I would like to dovetail a bit off my last post on TopMusic Database and the philosophy I shared. Basically, I said that it is all about whom you know, especially when it comes to the entertainment industry. There is a great buzz going on right now here at Full Sail University, and that is a school club called Creative Student Networking Group (CSNG).
To begin, let me tell you the backstory of this group. Jessica Northey, an entertainment business
student, started the CSNG in June 2012. She started this group, because she wanted to fulfill her own needs of having a network of people to build relationships with, hangout, and help each other on projects or finding careers. The thing is that Jessica was just starting this club and if she didn’t get help to build it, there would be no club.
If I remember correctly, I saw a post on Facebook that Jessica left one day in early July 2012. I can’t recall exactly what it said, but I told her I would love to help. She replied to me that she needed a Vice President. I thought this was great! To take on a leadership position for a school club and volunteer would really help me gain experience and open up more opportunities. So we set up an initial meeting to chat. Going over things during our meeting, we both agreed we had a lot of work to do. After all, it was just we two! However, we remained positive and determined to successfully carry out the mission Jessica had in mind.
The mission of the CSNG is to network with not only Full Sail students or alumni, but also to branch out to other central Florida colleges. The main focus is to network with anyone relevant to the entertainment industry—to create an unlimited network of resources to tap into at any given time. Like I said before, it comes down to whom you know in industry. Networking is one of the most powerful things you can do.
So, let’s say you have a project that you want to work on, whether it’s for school, work, or just something to do. Most of the time you can’t do everything yourself. You can try, but it’s probably not going to be very effective or efficient. Anyway, with a group like CSNG you have a vast network of people who have a passion for the entertainment industry and bring their own sets of talents, abilities, and connections. Someone knows somebody that knows somebody that knows how to do something or get somewhere, right? Or maybe you are looking for a certain career path or opportunity. You just want to get your foot in the door. That is what can happen with the power of networking. That is what CSNG is here for!
But that’s not all! To facilitate the power of networking, CSNG acts as a traveling group. This means that we plan events and activities, such as going to theme parks, music fests, or even the beach, so that people are able to network. Ideas for fundraisers can come from anyone within the group. Then we survey all the students to see which one is the most popular. Students love this because they have options and they feel involved. And that’s exactly what it should be.
As of right now, we are selling tickets to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios theme park here in Orlando, FL. This includes a party bus, admission, and after-party. We have fundraising ideas to make a Full Sail mix tape with different artists, graphic design contests (T-shirts, CD covers), and even a student-teacher basketball game. Also, on the last Sunday of each month, CSNG holds an Open Mic Nite and Networking Session at the Sleeping Moon Café. Everyone definitely loves this idea and it has been attracting a very good crowd, especially since we had local artist, Carly Jo Jackson, perform at our first mixer. And now we even have Orlandobands.com sponsoring the event! How great is that!
The CSNG has really taken off since the launch of the new Connect platform at Full Sail University. It is very exiting to see so many students interested in the club and how fast it is growing. There are over 370 members in CSNG now. How amazing! Amy Cassellhas even posted about us on Full Sail’s blog site. I can’t wait to see where it takes us and where it will go for future students. I believe something great has been started by Jessica Northey and I give her my admirations to possibly leaving a legacy at Full Sail.
