University of Miami Pandora Challenge with Phora & Yours Truly

September 13th, 2018 | In partnership with Phora and Yours Truly, presented with University of Miami’s Frost School of Music #PandoraChallenge 

The Real Industry Pandora Challenge events give students a look behind the curtain into real-world artist marketing technologies and scenarios. This is the type of work they can put on resumes during future internship and job searches.
— Heather Ellis, Manager, Artist Marketing at Pandora

On Thursday, September 13th, over 100 University of Miami students came together for a kickoff event in Partnership with Phora (Warner Bros. Records) and his social impact initiative Yours Truly to inspire young people to rally around the message and vision of Yours Truly.

We are very excited to participate in the Pandora Challenge: Music and Social Impact at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. It is very important that, as future leaders of the music business, our students understand not only how music can drive commerce, but also how music can drive social change.
— Serona Elton, Director of the Music Business and Entertainment Industries Program

The assignment is to create, launch, market, and optimize playlists that drives awareness of Phora’s foundation. The playlists will include an introduction from Phora and student-created voice messages that educate listeners about the mission of Yours Truly. The student teams have three weeks to grow their listenership and influence their audience to become activated in the conversation around mental health.

The program educates, empowers, inspires thousands of students for careers in music, media, marketing, and business,” said Jay LeBoeuf, Founder and Executive Director at Real Industry. “Students make a dent in the universe, while gaining the real-world experience and professional networks they need to secure future employment.
— Jay LeBoeuf, Founder and Executive Director at Real Industry

The University of Miami Pandora Challenge wrapped up on October 9th! Congratulations to the winning team!

Michelle Boursiquot - Music Business and Entertainment Industries - Class of 2019

Justin Pack - Motion Pictures - Class of 2019

Avery McGee - Music Business and Entertainment Industries - Class of 2019

Miles Cowans - Masters of Music Business and Entertainment Industries - Class of 2019

Isabella Leroy - Motion Pictures: Screenwriting Track - Class of 2020

Jordan Craft - Management and Marketing - Class of 2020

Courtney Hamilton - Business Marketing - Class of 2020

Timothy Thomas

On November 13, 2018, Pandora’s executive team invited the winner team for a half-day mentorship session with:

Tony Calzaretta, VP Listener Product & Design, Bill Crandall, VP Editorial Content, Shamal Ranasinghe, VP Catalog & Creator Product, Lauren Nagel, VP Executive Creative Director, Beckie Wood, VP Content Programming, Catalog & Insights and Heather Ellis, Manager, Artist Marketing.

In addition, Pandora shared the team’s winning playlists across its social media outlets.

For more on the Pandora Challenges, check out Pandora’s article: http://blog.pandora.com/us/pandora-real-industrys-second-annual-university-challenge/