You’ve heard the name, wore the clothes, seen the videos, and been to the parties. Since 2011, College Life has been on IUP’s campus, took it over and now it’s expanding to stores, the internet and, other schools.
Several people rep the brand, but few know the man who started it all. This week, Her Campus was able to interview IUP’s real Campus Celebrity, TJ Smith.
TJ, who is a senior, Communications Media major from Harrisburg does it all. He’s a director, photographer, and entrepreneur, who takes care of his business all while planning a December graduation.
Over the past few years, TJ has directed commercials, weddings, documentaries, and music videos. Not only has he worked with other IUP campus celebrities, such as 2 Saint, Soul and Dubby, he has also worked with rappers including Webbie, Joey Jihad, and Pittsburgh’s Devin Miles.
His brand is currently skyrocketing across the state and even the nation through its website: www.officialcollegelife.com.
College Life is an entertainment and apparel company which consists of t-shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, and a blog, as seen on the website.
“Everything we do is for a college audience,” TJ said. “We have something for everyone.”
The videos have shown the life of students at parties, basketball games, and the café.
What originally started off as RepMySchool, a place to post videos from different schools and promote the everyday college lifestyle, quickly turned into being all about “college life,” after TJ realized there was potential in his business.
With 26.5 thousand twitter followers and 8 thousand followers on Instagram, College Life turned from just repping one’s school to wearing the clothes, going to the parties, and keeping up on the latest in sports, entertainment, and news.
College Life has expanded from a presence on only IUP’s campus to having representatives at Shippensburg, Bloomsburg, and Slippery Rock Universities.
TJ plans on continuing to spread and further develop the College Life brand, he’s “working and trying to get this business taken to the next level.”
If you’re in college, or even an alumnus, join the movement. Merchandise can be bought in the Co-Op Store at IUP and, as always, on the website.
TJ’s company is growing by the day and so is his reach. Keep up with TJ and stay in the know through College Life on Twitter (@CollegeLifeShop) and Instagram (officialcollegelife)