With the recent announcement of the Fall WILD artist, some of you may be curious about who actually picks these performers and puts together our phenomenal WILD concerts. Meet one of the main men behind it all, Jordan Finkelstein. Besides being notorious for his sassy humor and wit, Jordan is currently the president of Social Programming Board (SPB), the student organization that plans WILD, Gargoyle concerts, comedy shows, and numerous other events around campus. Basically, he’s kind of a big deal.
Year: Junior
Major: Marketing
Minor: Communication Design
Hometown: Gaithersburg, MD
Why did you initially get involved with SPB? I initially got involved with SPB because after attending my first concert on campus, I thought it would be cool to be a part of the group that planned it. I’ve been involved with SPB ever since.
So Icona Pop was just announced as the Fall WILD artist. Can you explain the process of how SPB chooses a WILD artist? Our number one priority when choosing talent, whether it is WILD, a Gargoyle concert, or a comedy show is always to bring someone that the students want. Since students are the ones actually attending our events, it’s a logical move to bring exactly who the students want. We heavily utilize surveys, committees, and other types of student outreach to bring the best talent for our student body.
If you could bring any performer to campus, who would it be? Honestly, who wouldn’t bring Beyonce and Jay-Z?
What are some of your other responsibilities as SPB president? I think SPB president is kind of a two-pronged position. I do a lot of work internally with our board, optimizing our organization’s structure, communication, mission, events goals etcetera, but I also do a lot externally, like working with the administration, Student Union exec, StudLife, programming board associations, and more. It’s definitely been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done on campus, and also one of the most exciting.
What’s your favorite thing you’ve done as a part of SPB? There are two events that I’ve personally worked to execute that I think are my favorite. There was a Parachute concert on the South 40 last fall that was sponsored by Starbucks, which was definitely a new program with a unique location at the Clock Tower. Secondly, this past month we’ve partnered with the First Year Center on WUFC and dramatically altered the atmosphere of the event, leading to a much better experience for first year students.
Besides SPB, what else are you involved in on campus? SPB is honestly a full-time job, but besides that I currently work in the DUC.
What’s your favorite St. Louis performance venue? Edison Theatre, Graham Chapel, Gargoyle, Bowles Plaza, and Brookings Quad. Can you tell that my favorite venues are SPB’s venues?
What do you like to do when you actually have free time? I love to travel. Last summer I went to Israel, which was an amazing experience. My all-time favorite trip was to Africa where my family went on a safari for two weeks. It was amazing to see those animals in real life.