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InternView: Sponsorship Department

After the Marketing Department’s InternView, every department wanted a piece of the action. So, in my tradition of not walking very far, I chose sponsorship for the next InternView, since they’re located 8 feet away from my desk.

Amidst my hard-hitting questions I also discovered that the sponsorship department includes: a woman who used to work as a dancer in a Barney Rubble suit, a harpist, a former Cub Scout (who quit after the first year when his pine box racecar was destroyed), an obsessive-compulsive hair-cutter and someone who apparently knows Keith Richards, his mom and his step-dad. Now try and guess who’s who from the rundown:

Gaylynn Kiser: Sponsorship Director
Gretchen DeGroot: Sponsorship Manager
Mike Guay: Marketing and Sponsorship Coordinator
Elin Waldman: Sponsorship Intern
Lauren Simpson: Sponsorship Intern

What does the sponsorship department do?
Elin: I was curious of that as well!
Gaylynn: We get corporate sponsorships for the Festival, which helps keep our ticket prices low and provides cool experiences for fans.
Gretchen: And we help to get the word out about what’s new and upcoming in “product-land.”
Elin: Yes, that IS what we do. I’m also the official cream cheese procurer of Bumbershoot.

If you could work for any other department, which one would it be, and why?
Gretchen: Production because they get stuff done! They’re very action-oriented people.
Mike: Accounting. (Laughter) That was my joke answer from the Marketing InternView.
Gaylynn: I’m citing a conflict of interest because I’m the department head.

Which department could you beat at whiffle ball, and why?
All: Accounting. (Laughter)
Gretchen: We’re fortunate to have Mike on our side; he’s a more sports-oriented fellow.
Mike: I hear Robert (from Information Services) has a nasty knuckle ball with a whiffle ball.
Gaylynn: So, we’ll have to go back to Accounting.

What part of the Festival are you most excited for?
Gretchen: Visual arts, fine arts, the spectacle. There’s a lot of stuff that’s happening throughout the grounds: installations, participatory activities, plus it’s a spectacle with fun guerrilla arts projects that the Programming Department works on. (Note: Programming Department InternView coming soon!)
Gaylynn: It’s just so diverse. I’m excited about the entire event.
Elin: The chaos… I’m excited to experience it all!
Mike: I’m always excited about the music at Bumbershoot, but this year I’m really excited about what’s going on around the International Fountain lawn especially, and the art in the Northwest Court Rooms.
Gretchen: Agreed. I think those will be the “spots to be at” at Bumbershoot.
Lauren: It’s my fifth day here. So far I’m just looking forward to making sure that the sponsors are satisfied, and that people notice all the little things we do to make it such a unique event.

What festival food are you going to gorge on this year?
Gretchen: (immediately) Shishkaberries.
Elin: Corn dogs – but like, real corn dogs, like the crispy good ones, not the microwave ones.
Lauren: Elephant ears.

(Mike then polls the sponsorship on the recent, heated elephant ears VS fry bread debate, and “elephant ears’ is once again championed as the preferred nomenclature. Sorry, Lisa.)

If your department was a professional sports team, what song would play while you walked onto the field?
Mike: Pink Floyd, “Money” (Laughter)
Gaylynn: Good call.

If your department were to start a band, what would you call it, and what would you play?

After the usual amount of deliberation, Lauren is crowned lead singer and the Slingshot Animals are born. Bumbershoot’s famous band bio generator has provided their elaborate history:

Rising from the pits of Austin, Slingshot Animals ruptured onto the metal scene in 2005 with their debut album, Use Your Initiative. The band’s latest album, Signed, Sealed and Delivered, fuses Elle Simpson’s ominous snarls with booming drum solos to forge a solid record chock-full of sludgy anthems. With standout tracks like “Satan’s Footprint,” look for Slingshot Animals to be a major force in the metal landscape for years to come.

Find out how your band bio would read.

Next up: InternView puts Bumbershoot’s hysterical Programming Department under the microscope. Learn more about the group of people who procure the fine-tuned Bumbershoot lineup each year.

posted June 26 '08 at 04:19PM by Evan in intern, interview

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