Giancarlo Esposito, Gus has become a cult icon, but there is an incredibly deep body of work Giancarlo has done including “Malcolm X” “The Cotton Club” “King Of New York” “Mo Better Blues” “The Usual Suspects” “Homicide: Life On The Street” “Ali,” “Law & Order,” “Alex Cross” “Once Upon a Time” and many more.

He runs his own company, Quiet Hand Productions, which “aspires to make conscious content films that focus on the inspirational” taking a turn away from the Hollywood fad of big budget, big FX movies and going back to the strong story based movies that once reigned supreme.

Giancarlo also comes from a very unique background (or perhaps not so unique in our American history) that gives him a sharp perspective on the issues of diversity in America today, and one of his passions is spreading his message to the students on campus. He gives Campus Activities Magazine® an exclusive interview discussing just that.

Breaking Bad has turned into one of those mass cult phenomenons. With it’s airing on AMC, it quickly hooked legions of loyal fans who never missed a week. Then, with its distribution to Netflix, it reached millions more people who got sucked into the marathon warp zone of watching great shows on a streaming format. It’s no secret that college students are a big fan of Netflix-Less than $10 a month over the usual $100 cable bill. In fact Netflix was even credited with bringing Breaking Bad back from initially low ratings in the first season and the show now is in turn on of the biggest draws for new Netflix customers. The show found a new set of viewers, who were so hooked by the series they started watching it on the live airings of the current season. This went on for six seasons, and by the end, 10.3 million people tuned in to watch the finale alone. There are nearly 40 million Netflix subscribers that will have access to the finale in the coming months. Playing “Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring” has stamped Giancarlo’s image onto the history of the show’s great success. “It is a wonderful thing to be a part of such an iconic television show,” the professional actor with 144 IMDb credits and a Primetime Emmy nomination says. “It’s also even better to be associated with that show with the iconic character of Gustavo Fring. I have been in the business for 47 years and I really love what I do. My career has spanned from the Broadway stage to television to film, and I’ve been lucky enough to be in a couple of movies that are in the 100 best of all time, like ‘Do The Right Thing’ and ‘The Usual Suspects.’”

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Both films won two Oscars. “Certainly in television (specifically for a cable television show), to have blown up the way ‘Breaking Bad’ did and to have it be known as one of the best shows ever on television, is an amazing event. I am very proud to be associated with it.” Despite being in several other quality parts throughout his career, Giancarlo says he’s still noticed a difference in the level of his public profile on an average street. “When it comes to being recognized, I have experienced some of that working with the projects directed by Spike Lee in ‘Do The Right Thing,’ ‘School Daze’ and ‘Malcolm X’ so a lot of folks recognized me from those.

Films like ‘Last Holiday’ with Queen Latifah and ‘Nothing To Lose’ with Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins and ‘Derailed’ with Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, RzA and Xzibit also brought new audiences.

So I have a Caucasian audience that recognizes me from one set of films and an African-American audience that recognizes me for the other body of work and it is very interesting, as I am of half Italian and half African-American descent. For this particular show though, being on cable and now on Netflix, which has afforded it for so many different types of people, there is a very diverse audience.

The fact that Netflix allows them to sit down and take in the entire show all at once has changed the game completely.”

At the same time Giancarlo was doing another television show toward the close of “Breaking Bad” which gave him yet another audience. ‘Once Upon a Time,’ ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Community’ were all in the same year, which was great. I was really moved into a wide variance of television viewer ages, but I really believe ‘Breaking Bad’ is the show that has put me in the forefront of the spotlight of all of these audiences, particularly because people young and old are all drawn to it and find it fascinating.

I love it when it draws the young bucks, many of whom are on college campuses, those that I regard as the young buccaneers (men and women) who are very smart viewers of television and film. They are in the place in their life where intellectually they recognize what has been rehashed and what story lines have been taken from other media and are really just a copy. They recognize the originality of ‘Breaking Bad’ and how much it speaks to them on the level of being current and contemporary. I am very honored they are the ones who

have noticed not only my performance, but the excellence of the show.”

There are very different perceptions on how we watch shows with live airings versus on demand. While some slow moving sections of plot lines, however necessary, can kill the ratings of a show spread over an entire season, with on demand it’s easier to get through and get to the exciting parts of the next episode. This tends to leave viewers in a perpetual state known as marathoning, unable to stop watching for as long as they have time to. Since college students perfectly fit the demographic of Netflix (cheap content they can watch any time with no commercials trying to sell them anything), Breaking Bad turned out to be one of those shows you can’t stop once you start. “It is one of those shows.

I remember getting a call from young Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (who is Bobby’s son). He is a college graduate and a young filmmaker himself. Every year I would see him and he’d tell me about how he heard of ‘Breaking Bad’ but hadn’t watched it yet and I told him ’You gotta watch it.’ Well, finally I get a call from him, and he is cursing me out on the phone saying he has been holed up in his apartment for 4 days straight because he couldn’t stop watching (laughs). It does have the ability to suck you in and keep you there.”

Clearly Giancarlo has the capabilities of a true method actor, considering how well he pulled off the dark and scary personality of Gus Fring and at the same time was working on much lighter shows like “Community” and “Once Upon A Time.”

“It wasn’t strange at all. I got a call from one of the creators of ‘Community’ and it was a welcome switch, as was ‘Once Upon A Time.’ When you’re acting on one particular show doing something that is so intense and then have the opportunity to lighten it up with what I would call the antithesis of the Gustavo character somewhere else, I look for those moments.

Particularly this is because I like to play a wide variance of characters each time out of the box. So much so, that when I am preparing for a role, I don’t look for comparisons or something I can model my character after. I look inside, and look to be original. To me, it is very important to create a character in an original fashion. I do look to change it up and try to find projects to work on that are different each time.”

Being in multiple award-winning movies has certainly brought Giancarlo further op-

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portunities and Breaking Bad is no exception. “I believe it has opened many doors, and I think many of those opportunities are still awaiting me. Right away it allowed me to be a part of a show called ‘Revolution’ which airs Wednesday nights at 8PM on NBC. That is the first opportunity that has come my way and is great exposure, and gives me the opportunity to work daily on 22 episodes per season, which is just about twice as much as ‘Breaking Bad.’” Giancarlo is also a filmmaker himself and the further his star rises, the better the opportunities are for him to be able to express himself through that form of creativity. “Being known more on many levels gives one a little more respect in the industry and allows you to do the work you want to do. Some actors just have their work as an actor and just want to collect their paycheck from a network or film company and move on, but I have some things that I would like to say in my life through my work as a filmmaker and producer.”

Enter Quiet Hand Productions, the way for Giancarlo and his associates to produce content that can speak to people on a deeper level than pure entertainment. “I believe that in media, film and television should exemplify some of the best and the worst of the things we observe in our society. I feel that our current Hollywood film institutions are looking to make money, as partly they should be. They are looking to provide entertainment yes, but also to have big box office ‘tent-pole’ movies as we call them. Most of these movies are very expensive to make because of all the computer animating, special effects, huge set pieces and very well compensated stars. They need to put many people in the seats to make $200-$500 million dollars to recoup their costs. I feel that we should also have movies that are hearkening back to the independent films of the 70’s and 80’s that allowed people to think. The return to story is the way I like to think of it and that is what Quiet Hand Productions is looking to do; tell real stories about humanness and humanity. I’d like to have a key or a gem of what really makes us who we are in each film we produce. If people see it, they are moved by it because it connects them to something they have experienced in their lives, or perhaps some loss they have had. I would like to make films that have a healing element to them and allow us to see the world in which we live truly as it is. That is something I am comwww.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

mitted to. I don’t want to beat people over the head with some sort of message, but I would love for there to be a message that allows people to look at themselves in a fuller and more complete way.”

Giancarlo has been presenting his talk for college audiences for years. While “Breaking Bad” has inspired an entirely new set of fans and interested attendees, it’s not what got him started on campus.

“After the film ‘Do The Right Thing’ years ago, especially and specifically on AfricanAmerican campuses, the question ‘What does ‘wake up’ mean?’ was buzzing. It’s a very simple question at the end of ‘School Daze,’ one of Spike Lee’s successful dramas. It questioned the perception of lightskinned and dark-skinned blacks and was a comment on how we in the AfricanAmerican community appear to get along but sometimes don’t at all because there is a racist attitude about the shade of one’s skin. After that particular movie I began going on college campuses around the United States answering that question. It means we need to wake up to the fact that we are all one, we are all an extension of each other. If I were to answer the question now I would say that it goes much further than just being light or dark-skinned black, but extends to humanity in general.

I began speaking after that movie on the film and what it really meant.”

Giancarlo leaves students with a simple message. “This is your four years. This is the time for you to be in the world and change it. No matter what community or neighborhood you come from, or what friends you have, or what denomination you are, it is your responsibility to reach out. If you have never spoken to someone who is Asian, or from the Canary Islands or French or Italian, German or maybe British and happens to be Black, it is each one of our responsibilities to get to know that person. That is your microcosm for the world and you will soon be in that world when you graduate, and each person will have a harsh reality to face if you haven’t spent the time to understand someone who is different from you.”

Giancarlo speaks on this based on the fact that we all, at some point were derived from two different tribes in Africa.

“Whether you are White or Black, there are two tribes we all descend from. Human beings can be tribal, and if we all work to understand each other in our tribal natures of who we are, we understand the group

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mentality that rules us. You see it on college campuses all the time, the white students, black students, Asian students, etc., all in separate groups. Obviously we do see some integration, but often not to the level that would really speak to a deep understanding of all humanity, so that is what I encourage. I put that responsibility on the students, to break out of what is normal, even if you are talked about. Be not only yourself, but be inquisitive and interested enough in those that are different from you to have an understanding of their culture and why they might do certain things. You can’t judge a book by its cover, there is always something interesting inside those pages that might catch your attention.”

Apart from his involvement in the film and television world, Giancarlo has specific experiences in his own life and background that have given him unique perceptions.

“Without a doubt, I feel I am a blend of what I always like to say is the best of both worlds. My father is Italian, which in this country basically means white (laughs).

It’s funny because in Europe, nationality is so much more linked to identity, someone there is French or Italian or British or German. Here in the U.S., you’re either White, Black or Latino no matter what real culture you come from. So, I feel very deeply qualified to speak on the topic, not only because I was born to a White father and a Black mother, but also because I have traveled the world.”

Even deeper than that, Giancarlo’s experi-

ence of coming to America is especially poignant. “I came to America at five years old on the QE2. On a boat. Which is the way our forebears came. I came to port at New York harbor at 33rd St and 12th Ave. and I always thought it was very exciting.

I spoke Italian and a little bit of German and no English at all. I learned English and as I did, I learned here that I was not Italian. I was Black. It was something I really didn’t understand. How did I become a non-person in 1963 in America, with no one interested in my cultural background, but only the color of my skin?”

Don’t forget that this was a tumultuous time in America, with Giancarlo being introduced to the culture just as the Civil Rights Movement was coming to a head.

“You were either a Black Panther or with the Resistance or not. It was a very odd time and place to be and it was interesting that years later I worked so much with Spike Lee, the radical race activist. I give kudos to him for that, but it has been an interesting journey to be regarded as an African-American actor after success with his movies. At that time people were surprised that I was of mixed race and that I could be so supportive of Spike Lee.”

Spike got some flack from much of the African-American community because at one point he said Black people who became successful basically became White.

“I asked him ‘What does that mean they become white?’ I think what he meant was that those people who had become affluent and successful turned their backs on Black people. They never return to the neighborhood and eat chicken with their fingers again,” he says, laughing uproariously. “You know what I mean? What he was really trying to say was that they lost their soulfulness. I understand that now and I don’t believe anyone should lose their soulfulness, Black or White. They should be who they are and exemplify all the aspects of the culture that they are from. We are a melting pot society, so these are some of the things that I speak about when I go on the road and speak to college campuses.”

There is much more to Giancarlo’s talk, which has evolved considerably over the years he has been doing it. To find out more, give Mike D’Andrea at Greater Talent Network a call at (212) 905-3801 or MikeD@greatertalent.com.

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Netflix has proven itself twice now, with the success of it’s first original series, “House Of Cards,” and now the wildly popular “Orange Is The New Black.” One of the breakout characters of the show has been Sophia Burset, a transsexual woman of color, locked away in a women’s prison for the credit card fraud she used to pay for her surgery and expensive hormone replacement therapy.

The role is played by Laverne Cox, who is in fact the first transsexual woman of color in television history to play a feature role in a major show. An avid activist for not only the LGBTQ community but also against bullying in general, Laverne has begun bringing her story to college campuses nationwide with recent successful appearances at schools like Vanderbilt and College of Charleston. Campus Activities Magazine® gets an exclusive interview with Laverne to discuss her message and her historic role on a mainstream television series.

The series originally began streaming on Netflix July 11, 2013, and was immediately successful.

When asked if the less than half a year that has gone by since has gotten her used to the feeling of that success, the answer is yes and no. “It’s a little bit of both,” she says. “I am getting better at being recognized on the street. It has only been

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a little over three months so I am still adjusting to the whole thing. I still am sort of in disbelief because of the whole historical piece of it and the impact the show has had on so many people and the impact my character has had on so many people. It is something I am getting used to. I think of myself as a part of a history and lineage of other trans women who have come before me and paved the way for me to get to where I am now. I think it is really important to acknowledge those people. Having said that, I don’t think that our community is as far along as it should be in terms of real justice and equality in the world.”

That’s part of the reason Laverne has taken to activism as an important part of her work, speaking to groups across the country and is especially keen to speak to students on campus. Laverne is a long time resident of New York City, where the transgender community has a much stronger presence and finds more acceptance than in areas further out into the suburbs and rural parts of our country. As a southern belle herself, she knows this all too well, hailing originally from Mobile, Alabama. “I did a benefit recently for The Trevor Project, which is an organization that does outreach to LGBTQ youth all over the country. They have a 24 hour hotline where kids who might be in some danger of harming themselves can call in.

A lot of the kids that call in are actually from rural areas and might not have contact with anyone else who is in a similar situation. We are everywhere, but outside of urban centers it can be hard to find support and a sense of community for those in the LGBTQ lifestyles. That is why the internet and organizations like the Trevor Project are so important, because they connect those kids who might be isolated to life saving support.”

Laverne says this echoes the message of “Orange Is The New Black.” “Part of the message of the show has been that people are never alone. You are never the only one dealing with what you are dealing with, and I think in places outside of the urban centers, things like the internet and media representations of the LGBTQ community become really important. Having said that, I don’t think that is a replacement for people who are not LGBTQ or are confused about what those people are to actually meet some of them and spend enough time with them to understand they are just as

human as the next person. That really makes all the difference I think.”

While the gay and lesbian community has made enormous leaps and bounds over the last few years towards establishing their own credibility and equality in communities across our country, the transgender community is still largely struggling to be recognized. “When I hear how alienated from their peers the general community can become when they stand up for equal rights, it just makes me really sad. I think that again, it’s largely due to the average person looking at the LGBT community as an unknown, and fear stems from the unknown. I think perhaps many of them are simply afraid and that causes prejudices and discrimination. I do believe that when the vast majority of people that have a problem like this with someone else, it’s usually because there is something inside themselves they are not comfortable with. Whatever that thing is that makes them feel insecure might be questioned in their own mind by seeing

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someone else living their own lives and just being who they are. We always have to look inward and look at ourselves if we have a problem with someone who is different from us simply for being who they are and wanting to live their dream.”

Laverne, being from the South herself, realizes that there are many factors that may contribute to these sorts of attitudes. “Obviously cultural paradigms, religion and as we said a general lack of exposure to different types of people can all be culprits. I think about growing up in Alabama myself and all the preconceptions I had about who trans people were made me deathly afraid to be who I was. I grew up in an environment that suggested who I was had been some sort of problem and that I couldn’t be that. It wasn’t until I moved to New York and met other trans people that I realized all the conceptions I had were a product of where I was from and were just completely erroneous. We need more exposure and we need to create safe space for people to be who they are. I think that is possible in the South, but it is trickier.”

Laverne is truly pumped up about bringing this sort of message to the young minds across the country on college campuses. “I am very excited about this college tour that I am embarking on. I was in Nashville last week at Vanderbilt University and in South Carolina at the College of Charleston and it was standing room only in both places. All of these people turned out to see me, a black trans woman. There were college students all the way from Kentucky and Knoxville there at Vanderbilt. Part of it is because I am on the TV show, but part of it is because there are folks there who need to hear a message of hope and inspiration. A message that says it’s okay to be who you are. There is definitely a need for that in the deep South, and everywhere else. I am going to be in Mississippi next year and I am really excited for that. There is hope.”

Within out collective consciousness, the level of acceptance for the LGBTQ community seems to follow along a huge generational gap. People in their 20’s and younger seem much more willing to accept those of different orientations than those 30 and older. “Kids are the future and they are very open-minded. They are on campus and more and more schools are doing more work and enacting policies to make LGBTQ www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

students safer on campus, which is huge.

That gives me a lot of hope for the future as well. We still have a long way to go but at least there is progress.”

When she comes to campus, Laverne’s presentation is highly personal, and moving.

“I am telling my story. As a black, trans woman raised in the South by a single mother from a working class background and raised in the church. I tell the story of being a gender non-conforming kid and being bullied and how that affected my sense of myself. It’s about my journey of finding myself, my journey to womanhood and my journey to self-acceptance. I do frame all of that within the larger context of issues that affect girls like me, other trans individuals as well and gender non conforming youths.”

Laverne also backs out the focus to broader topics that helps to educate listeners on some of the important historical markers of the LGBTQ and specifically the trans movement. “I give a little history lesson here and there, specifically about trans history and the importance of that,

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as so much of it has been lost and I think it is vital to make sure we pass on as much information as possible.”

Like many speakers who present on such moving and personal topics, Laverne is doing this to try to contribute her little bit toward effecting positive change and says the evidence of that is probably the most rewarding part for her. “What has been really powerful for me is when folks will come up to me and say they have gone through something very similar and they see themselves in my story.

That makes me feel less alone, and it makes me realize that there are other people out there who may be encouraged to find their own path who have not yet even tried. I think that is really the power of us telling our stories truthfully.

We all feel less alone.”

Jenji Kohan is the creator of “Orange Is The New Black” and for those of you who don’t know, also the hit Showtime series “Weeds.”

Laverne describes what it was like to find out she had landed a role on the successful creator, director and producer’s second orig-

inal series. “I was through the roof,” she says smiling, “I screamed. I got the call from my agent and was jumping up and down screaming, just ecstatic. My goal for 2012 actually was to have a recurring role on a series and that happened. It was just a dream come true. Working with Jenji and the caliber of actors, writers and directors that were a part of this project was amazing.

It was just a really high quality project and I have felt nothing but pure elation and joy. I just love going to work every day.”

Season 2 of “Orange Is The New Black” is in production and is expected to stream on Netflix early 2014. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch the original season ASAP. Then, give Theo Moll at Keppler Speakers a call to bring Laverne Cox live and in person to your campus to not only get some celebrity buzz around your school, but to help open the minds of your students about the different possibilities of life and our growing cultures. Theo can be reached at (703) 516-4000 or tmoll@kepplerspeakers.com.

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With Kim Kardasian

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With Mic

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Daryl “Chill” Mitchell is a recognizable face in film and television, known best for roles in “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Galaxy Quest,” “Sgt. Bilko,” “House Party,” “Veronica’s Closet” (with Kirstie Alley), “Ed,” “Brothers” and many more.

In November 2001, Daryl was paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident near Beaufort, South Carolina but rather than let this incident be his end, he found a new beginning. Not only continuing his successful acting career but finding new life and inspiration in helping others see that a person’s tragedy can also become their greatest personal triumph.

Chill began his career not in acting, but in the music industry.

“My first acting gig was ‘House Party,’ about 25 years ago,” he says. “The funny thing is though I was in a play when I was in kindergarten, so I think I was destined to do this thing from the beginning,” he says laughing. “I still remember the lines from that play.”

Daryl credits more than just talent with his success. “Being responsible and being on time. I was a rapper and had a recording career. The guys who wrote ‘House Party’ were directing the videos for Uptown Records. We were on time all the time and these guys took a liking to my group, so they decided to put us in the movie. The rest just took off, I had no idea it was going to happen the way it did. It all came from being responsible and on time.

“It was an extreme surprise,” he says. “My intentions were just to sell records. I didn’t even think about a big movie career. I had my mind set on the amount of exposure our videos could get from being associated with the movie. I went to California for two weeks and decided to audition for some stuff. I had given myself that long to see if anything happened or I was leaving L.A. I wound up staying for ten years. I was born in The Bronx and raised in Long Island.”

chael Jordan

At one point after his motorcycle accident, Chill was presenting programs on the campus market about the dangers of texting or drinking and driving but standing on the principles of his own credibility, he decided that’s not what made sense.

“That’s not what happened to me. I was on vacation and decided to take a recreational ride on my nephew’s motorcycle, just a quick spin and almost lost my life. You don’t have to be involved in reckless behavior to have something life altering happen to you or to have adversity come into your life.

So I’m not going to sit there and preach that. I do understand the importance of it, that my message wasn’t supposed to be a precautionary tale. I had gotten a second shot, I realized I didn’t need to talk about what happened, I needed to talk about how I got over it. People run into all types of adversity, but they don’t know how to get over it. They don’t know how to sustain until it passes. That’s what I want to reach with these kids. If you have a failing grade, that’s adversity. What

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

do you do? Fold up? No. You lay down, you stay down.”

Chill has served as the Minority Outreach Spokesperson for the Christopher Reeves Foundation and started the Daryl Mitchell Foundation to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries and has become a strong advocate for employing actors with disabilities. “I’ve also been to Walter Reid and spoken to the soldiers. They know because they’re soldiers, you lay down, you stay down. The message is why, it reaches everyone, it’s universal.”

Not only overcoming adversity, but he also discusses the concept of diversity. “I talk about what it’s like to be the odd man out. When I was in the hospital, I was the odd man out but I stood my ground. I showed them I was just as valuable as anyone else in the mainstream market. It’s no secret that many African-Americans are looked over for parts, there were a lot of parts for ‘Sgt. Bilko’ in particular.

They didn’t even want to see me audition for that movie.

They wanted another actor by the name of Joey Lawrence.

I went in and did my thing and they were like ‘Whoa, wait a minute! We’ve got to rethink this.’ I tell people, you have to be proactive. You can’t wait for change, you have to make change happen.”

Just like he surprised the casting department with “Sgt. Bilko,” Chill also walked in to Galaxy Quest ready to prove them wrong. “They wanted someone else but I went in there, and I gave ‘em the fire. That’s the thing though, I don’t audition, I show up for work. I am already there in my head and that’s what I tell students. You can’t wait for success to come to you. You gotta be it. I was a star before I was a star, in my head and I walked around like one and I talked like one.”

Chill believes that no matter who you are or what your status is, all people deserve love and respect. When it came to him being able to come back not only physically, but in his acting career, this notion was critical. “That is where respect comes in. There were many people that were peons when I was coming up, but I showed them love and I showed them respect. When I got out of the hospital in Atlanta and went back to L.A., casting agents, producers, writers, directors, every one of them came to see me at the hotel. Everyone showed up. They were all there to give me support. I tell people ‘Be respectful to the same people you see on the way up, because they are the same people you will see on the way down.”

Daryl “Chill” Mitchell has used what some would consider the greatest type of hardship and turned it into a message that can motivate any audience. Contact Brian Dennis at Diversity Talent Agency at (770) 210-5579 or info@diversitytalentagency.com

CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAzINE®, NOV/DEC 2013, 31

YOUR GUIDE TO AMERICA’S BEST ARTIST RATINGS THE RATING SYSTEM: 5= EXCELLENT 4= VERY GOOD 3= AVERAGE 2= FAIR 1= POOR

If you want to know how good an act might be that you plan on booking, just ask another campus where they have played. Here are current reports from our readers. All ratings here had complete verifiable information and were signed by the reviewer. All reports must have been submitted by the school where the date was played. These reports are comprised of reports electronically submitted on our web site. Reports MAY NOT be submitted by the artist or their agency. ALL REPORTS MUST BE SUBMITTED ON OUR WEBSITE AT: http://www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com/arc/ THERE IS A DIRECT LINK TO THE REPORT FORM ON THE HOME PAGE. HERE ARE THE CATEGORIES FOR THE RATINGS FOUND AFTER THE BUYER’S NAME AND PLAY DATE: (1) ORIGINALITY; (2) ARTIST’S ABILITY; (3) RELATIONSHIP TO THE AUDIENCE; (4) COOPERATION / ATTITUDE; (5) ROAD CREW / MANAGEMENT; (6) AGENCY COOPERATION; (7) PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS PROVIDED. Campus Reports listed in RED indicate the buyer reported a perfect score in all categories that applied to their campus performance for that artist or event.

ATTENDANCE (When Available) AND THE LOCATION ON CAMPUS WILL FOLLOW THE PERFORMANCE DATE. THESE RATINGS REPRESENT ACTUAL SHOWS REPORTED BETWEEN OCTOBER 1 AND OCTOBER 25, 2013 sssss INDICATES A PERFECT SCORE FROM FIVE (5) OR MORE SCHOOLS WITH NO SCORE LESS THAN A 5

COMEDY

ADAM MAMAWALA Sophie K. Entertainment

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 09/06/13 160 Taylor Down Under 5555555 Adam was perfect for our venue and for our audience. Our audience is the student body that wouldn't normally go out on a Friday night, so Adam's show was hilarious and relevant to the college student. He was easy to work with and allowed our staff to have a great time working the event. Our event takes place once a month throughout the school year and Adam kicked off the year for us. I was very pleased we had Adam for the first show because now the audience wants to keep coming back for more. He left a great impression for what our event is all about, having a good time. Great guy all around!

Olivia Howell, Program Director

Babson College, Wellesley, MA 09/21/13 25+ Sorenson Theatre 5555555 Excellent funny and entertaining. His comedy also adds some social commentary which is really good.

Dara Behjat, VP of Special Events Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 09/28/13 100+ The Red Door 5555--4 Adam Mamawala has performed 4 years in a row here and is always a crowd favorite on our campus, with both new audience members and old fans who come to see the show each year, and with a combination of classic jokes and new material each time.

Sara Grasberg, Muhlenberg Activities Council Comedy Chair

Columbia-Greene Community College, Hudson, NY 10/08/13 65 Student Dining Hall 5555--4 Adam was a fantastic performer. He had the students in the palm of his hands the whole time he did his show. He is a pleasure to work with and that makes my job easier. I will have him back again for sure.

David Cucinotta, Director of Student Activities ANDREW SCHULZ KP Comedy

Eastern New Mexico UniversityMain Campus, Portales, NM 10/21/13 500 Ballroom 5555-45 If you haven't had Andrew on your campus you are missing out! He relates well to college students and brings a great sense of comedy. We can't wait to have him come to our campus again!

Draco A. Miller, Director of Campus Life

LARRY OMAHA Artists West Entertainment

Montana State University-Northern, Havre, MT 10/17/13 80+ Student Union Ballroom 5555-55 Wow - I am still laughing today! What an excellent performance. Larry was so easy to work with and so gracious. They say "Laughter is the Best Medicine" - if that is true, I should be healthy for weeks after last night's show!! Thank you Larry - and I would recommend you all bring him to your campus - you will see why in the first 5 minutes!!

Denise Brewer, Director of Student Activities MIKE E. WINFIELD AND SAMMY OBEID KP Comedy

BEN KRONBERG KP Comedy

Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO 10/09/13 25+ Union Living Room 555555Jake Rosenquist, S.A.C. - Director of Entertainment

GINA YASHARE KP Comedy

Waldorf College, Forest City, IA 09/28/13 40 Recital Hall 5555555 Anjaih Clemons, Director of Student Activities

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 09/28/13 50 Rensselaer Union 4435554 Heather Fitzsimmons, Student Activities Assistant

University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 09/27/13 300+ Arts and Sciences Auditorium 5555555 Ms. Yashare was amazing! Our students loved her. We still hear the campus buzzing about her performance. Ms. Yashare did a bit where she says "Americaaaaa" then she strokes her leg this is something our students loved and we see them do it around campus now.

Mahin Sandoval-Chavez, Lead Student Programmer

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MISSION IMPROVABLE Bass/Schuler Entertainment

RYAN CONNER Bass/Schuler Entertainment

Town of Westport, Westport, CT 10/04/13 91 Toquet Hall Teen Center 5555554 Ryan was terrific. He worked well with the student openers and stuck around to talk to the kids. The show received a standing ovation and served as a great addition to our calendar.

Kevin Godburn, Youth Services Program Director THE INCREDIBLE BORIS Kirkland Productions

University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 10/19/13 350 University Center Ballrooms 5555555 Gina and Amy helped me immensely in an unfortunate time crunch for this show.

Boris was punctual, professional, friendly, entertaining and inspiring!

Kacie Thomas, Traditional Events Coordinator

MUSIC

Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 10/03/13 150+ Auditorium 5555544 Great show overall! Would love to have them here again!

Philip Ulrich, Special Events Chair OLIVIA HAREWOOD Artists West Entertainment

Laura Van Buer, Coordinator of Student Union & Student Activities

Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA 09/13/13 100 The PUB, Gage Memorial Union 5555-4-

AUSTIN RENFROE The Barry Agency

University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 10/09/13 248 Student Union Starbucks 555555Austin is a wonderful singer and performer. He stayed after the show to talk with each student who formed a line to meet him. His covers were beautiful and his personality was a crowd favorite.

Holly K. Pilcavage, GA-RHPB

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

BALL IN THE HOUSE Degy Entertainment

Middle Georgia State College-Macon, Macon, GA 08/19/13 200+ Cafeteria 5555545 My students LOVED Ball in the House. As a program coordinator, the guys could not have been any easier to work with. The best description I have come up with for their performance is to describe them as audible chocolate!

Amy Carter, Program Coordinator

Waynesburg University, Waynesburg, PA 10/02/13 300+ Johnson Commons (outdoors) 455555This is the 2nd time they have performed at Waynesburg University and both times the students loved them. They easily relate to our students and are wonderfully talented.

I was sitting with a group of people and when they began, one of them commented "I didn't know you were having a band, and then he looked over and said "oh you don't have a band, it is an acapella group. The interact with the audience and had people dancing in the grass. GREAT SHOW sure to have them back again.

Pat Bristor, Associate Dean of Students

VARIETY

AUDIOBODY Dow Artists

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN 09/27/13 150+ Theater 5455554 Arda C. Tugay, Student CHRISJONES Bass/Schuler Entertainment

Maryville College, Maryville, TN 10/05/13 85 Clayton Center for the Arts, Lambert Recital Hall 5455-5Although a small event, our students loved Chris Jones! Everyone who left had a smile on their face! We will have him again for sure!

Alison Fox, Student Activities Coordinator/RD

Ivy Tech Community College-Northwest, Gary, IN 10/09/13 50+ Conference Room 5555555 Awesome performance! Amazing performer he is entertaining from the minute he steps foot on campus until the minute he leaves. We will definitely bring him back!

Iris E. Sanchez, Associate Director of Student Life and Multicultrual Programming University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 10/10/13 104 Cats Den 5554-55 Dustin Adams, Assistant Dir. of Activities & Marketing CHRISTOPHER CARTER Bass/Schuler Entertainment

Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC 10/03/13 184 Belk Centrum 5555555 Absolutely fantastic show! The students loved everything about it and cannot wait to have more shows with Christopher Carter!

Jonathan Rink, Director of Residence Life

Wilmington College, Wilmington, OH 10/05/13 160 Cafeteria 5555555 Christopher Carter blew our students

away! He did an amazing job of messing with people's minds!

Rebecca Miller, APB Comic Entertainment Chair CRAIG KARGES Karges Productions

The Governor's Academy, Byfield, MA 10/04/13 150+ Wilkie Center 5555555 This is the second time we have had Craig to campus. Our students and faculty enjoy his performance and I find Craig to be personable and very low maintenance as a performers. It's been a great night on every level both times we have hosted Craig.

Samantha Howson, Dir. of Student Activities JOEL MEYERS GP Entertainment

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 10/18/13 350 University of Arizona Grand Ballroom 555555Joel was awesome to work with. Easy to contact prior to the show, easy to talk to and was clear about his needs from us in order to put on a great show. He arrived totally prepared and seemed very excited to work with us. The audience very obviously loved the show and he interacted with them constantly. We would recommend Joel 100%. We had a great time and the show was fantastic!

Elizabeth Kelly, Family Weekend Logisitics Director JONATHAN BURNS Fresh Variety

Quincy University, Quincy, IL 09/20/13 150 Student Center 5555-5Performer was very professional and agency is ALWAYS easy to work with.

Crystal Sutter, Director of Campus and Community Events LARRY & RAVEN Fresh Variety

Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 08/23/13 750+ Student Center 555555Such an easy pair to work with! Can't wait to have them back again next year. Very professional, friendly, and low maintenance.

Jill Zambito, Director, SILD Saint Joseph's College-New York, Brooklyn, NY 10/02/13 250 St. Joseph's College 5555-55 Larry and Raven were great! Can't wait to have them back again next year!

Magie Hassanin, Sr. Admin. Asst.

MAD CHAD TAYLOR Bass/Schuler Entertainment

Gillette College, Gillette, WY 09/30/13 55+ Performance Event 5555555 The show was very entertaining. The artist was very cooperative and got the crowd involved in his show. Everyone at the end of his show was still talking about him. I cannot thank him enough for working with us and we hope to see him again in the very near future.

Josh Hulgan, Coordinator of Campus Life & Housing Northwest College, Powell, WY 10/03/13 150+ Nelson Performing Arts Auditorium 5555544 Chad Taylor is a comedian who just happens to be one of the best jugglers I have ever seen!

Marcus Crook, Student Activities Coordinator

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MARK HAYWARD Fresh Variety

Western New England University, Springfield, MA 09/27/13 40 Stadium Lecture Style Classroom 5555-53 Danielle Kireyczyk, Graduate Assistant, Student Activities & Leadership MARK TOLAND MT Productions

University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI 10/08/13 140 The Cinema 5555555 Great show!!!! Very Awesome Teasers Damone Ford, Special events MICHAEL KENT Fresh Variety

Fordham University, Bronx, NY 10/04/13 250 Fordham University Auditorium 5555-55 Wonderful show for Family Weekend Audience.

Colleen Biemer, Special Events, Campus Activities Board

McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA 10/15/13 150 Student Union - Main Stage 4555-44 Great show! Really enjoyed Michael. Will definitely invite him back during our next rotation. Thanks!

Kedrick Nicholas, Director of Student Activities RAN'D SHINE Everything But The Mime

Monroe College-Bronx, Bronx, NY 10/03/13 80+ Auditorium 4555-44 Edith Banks, Director of Student Activities

Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, PA 10/04/13 30+ ACC Auditorium 4555--In large part due to weather, we had a smaller turnout than expected. However, Ran'D Shine did an excellent job to committing to the intimate audience, and those who were in attendance had a fantastic time at the show.

Michael Coletti, President Wildcat Events Board Iona College, New Rochelle, NY 10/05/13 18 Endzone 5455544 Ariel May, Magic show SEAN BOTT The College Agency

Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA 10/03/13 250 PUB MPR 4455-45 Sean was really great, he came early and did promotion and stayed after and talked with the audience.

Katie Rousso, Chair

Upper Iowa University, Fayette, IA 10/07/13 100+ Student Center 5555555 Sean was excellent! He was VERY easy to work with and the dinner table teasers and show exceeded expectations.

Amy Tucker, Director of Student Activities

Des Moines Area Community CollegeBoone, Boone, IA 10/09/13 200 Courter Center 5555-55 Sean is SOOO GREAT! He interacts with our students and is one of my favorites to bring on campus!!! The students loved him and his show!

Steve Krafcisin, Student Activities

Coordinator

Kenyon College, Gambier, OH 10/19/13 200 Rosse Hall 5555-55 Sean was an absolute pleasure to have on campus! Communication prior to the performance was a breeze and he arrived ontime and ready to go. Sean is easily one of the most low-maintenance entertainers I've worked with and has a natural ability to connect to audience members. We look forward to having him back!

Kim Blank, Assistant Director of Student Activities XCLUSIVE GP Entertainment

Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC 10/10/13 145 The Edge 5555-55 Xclusive did a great job hosting our open Mic. Very interactive and fun show.

Tevin Brown, Special Events Chair

GAMES

BALLOONS BY LESTER & BODY ART BY SUSAN Everything But The Mime

Auburn University, Auburn University, AL 09/18/13 850 Student Center Greenspace 5555555 Lester and Susan are staples in programs here on campus and get really help make our events awesome.

Mike Rapay, UPC Advisor Valencia College, Orlando, FL 10/10/13 600+ Valencia College 5555555 Vladimir Voyard-Tadal, Student Development Advisor

University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 10/17/13 1100 Mitchell Center Arena 5555-5Both artists stayed busy the entire time and the students were beyond pleased with the balloon art or body art they received. The only complaints we had were because we had to cut the line off!

Heather Sprinkle, Coordinator BALLOONS WITH A TWIST Kirkland Productions

Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX 10/05/13 2100 Midwestern State University 5522-44 Shontesa Jones, Multicultural Coordinator/Family Day Chair CARICATURE ARTISTS Kirkland Productions

Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX 10/05/13 2100 Midwestern State University 4444-44 Shontesa Jones, Multicultural Coordinator/Family Day Chair CUSTOM COMEDY CAPERS Custom Comedy Capers

Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, MN 10/12/13 250+ Alumni Hall 5454--I know it is challenging to memorize such a personalized script in a short time, but we wish there was less direct script reading. Maybe there's a better balance between the two.

Brittany Salsman, Interim Assistant Director of Campus Activities

CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAzINE速, NOV/DEC 2013, 33

HAUNTED HOUSE Endeavor Entertainment Inc.

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 10/18/13 200+ SUNY ESF 555555Melanie Pavlidis, SAPB Club President HEADPHONE DISCO Degy Entertainment

Auburn University, Auburn University, AL 09/10/13 100+ Student Center Ballroom 5555555 The guys put on an awesome show and really helped bring something completely different to campus.

Mike Rapay, UPC Advisor HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES ROHR Balloons

Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 09/29/13 360+ Seagull Square Lawn 5555555 Emma Brant, Rec and Travel Chair SPIN ART FRISBEES Kirkland Productions

Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 10/09/13 150+ SUB North Plaza 3344-54 Kelsey Holt, Graduate Assistant

SPEAKERS

A GAY MAN AND AN EVANGELICAL WALK INTO A BAR...

Kirkland Productions St Louis College of Pharmacy, Saint Louis, MO 10/03/13 150+ Carlisle Rooms 5555-5Excellent dialogue. It was good to have both sides of such a controversial issue debated civilly and respectfully.

Anne Brackett, Director of Residence Life

CHRIS FLEMING- PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR GP Entertainment University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 10/16/13 301 E.J. Thomas Hall 555555Chris Fleming was so intriguing. His presentation was captivating and the Ghost Tour afterwards left us all with chills!

Holly K. Pilcavage, GA-RHPB CHRIS MOON GP Entertainment

Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC 10/03/13 350 Tillman auditorium 5555555 The lecture was great. He brought a great atmosphere that was phenomenal. The ghost tour to follow was a life changing experience. I highly recommend this to any campus.

Tevin Brown, special events chair ELAINE PASQUA Pasqua Productions, Inc.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 10/06/13 180+ Memorial Stadium 5545-54 Elaine was great! She was incredibly easy to work with, was accommodating to our needs, and her presentation was what we anticipated. The aspect that makes Elaine's presentation unique is the passion she exhibits in connecting with students/staff while encouraging and educating positive behaviors that positively influence lives! I would without hesitation recommend Elaine to other campuses and universities.

Jessie Gardner, Life Skills Coordinator GIRLS FIGHT BACK! Kirkland Productions

University of Minnesota-Crookston, Crookston, MN 09/25/13 65 Kiehle Auditorium 4555-5She was fantastic at engaging students and keeping their attention Good energy and mixture of activity and lecture. People who we never see at our events came

34, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAzINE速, NOV/DEC 2013

up to us and thanked us for bringing her to campus.

Ashley Hoffman, Student Programming Board Chair Miami University-Oxford, Oxford, OH 10/15/13 40+ Benton 102 5555555 Ellie Sophocleous, VP of Member Development of Panhellenic JESSICA PETTITT Kirkland Productions

Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA 10/03/13 25+ Auditorium 5545-43 While we had a smaller crowd, Jessica was very dynamic and engaging with her message. We really appreciated her candid nature and her performance was clearly thought provoking for the audience. We would gladly welcome Jessica back to Mount Holyoke.

Kate Wasserman, Coordinator of New Student Orientation

Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA 10/04/13 100+ Campus Center 555-444 This speaking engagement was part of a multi-campus leadership event and Jessica served as our keynote speaker, presented a breakout session and did a professional staff workshop earlier in the day. No matter which campus and no matter student or staff - everyone wants more Jessica Pettitt!! Fantastic win for all involved and students loved her.

Cindy Kane, Director, Student Involvement and Leadership University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, WI 10/09/13 50+ Phoenix C 5545-4Jessica is very easy to work with. Her Program was educational and funny.

Danielle Washington

JON VROMAN Front Row Global

University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 10/16/13 125 Student Union Theatre 555555Jon Vroman is the real deal. His life lessons open students' eyes up to numerous possibilities and leaves them feeling motivated to make a positive change in their lives that very same day. Jon's personality is one of a kind and he truly cares about the betterment of each individual he meets.

Holly K. Pilcavage, GA-RHPB KIMBERLY DARK Kirkland Productions

West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA 09/27/13 35+ Sykes Theatre 5555555 Kimberly was absolutely phenomenal! She made everyone feel very empowered! We were all in chills. Her talk was powerful, relatable, and encouraged everyone to be the greatest version of themselves!

Ellisa Cruz, President SEX SIGNALS Catharsis Productions

Montana State University-Billings, Billings, MT 10/01/13 100+ Petro Theater 5555555 This program was amazing!

Alison Adams, Petro Hall Director THE CHOICES WE MAKE WITH DANIELLE PITCHER E2 Live!

Canisius College, Buffalo, NY 10/17/13 140 Canisius College 5555555 Danielle's story was very engaging with the audience. She captured their attention from the first video. Her ability to relate to them was absolutely apparent. While most of our students were required to be there, on the evaluations they all felt they learned about drinking and driving and the repercussion's of ones actions.

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Meagan Allers, GraduateCampus Programming

GOO GOO DOLLS AT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE © grand opera house

TOM KRIEGLSTEIN Swift Kick

Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC 09/10/13 70 Dina's Place 5555-5We had all three lectures in a span of 2 days it was great Tevin Brown, Special Events Chair TROY STENDE Kirkland Productions

Marian University, Indianapolis, IN 10/07/13 50 Theater 4445-53 Troy is a very polite artist and was very thankful for all that we did. He also took the time to ask questions to me about the campus, so he definitely did his research.

He was one of the best lecturers I have seen in my work.

Jimmy Cox, Associate Director of Student Affairs

Campus Activities Magazine®

NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

Kathy C. Arnett Director/Student Union & Associate Director/Benson University Center Wake Forest University Joseph W. McGibboney Coordinator for Student Programming Dean of Student Department Florida Gulf Coast University

Boyd Jones, Campus Programs Director Dept. of Student Affairs Winthrop University April Palmer Assistant Dean of Students Newberry College

Mike Rapay University Program Council Advisor Auburn University Tom Faessel Assoc Dir Res Life Activities The University Of Akron Chris Schuler- Partner Bass/Schuler Entertainment

Nikki Franklin Senior Entertainment Specialist TalentPlus Universal Gina Kirkland, President Kirkland Productions Sailesh Jiawan, Owner Metropolis Management Laura Gilman, Partner Fresh Variety

These Advisors Represent Your Interest in This Magazine. Please Feel Free To Contact Them With Any Issues You Feel Are Relevant.

Campus Activities Magazine® Cameo Publishing Group 15420 Newberry Rd Blair SC 29015 (800) 728-2950 ian@cameopublishing.com kirby@cameopublishing.com www.campusactivitiesmagaziner.com

2013 REMAINING EVENTS NACA NORTHEAST: NACA MID-AMERICA: NACA WEST:

2014 EVENTS:

October 31- November 3 • Hartford, CT November 7-10 • Peoria, IL November 14-17 • Ontario, CA

APAP NATIONAL CONFERENCE: JAN 10-14, 2014 NEW YORK HILTON, NEW YORK, NY

NACA NATIONAL CONVENTION: FEB 15-19, 2014 HYNES CONVENTION CENTER, BOSTON, MA NACA NORTHERN PLAINS:

April 3-6, 2014 • St. Paul, MN

AEP WORLDWIDE SIGNATURE EVENT: JUNE 19-21, 2014 GRAND OPERA HOUSE, WILMINGTON DE CONTACT INFORMATION:

National Association For Campus Activities (NACA) • (803) 732-6222, naca.org Association of Performing Arts Presenter (APAP) • (202) 207-3842, apapnyc.org Association of Entertainment Professionals (AEP) • Ian Kirby (803) 941-7228, aepworldwide.org

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAzINE®, NOV/DEC 2013, 35

PUBLISHER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

$2500 for a show and then ten people show up, with probably half of those on the activities board. To the campus, they just paid $250 a ticket for this act to perform. To the act it is a nightmare. Acts are used to performing before adoring fans and no matter how good they are, it is hard to get a response from an audience of ten in a room that will hold 300. The artist complains to the agent because the show just crushed his or her ego and both artist and agency wonder what they did wrong.

The fact of the matter is they may have done nothing wrong. Maybe the audience all went home during that weekend. Maybe there was a major sporting event that took the audience. Maybe exams were looming and the students really needed to study. Maybe Zack Brown was playing an hour away and the campus emptied to see him.

We all know that some of these incidents are unavoidable and when the act was booked a lot of this was unforseen. But some careful planning around events could have helped resolve this issue.

One of the main things that is lacking in campus activities recently is the ability to know your audience. DSA’s wear more hats and have more responsibilities. Things can fall through the cracks. But you have to take every opportunity you can to establish your audience and a means of communicating with them. Just like many businesses, you can establish (student) clientele that are informed about what you do and are more likely to make your events a priority.

Sure certain big name acts will probably sell themselves, but they won’t until the students have a pipeline to who is coming, when and where. The same is true with campus favorites. These are favorites because last year’s students loved the show and maybe so did the year before. But

36, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAzINE®, NOV/DEC 2013

this is a new audience. Favorites may end up becoming favorites again because they are very good and they have a reputation with your school.

You have convinced these students that you bought this act for a reason and you are not wrong. If you are right, the tradition continues. If not, that tradition may die with you never to be raised from the dead. The result will be based on how well you knew your market.

Unfortunately I have been to colleges where the CAB bought exactly what THEY liked rather than knowing what their audience liked and on several occasions I sat in the audience along with the board and a handful of other students who were friends of the board. It was a dismal show for everyone involved and I can tell you it was not the artist’s fault. He was not the right act for that campus but the board loved him. He met them with a smile on his face but he was disappointed and miserable.

There is a short lesson to be learned here. Hopefully many of you have already figured this out before now.

1) 2)

Find ways to identify the market for each event Find a way to communicate with them and don’t limit it to one single method.

3) Do your due diligence to be sure you won’t be disappointed, your audience won’t be disappointed and that act and agency will have a pleasant experience working with you.

Home grown events are an inexpensive way to stretch your operating budget, help identify future event attendees, and promote the work of your activities board among the larger community. If a student is excited by this event he/she is more likely to tell others about upcoming shows and encourage attendance.

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

GINA BRILLON

FRANGELA

GLORIA BIGALOW

JOSH & LARKIN

DILLON GARCIA

DAN AHDOOT

NORE DAVIS

MELISSA VILLASENOR

ADAM MAMWALLA

DAVE & ETHAN

NBC DIVERSITY TOUR

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