If you haven’t heard about Total Frat Move, well then I encourage you to hop on your Facebook feed for .5 seconds. This organization is a satire based website that selects college writers to share their own stories. The University of Utah campus has been home to Wes Cope, who has been writing for them for the past three years, and we took some time to ask a few of our hot questions. You may remember him as the guy who called out a Her Campus writer who called out some body shamers in this article, but there is a little more to Cope’s TFM story.
Major: Writing and Rhetoric Studies
Affiliated Groups: Sigma Nu Fraternity (Alumni)
Senior (Grad. May 2017)
Dream Job: I’d like to be able to invest in energy, tech, and real estate while also working on media projects.
Involved in TFM:
Wes Cope: I’ve been reading TFM since late 2013 or so, and I’ve always enjoyed their style of satire and humor. I’ve loved reading and writing since I was very young but hadn’t ever done any creative writing outside of school until a little over a year ago. During a long study session at the Marriott Library in January 2016, I decided to take a crack at writing something for TFM, and was immediately contacted by their VP of Media upon submitting my first column. A few months later, they invited me out to Austin, Texas to intern with them over the summer. In the year since I started writing for them, I’ve published about 300 pieces of content. My debut novel is in the editing phase, so look out for that in the coming months.
Benefits of writing for TFM:
Wes: I’ve really enjoyed the creative platform that Grandex Media (parent company of TFM) has given me. They’ve given me the opportunity to write for Total Frat Move, Total Sorority Move, and Post Grad Problems, as well as to write and act in video productions and design and model apparel. I’ve also gotten to learn a lot about social media, content aggregation, and marketing, which have already served me well in the corporate world. I have a decent following of people that consistently read my work, and I know they’d let me have it if I wrote something that wasn’t up to their standards. They keep me honest, in a way.
Her Campus Utah: How did your internship with TFM help you with your college experience?
Wes: It was a much-needed break from my college experience. Getting to go out on my own and experience a fun city like Austin was incredible, and it taught me a lot about life after college. I was living in a dorm room at the University of Texas, so I was heavily involved in their nightlife. It was really bizarre being recognized out at the bars or at house parties, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it.
HC: What would you like people to know about TFM?
Wes: TFM and Grandex Media are staffed with some incredible people, and they’re a company that takes great pride in the work they do. Those guys work around the clock to find new ways to create content their readers will love, and they take great care of their people. Grandex occupies a few office buildings to the west of Austin, and for the most part, it resembles a normal corporate environment. Well, other than the fridge full of beer in the break room and the occasional “Can you guys fucking believe last night’s Bachelor?”
HC: How was the Total Sorority Move intern?
Wes: When I found out that TSM was also bringing in a summer intern, I was beyond excited. I was brand new to the city, and most of the TFM staff were a few years older than me, so it was nice to have someone my own age there. Intern Ali and I wrote a series of columns in which we threw a lot of shade at each other, but in reality, we were inseparable. She’s an amazing person, and one of the best friends I’ll ever have. In fact, she flew out from her home in New Jersey to attend my fraternity’s Winter Formal this past December.
HC: We all read your article in reply to Her Campus and everyone just wants to know why you are so sassy?
Wes: For some background, I wrote an article over the summer in rebuttal to a Her Campus column accusing TFM of body shaming. Within a few hours of writing the article, I was bombarded with angry emails, texts, and phone calls from people back at the U accusing me of being sexist and insensitive. It made me laugh, because the article itself was very lighthearted, and the girl who wrote the original Her Campus piece told me she thought it was funny and in good taste. One of the main questions I got about that article was “Can you imagine what a terrible influence it would be if a young girl read this?” To that I say, I sincerely hope no young girls read anything on TFM.
In case you didn’t get your fill of our local TFM star, check out all his articles here!