The faces of GLOWfest

The second annual GLOWfest promises to put on a show Thursday that will be brighter and bigger than ever. With headliner electronic artist Pretty Lights playing to a sold-out crowd, this year’s GLOWfest is sure to be an unforgettable concert-going experience.

But behind all of the pretty lights, 50 IU student interns have spent months working to make sure the concert will go off without a hitch.

Junior Claire Shirley, junior Colin Heard and sophomore Kate Swanson are three of those students.

“The overall experience with our interns has been great,” GLOWfest co-founder Deuce Thevenow said. “I have really enjoyed helping fellow students gain experience about all aspects of the music industry.”

Among the interns are journalism, arts management and event planning majors — all of which have come together to network and get involved on campus.

“Our first intention was to have a GLOWfest in fall 2010,” Swanson said.

Swanson is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and was initially approached by the GLOWfest committee last July.

“Those working on GLOWfest were looking for a greek house to help publicize the event, and ZTA seemed like a good fit,” she said.

Swanson was the sole applicant for GLOWfest’s publicity internship, but shortly after getting the job, the show fell through. Though this was a disappointment at first, it gave her the opportunity to stay on board and work to make this week’s Little 500 GLOWfest brighter than ever.

“Though I was initially brought in as a publicist, I soon began dealing with sponsorship, media partnership and marketing,” she said.

Swanson said she is now well-versed in all the different areas of GLOWfest and does her best to help out wherever needed.

Shirley has also enjoyed the benefits and opportunities GLOWfest has given her.

As the director of public relations, Shirley has spent her time contacting radio stations and newspapers to cover the event.

“I have enjoyed working with other students to produce such a unique show,” Shirley said. “Interning for GLOWfest was new for me because I didn’t have prior experience in the entertainment industry, but it has given me so much insight.”

While the interns said they see GLOWfest as a valuable learning experience, they have dealt with their fair share of obstacles along the way.

“When I was first given the position of director of operations, I was told the job was going to be a marathon, not a sprint,” Heard said.

While Heard said he is willing to sprint marathons, he admitted that GLOWfest has been a lot of hard work.

Heard was responsible for all security to be provided at the show and oversaw a team of four other interns working with him on various other assignments.

“I think the most difficult part of my job thus far has been how quickly things can change,” Heard said. “Last-minute modifications with fencing and security could have easily thrown me off, but I just tried to stay on the ball and not get too flustered.”

Swanson, Shirley and Heard all encourage students interested in the music industry to get involved with GLOWfest next year, and student involvement is something Thevenow wishes to continue developing.

“Living in Indiana, it can be hard for students to gain experience about the entertainment industry,” Tevenow said. “I feel like GLOWfest has given IU students an opportunity to actively apply the skills they have learned in the classroom to a large-scale event.”