Often seen with various girls along his arms and a boyish lovable grin as he walks along the campus of UM is a talented, music-loving AEPI brother: meet Eli Berman.
Name: Eli BermanYear: JuniorMajor: Music EngineeringHometown: Potomac, MDRelationship Status: Some say single, others say very single.
What is your favorite UM memory?“EEN 118 class with a girl named Colleen (I’m getting brownie points for this one)”
What is your favorite guilty pleasure?“I’d say Taylor Swift, but I don’t feel guilty about it.”
Special talent?“Bribing collegiate websites into making me seem much better than I actually am.”
What would your ideal date be?“A picnic under the shade of a sycamore tree with three small clouds pushing their way across an otherwise blue sky, two mojitos with fresh lime and mint, along with a bottle of ‘02 Chardonnay while your hair flows effortlessly in the wind…or Hooters.”
If you turned into a girl for a day, what is the first thing you would do?“Find out why I’m mad at myself, not look at boobs because I don’t objectify women, [and] order a martini. I’m not James Bond so I can’t pull it off as a dude.”
If you had to pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?“The tears of Boston fans or Sesame chicken.”
What do you like most about being in AEPI?“Tailgate committee – before all the girls arrive and the music starts, there is nothing better then sitting on the back of a pickup truck in the early hours of the day hydrating with the crew.”
Would you describe yourself as naughty or nice?“Nice, like the southern cities of France, which I have traveled to on multiple occasions…for business…because I’m cultured.”
What inspired you to go into your major?“I love music more than anything with technology in a close second. My uncle works for Hollywood Records (Disney’s label) so I grew up in that industry. He used to take me backstage and to dinner or interviews with a bunch of famous Disney stars. (Needless to say, I peaked in 6th grade when we all listened to Jesse McCartney, Miley, etc.) It’s a lot of fun to see how that industry works. I want to take over this industry and this major is an awesome foundation for that. I want to run things and will push myself until I do and then probably push myself a little bit more. As Jay-Z once said, ‘I aint a business man. I’m a business, man.’”
What did your internship this summer entail?“I interned for Andy Grammer, AJR, and a few other artists at S-Curve Records in Manhattan. It was absolutely unreal. It was right when “Honey I’m Good” went Double Platinum. The internship was essentially a round-robin of music business tasks, including artist management, tour stuff, and some A&R (Artist and Repertoire–the process revising a song until it is perfect.) I actually chilled with Andy a bit at my beach house before boating him to the venue on Papa Berman’s boat (who, by the way, as much as I love my family, we should not have a boat. My Mom is from Northern Jersey and my Dad is from Far Rockaway and both have spent the majority of their time on land. It has sunk…twice. We have no idea how to maintain it and it crashes or shuts down at least once a week.) Anyway, we spent a lot of time discussing his new song “Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)” download it on iTunes Now! ;) since it was still in the editing phase, and I actually got to voice a lot of input. Next thing I know I’m back down in school listening to the radio and I hear it premier with the changes I suggested. Really great feeling! I got a lot of time to talk with our artists throughout this summer. I lived in the Village so I got to feel like a real City Slicker (because the rule is if you “have a go at it in the Big Apple” you’re automatically a New Yorker)”
What do you enjoy most about your work?“There is no greater joy than seeing a musician hear their song on the radio for the first time and there is never a repetitive reaction. One artist cursed profusely. Another just sat there with his mouth wide open. All of them scream at some point though.”