Q: Where are you from? How old are you? What’s your major?
A: Born in Manchester, New Hampshire, but grew up in Pote Vedra Beach; Advertising/ Public Relations; 22
Q: What have you previously been involved with on campus?
A: I started giving campus tours through the Undergraduate Admissions Office during my sophomore year. It was awesome; I got to meet a ton of people that were really involved on campus. I also got involved on the Knight-thon Morale Committee. It was interesting because I had never been the guy that liked to step out in high school. So I figured that would be the fast track way to do it. After I met people through this, I started volunteering at the CAB concerts that were happening on campus.
Q: What is your current involvement?
A: Currently, I am almost exclusively involved with the Campus Activities Board. I was the Concerts Director this past year. Then I went through an application process and was voted as the Student Director of the Campus Activities Board, where I am now in charge of the entire organization. I oversee eight different committees, executing different types of events. It was in the best interest of CAB and myself to focus on the one agency. I am taking the organization in a direction of a rebranding. This will not only strengthen the quality of events, but also the image if the organization. I want to help get the word out there about CAB to the UCF population through this rebranding.
Q: What made you want to become so involved?
A: The incredible experience that I was having. This university has given me so much. I made so many friends in such a short amount of time through being involved early on. My main objective is that I wanted to give back. That is what fueled me through my sophomore year when I started to get involved, and that pushed me in to the leadership position my junior year. The whole philosophy behind all the work that I did that year was to give back to the UCF students by creating shows that they hadn’t seen before.
Q: What was your favorite show to put on as Concerts Director?
A: Greenwaves III, which was the last show I did as the Concerts Director. That was the ultimate show where I wanted my vision for it to really come out. I also wanted the UCF students to know the potential that student road shows could have. It took about six months of planning. We had a world renounced laser system, 28 of the most high-powered spotlights for effects, CO2 effects, confetti blows, and much more. One of the coolest things was the piezoelectric dance floor, which was creating electricity from the crowd dancing on it. It was the first interactive show that has been at UCF, and I used it as the kick-start to the rebranding.
Q: Which is your favorite type of event to run?
A: The tailgates or the shows that involve live acts. There is a certain quality of live music that I like, so working with bands and coordinating them is really fun to me. I have make sure everything is working right technically, among other things. I just really love working with people. The events that I work with the most amounts of people I like the most.
Q: How did you get on this year’s homecoming court?
A: I was nominated through CAB. Each organization can nominate one person. They nominated me on the last day that applications were available. I had to do everything under the gun to get it in on time. They cut the nominees down to eight interviews and they take five of them.
Q: How honored are you to be a member of the homecoming court?
A: I am incredibly honored to be a part of the select few. When I started getting involved my sophomore year, homecoming was the second event that we did. It was that group of guys that I always looked up to because they had a huge impact on the UCF community. To know that I’m in that same company is unbelievable to me. I hope that my presence on CAB is not so much a celebration of what I’ve done while I’ve been here, but more so a chance for CAB to be represented in front of the student body.
Q: What do you do with Cox Media and K92FM?
A: I started as an events intern, because I wanted to get experience in the real world. I worked really hard there and made such a strong connection with my supervisor that I got hired onto K92 Promotions. It was funny because I went from Greenwaves and that type of music straight into country. Working for the promotions team has been absolutely phenomenal. From then I started working at the different remote broadcasts and became friends with the on-air staff from the A.J. and Ashley Show.
As the summer progressed, they expressed that they were looking for an intern for their morning show, and I took the position. Radio was not something that I thought I would go into, but it was something that I wanted to try. I sometimes get to jump in as cohost, which has been a really cool arrangement to test my creative and improvisation abilities. I am challenging myself in ways that I never thought I would get to experience.
Q: Have you worked with anyone famous?
A: I have been lucky enough to work with a lot of famous people. It has been mostly concerts that started with CAB and then through Cox. Some big names with CAB are: BOB, Ludacris, LMFAO, Corey Smith, J. Cole, We the Kings, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Amber Rose, Tech N9ne, 3LAU, and Alesso. Big names with K92: Kelly Pickler, Jake Owen, Big and Rich, Love and Theft, Uncle Cracker, Thompson Square, Jana Kramer, Michael Ray, Chris Cagle, and Sara Evans.
I also got to meet Nick Swardson; he was a crazy comedian. It was funny because he came straight to the arena after a really bad flight due to weather. I was younger and doughy eyed and asked him how his flight was. He laughed and made some jokes with me about it. He later called me out during the show in front of the UCF Arena.
Q: Have you had to give up anything to be where you are now?
A: Only thing I have been giving up is my sleep.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: When I do have spare time I absolutely love going to the gym and working out. I love hanging out whether it be with friends or family. I really just love chilling; I am a pretty easygoing guy. I also love playing golf. A sports injury prevented me from playing in college; I broke my right ankle and tore three ligaments in it.
Q: Give me a fun fact about you.
A: I played the bass guitar in a kick-butt cover band named Nature Scapes, after a brand of mulch.
Q: What are your plans for after school?
A: I am trying to see if a possible career in radio can pan out. A job with Cox Media Group would be incredible because it is a really strong Fortune 500 company. It would be unbelievable to have a job circulating around music. My long-term goal is to work my way into the music agency. It would be amazing if I could continue concert planning and production at the agency level.
Q: What has been your most memorable moment at UCF?
A: It was at the conclusion of the first concert I did with Chiddy Bang and Big Sean, which was the biggest confetti blow in the UCF arena. It was the first time that I had been faced with an interesting and unique challenge, not only accomplishing it, but going above and beyond what was expected of me. That accomplishment showed me that all the things out of my reach weren’t. It also gave me the confidence to continue and push what I can do both in concert and as a person.
Q: What inspires you?
A: The unknown and the potential of everything. What continues to push me is that no one knows where they are going to be in five years. There is no set path for anyone. I have found with a little initiative and vision that amazing things can happen. There is unlimited potential in this world if you leave a positive influence. Nothing is set in stone.