WRITER'S BLOCK

My article for Abaco Life magazine has been stuck at 851 words for 96 hours now, and my writer's block is feeling about as daunting as scaling this nice brick wall that I generously pulled off of Google might be.

Maybe I'll just bang my head against it instead.

My first week at Scripps:

I'm nearing the end of my first week interning at Scripps, and I'm so excited to write about it that I'm doing it during my lunch break. Scripps Networks is the television company that produces the Travel Channel, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Great American Country, DIY and HGTV. I'm interning in the Home Category Research Department every Monday, Tuesday and Friday in this lovely, glass-covered building you see on the left. On my first day we took a tour of the entire compound (or at least it feels like a compound to me!) I got to see so many interesting sides of television production that I'd never even thought about! I got to meet animation designers (ex. the people who create the computer-animated versions of house plans on HGTV shows), the sound designers (ex. they're given a promo and they write the background music in the studio. Yes, just like the guy on Forgetting Sarah Marshall.) We also visited a studio where they were filming a commercial using this tiny fake attic that looked SO real on camera-- they were even creating a fake sun by bouncing the light off of this mirror into the constructed window on set! I couldn't help but be awe-struck by the creativity behind it all. It amazes me how people's minds can work in such different ways. I would never have the musicality to create background music scores, the creativity to construct a realistic-looking attic in a studio, or the computer skills to construct an entire house animation from scratch. I guess that's what different departments are for!

Back in the research department I was thrilled to discover that they not only gave me my own cubicle, it has my name printed on it! (and to think I was excited when they gave me a parking pass and key card.) I was interested in working in the research department because I thought it would be a totally new experience. I've done a lot of work/internships revolving around writing and public relations, and I wanted to try something new. I wanted to learn about the basics. My biggest interest in the advertising industry is why people like the things they do and what a company can do to change that, and the research department is where that all begins-- It's the heart of the industry. Without knowing what people's actions are, you can't interpret them and form your campaigns, shows, etc. around them. So far I've been doing a lot of work on Microsoft Excel and another program called StarTrak. I upload information on ratings, viewership, ages, etc. that Nielsen Research has collected, compound/organize it in a methodical, easy-to-follow manner, and email it out to the entire company! It's exciting to think that people as high up as the president of the company are reading emails with my name on them. Today, I sat in a meetings with the scheduling department which was interesting because I got to see the numbers that I've worked with all week come to life: they take the ratings from the week and figure out how they can manipulate the order of the shows to maintain the most viewers at any given moment. It's amazing how much of this wouldn't be possible without research (and a little old intern pushing buttons in excel!)

What surprised me the most this week is how much I've enjoyed amercing myself in the world of television. I've always loved writing so much that I've always thought that the magazine realm is where I belonged, but television is fascinating! It's way more viewer-centric than I ever imagined. So much work goes into organizing the network around what their target audience is watching and what other networks are airing so that ratings can increase and, in turn, advertisers will want to spend more with the network. Happy viewers=increased ratings=more advertisers=more revenue!

Summer Update

We're nearing the end of May, and I've finally got my summer plans nailed down! I'll be interning at Scripps Network, doing media and branding research for HGTV and DIY. I'll also be working with a publication in the Bahamas called Abaco Life doing some freelance writing and launching their facebook page and blog. I can't wait to see what these experiences will teach me!

This post was inevitable.

As demonstrated my by ipod and blog title, it's not secret that I adore Jimmy Buffett. I could probably write an entire blog about that, but I'll resist. Instead, I'm posting the media review I wrote for my creative writing class about his concert/work as an artist. Enjoy!

Jimmy Buffett’s “Welcome to Fin Land” Tour

The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy had it all wrong: there is a place like home, and it’s called Margaritaville. Named after one of Jimmy Buffett’s famous songs, the Margaritaville ideal has erupted into restaurants, hotels, a clothing brand, and a state of mind. It is also a place where all die hard Buffett fans (aptly named parrot heads) can enter that state of mind, unite at his concerts, and feel right at home. Like the comforting nature of a home, his concerts are a safe haven for fans from all walks of life to gather and share their mutual love for each other, good music, and great tailgating. The parrot heads join to form an eccentric (and often inebriated) group of individuals, which pays close resemblance to many traditional families these days. Most American families have diverse members and may disagree, but at its core they unite and accept each other as unique parts of a greater whole—and that’s exactly what the parrot head family does.

I knew I belonged to this family the second my six-year-old body slid on the parrot-covered dress my mom had sewn for my first Jimmy Buffett concert. I’d never seen so many colors, decorations and joyful people in one place. I remember thinking it must have been a birthday party.

After attending yet another Jimmy Buffett concert in Raleigh on April 19^th, I’ve realized that my kindergarten counterpart was right: Buffett concerts are a birthday party. They’re a chance for people to celebrate the side of themselves that is ordinarily suppressed by strenuous jobs and stuffed schedules. Their free spirited side is born again the second they step onto the lawn and hear the thumping of “We are the People Our Parents Warned Us About.” Each time I am reunited with the sounds of his music and the company of the parrot heads I’m reminded to let loose, enjoy life and stop trying to march to the beat of the colorless task-driven drum.

Although they are scattered and primarily alcohol driven, Jimmy Buffett concerts have surprisingly offered a lot of insight into my improvement as a writer. Jimmy Buffett is one of my favorite poet/song writers of all time. Even though some songs like “Why Don’t We get Drunk and Screw” may not seem to hold much literary merit, there’s no denying that others like “A Pirate Looks at Forty” and “Come Monday” are beautiful and inspiring. I also believe that Jimmy Buffett is the only artist that cannot be pigeonholed into a specific genre, which takes a lot of creative initiative on his part. A lot of times I feel that my creative prose is too similar in topic or style, and I want to work hard to be as distinguished and versatile as artists like Buffett. One of the critiques on my last story was that my characters need more development. I took that to mean that I need to be more observant of the world around me so that all of my characters can come to life. This means that I need to do a lot more people watching, and Jimmy Buffett concerts are perfect for that. I’m hoping one of the great people I met can serve as inspiration for my next piece!

Regardless of the chaos or seemingly shallow exterior, Jimmy Buffett’s music, lyrics and concerts always inspire me, and they affect me deeply as a person and a writer. I hope that I can take all the lessons that I learn each time—observing people more closely, branching out stylistically, or continuing to celebrate my free-spirited-life birthday—and apply them to my life and work as an author.

The Allure of Advertising

"It is acknowledged, once again, that some of these ads are manipulative and some annoying and some less than completely honest. (The Marlboro man, for instance, the most successful ad symbol of all time, the supposed symbol of rugged independence, is really a symbol of enslavement to an addictive drug, isn't he?)

But these advertisements, most of them, are something else, too. They are treasures. For one, they are important artifacts in our culture. Woe betide future anthropologists and historians who try to trace the American experience without pondering what, exactly, it is that her hairdresser knows for sure.

And that's because the greatest advertising isn't great for moving merchandise any more than the greatest literature is great for compelling plots. Somehow -- in the service of carmakers and brassiere manufacturers and car rental agencies -- these campaigns have discovered our humanity. They have touched us, understood us, reflected our lives and often enough enriched them" -Bob Garfield.

...But I'm not talking about the allure that Garfield describes. I have a different problem. My Principles of Public Relations and Advertising class has switched to the advertising portion, and I'm finding myself just as intrigued by the advertising world as I was by public relations. It's sucking me in the same way a commercial can draw a viewer to purchase a certain brand. I've always been interested in communications as a whole but how to channel that interest specifically is where my future becomes unclear. Like Garfield describes, the anthropology aspect of communications-- how humans interact with each other and the world around them-- has always interested me (probably why most of my electives are sociology classes). It fascinates me even more to know that there's a billions-of-dollars industry dedicated to manipulating these beliefs and interactions. Christina Malik, a PhD student at UNC, came and spoke to our class about the different divisions of advertising, and I learned that there's an entire division (account planning) dedicated to this concept. Account planners research consumers, brands and what makes them tick. I never knew that there was a medium through which I could channel this interest until now. Of course her talk fell on the same week that I need to choose my concentration for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication so now I have to choose: Advertising or Public Relations?

Who Knew?

Hi, my name is Alex Higgins, and I'm a fun fact junkie.

It's true. I love random facts. One of the short answer questions on my UNC application was "give us a random fun fact," and I poured over them online for weeks looking for the right one. It was love at first click. I now follow all the random fact dispensers available on twitter, and I still occasionally catch myself googling "fun facts" when I should be studying... which can turn in to hours of unneeded reading. However, my most recent discovery is the perfect remedy for my study ADD: the "Who Knew?" videos on Yahoo. They're short clips that cover random topics, and they're the perfect study break. Studies have even shown that short two minute breaks are helpful every 30 minutes of hard studying, so instead of tempting yourself with two minutes on Facebook, learn something with "Who Knew?" videos!

Most of all, I love random facts because they give you an opportunity to expand your knowledge on topics that you'd never usually choose to read about on your own. As most of my friends know, I'm an avid googler. I believe that if you ever want to know the answer to anything (ex. Is that baby corn on the salad bar really corn?) You should ALWAYS seek out the information. Even if it seems useless, why not learn it? You should never question what something is, how it works, or what it does and then actively accept the ignorance; choose to pursue the knowledge!

(And for anyone who's wondering, baby corn is actually corn.)

Spring Break

... begins one week from today! It's exciting, but for some the thought of adorning a bikini right now is enough to wish for winter's return. While it may be tempting to crash diet-- don't! Why? Read my article on the alluring-metabolism ruiners here. Find more helpful mental, physical and nutritional diet tips at unc.edu/twbmag. It's UNC's premiere fitness magazine, and I'm proud to call myself a staff member.

The Best One Night Stand of Your Life

This weekend I had the privilege to participate in UNC Dance Marathon-- a fund raiser for North Carolina Children's Hospitals. For 24 hours 1,600 "dancers" stand on their feet to show their support and raise money for families who can't afford to support their children's medical expenses. I was a moraler, meaning that I came for an 8 hour shift to cheer up the dancers, dance around and remind them of what an incredible gift they're giving to those in need! I chose the midnight to 8 am shift because I felt it would be the time they needed it most, and it was honestly one of my best college experiences so far. We dressed like characters from Harry Potter (I went as Hedwig.. see picture below) and danced for 8 hours straight with a small break to go outside and watch the sun rise. It's 24 hours of non-stop entertainment, fun and doing something great for the community. At the end of the marathon they announced that they raised ‎$436,709.61! That's the most they've ever raised, and I'm so happy I got to be a part of it! Take a look at some of the highlights of past events; I encourage anyone to get involved! It really will be the best one night stand of your life.

The Power of a PSA

"Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time." -Marian Wright Edelman

I'm taking JOMC 137: Fundamentals of Advertising and Public Relations right now, and other than the fact that it's at 9 am, I'm really enjoying it. We're in the public relations portion right now, and today we learned about non-profit public relations. I've always been inspired by non-profit work and the people who dedicate their lives to it, but Marian Wright Edelman founder of Children's Defense Fund was especially awe-inspiring today. You can get a brief overview of her work at the Children Defense Fund here. Perhaps the most effective way to affect one's desired publics with a message is through a public service announcement or PSA. Public service announcements can take a variety of approaches: ethos, pathos, logos, or shock PSAs. (ahh vocab-- takes me back to my high school English class days.)

Here are some examples of each that I find incredibly moving:

PATHOS:

My favorite and perhaps the most effective: a play on emotions. My high school English teacher used to call it 'advertising that relies heavily on babies or puppies,' but really it's so much more than that. The ability to emotionally connect with an audience is a powerful one, and if used properly can have lasting results. This one is from the Children's Defense Fund, as mentioned above. Clearly, this really had a lasting impact on me:

ETHOS:

Ethos demonstrates a reliance on the ethics of something. Ex. "Will you sit back and let these children starve?" PSA's that rely heavily on ethos make it seem unethical to NOT participate and help the desired project. Here's an example about the genocide in Darfur:

LOGOS:

Logos involves persuasion that relies heavily on logic and a presentation of facts. It's usually paired with ethos and pathos to make a more-rounded, dynamic argument. Here's an example of one that CBS news did about texting and driving:

SHOCK PSAs:

Shock PSA's use theatrics to really make a message hit home with it's audience. See what a difference it makes when texting while driving is presented this way:

Keep in mind that most aren't solely just one of the three. A good PSA is a combination of each so that it can reach a broader audience!