An Interview with Rachel of The Football Team Creative, October 2024

Tell me about you/your role in the Football Team!

⁃ My name is Rachel Milan and my role in the Football Team is VP of Marketing. I’m in charge of the instagram, documenting events, making posters, etc. 

What is your mission? (why did you join and what interested you in working in marketing?)

⁃ As the Football Team we strive to build community by creating opportunity for local artists through live music events, art fairs, drag shows, etc. There are endless possibilities when it comes to organizing a creative event!!

What do you hope to accomplish? What sort of progress/change do you strive towards with the collective?

⁃ I hope to provide opportunity through networking with my position and I believe in order to expand on this we need to consider hosting events and collaborating outside of Arlington. Expanding our creative endeavors to Dallas and Fort Worth will expose more individuals to our organization; opening up more possibilities for networking. 

How does the group organize events? Is it a big team effort or more individual?

⁃ Our meetings are structured in a way that make planning events effective. As a group we decide what kind of events we want to work on which usually consist of a fundraising event, a ticketed event, and a club hangout. Leadership members will pick one of the three to plan. We will then break out into three groups and our general members can pick which ever group based on what event they want to work on. In each group we will decide the date, time, and place of said event and start contacting venues and artists. Once we’re done discussing the details in our individual groups we will regroup with the rest of the members and discuss the game plan for each group.

What is the process of throwing these events & securing venues (museums for galleries, spaces for markets) how is all of this handled? 

⁃ When it comes to securing a venue or band it really isn’t difficult. Someone on leadership will contact a venue or band we’re interested in via instagram, we give them the date and time for our event and discuss their availability. Sometimes we will have to change our initial date and time, but that’s expected. A week or two leading up to the event we will get a flyer posted on instagram, start handing out physical flyers, and get a presale link for tickets posted. The actual day of the event is a little more stressful. Leadership members, general members who have volunteered to help with setup, and band members will arrive about an hour and a half early. We setup decorations if it’s a themed event, do sound check, help the bands get setup, setup our merch and ticketing booth, then wait for people to start showing up. Securing  a place to have an event is half the battle; whether it be for live music or an art fair it’s all about clear and effective communication. 

What does your process look like when working? How do you decide what routes to take when advertising? (Branding, advertising events, determining platforms and ‘figuring out what makes an ad ‘successful’, etc.)

⁃ When I’m working I’m primarily focused on the outreach we gain on instagram and in person. The instagram analytics and insights are really helpful for this because it breaks down the demographic of people that view our posts and stories as well as which days and times we get the most views. I really take into consideration the demographic of our viewers and the aesthetics of our club when I’m making a post; the graphics, the music on the post, the caption. They are all important to making a post successful. In-person is a little different. Usually when we’re handing out flyers it’s on the UTA campus and it’ll be a brief interaction we’ll say something along the lines of “party this Friday” and hand them a flyer with all the event details and a QR code for our link tree. When it comes to hanging up flyers I try to stay in the downtown Arlington area because it’s close to campus and we’re usually catering to UTA students. Coffee shops, bars, galleries, tattoo shops are good locations for hanging flyers because they’re places that people spend a decent amount of time at and they typically have an artistic aesthetic. If you’d find a member of FBT there then I’d hang a poster there. 

What have been some challenges you’ve faced within your role? How did you get over these roadblocks?

⁃ Throughout the semester we all become tired due to midterms and finals. This leads to a decrease in membership towards the end of each semester making events harder to execute. Although this is understandable it becomes frustrating especially as someone on leadership because I feel the need to hold myself accountable and commit even when the workload increases on top of keeping up with my classes.

Was there anything that surprised you when you first began working in marketing for the FTC? Anything unexpected?  

⁃ When I first started working in marketing the most surprising thing to me was how much I enjoyed it. I initially ran for a leadership position because leadership was short staffed last year, so I ran for a position that seemed manageable with my class and work schedule. Our treasurer, Matt, is a marketing major so he gave me helpful information on what to consider when it came to marketing FBT effectively. Then when I started making graphics and posters I realized I really enjoy curating the aesthetic for football team and visually representing our mission. 

If you had infinite money & infinite resources, what would be your dream event to host? 

⁃ With unlimited money and resources I would like to host an event at the sphere in Las Vegas. I went to the sphere this summer and it was unlike anything I’ve experienced. It’s truly a unique concert experience. Considering this I would want this to be a longer event with 7-10 DJ’s and because it is far away I would want to fly our club members out and provide hotel rooms for free. It’s really ambitious, but it would be an amazing experience. 

What does the average FTC meeting consist of?

⁃ The average meeting consists of an icebreaker for the first 5-10 minutes of the meeting. We’ll ask something like “what kind of apocalypse would you survive?” And everyone will have the opportunity to answer. Then we get to business and break out into 2-3 groups to plan events. After the meeting people will usually get together somewhere else to hangout.

What are the benefits of joining the Football Team? 

⁃ FBT is an opportunity to network and get experience in something creative. We provide opportunities such as sound workshops where members can learn to run sound for events. Some of our members are in bands and have played at events for us, so that’s another great opportunity. When we’re involved in fairs and festivals anyone in the club who makes physical artwork, garments, etc. is given the opportunity to vend there. 

(poster credit: Rachel Milan)

How has the Football Team benefitted you in your work/art/career?

⁃ The FBT has helped me learn to communicate and be proficient in a professional setting. I’ve definitely expanded my skill set for my future career path and I’m extremely grateful. 

What is your favorite memory from the FTC?

⁃ My favorite memory from FBT is getting to hangout with my best friend Matt. We’ll explore DFW together, go to shows together, go camping together. I am immensely grateful to have someone like him in my life.

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