Spazz Fest VII continued the tradition of a multi-day, multi-venue festival dedicated to celebrating the live music and creative arts community, along with Greenville’s established and growing music, art, and entrepreneurial scene. This year the five-day event started March 16th in various locations throughout the Uptown Greenville District.
Again Spazz Fest, in collaboration with Uptown Greenville and its community partners, incorporated entrepreneurial events into the festival. This year’s ‘TREP events included:
This pitch competition highlighted Greenville’s growing entrepreneurial community by providing an opportunity to pitch creative business ideas to the public for practice and over $3,000 in cash prizes! Winners were:
Youth category: Emily Tatum who is creating a system that allows for quicker response by emergency personnel in the event of an emergency at schools
Student category: Ferdinand Rouse with The Textchange, a subscription service for textbooks.
Open category: Sharon Rogers with Sportscale, a patented body weight scale that also integrates a finger print reader and a computer.
At the new Trollingwood Taproom & Brewery, co-winner of Uptown Greenville’s Urban Pioneer of the Year 2015 Award, the audience heard from Sean Lilly Wilson, Founder & Chief Executive Optimist of Full Steam Brewery in Durham. Full Steam Brewery crafts Southern-inspired “plow-to-pint” beer that connects people to our land and one another.
Following this talk, guests stayed for a viewing of Brewconomy, a documentary which highlights the positive impact the craft beer industry is having on North Carolina. This industry not only provides jobs, increases tax revenue, strengthens community ties, and encourages agricultural innovation and production, but also is made up of mostly small independent businesses that help build a strong sense of community among themselves, their customers, and their cities.
For more information about Spazz Fest ‘TREP events and media opportunities, please contact:
Bianca Shoneman, Executive Director of Uptown Greenville
Phone: 252.561.8400 | Email: bianca@uptowngreenville.com
www.spazz-fest.com