Alex Levitt, President of Team 31

We all know that Team 31 is behind our beloved W.I.L.D, but do any of us really understand the extent of the logistics that go into planning an all day long music festival? I sat down with Alex Levitt, the President of Team 31. This girl, responsible for Friday’s festivities, is only a mere sophomore! She shed some light on how Team 31 selects their talent and dismantles the myth that the two W.I.L.D.s – fall and spring – have different themes.
 
HC: How long have you been involved in Team 31?
AL: I’ve been involved since the second semester of my freshman year.
 
HC: Why did you choose to become involved in Team 31?
AL: Before I came to WashU, I had heard about WILD and Team 31 because they talk about them on campus tours. Before I came to school I knew that I was interested in Team 31 and I had checked out their website to see what the students were about. When I got to campus I wrote to them to see how I could get involved right away. The more I have worked on Team 31, the more I have thought about pursuing it as a career – working on the production side of music.
 
HC: Tell me about your responsibilities as president.
AL: As president I oversee my 14 other executives on the board. Some of my main responsibilities include booking the artist and working with a lot of the administration of WashU; I am the primary liaison between the board and the upper-level people in administration. I oversee the operations and make sure that the policies are carried out as they should be.  We work with a lot of departments within the administration to make sure the event goes successfully. I have an advisor who I meet with to make sure that everything we do meets the university’s policies. I meet with the facility and security staff to make sure that on the day of WILD, we have access to the proper buildings.
 
HC: Many people feel discontent knowing other universities are able to host much more famous artists. How do you feel about this?
AL: There are a lot of factors that go into booking. We have to take into account our budget, the date of the show because the artist must be available; it has to get approval from the SPB (Social Programming Board) and we have to be able to sign a contract that both the artist and we agree upon.
 
HC: Do you personally interact with the visiting artists?
AL: I work with a middle agent so they will personally contact the artist but then I approve how much we’re spending. I work with SPB through Student Union, which is comprised of SU Programming Executives, the SU Finance Executive, the Gargoyle Committee and Campus Programming Committee. Through all those committees we receive the money for our talent booking. I will bring a lot of options [of artists] to the table so that SPB can have a selection when approving the artist.
 
 
HC: Is there rhyme or reason behind Team 31’s talent choices?
AL: We thought they’d [Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes and Flying Lotus] be really fun and entertaining acts to bring to the show. I think it’s always great to bring new, fun music to WashU. I really think these acts fit a WILD show. They’re going to make for a really great way to celebrate the end of the semester. It [the lineup] varies from year to year. It is always great to get an artist who is on their way up in the industry.
 
HC: Do you get to enjoy the actual day of WILD yourself or will you be monitoring everything and feeling stressed? 
AL: I’ve never been at WILD as president [of Team 31] before. There will be a lot going on and it will definitely be hectic but it should be a really great time. I am so excited for all the students to come to WILD and to be on the stage and look out at everyone enjoying the show.
 
HC: Last question – do you like Fall WILD or Spring WILD better?
AL: It’s just a trend that some of the recent WILDs have followed. [In reality, spring WILD does not host more “indie” acts and fall WILD does not host more “hip-hop” acts] We just book what artists seem appropriate at the time. I don’t think I could choose!