Student org to combine artistic talent with industry savvy

By: Yeskanisayka Urbina/Staff Writer

 

Students now have the opportunity to turn their entertainment or artistic hobbies into a full-on production, thanks to a police service technician.

Brandon Caneva, a business management major who also works with the FIU police department, has created a student organization at the University to help students grow into artists by providing resources to create events.

“I didn’t make this organization just for me; this is to help everyone with the same like-mindedness,” said Caneva. “It’s the entertainment side or production side, the behind the scenes, whatever it is that you want to learn, we’ll do this together.”

Virtuosity gives students a chance to grow and showcase their talent for a chance to build portfolios.

The organization offers different viewpoints to students, giving them chances to challenge themselves to find what they’d like to pursue a career in.

“Let’s say you’re a singer, but maybe you want to get into marketing. We’ll allow you to try both things in the organization and we’ll see what you like,” said Caneva. “Maybe because of that process you find that you like managing more, public relations more…It’s to give you that portfolio now while you’re still getting an education.”

Caneva told Student Media that at the end of the day, his initiative is providing students with an experience that exposes them to different parts of the industry. They may go in wanting to pursue music, but come out realizing they prefer the business side of the entertainment industry instead.

Growing up, Caneva began film editing as a nine-year-old, where he realized that he was good at it, but not enough to see himself do it as a career.

“I never saw that as a particular talent, but a lot of my friends were talented or interested in music, acting, or dancing… so I thought why not find a way to help them,” said Caneva. “I started with trying to create my own agency, but until I can gain enough credibility I thought, why not use the resources that aren’t being used in FIU in creating a student organization?”

Virtuosity is meant to bring the best of both worlds to a student’s perspective by providing them opportunities to not only perform on stage but to also work behind the scenes according to Caneva.

“I’m catering to those who haven’t gotten to share their voice yet, and help them weed out from those who are typical Soundcloud rappers to those who actually want to make this a living,” said Caneva.  

Like homecoming in the fall or Summer Fest, Caneva hopes to establish an event in the spring where students from the University are able to perform in front of a large audience.

“The first event that I’m planning for fall is going to be an art gala. So sculptures, digital designers, painters, will be able to show off their work and what I’m trying to achieve is that they can auction off their items,” said Caneva. “A percentage of the proceeds can go to themselves or a charity of their choice.”

Caneva has arranged an open mic on Wednesday, Mar. 20 through a collaboration with The Flex Music Competition, where students from the organization will be opening acts, giving other performers the opportunity a chance to win free studio time and a personalized beat.

The end goal of this student organization is not only to expand to other universities for each school to find a virtuosity within their student body but to motivate students to find their passion and follow it.  

“Find first what your interest is, and then within that interest, see what’s being worked on or what’s not being utilized and capitalize on that,” said Caneva.

Those who would like to RSVP for the showcase on March 20 can follow this link.

 

Featured image courtesy of Virtuosity