Topic: Miller College of Business
January 6, 2010
Ball State sophomore Stephen Boyd waves to the camera during one of the rap videos he created for a series of online contests that have netted him more than $9,000 in cash and prizes.
Could the next Andy Samberg now be enrolled at Ball State? Sophomore Stephen Boyd has put his rapping skills to the test numerous times in recent months, creating videos for online contests that have netted him more than $9,000 in cash and prizes.
In his most recent contest, Boyd won $500 and a new LG phone for producing a video about the offerings of wirefly.com, an online phone retailer. Boyd placed second among contestants from around the country for his one-minute rap reminiscent of the popular digital shorts created by "Saturday Night Live" cast member Andy Samberg.
Boyd has played the drums in local bands for nine years. The summer after his freshman year at Ball State, he decided to find a new outlet for his creativity. Having stumbled upon some online contests, Boyd decided to write songs and create videos for them.
In 2009, Boyd won $5,550 competing in a contest where he created a video to promote a social networking site for people with psoriasis, www.psoriasis.name. He also won a trip to Las Vegas by creating a video for Southwest Airlines in which he shares what all he'd do – including eating a sock – for $100.
Boyd said being compensated for his creative efforts has been a great feeling. "Being a college student can strain you financially, so winning prizes is a welcome surprise," he said.
Other winnings for Boyd include $2,500 for creating a video to promote free market capitalism and $1,000 from FedEx. His other prizes include a Nintendo Wii from Brunswick Bowling Co. and a year's supply of Wendy's hamburgers.
Boyd is an actuarial science major with plans to pursue more contests in the future in hope of winning more prizes.
By Chanel Richards