Tag Archives: blog

A Profile of Philly Blogger Josh Middleton

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Meet Josh! (PHOTO/Josh Middleton)

Josh Middleton, 40, has ran blogs professionally for several local outlets, including Philadelphia City Paper, Philadelphia Magazine and Time Out Philadelphia. He has also blogged for The Philadelphia Citizen and Uwishunu. He does have experience doing a beat blog at Philadelphia Magazine, where he ran their LGBTQ blog, G Philly, and their arts blog. Middleton graduated Temple University in 2010 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. In 2004, Middleton started blogging (at justjoshfunk1.blogspot.com) while living in San Francisco. Back then, sharing your life online was still pretty new; now so many people have a blog, making it easy to get “lost in the fray”. He developed a following (a lot of it came from the videos he made on his YouTube channel) after he started sharing his experiences living in San Francisco. He continued to blog extensively even after he moved back East. He ended up halting his personal blog because of graduating from college in 2010 and began blogging and writing for a living.

Middleton was born and raised in Lancaster, Kentucky, a small conservative town just south of Lexington. Throughout his childhood, Middleton faced some bullying and name-calling for being gay. Although it was challenging to get through, he had a great support system of family and friends. Despite facing some controversy, he excelled in writing. He kept journals throughout his pre-teen and teenage years, and always was at the top of his English classes. Middleton also has a passion for traveling; he is going on a trip to Japan this year which he is extremely excited about.

Middleton had a lot of advice for young bloggers. “It’s an outlet where you can be conversational and have a little fun with the things you write and share. It’s also important to keep your finger on the pulse of what your audience is looking for, which is easy to do with SEO tools that show you what people are searching for.” Knowing who your audience is and what they are looking for is essential when it comes to blogging.

Middleton’s favorite part about blogging is having a wider audience to connect with, to have greater reach. He has been able to develop relationships with some cool organizations in the city, like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Live Nation, the Kimmel Center and local theaters.

“Sometimes you get a chance to check out exhibits and shows before anyone else, so you can share the experience with people who may want to go,” mentioned Middleton.

Something I’d like to share about Middleton is his drive to be the best person he can be.

“These days, I guess I feel most proud of myself when I feel like I’m being the best person I can be – especially in those moments when it’s particularly hard to do the right thing. So, in a nutshell, being a good, empathetic person even when it’s challenging,” said Middleton. Middleton is up for a challenge and is ready for it to test his ability to be the best person he can be.

For young bloggers and journalists, Josh Middleton is an ideal person to look up to and base some of your work off of. Check out some of his work at Uwishunu by clicking here, here, and here.

Gerren Sayco’s Top Picks: Fun at Rowan

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I got a chance to sit down with Gerren Sayco, a sophomore at Rowan University who is also a vital member of the Rowan Alternative Music executive board. Gerren gave me the scoop on Rowan Alt and other entertainment opportunities related to Rowan.

Gerren poses for the camera (PHOTO/Colin Hersh)

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself Gerren?

A: My name is Gerren Sayco. I’m 19 and currently a sophomore at Rowan University. I am also on the executive board for Rowan Alternative Music Club.

Q: Do you think there is enough promotion for entertainment opportunities and things to do on campus and in Glassboro?

A: To be completely honest, there really isn’t a lot due to the fact that all the promotion is school related, rather than actual fun that people our age want to engage in. I wish there was more age appropriate stuff going on around campus. I see stuff like BINGO going on and I’m honestly not interested in it. I guess that is where you come in.

Q: Do you think Rowan provides enough entertainment for students?

A: I think that Rowan tries its best to entertain students on campus. But the way the school works is that if you’re not in a frat or sorority, there isn’t much fun involved and you end up just sitting in your room all day. That’s where people resort to joining other clubs pertaining to their interests.

Q: Do you have any recommendations for additional clubs or entertainment opportunities that Rowan should offer?

A: Well first of all, I think every should join Rowan Alternative Music because it is the number one club on campus and we have the most fun there. There are other clubs on campus that schedule different events and stuff. There’s a film club I know of but haven’t heard much about it. It’s something that people can check out. In the end, Rowan should add more things to do for students.

Q: What type of business would you start in Glassboro if it had to involve entertainment for young people?

A: I would say a restaurant/venue or a bowling alley/venue. You can bowl and then there’s an area for people to listen to music. Get a DJ or a band to come in. Anything that is related to a sober activity but at the same time a fun thing to do. A lot of businesses don’t utilize the entertainment aspect of what their doing and that is what draws people in. People want to be entertained wherever they go. There is a reason they are going out to an establishment. Realistically in this world, everyone has everything at their fingertips. You mind as well make people enjoy the time they have outside rather than being indoors on electronics.

Q: Do they have a battle of the bands?

A: Yes, they do. The Rowan Music Industry Program will be hosting it on Saturday, March 9th. Rowan Alt will be there promoting their stuff. Whoever wins battle of the bands gets to open up for the headliner this year at Hollybash. It’s going to be really interesting that you get to see some local talent pop up.

Q: Are all concerts off campus?

A: Most of our shows are off campus. If there were shows on campus, that’d be dope but at the moment, we are still trying to get there.

Q: Thank you Gerren for participating in this interview.

A: Your welcome.

An “Alternative” Entertainment Opportunity

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The Rowan Alternative Music Club recently hosted an off-campus house show featuring up and coming bands. It was a very awesome turn out as a good amount of people showed up to support local music. Cory Paternoster, Corporate Dreamboat, Cheyenne Dan, and Stella Mrowicki ft. The Ottobots all performed. It was only five dollars to get in which is super cheap compared to a concert where you’re paying close to 100 dollars in some cases. At Rowan Alt, you’re getting the same experience as a concert for an extremely low price.

  • Jon Nielsen playing bass at a recent Rowan Alt concert (Photo/Colin Hersh)

Rowan Alt Club is a great club to join if you’re looking for somewhere to listen to music where you feel welcomed and at home. It is a really laid back, chill group of people who all share the same love for music. If you’re looking to meet new people, this is the atmosphere for you. Click here for more on The Rowan Alternative Music Club.

While I was at the concert, I caught up with Gerren Sayco, a Rowan Alt club member. He mentioned that there were usually more people who show up at concerts and that I came on a slower night. I was shocked because there was still a nice crowd of people. After hearing that, I was curious to come back for the next show in about a month. I would recommend all Rowan students to attend these concerts. It’s a really awesome vibe and I very much enjoyed my time there.

Insight on Other Content

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AP Photo/Matthias Ripp

Besides my own content, there are many useful and interesting blogs and websites you can find here. Being that most of my readers are from either the New Jersey or Philly area, one of the goals of this blog is to provide insight on blogs similar to mine.

The internet is full of opportunity. There is a wide variety of content on sites like HIP NJ. Click here for content that ranges from Valentine’s Day Ideas in NJ to the Pizza Rivalry between New Jersey and New York. If you’re from New Jersey, I highly recommend you check out this site. Lots and lots of great content. If you’re more of a Philadelphia person, there are tons of blogs that exercise things to do in Philly. There are tons of Philadelphia based blogs so if you’re from the Philadelphia area, you’re in luck.

Main Line Today is one of the best entertainment sites I’ve seen. I recently read about West Chester’s Virtual Reality Arcade which really personifies what the future of entertainment looks like. I hope my readers will be as into all this content as I am. Like I said, all great reads.

Want to check out some more New Jersey/Philadelphia blogs based on entertainment and things to do?! Click here and here.