Full Sail Students Compete In Pitch Competition
Full Sail students compete in a pitch competition. Nine finalists congregated to pitch their resolutions to companies in the entertainment industry. The finalists, partaking faculty, and judges stand together. The winners are holding those comically large checks. Everyone is happy.
Students and faculty recently congregated for Full Sail University’s annual Full Sail Means Business Pitch Competition, a rivalry that allows students to work with actual companies to find real-world solutions in the entertainment industry.
This year’s participating companies were FlipaClip, Bandzoogle, and Heart of Florida United Way. The different businesses brought in judges who witnessed the pitches, asked appropriate questions, and finally decided the top three winners.
Before The Pitch Competition
Before the pitch competition, each company issued a problem they needed to solve. The participants then chose which issue to solve and pitch a solution for. FlipaClip was looking for a way to improve its mobile animation app with artificial intelligence. Bandzoogle wanted a new way to help artists earn more money while utilizing their platform. And as a charity, Heart of Florida United Way asked finalists how they could use technology in a fundraising aspect.
“Coming here hearing these pitches from [the students] and different proposals on how we can innovate and how musicians can find new ways to bring in a little money here or there is something we’re fascinated by, and I’m fascinated by personally,” said Joseph Longo, the Learning and Development Coordinator at Bandzoogle.
“The most specific thing I’m looking for today is the realism of the proposals,” Joseph added.
Nine Finalists Competed For The Opportunity To Win
The nine finalists competed for the opportunity to win a first-place $20,000 scholarship, a second-place $15,000 scholarship, or a third-place $10,000 scholarship. Each pitch was eight minutes long, followed by six minutes of questions from the judges.
“It’s a really good opportunity for [students] to be allowed to have a high stakes presentation where they are going to have a live studio audience,” explained Victoria Wasinger, the Program Director for the Entertainment Business master’s and Business Intelligence master’s programs.
“This is a good opportunity to see where innovation is going. Full Sail is always a place of innovation,” said Leon Ashby, the Director of TECHquity at Heart of Florida United Way.
This Years Winners
This year’s winners, Annabella Guzman, Jessica Brown, and Arianna Jones, were awarded $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000 scholarships, correspondingly.
After taking about an hour and a half to decide, the judges finally announced the Full Sail Means Business Pitch Competition winners of this year. Annabella Guzman, who pitched to Bandzoogle, won first place. Jessica Brown placed second and Arianna Jones was presented third place.
“What it came down to mostly was whether or not the idea was original, feasible, and creative. We were also looking at the business aspect of the proposal and whether it would actually generate revenue,” explained Karyle Martorelli, the Business Engagement Manager at Heart of Florida United Way.
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