The Business of Entertainment Club at a meeting. Credit: Courtesy of Eva Gibson
Live music, digital galleries and student cinema will all be part of the Business of Entertainment Club’s End of Year Showcase Sunday at Casa Cacao, turning student artwork into a professional networking opportunity.
The showcase will blend diverse artwork pieces as a manifestation of the club’s mission to cover every career in the entertainment industry. Grace Rana, a third-year in moving image production and marketing, and BEC founder and president, said the disciplinary approach mimics the industry of the real world.
“If you look at the entertainment industry, you can observe how many people move between acting, filmmaking, modeling, music and so many other things within the field,” Rana said. “We wanted to be the place where OSU’s creatives could mix and mingle in a similar way.”
The event will feature an array of content including student films, live musical performances and digital art displays. This year, the event returned to Casa Cacao — located at 367 E. Hudson St. — where Eva Gibson, a third-year in marketing and BEC’s event coordinator, said the club found a supportive environment that could handle the unique and technical needs of the varying lineup of artwork.
Gibson said the collaboration with the venue includes two featured drinks — “The Business,” a Golden latte infused with lavender and “The Entertainment,” a lemonade-based drink with coconut cream and pineapple.
“The baristas are always extremely welcoming and friendly, and the management always makes an effort to accommodate us and our needs,” Gibson said.
Organizing an event of this scale did not come without its challenges. Gibson said artist recruitment can be difficult when trying to explain how so many different art forms can fit in one space.
Rana said the production team learned a lot about the technical side of event planning through these challenges.
“It was challenging gathering and setting up the necessary equipment,” Rana said. “Many board members are, and have been, filmmakers and business students, so we aren’t always as versed in the cabling and audio mixing.”
The heart of the showcase remains the quality networking opportunities that will be provided. Gibson said that by inviting guests from the College of Arts and Sciences and even platforms such as Depop — an online second-hand clothing marketplace — to the table with student creators, the club is hoping to maximize professional growth of its members.
“The entertainment industry is all about who you know,” Rana said. “By having a mix of people attending the event, we can maximize the amount and quality of connections that form.”
Gibson said the most rewarding aspect of the event for her is watching the “fruits of their labor come to life” after months of preparation. She also said she finds joy in seeing guests network with others, especially in niches that can feel small or isolating at times.
“Showcase day is always chaotic, but at the end, seeing an experience that you’ve created and executed well is such a rewarding and fulfilling experience,” Gibson said.
As the academic year comes to an end, Gibson said the showcase acts as a celebration of past work and a recruitment tool for the future. She said she hopes the relaxed, creative atmosphere will encourage “new and old faces” to gain interest in joining the club next fall.
Rana said the long-term goal is to provide a lasting platform for student voices.
“We want the artists to gain visibility on their work, as well as connect with peers and the organization itself,” Rana said. “Our ultimate goal for the overall community is to become better connected in order to promote collaboration, innovation and creative confidence.”
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