In January, a group of George Washington students went with Professor Nam Pham to Chile to work with a well-known live music entertainment company, DG Medios. The students’ goal was to assess their corporate activities and calculate the social and economic impacts of the activities on local stakeholders.
After their week onsite, the students presented several recommendations around green events, becoming an equal opportunity employer, and taking a stand against racism to help the company improve its image and the impact of its activities on its local community. The team’s recommendations were received positively by the company and as the team left Chile, the company was planning on implementing many of their suggestions to start improving and becoming a better citizen of its broader community. Sole Di Pede, a Promoter Rep for DG Medios, even said, “I’ll continue trying to make our company a green company, so that music does not have a negative impact, but only of enjoyment and pleasure.”
This week, we received an update from DG Medios about the implementation status of the GW student team’s recommendations – they confirmed that implementation is well underway. They worked with their sponsor, Entel, to set up a phone and electronics recycling program in return for free concert tickets and may start setting up recycling stations at their shows. In addition, they have contracted a consulting firm to help them focus on sustainability at their events to minimize the environmental impact of their concerts.
Learning experiences such as this provide students with the unique opportunity to act as consultants for live clients, and see their recommendations come to fruition. It is this type of engagement that ensures that GW students are recognized internationally and their problem-solving and consulting skills are respected. For DG Medios, engaging with GW has led to significant internal initiatives, and they still feel a strong connection to the students and appreciation of their hard work and recommendations.
