If You're An Aspiring Musician, You'll Want to Follow DT's New Vlog Series! (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

If you're an aspiring musician, you'll want to tune into this post...

What happens when you're in a band at Penn and graduate ...and now only 2 of the members want to embark on a music career full-time?   You embark on your journey in front of all of Penn to watch and learn from in a new exclusive DT monthly video series called "Real Jobs Aren't My Forte".

First, to give you some background, at Penn, Ben Naecker (C'09, Water Polo) (guitars, cowbells) and Blake West (W'09, Jazz Combos) (keyboards, pyrotechnics) were part of the band Satellite Heights which was composed of four Penn musicians, and a non-Penn singer who lived in the area. It was a progressive, modern rock outfit that recorded one album in Brooklyn in the fall of '08. That album was called Launch Sequence, and was released on iTunes in March of '09.  All have graduated and the band is now defunct. Ben and Blake now prepare for their move into Austin's music scene.

This new DT Vlog will document the life of Penn graduates who go on to become musicians, so that others can learn from their experiences. Ben and Blake will be getting into all the gory details that they can once a month on DT in a 3 minute post.

• Where is the money to live coming from?
• Teaching lessons? Gigging? Working at starbucks?
• And how did they acquire the students, or the gig, or the job?
• Are they taking showers in the dark just to save on the electricity bill?
• Are they eating cereal sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner cause they can't afford real food?
• Is the myth that rock musicians end up with a lot of girls really true?
• And any other things they wish they would have known before they started.

Watch Episode 1: "Don't Panic" above ...where Ben and Blake explain who they are, why they're moving to Austin and why you shouldn't panic if you too are embarking on this music journey.



Other compelling Penn Vlogs HERE

Other Penn musicians HERE

More DT stories about alumni working together HERE

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READ MORE - If You're An Aspiring Musician, You'll Want to Follow DT's New Vlog Series! (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

In His Absurd Film, The Stakes Are High, And So Are The Girls! (VIDEO)

Earlier today I posted Amin Osman's (C'09) dark and disturbing film called "Table For Three".

The last of Amin's films I will post this week is also again, strangely enjoyable. The description of this trailer is as follows:

"Two stoners. A severed hand. A damsel in distress. This is one 4/20 they'll never forget. Unless they do, because it's 4/20."

Other impressive Class Project films

More posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series

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READ MORE - In His Absurd Film, The Stakes Are High, And So Are The Girls! (VIDEO)

Why You'll Never Go Back To Your Date's Place Again Without Thinking of His Film!

Over the past couple of years on DT, I have showcased some enjoyably disturbing films...most of them coming from Penn new Penn alum Amin Osman (C'09).

Today on DT there are a couple more of Amin's short films that you'll find very entertaining.

If you thought he's been dark before, check out this one above called "Table for Three".  You'll never go back to your date's place again without thinking of this film!




Other impressive Class Project films

More posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series

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READ MORE - Why You'll Never Go Back To Your Date's Place Again Without Thinking of His Film!

With His Award Winning Script, He Graduated a Year Early to Pursue His Filmmaking Career (VIDEO)

Hollywood alumni.. set up a meeting with this young filmmaker, because he's going places...

Kevin McMullin (C'09, in picture below in tanktop) is another story of talent combined with motivation and perseverance with all the potential of lots of Hollywood success.  With his Penn award winning script and some great short films under his belt, Kevin decided to graduate Penn a year early to pursue his dreams.

(l to r: Kevin McMullin (C'09), lead actor John Blakeslee, and cinematographer Sean Emer)

Thanks to the digital revolution and through lots of favors, Kevin has been able to make his feature film Exit 117 for less than $850. The film is an ensemble comedy-drama in the spirit of Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” and Richard Linklater’s “Slacker” about a group of recent high school graduates coming to terms with where they are and where they’re going in their lives.

...If you forgot, early last year, Kevin's short film "The Boy and The Star" was my #3 pick in in my series: Top Penn Videos that will give you the chills.  As you'll see in Kevin's trailer above, this film also has a very special artistic feel that will be sure to move you!

How did Kevin get his start and what's his plan now?

Per Kevin,

"I have been making short films since I was a 12 years old with friends and after high school I chose Penn over film school to get a broader liberal arts education. While I was there I won first place at the Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival two years in a row, which funneled my shorts into the international Philadelphia Film Festival.

I decided to condense my time at Penn into three years to pursue filmmaking and put money toward this endeavor. I wrote the screenplay for this feature in my Intro to Screenwriting Class with Kathy Van Cleve and kept rewriting over the next year. It won the 2009 Flesch Screenwriting Award at Penn. With this prize money and some savings I shot “Exit 117” for less than $850 on lots of borrowed equipment and natural sunlight.

This is another example of Penn undergrads working together. Kevin teamed up with friends:

• Rodrigo Suarez (C, ENG’10) and Blake West (C’09) who contribute music to the soundtrack
• Andrew Stern (W’10) who acts as the Radio DJ’s voice over
• Jessica Brown (Grad Education ’09) who has been the pre-production manager and a production assistant
• and Jon-Marc Balint (C'10) who has a supporting role in the film and is associate producer. 

Hollywood Penn alumni, feel free to get in touch with Kevin here: kevinjamesmcmullin@gmail.com



More on Kevin's Exit 117 site HERE

Join Kevin's Exit 117 facebook group HERE

More of posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series

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READ MORE - With His Award Winning Script, He Graduated a Year Early to Pursue His Filmmaking Career (VIDEO)

From Scooby Doo to Family Guy to South Park to the Simpsons, His 66 Impersonations are Spot On! (VIDEO)

What happens when you graduate from Penn and have a little too much time on your hands?

Ask Adam El Sehamy (C'09, Pennchants) who is currently studying for the MCAT and has created this very entertaining video of him doing over 6 minutes(!) of cartoon voiceover impersonations....and they are spot on! 

And if you remember, we already know how good he's been at characters when he took on the role of THIS superhero.

Check out the video above, and per Adam, ...see which impression he is "pretty sure going to hell for"

Note to Los Angelino Penn alumni, while Adam plans on applying to medical school next year, and is in Philly right now doing a year of post bac work to boost his credentials, he has a year off after that.  He hopes to go to LA and express his creative side (singing, modeling, cartoon voiceovers). "Then if I completely fail, " says Adam, "I always have med school to fall back on and at least I can say I tried."

Perhaps Adam can follow in the footsteps of Doctor and actor Roy Vongtama (C'96)?

More of my Funny Friday posts

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READ MORE - From Scooby Doo to Family Guy to South Park to the Simpsons, His 66 Impersonations are Spot On! (VIDEO)

Penn Wins VH1's The Great Ivy League Debate Showdown (VIDEO)

This week VH1 celebrated its new show "The Great Debate" with an Ivy League showdown in New York City between Penn, Columbia, Harvard and Yale.

Watch the video above to find out how Penn won(!) by defending both the "YMCA" dance craze and Obama as "the world's savior" in this "pop culture blood bath."

I'm sure you'll agree that Noah Becker's (C'09) mad rapping skillz helped Penn win the title!  Plus major points out to Noah for using the phrase "magnum opus" in describing the "YMCA" song.

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READ MORE - Penn Wins VH1's The Great Ivy League Debate Showdown (VIDEO)

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt Tells Penn Graduates to Turn off Their Computer and Phones (VIDEO)

On Monday (May 18), Eric Schmidt, Google chairman and chief executive officer, delivered the 2009 Commencement Address and talked about:

• his gratitude for Penn for the invention of ENIAC
• the quality of the Penn interns that work at Google
  
• this generation as the Google and Facebook generation
• how the future will have us walking around with ipods with over 85 years of video storage
• how success is about being ready for opportunities that come before you
• how it is important for everyone to turn off your computers and phones and discover all that is human around us

Around minute 6:15, Eric talks about how Penn was struggling 20 years ago.  I am not exactly sure what he is referring to.  Anyone want to chime in on this?

More covereage from the Daily Pennsylvanian HERE

Check out videos from this year and previous Penn graduations HERE



Connect with DT on

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READ MORE - Google Chairman Eric Schmidt Tells Penn Graduates to Turn off Their Computer and Phones (VIDEO)

These 4 Penn Friends Want You To Lend for Peace

What happens when 4 Penn alumni come together to raise money for a good cause? Ask (l to r in pic in left) David Fraga (C'07, Mask and Wig, Sphinx Senior Society, Performing Arts Council), Allam Taj, (Law '09), Sam Adelsberg (C'10), and Andrew Dudum (C'11).

In February, these 4 created LendforPeace.org, a non-profit microfinance platform focused on the Middle East and was recently featured on Fox Business (see interview clip above featuring David Fraga).

LendforPeace.org was founded by these four Penn students (two Jews and two Palestinians) on the premise that grassroots economic development through microfinance may help increase stability in the Middle East. While the founders disagree about a lot of things, it is hard to disagree about a mission of poverty alleviation and job creation.

Supported by such institutions as the Clinton Global Initiative and Ashoka (the largest association of social entrepreneurs in the world), Lendforpeace.org was launched on February 5th at an event on Penn's campus.

Visit www.LendforPeace.org and their Blog HERE

Other great Website Wednesday posts

New to DT? 14 easy suggestions to get started!

 

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READ MORE - These 4 Penn Friends Want You To Lend for Peace

You've NEVER, I repeat NEVER Seen Hey Day Done This Way...Trust Me! (VIDEO)

On Friday, Hey Day '09 was celebrated in not such the traditional fashion.

Sure, the students all marched down down Locust Walk....but some brilliant students decided to cap the day off by actually jumping off of the Walnut Street bridge into the Schuylkill River!! Oy!

Watch the video above to see what I'm talking about!

Watch President Amy Gutmann declare the class of '10 "Seniors"

Photo above courtesty of "J. Adelaide Métiver (check out her great Penn photos HERE!)

Video courtesy of Vincent Brown (check out his great photos!)
http://www.vincentbrown.com

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READ MORE - You've NEVER, I repeat NEVER Seen Hey Day Done This Way...Trust Me! (VIDEO)

He's Serving Up a Disturbing Video

Back in July, I showcased Amin Osman's (C'09) Unwritten video which had a good payoff ending. Now Amin just produced Table of Three another interesting, yet pleasantly disturbing tale.

Take a look above!

Check out these other great class projects

New to DT? 14 easy suggestions to get started!

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READ MORE - He's Serving Up a Disturbing Video

Exclusive Video: Getting Mona Lisa's Clothes Off

Today, in honor of Valentine's Day, I want to share with you a special exclusive "love-themed" video preview from Mask and Wig's very funny spring show "Oh the Humanities" which just opened up on campus.

...This summer I had the opportunity to read an early treatment of Mask and Wig's 121st annual spring show "Oh the Humanities!" and it was great! I encourage everyone to see it if they can.

In the video above, a male artist woos a girl with a love song about painting her.

Here's the juicy synopsis:

In Mask and Wig's 121st Annual Production, "Oh, the Humanities!" The Mask and Wig Club takes its patrons back to one of the most inspirational, creative, and reasonable places in history: Florence, Italy during the Renaissance. 

Michelangelo is the new up-and-coming artist in Florence, while Leonardo Da Vinci is the perennial powerhouse Renaissance man. But Leo's girlfriend Mona Lisa smooches Mike in public, making the front page of the tabloids! Suddenly, Mike is widely successful and Leo has fallen from his perch. However, the political genius Machiavelli, seeing that Da Vinci is down and out, offers his help as an art agent. Almost overnight Da Vinci's paintings are selling for mega-florins again and Mike is just a passing fad. But all is not as it seems. What shifty business is Machiavelli up to? What is Mike up against? Paints, plots, and the classical beauty of our eight-"girl" kickline, all in this year's Mask and Wig masterpiece: "Oh, the Humanities!"

Want to see the show?

Due to continued delays in the renovation of our Historic Clubhouse, this year's production will be held at the Prince Music Theater (1412 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102).

Schedule:

* Thursday, February 12th, 2009 (8:00 pm)
* Friday, February 13th, 2009 (8:00 pm)
* Saturday, February 14th, 2009 (8:00 pm)
* Thursday, February 19th, 2009 (8:00 pm)
* Friday, February 20th, 2009 (8:00 pm)
* Saturday, February 21st, 2009 (8:00 pm)
* Thursday, February 26th, 2009 (8:00 pm)
* Friday, February 27th, 2009 (8:00 pm)
* Saturday, February 28th, 2009 (8:00 pm) (Club Night)

Tour:

Friday, March 6th – New York, NY
The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College

Saturday, March 7th – Lancaster, PA
Roschel Performing Arts Center at Franklin and Marshall College

Sunday, March 8th– Washington, DC
Mount Vernon United Methodist Church Theater

Thursday, March 12th – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Theater

Friday, March 13th – Jacksonville, FL
University of North Florida, Robinson Theater

Get your tickets and more info at http://www.maskandwig.com

Check out some Mask and Wig performances and notable alumni here

Missed yesterday's Love Week '09 post? ....Click here to get serenaded from the Glee Club!

Check out my Love Week posts from last year below:

• A Sweet Proposal
• Better Than Sending You Chocolates!
• She's a Cupid for Penn Alumni
• He's Celebrating 10 Years of Love
• They Really Love the Library
• She's Got the Opposite of Love
• He's Got Her Number
• His Unsatiable Flavor of Love

Join the new Dueling Tampons Facebook Fan page

New to DT? 14 easy suggestions to get started!

Check out what else is happening on campus

See which Penn undergrads and alumni are registered on DuelingTampons.com

Friend Me Up:

Facebook MySpace Friendster Twitter Digg

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READ MORE - Exclusive Video: Getting Mona Lisa's Clothes Off

Love Week '09: This is Dedicated To The Ones I Love

(l to r: Michael Yee (SEAS '11), Nick Madian (C'11), Mark Huerta (C'09), Greg Buchak (W'09), 

Garrett Bruer (SEAS '09), Josh Eisenberg (C'11), Patrick Wolff (C'09))

As I did last year, the Glee Club was allowing people to place *orders here to send Singing Valentines to "that special someone."

...And this year the Glee Club is teaming up with the Penn's Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. All proceeds will benefit the mission of Habitat for Humanity to provide affordable housing to all those in need.  So you're really spreading the love to those in need when you place your order!

Thanks to Fan Zhou (C'10) from the Glee Club, once again I placed my order to send a Singing Valentine to you and all of my readers... my "special someones".  It comes from the Glee Club to you ... via video!

Thank you readers out there for coming back each day! 

And I would also like to take this opportunity to dedicate this video to the memory of the Glee Club's former director, Bruce "Monty" Montgomery.  (click here to see exclusive DT videos from when the Glee Club honored Monty on his 80th birthday)

Get serenaded above!

Check back tomorrow for another Love Week '09 post!

*NOTE: Singing Valentines will NOT be sold for the next day after 4 PM the day before. PLEASE purchase your Valentines before then!  NO MORE VALENTINES WILL BE SOLD FOR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2009! SORRY!

Get your tickets to the Glee Club's next show "Back to the Future! The Musical!" here!
Showdates are Feb. 26, 27, and 28 at the Zellerbach theater

Check out some Glee Club performances and notable alumni here

Check out my Love Week posts from last year below:

• A Sweet Proposal
• Better Than Sending You Chocolates!
• She's a Cupid for Penn Alumni
• He's Celebrating 10 Years of Love
• They Really Love the Library
• She's Got the Opposite of Love
• He's Got Her Number
• His Unsatiable Flavor of Love

Join the new Dueling Tampons Facebook Fan page

New to DT? 14 easy suggestions to get started!

Check out what else is happening on campus

See which Penn undergrads and alumni are registered on DuelingTampons.com

Friend Me Up:

Facebook MySpace Friendster Twitter Digg

Did you like this article? You can get the latest articles at DuelingTampons.com in your email inbox each afternoon by entering your email address below. Your address will only be used for mailing you the articles, and each one will include a link so you can unsubscribe at any time.

READ MORE - Love Week '09: This is Dedicated To The Ones I Love