Blue Wig Blog

Thaaaankkkksss Guyyssssss

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:20:44 -0400

Since the Forbes article came out, we’ve gotten emails from a bunch of awesome students, telling us about their struggles fundraising, and saying how excited they were to register with Campus Sponsorship. Shout out to you guys! The Campus Sponsorship team loves your feedback. Knowing that you guys appreciate what we do makes all of the long hours worth it!

Once we hit it big, we’re gonna buy a bike with TWO...

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:06:57 -0400

Once we hit it big, we’re gonna buy a bike with TWO working brakes.

Campus Sponsorship in Forbes! Heyyyoooo!

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:36:00 -0400

Campus Sponsorship in Forbes! Heyyyoooo!

I attempt to uphold Campus Sponsorship’s table tennis...

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:55:19 -0400

I attempt to uphold Campus Sponsorship’s table tennis rep…just another day in the office…

CS + WSJ = Phenominal

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:15:49 -0400

The Campus Sponsorship boys had a great interview with The Wall Street Journal this morning! Holler!

Why I Love Biking in The City...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:26:00 -0400

1. Getting in staring matches with passersby. (You looking at me? Yes-I-am-but-you-can’t-do-anything-about-it-because-I’m-past-you-now.)

2. Riding uncomfortably close to people on the sidewalk (I’d rather inconvenience you for a few seconds than run the risk of getting hit by a car. No apologies.)

Those are the only reasons.

"In Philly, life moves at a faster clip and the expectations are high. With that comes a certain edge..."

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 13:41:27 -0400

“In Philly, life moves at a faster clip and the expectations are high. With that comes a certain edge and attitude, but that seems like a fair trade-off in exchange for genuine passion.”

- John Gonzalez, Philadelphia Inquirer

Note: I love this town.

Well, Now That That's All Over...

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:33:00 -0400

As a dedicated Sixers fan knowing with 99.62% certainty that Lebron was not choosing my squad, I really shouldn’t have cared about his announcement last night. But the whole thing was like a train wreck that I couldnt look away from. I think what fascinated me was:

Here was a guy that a whole city rallied around because he is great at what he does. Does he have a responsibility here? Does the needs of an entire city outweigh the needs of his career and his family?
If he really didn’t want such a horrible backlash from his announcement, why did he wait so long and allow it to build up?
Does this teach us as sports fans that we can never have a hero?

As a chip-on-my-shoulder-underdog-from-the-greatest-underdog-city-in-America kinda guy, I thought that this was the most badass letter in the history of letters.

Wow, this looks pretty phenominal. Presumably everyone knows the...

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:54:58 -0400

Wow, this looks pretty phenominal. Presumably everyone knows the story of how that Facebook started in a college dorm room…blew up crazy at nearly every college in the country…and now college kids are getting friended by their grandparents.

Planning A Concert - Part 3

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:04:00 -0400

In case you missed them (and who doesn’t miss NSYNC?), here’s Part 1 and Part 2.

I’ll illustrate the need for a middle agent with two real life occurrences from my short lived concert planning career. (Names changed to protect the innocent).

Me: Hey everyone, come buy tickets for our concert featuring Artist A.

Has-Been Artist A: I haven’t been paid yet dawg. I got bills to pay and mansions to buy…I’m out.

(Two Weeks Later)

Old Professor: Rob, tell me about electromotive force.

Me: My phone’s ringing pops, and it’s Replacement Artist’s manager.

Replacement Artist’s Manager: Where the f*** is our contract!?

Me: (Terrified) Eh, dunno, but I can tell you about electromotive force?

POINT BEING…hire a middle agent (aka booking agent) to deal with all of the above crap so you can concentrate on school, running your org, etc. Most charge a fee equal to 10% of what the artist gets (so if you pay $30k for an artist, the middle agent charges $3k, and the total comes to $33k). Ask what other school’s they’ve worked with, even if you don’t plan on calling them. Do all of this.

Coming Up: Selecting An Artist, Promotion

Philly Phaithful = Not A Church Group

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:39:57 -0400

1. College kids live in t-shirts.

2. College kids that are Philly sports fans live in their Philly sports t-shirts.

3. College kids prefer shirts that are a little less mainstream than the standard red Utley shirts everyone overpays for at Mo’s.

4. College kids need shirts that can be worn to the game, to class, and to the bar.

Solution to above issues = Philly Phaithful. This might be the best shirt ever.

Snoop Dogg + Katy Perry = Makes Me Think...

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:00:00 -0400

Sitting in the car enjoying some cool tracks, when my thoughts are interrupted by… Katy Perry and the D oh double G?!

The song is rather annoying but it made me think of how many of these type of collabos are out there right now and what it says about today’s young person.

The 1970s, 1980s, 1990s can each be linked to one or two overwhelmingly popular genres, and if I hopped in Marty McFly’s time machine and asked college kids from one of those decades to name their favorite type of music, presumably those answers would vary very little person to person.

Fast forward to today…we have been brought up with exposure to so many different cultures, innovations, and ideas that young people no longer feel the need to be tied to any one in particular. Our generation will take the world to new heights because previously unheard of collaboration across geographic boundaries, professions, and yes, musical genres is now technologically and socially possible.

Still deep in thought about this concept, I decided to come up with my 10 favorite songs of all time…

In no particular order:

-Kanye West - Can’t Tell Me Nothing

-Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying

-Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up

-B.o.B. - Don’t Let Me Fall

-Brad Paisley - Alcohol

-Boyz II Men - Motownphilly

-Jake Owen - 8 Second Ride

-Eminem and Lil Wayne - No Love

-Lupe Fiasco - Daydream

-Michael Buble - Home

It's Not The Outsiders, But It's Still A Good Book

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:15:00 -0400

Long story short - this book argues that 21st century companies need to be more plugged into American Culture. It gives great examples - Nike, Apple, and others.

What it all means - Social Media has fundamentally changed our culture, and who understands that more than today’s college student? Companies NEED new ways to plug into our extremely fragmented and radically different society, and you can be the one to steer them, a “Chief Culture Officer.”

Point Being - In whatever field you wish to enter, search for trends, analyze “why”, and be willing to provide an explanation and a way to capitalize.

Planning A Concert - Part 2

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:00:00 -0400

If you missed it, here’s Part 1.

FYI - The planned budget really goes hand in hand with Part 1 (financing), and you’ll likely end up doing both concurrently.

Your concert budget will likely include the following items: Security ($ - hundreds to low thousands), Set Up/Break Down ($ - hundreds to low thousands), Sound/Stage/Lights ($ - low to mid thousands), Food ($ - hundreds), and of course Talent and Middle Agent (discussed in Part 3).

The first thing you need to do here is determine the goal of your event; this goal will drive your projected costs above. Is the goal of the concert:

Add a “that’s cool” effect to something you are already doing anyway ?
Outreach to a specific target group on campus (attendance likely less than 1,000) ?
Make a big splash on campus and bring out all types of different people (attendance 1,000+) ?

While you won’t be targeting a specific artist at this point, based on your goal, you can figure out the price range you will need to spend to achieve that goal. Here’s an example, using hip-hop acts:

Add a “that’s cool” effect to something you are already doing anyway - Local up and coming artist < ~$2,500.
Outreach to a specific target or niche group on campus (attendance likely less than 1,000) - Bruno Mars, J.Cole, Ying Yang Twins ~$10k - $25k
Make a big splash on campus and bring out all types of different people (attendance 1,000+) - B.O.B., Pitbull ~$40k - 60k

Note 1: Orgs with bigger budgets can obviously afford to spend more, thus increasing the likelyhood that the goal will be achieved. I assumed this was for the orgs new to the game, trying to piece together a budget.

Note 2: Notice how much more expensive it is to “make a big splash”; if that is truly your goal, be prepared to pay for it!

Upcoming: Middle Agents, Selecting An Artist, Promotion.

Toy Story 3 = The Worst Part of Going Away to College

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:43:04 -0400

The plot of Toy Story 3 centers around “the worst part of going away to college”: the day when your mom shows up on scene, trash bag in hand, and demands that you relegate a portion of your childhood to the attic, and the rest to the trash (and then she sees your empty room and cries).

My attic collection - all of my Ghostbusters gear, my Gameboy, and my entire baseball card collection. Shout to Electronic Battleship, my Hotwheels, and all the others that didn’t make it.

Didn’t know it until it was too late, but saw the movie in 3D. 2010 3D goggles are freakishly intense, and due to the presence of anti theft devices and other unknowns, weigh about 12 pounds on ya face.

I miss these.

"As the next generation grapples with these and the numerous unforeseen challenges that lie ahead, I..."

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 11:29:49 -0400

“As the next generation grapples with these and the numerous unforeseen challenges that lie ahead, I have no doubt that they’ll measure up - they are our nation’s greatest hope. There is much work to be done, and they have the great opportunity to fix what has been so badly broken in our society, and to help build a better world.”

- John Bogle, Founder of Vanguard, in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer

College students - no pressure or anything…

Student Leader Of The Week - Jamira Burley, Temple U

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:59:08 -0400

“Too often, youth are conssidered the future, but in reality, we are the here and now.”

Among many leadership positions, Jamira is the Mayor’s Appointee and Chairwoman of the Philadelphia Youth Commission and the Vice President of the SEPTA Youth Advisory Council.

BUT WAIT! Jamira is currently a finalist to be the Keynote Speaker at this year’s Campus Progress National Convention! She’d be representing college students in Philly and around the country on a stage previously graced by Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, The Daily Show’s John Oliver, John Lewis, Van Jones, Samantha Power, Ryan Gosling, and many others.

GO HERE (The Huffington Post!), WATCH HER VIDEO, AND VOTE MANY TIMES, KAY?

YOU Can Do ANYTHING!

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:20:16 -0400

Sounds super cheesy right?

This Saturday, my Phillies got lit up by Daniel Nava and the Bawston Red Sawks. FACT: Nava got cut from the baseball team his freshman year at Santa Clara, and served as the team’s EQUIPMENT MANAGER. Think about that and fast forward…the dude hit a grand slam in FENWAY PARK!

Nava was an equipment manager. Kurt Warner was bagging groceries. Drake was…ON DEGRASSI! The rags to riches stories are well known in sports and entertainment, but here’s the point:

Engineering, business, law, biology, or whatever you do in school, there are going to be hurdles and people who will tell you you’ll never make it. Love what you do, have just enough talent, and a “prove em wrong” mindset, and you too will be hitting homers in Fenway (or something like that).

"Thats the key to life: Love what you do and take pride in it. You can’t do anything just for..."

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 12:34:10 -0400

“Thats the key to life: Love what you do and take pride in it. You can’t do anything just for the money if you want to be happy. Hating your job and doing it just for the money is like winning a prize on a game show and then finding out you have to pay taxes on it that you cant afford.”

-

-Tracy Morgan. College kids, think about that when you guys are choosing your major and looking at each one’s “average income.”

PS - Dude’s book I Am The New Black is very legit.

Planning A Concert - Part 1 - Financing

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:56:00 -0400

Alright stop, collaborate and listen, I’m going to write some posts on planning a concert. Note: a lot of what I write is based on my own mistakes in this process, so don’t make the same ones.

First - these posts are geared toward the groups who typically don’t plan concerts. (Most schools have a programming or activities board that throws a yearly school wide concert. My alma mater’s Campus Activities Board is awesome, as they signed huge stars Lupe Fiasco, Girl Talk, NERD, and Kevin Rudolf in the past 2 years.)

This week’s concert planning topic - FINANCING.

1. Get to as many student orgs and university offices as you can, and get commitments for whatever money they can give you, even in chunks as small as $500. What do you offer them in return? Unless one of them is offering a huge amount of cash, don’t worry about naming rights, differing logo sizes, etc. because in my experience, that just gets too complicated. A better method of reward for investment is to distribute tickets to contributing orgs in relation to the amount of money they put up; “if we all pull this off, we’ll all be partying together!”

2. Set a drop dead date that you will end the “financing round.” This date should be about five to six months before the expected date of the concert. On this date, you will determine if you have enough dollar commitments to make a run at the concert.

3. If you haven’t reached your minimum budget threshold (I’ll discuss in a later post) by the drop dead date, then call it off. Don’t waste people’s time and money trying to pull things off on a shoestring budget.

Upcoming: The Budget, Middle Agents, Selecting an Artist, Promotion.