Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Colon.
Alexander, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania I moved down here at the age of 21. I attended FIU, where I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Communications. Throughout my time in school, I got a marketing intern position at Revolution Live, one of the biggest and oldest performance venues in South Florida. I wanted to learn the ins & outs of venue management so I found this to be the smartest way to do so. About a year into my internship, my manager suggested that I throw a showcase at the infamous venue since he saw I was an artist and was trying to set up shows around the area. At that moment, I knew with a venue like this, a showcase would have a TON of potential. I threw my first show in 2017 at Revolution Live, only garnering an audience of 50 people or less. I would continue to throw these showcases often, at least once a month.
After my internship with Revolution Live, me and the booking manager continued building our relationship and allowed me to keep throwing shows. At that time, I received a promotions position at Power 96, Kiss 99, and WQAM (what used to be CBS Radio). Through this position, I was able to sharpen my skills in events and promotions as well as connect me to key players in the industry within South Florida. The promotions team I worked with, I noticed, was a team of motivated individuals with unique skill sets. I invited them out to one of my shows at Revolution Live and that is where my company, “The Ripple Effect”, was created. My mission in throwing shows was always to support the creatives and be that helping hand to take their career to the next level. When I started taking my artistry seriously, nobody wanted to pick me up and put me on a stage. I emailed and messaged event throwers tirelessly to get a spot on their stages but I was often overlooked. This is when I figured, “you know what, I’ll throw my own shows and I will get others on a stage.” The Ripple Effect adopted that mission and took it to the next level. Our home stage is Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, but that does not stop us from throwing shows in other cities and areas. We sponsored a stage at Launch Music Conference in my hometown Lancaster, PA. We threw shows in Wynwood and our next show will be hosted at Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Company on Feb. 21, 2021. This is our first show back since COVID hit and we could not be more excited.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think any business really has a “smooth road”. There are always things that we could fix and improve upon. I started out with an audience of 50 people in a 1200 person venue. I had to figure out how to get people inside the building, but most importantly: STAY throughout the entire show. The issue we started to have is that people would show up for the artist they came to see and then just leave. So the other acts would not get a fair listen from the entire audience. We continued to try different things: add vendors for entertainment, add a host to keep audience involved, change up the genres of the show, host raffles, add artist interviews etc. Our last show, before COVID, was by far our best show. We ended up having an audience of 500 music lovers in Revolution Live and by the end of the show, there was still about 500 in there. Right now, it is a struggle with COVID being a thing and the entertainment industry being shut down and monitored. But I think we have found a way to safely have shows and still get to enjoy live entertainment.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am first a hip hop/R&B artist. Music is my passion, music is my love. Music has been my only outlet for my emotions. I started writing music in high school, owned my own studio at the age of 19, interned as an engineer/producer at Atlantic Records at the age of 20, and moved to Miami at the age of 21. My move to Miami made me take writing a little more seriously. I moved out here by myself, no family or friends. I had to figure things out on my own, but that was the most fun part. I started to write a lot more because the process brought with it a lot of emotions. I started to find my sound. I now go by the artist name “Worldwide Wednesday” and have branded myself correctly. Going to Florida International University and studying Communications & Marketing helped me a whole lot more than I could ever imagine. Now I travel to perform shows, work with different producers and engineers, and continue to grow my brand and music every single day.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Enjoy the process. As simple/obvious as that sounds, we tend to forget it throughout the journey. The ups & downs are all a part of it.
Contact Info:
- Email: submitrippleeffect@gmail.com
- Website: www.sflrippleeffect.com
- Instagram: @sflrippleeffect / @worldwidewednesday
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sflrippleeffect or https://www.facebook.com/WorldWideWednesday
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wrldwidewed
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOCaaRfipn9EbQ7zrkRHDrA
- Other: https://linktr.ee/worldwidewednesday
Image Credits:
@pictureswithval
