Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.
Time to try a better post than last night. A little more positive and a lot more sober.
So, last year at this time I was just considering running for President of MIMA. Unsure, just thinking about it. Oh, how the time flies. Don’t even get me started on that tangent I have been a rough time grasping the fact that in just a couple of weeks someone new will be taking my place, and I’ll be graduated and out Ferris’ door forever. ANYWAYS, back to the program..
I was thinking of running for President and I heard that this other kid was running named Alex Johnson. I had no idea who he was and I actually talked some shit about him to my friend Renee, before I ever even met the kid….oops.
Well, as it turned out, I wound up as President and Alex became MIMA’s Promotions Chair.
It was whatever- I didn’t really care. Not a big thing, at least at the time. Now, however, I look back at this year and wonder what MIMA would have been like, what my senior year would have been like, without getting to know my good friend Alex.
Alex has done so much already, career-wise, I really admire him for all of that. He single-handedly headed up the concert that is taking place in two weeks here that we have been working so hard to put on an promote- Turn Up The Good. But aside from all the resume building stuff- the best thing I think he’s done is be a great friend to me this year.
Anyhow, I wrote an article about him for my journalism class- so, I figured I would just paste it here for anyone wanting an interesting read… 
“Really cool title for this feature article about the success of Alex Johnson, my friend.”
Take one look at his accomplishments and it’s no surprise that Alex Johnson, senior in the Music Industry Management program, would want to bring his expertise back to the campus of Ferris State.
Johnson, the 24-year-old music enthusiast, is taking a full load of classes, serves as the Music Industry Management Association’s [MIMA’s] Promotions Chair, and also is a part-time server at The Gate. On top of all this, Johnson has found the time introduce two new events to the Big Rapids area this school year.
This past summer Johnson worked with Madison House Inc., a major artist management and booking company, as a booking agent intern for over thirty artists. He worked with nationally recognized acts including but not limited to Bassnectar, Lotus, Keller Williams, String Cheese Incident, Beats Antique, Blackalicious, Gift of Gab and The New Deal.
Johnson previously interned for the Lansing Jazz and Blues Festivals as a stage manager of the main stage for both festivals.
Johnson has also worked for the Walt Disney World Company in Orlando, Florida, and as a representative for the Disney Career Start Internship Program, and has worked in both the Magic Kingdom theme park and Disney’s MGM Studios.
“Alex impresses me because he has developed an ability to ‘let things roll’…which is an excellent quality to have in an industry that can be frustrating when organizing collaborative efforts,” said MIM Program Administrative Assistant, Lori Armstrong. “His calm demeanor while managing to keep his organization of an event ahead of schedule will serve him well in his career.”
In October, Johnson singlehandedly put on Big Rapids’ first ever Fall Fest at The Gate. The event consisted of performances from three bands, and a pong-tournament. Attendees were able to see all three bands for the minimal fee of six dollars.
Among the three bands for the night, Johnson was able to pin down the Muskegon born group on the rise, Four Finger Five. Four Finger Five was cited as “One of Billboards top up and coming festival bands”. They were one of a handful of bands to perform both years at the four-day Rothbury Music Festival in Michigan that attracted over 40,000 people each year.
Johnson obtained funding for the Fall Fest event by getting help from local sponsors such as Quinn’s Music, Quick Cash, and Desired Skin. Johnson enlisted the help of friends and several MIMA members to assist with promotion and day-of-show procedures.
“I got more out of Ferris than I ever expected. I never wanted to attend the University because of my family history here and I wanted to do things differently”, Johnson commented referring to the fact that most of his family has attended Ferris. The Birkam Health Center is even named after Johnson’s grandfather.
“I feel that even though I attended Ferris I still did things very different than anyone else in my family. I did get very valuable experiences at Ferris including three Autumn Alive productions. Also, I had the chance to do two internships, and promote my own one day music event at the Gate” Johnson said.
After a successful Fall Fest turn out, Alex realized there was an opportunity for another full-scale concert on campus aside from the annual concerts, Autumn aLive and Ferris Fest.
Johnson began collaborating with a small group of peers about ideas for the potential concert. It became clear to Johnson and his team that electronic would be the best genre choice due to the recent interest across the country, especially in Michigan.
Johnson initiated meetings to start planning for the show, which has now received funding from Ferris State University’s Finance Division. Turn Up the Good, Ferris State’s first ever electronic concert will take place in the Wink Arena on March 31st.
“He’s a very hard worker and understands the importance of deadlines and time management. His passion for the music industry definitely shows through in all of his hard work”, said Kelly Kucher, MIM senior who is in charge of the Security and Sponsorship committees for the Turn Up the Good concert.
After his experiences as a summer intern for Madison House, Johnson not only has headed up the efforts for Turn Up The Good by forming committees and delegating tasks, but he has also been very involved with the booking process for the concert. Negotiations for the headliner are still in the works, but as the booking process continues, Johnson carries on work with the Ferris State staff who typically handle the booking process on their own.
Johnson is also a recipient of the National Association of Music Merchants [NAMM] Foundation’s “President’s Innovation Award”. The award supports college students interested in and planning for careers in the music products industry to attend professional development activities at the world-famous NAMM Show, which Johnson attended Jan. 13-16, 2011 in Anaheim, California.
After graduating in May, Johnson hopes to attain a job in the booking sector of the Music Industry, specifically hoping to work in the area of outdoor festivals and concerts.
Johnson said, “Working festivals is something I just grew up doing and where I feel live music is the most exciting. Booking came in when I figured out that’s where there is money to be made, as well as being the field I got my last internship in.”
In his free time, Johnson is an avid fly fisherman, hunter, & outdoor fanatic.
