It's time to make moves.
TLDR: If you're looking for your sign to do that thing you always said you'd do but never got around to...this is it.
Yesterday marked the wrap up of my senior fall at Stanford. As I reflect on the last 10 weeks (bigger article coming on this one), one thing is incredibly clear to me: I’ve learned more in the last two weeks at Stanford from a rap video than I have from my classes and commitments all quarters. And it all starts with me being sick.
I wasn’t surprised when I fill ill in the beginning of Week 8. It’s the classic Stanford cycle of work too hard, move too fast for too long and no breaks until physically ill (that or Sahana, my middle sister who just started at Stanford, gave me the freshman flu). But either way, I hate being sick. I feel unproductive, left out and somewhat like a schmuck. I generally find myself using the time to become obsessed with something during my sick eras…a tv show, trashy romance series, or a youtube channel.
This time around I happened to stumble upon a music video that I could not get out of my head.
As the catchy beat ran circles, in my head I couldn’t help myself but be reminded of a project I did my senior year of high school. As a second semester senior in high school, with extra time on my hands (a similar era to right now), what better thing did I have to do than make a music video.
Call me sentimental but in that moment I realized that this would be my last year to make a Stanford rap and what better excuse to make it than big game?
I had learned from my days of rapping as a senior or even for CS109 with Chris Piech. This video would be bigger, badder, and more professional than ever.
We encountered a myriad of challenges: Stanford students’ commitment issues while filming, striking a balance of empowering but not aggressive in rap video lyrics, executing a vision that could represent the school but also felt uniquely us…
10 days and countless hours later it was ready.
And 48 hours we had over 24k views on @barstoolstanford.
Here’s what I learned from the experience:
☎️ Start with feedback
When I first conceptualized this idea laying in bed, my first action was not planning but calling. I called Kyle Haslett, former Vice President of ASSU, mentors in athletics and then my friends with a simple ask: here’s the pitch what do you think? I heard a variety of answers from “no this will be cringey” to “yes and put me on that rap track.”
At this point with so little time to create the video I wondered if this was truly worthwhile my time. My original idea for the video was to make a parody to “Not like us” but a Stanford version…which most of my friends vetoed (honestly real ones). But I realized that the goal of the video wasn’t rooted in a parody or even a rap but rather a creative outlet to get the community hyped for my last big game.
Side note: at this point in the process most people would have probably given up (and maybe I should have to). But like improv, I have my own personal rule when it comes to process like this. When I hear a “no,” I respond with “no BUT…”
With Kyle’s idea of an original track, Carmel’s connection to mixers, and the lyric genius of Levi Lebovitz, we were well on our way to a video.
🌟 Outsource talent
To my surprise, I quickly found out that despite all my history with rap videos, my skills were rudimentary at best. I didn’t know how to do official recordings, was getting bored of my own lyrics, and had no idea how to use a drone.
Luckily enough I go to a school of students filled with quirky talents so I did what I am perhaps best at…use that network. Peter Li is a music editing genius who I happened to have met on a zoom pre our freshman year at Stanford. Niko Liepins is the chosen videographer and editor for Stanford university, who I happened to have met during my freshman flomo lurker days. Avery Watkins is the sleeper rapping talent I never even knew I needed until running into her at Theta lunch. I saw Sophia Siegel’s incredible drone abilities in her making of an epic fight video and have basked in the electric energy of Emily Deng and Madhav Prakash through student government.
I’m humble enough (let’s be honest not thaaaat humble) to know my own weaknesses and this video truly would not be made without this superstar team.
💸 Get the right buy in
In the final days of this process, the biggest question on our minds was: how do we maximize impact?
Step 1 was getting some authoritative figures, like football legends Andrew Luck and Christian McCaffrey to join on. Step 2 was distribution. We had originally connected with the Stanford athletics and reports team but quickly realized that our diss track was not quite school appropriate. Should we start a new youtube channel? Use instagram? TikTok? From personal experience, I knew that each of these platforms had distinctly different audiences (and also different levels of hate given). Sure enough, my attempt to distribute the video on TikTok was met with some negativity.
And we ultimately found using a casual Stanford instagram account (rather than just youtube) to be the best way to disseminate.
Some of you may be wondering at this point: how did you have time do this? Aren’t you writing a thesis? And doing student government? And sometimes even going to class? I too asked myself these questions but you’d be surprised what you can make for when you have a vision. Because in 10 days, I gained a deeper understanding of university communication, finally used our campus recording studio, started a texting relationship with Christian McCaffrey, and even made some awesome friends at Stanford.
I’m starting to believe that the experiences that truly matter in college are not the ones we are given but rather the ones we create, and who we create them with. Do with that what you will.
Onwards and good luck with finals.
—DG
entrepreneurship at its finest