News Articles
From the President
Mitch’s Music Video a Much-Needed Boost
Editor’s note: President Alastair Summerlee welcomes comments on his column at president@uoguelph.ca.
Sometimes inspiration, both personal and professional, can come out of nowhere and in unexpected packages.
I received a much-needed motivation boost recently in the form of a 60-second music video. It was made by one of our President’s Scholars, Mitch Moffit, with a little help from about 20 of his friends.
Mitch, a third-year biological sciences student, is vying for “The Best Job in the World,” a position that would take him to Hamilton Island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for six months. Once there, he would be the island’s caretaker, doing things like feeding the fish and blogging about the unique ecosystem and island life.
The job is actually a very clever promotional campaign by Tourism Queensland in Australia. Their “help wanted” ad generated responses from more than 34,000 people in 200 countries.
Candidates had one minute to explain — via a video application — why they are the best person for the job. Based on those entries, the field was narrowed to 50 finalists, including Mitch and a handful of other Canadians.
People around the world were asked to vote for their favourite, and thousands and thousands of people have been going to the Tourism Queensland website every day to cast their ballots. Their votes will help select a wild-card candidate, with the tourism board choosing the other 10 finalists.
For his “hire me” pitch, Mitch, a fixture in Guelph theatre, wrote a musical. He sings about Canada’s harsh weather, his sense of adventure and his love for the outdoors and travel.
The backdrop is downtown Guelph, and as Mitch walks along the street, a group of his friends follow behind in a chorus, singing about his many qualifications in sync and in tune.
The result is simply delightful. Mitch manages to reveal his likeable personality and the spirit of Guelph as he exudes genuine warmth and charm — all in 60 seconds.
The first time I watched it, I smiled from start to finish, as proud as could be that it was produced by one of our students. When it was over, I was flooded with good feelings about the University, the city and life in general.
I’ve watched the video a dozen times at least, and each time, its feel-good aura lingers. I feel as though I’ve started to emerge from my March doldrums, the result of a brutal winter and the University’s even more brutal financial difficulties.
Simply put, Mitch’s video reminds me of what the University of Guelph is all about. Working at U of G exposes us to creative people like Mitch and to fresh ideas on a daily basis. We even get a chance to encourage and foster them along the way.
We get to witness emerging talent and creative minds on the cusp of what they will become, and to see budding ideas that will one day blossom to revolutionize the world.
We get to work with people who are deeply committed to what they do, whether it’s teaching, research or daily work tasks.
Sometimes we disagree with each other. But we do this knowing that U of G is a place where people feel free to exchange ideas and express differing opinions loudly and publicly, and where they feel confident they will be heard.
And although Mitch’s quirky, cheery video can’t make our financial problems disappear, it does remind us why we must keep our shoulders to the wheel. The tough decisions we make today will help preserve the uniqueness of the Guelph learning experience for our students, both now and in the future. They are the reason we do what we do.
Of course, I’ve always known this about U of G and have expressed similar sentiments in the past. But during troubling times, positive views can sometimes be buried under an avalanche of gloom and doom. I’m shovelling my way out, and Mitch’s outlook on what he and Guelph have to offer has helped immensely.
I’m not the only person who’s been affected this way. As of press time Monday, Mitch had racked up 53,051 votes and was sitting in second place behind the candidate from Taiwan. Voting ended Tuesday.
Mitch has been interviewed by television and radio stations, as well as numerous newspapers. He’s received hundreds of e-mails of support, and thousands of people around the world have seen and commented on his video.
More important, “Mitch mania” has swept Guelph. Magic 106 FM has been doing a “Mitch count” every morning to announce the latest vote tally. A local public relations firm, McMillan Marketing Agency, launched an e-mail blitz. And people at City Hall and local schools rallied their troops to go to the website and vote.
It’s a wonderful example of community pride in this university and city, and an important reminder of all things great about Guelph.
We’ll all be rooting for Mitch when the top 10 and the wild-card finalists are announced in April. If he makes it, Mitch, sans chorus, will be off to Australia to interview for the job, this time in person.
If you haven’t seen Mitch’s video, you can still find it on YouTube. It’ll make you smile, and it might just remind you of things you like about living and working in Guelph — even without an ocean view.