Jillian Hanesworth | Neon Entertainment

Rediscover Live Entertainment: Reconnecting Students Through the Power of Performance

June 19, 2025

We live in a time when most entertainment is consumed through screens, at our fingertips, curated, and often watched alone. For many students, this is all they know. But there’s a type of performance that brings people together, creates unforgettable moments, and delivers energy you can feel: live entertainment. And now is the perfect time to rediscover live entertainment on campus. As event planners and programmers, you have a unique opportunity to reintroduce the next … Continued

Award-Winning Activist Poets: Jillian Hanesworth and Gabriel Ramirez

September 4, 2024

By Scott Talarico

Poetry has always been a force for change, giving voice to the voiceless, shedding light on hidden truths, and inspiring people to envision a better future. Two award-winning activist poets using their talents to spark conversations and drive social progress are Jillian Hanesworth and Gabriel Ramirez. Both artists bring unique perspectives to their work, using their words to advocate for justice, healing, and community. Jillian Hanesworth: Poetry for Justice and Change Jillian Hanesworth is an … Continued

Escape Rooms

“eople absolutely loved the Escape Rooms and your team was incredibly easy to work with. I really appreciate all of your help in coordinating all of the details!

As the summer begins, my captains will begin solidifying the details for their events in the fall so they’ll be in contact with you and I know that some of them have reached out already. We look forward to working with you again to execute another series of successful events!”

— Jess, Penn State University – University Park

Bazooka Ball

“Yes, last-minute we had to change location due to their being confusion with reservations, facilities, and the campus police. It ended up working out though as the change of location ended up being better for Jay and the setup with electricity being right there and not having to be setup. Those who played seemed to thoroughly enjoy the game, and we want to thank you for all of your help and assistance through the booking process. We look forward to continuing working with you throughout the rest of this semester and those to come. “

— Paige, East Stroudsburg University

Will Jay

“Everything was wonderful with Will Jay. He was easy to work with during the event and our students truly loved having him – I have already received requests to bring him to campus when we are allowed to do face to face events again. Here is what one person text me after the event, “I hope you can tell Will Jay how powerful it was, I’m talking to so many people about it and they all loved it and were touched by his songs and words”. There were multiple messages in the chat during the event last night talking about how amazing his lyrics were, his voice, most importantly students were able to relate in to the messages he was talking and singing about. I think Will Jay has a new fan base here at CMU and they are going to consume the music he has out now – and are eagerly anticipating what he has in store.”

— Wade, Central Michigan University

Maximize Your Buzz

“You [Max Buzz] made an impact on my decisions. That night I planned to go to a birthday party, and I was excited to drink with all my friends. However, after going to the program, I didn’t want to drink anymore. I just wanted to hang out with my friends, and remember the night rather than waking up the next morning wondering how I got home. So I know you don’t know me personally, but I thought you should know that you made a difference.”

— Brittney Gilman, University of New Hampshire, Student

T Murph

“The entire audience was laughing and he was too – it’s refreshing to see a performer still having fun on stage doing what they love. I was at NACA this past year, where we first saw T-Murph, and I’m glad we ended up bringing him to our campus. He interacted with the guests during show, but he’s one of the few that stuck around after on his own accord. OU students formed a line to talk to him about his journey, take selfies, and simply just to say hi.”

— Oakland University

Elizabeth Acevedo

“She [Elizabeth Acevedo] was wonderful. It was a perfect fit for the event, the audience loved her! She gave them a space to explore some emotions they may have or need to understand from an outsider’s perspective or just a space to hear what she had to say abut her experiences, observations, etc. One of the students from the club we were collaborating with even said we need to bring her back in the future. She is one performer we will be keeping in our heads for future performances.”

— Emily Umstead, Aquinas College

Derrick Knopsnyder

“The event went great! We had a great turnout of about 70 students and they all seemed to love Derrick’s humor and jokes. He does a great job of using the information he knows about the university to relate with the students in the audience. Not many students answered our post-event survey (it’s almost impossible to get college students to do something without incentive) but those who did answer it said that they would definitely attend this event again! The stuffed animals are a great draw to get students to the event as well. We even had a group of students waiting 30 minutes early.”

— Ryleigh, Clarkson University

Virtual Paint Social

“Just a little love for Lindsey…whose “paintsocialswithLindsey” offered a creative outlet for our students hours before finals begin tomorrow! We were thrilled at our response. Not only is she a delight and is sooo patient with the group in person but she is able to manage the virtual event with the same grace. She packaged up the paint kits for us and shipped them home – and then sent me the final pics of the completed project. Cannot recommend this enough!!!”

— University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Ryan Kelly

“I was so impressed that we had 30 people show up! Last term, we only had one other “live” event that got that kind of participation! Ryan [Kelly] was funny and so high-energy! Our Student Engagement director also stopped by and was very impressed at how “appropriate” his comedy was – so props to that! – the students were so excited and loved Ryan! We also appreciate having such great performers in our budget which is tight this year.”

— Kelly, Western Oregon University