In January 2019, before the start of my freshman year at Temple University, I created a rap duo with my partner Cole Hurst called Bug Milk. I named it after my two favorite things: insects and dairy.
Bug Milk started off as a joke. We wrote a social commentary song about vaping in the bathroom, thinking it’d be a one-time thing.
However, after our first song, my mother said, “With what is popular on the radio today, you could make a better song.”
She was right, so we decided to keep Bug Milk going. We released another song in 2019 and started selling yellow T-shirts with our brown logo on them to loosely promote our music.
During my sophomore year, Cole and I both lived in The Edge Student Village. We recorded on a DIY mic and laptop setup on the tiny room-provided desk, which could barely hold all of our supplies.
I was taking a class called Mobile Media, and one of the assignments entailed making a video using only a cell phone. Bug Milk had created a song called “Soup!” earlier that year, so I decided to film a music video to go along with it.
The world was still shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, and walking around outside to film wasn’t an option. I created a shot list, borrowed a camera stabilizer, grabbed my roommate to hold the camera and we made an entire music video at The Edge.
I submitted the music video, and something clicked for me: I realized I had a passion for performing and audio.
Later that year, I learned The Temple News was looking for a podcast editor, a brand new position seemingly announced at the perfect time for me.
I was confident I had the skills to create podcasts from my experience in song-making, so I applied and got the job.
As a podcast editor, I created RePrint, a podcast that digs deeper into The Temple News’ biweekly print editions. I learned how to host my own show, but also how to manage a deadline. The position merged my passion and professional life, and I found my voice.
Even with the addition of RePrint in my life, I was still able to grow with Bug Milk. I developed my audio skills with Bug Milk and honed them to aid my audio career as a whole with RePrint.
One day in junior year, someone asked me if I made the song “Soup!”
“Uh, yeah,” I hesitantly replied.
They explained the professor for Mobile Media was using my music video as an example in his classes. Later on, two more people told me they also saw my video.
For the rest of the year, Bug Milk was a part of my personal brand. We performed at house shows in our matching outfits, selling merch, putting stickers on any street signs we found, meeting people in the music scene and having fun with it.
Last summer, I started applying for internships in Los Angeles because I was moving there for Temple’s fall study away program. I was hesitant about what to include in my resume, as it seemed a bit sparse compared to my peers.
I figured adding Bug Milk was “professional” enough because we’ve distributed music and performed.
I eventually scored an interview with a recruiter from Jam in the Van, a mobile RV recording studio and comedy venue, who asked me about my rap duo of all things.
Later that year, I had another interview for a comedy show internship, named Office Hours Live, with a recruiter who was particularly interested in, again, Bug Milk. They liked how I created a comedic music group on my own and that I was passionate enough to keep doing it for four years.
I ended up working both internships. Throughout the semester, I interviewed musicians, traveled to festivals and worked with comedians. My Bug Milk experience, technically and creatively, helped me connect with them.
As graduation approaches, I’ve been thinking more about what I want to do moving forward. With experiences in RePrint and Bug Milk under my belt, I realized I want to stick with hosting and comedy. Bug Milk and my internships have made me aware of the comedy side of media while RePrint has left me wanting to host my own show again someday.
Something I thought of as just a hobby ended up opening doors to wonderful opportunities. Bug Milk will always be a part of my life, and who knows, maybe it will become a career of its own. My passion for entertainment knows no bounds.
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