My Work

Sample Press Kit

A sample press kit for the 40 watt Club, a music venue in Athens, Georgia. This kit includes an outline of the client, an analysis of target audiences, a SWOT analysis, and samples of a press release, media list, digital and traditional pitches, social media posts and a blog.

Writing

Underground Springhouse discusses tour and new single ‘Southern Wind’

Underground Springhouse discuss their current tour and the release of their new single “Southern Wind” on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (Photo Courtesy/Garrett Cardoso)

Empowering Young Musicians: Alex Dillon on Nurturing Talent and Mental Health at Nuçi’s Space

Alex Dillon is the youth support programs manager at Nuçi’s Space in Athens, teaching musical skills to children and managing all youth services and camps. (Photo/Sara Beth Warnken)

Q: What is your favorite part of your work in your role at Nuçi’s?

A: My favorite part is definitely seeing the kids at the end of each one of our sessions perform on stage. Up until that point, there have been struggles, there have been hurdles, there have been things that they have needed to overcome that me and the other instructors helped them overcome, and seeing them get past those things and get up on stage and perform to a full house is immensely satisfying for them and for all of us adults who are involved.

Q: You talked a little bit about Nuçi’s mission with the brain illness awareness and mental health awareness. How is this mission executed here?

A: The mission outlines the guiding principles for pretty much everything we do. Nuçi’s Space is a space where anybody and everybody is welcome. We have musician services, which encompasses our rentals, rehearsal rooms and studio services. Then we have our youth programs and our health and wellness services. We are making an investment in the community. Every person that walks through the door, we want to try to make an investment in their lives. We really stress that we are a resource for the entire Athens community. All of the work we do serves that mission, that's across the board, that's why we do what we do.

Q: You talked about Camp Amped. What is your role as the youth programs manager for this summer camp?

A: As the youth programs manager, I'm accountable for all of the things that need to happen in order to make the camp happen. So, that is working with our lead instructor and the instructors that she brings on, that's working with the parents, that's dealing with the paperwork that's associated with having all the kids come to camp, coordinating with studios and with volunteers, and soliciting donations from local businesses for food and lunch, that’s creating the logo for camp this year. We have a programs coordinator named Chris, so he helps me to get all these things done. You know, it's scheduling, it’s picking all the rooms, it's making camp happen. You know, that's what I'm responsible for.

Q: What is the biggest piece of advice you could give to people struggling to make way in the music industry?

A: It's crazy because it's like, by no means do I feel like I have it figured out. So, maybe that's the advice. Don't feel like you have to have it figured out. Be you. Be authentic and know that figuring it out is something that everybody is doing at all times.

Comments trimmed for length and clarity.

Mayor Girtz discusses Athens’ development of an affordable housing and land use plan to address rapid growth and community needs

Mayor Kelly Girtz said in a recent news conference plans for a sustainability analysis to address affordable housing and growth over the next two decades. Athens-Clarke County’s Future Land Use Plan aims to accommodate the influx of 30,000-plus new residents, while prioritizing community input and equitable access to housing. (Photo/Sara Beth Warnken)

Over 4,700 households in Athens earn under $35,000/year and are severely cost-burdened, and over 4,000 more in that income range are cost burdened, according to Girtz.

“People that don’t go to school don’t get the same discounts as some people in school, so those people might need more help,” said Aaron Goodwin, senior finance major.
Athens residents can attend public engagement meetings to voice concerns with housing and land use in the county. Girtz explained that Athenians have requested greenspaces, parks and trails, improved transit and ease in transportation and walkability through these public input opportunities.

Students, in particular, have voiced concerns about transportation to campus and a desire to live nearby downtown and campus.

“We’ve got a lot of opportunity where people will be able to walk to class, or worst case scenario, take a shuttle, so I think at least for the next couple of decades, we’re in a good position,” Girtz said.

Affordability for housing and utilities is a challenge in a town that survives off college students and tourists.

Some blame the affordability of housing on the influx of students as a result of UGA's enrollment growing by about 7,000 in the past decade. However, Girtz said he believes creating additional supply of housing will help the struggle to afford necessities for students and low-income residents.

However, Girtz mentions that utility fees are “more efficient and less expensive for everybody” in apartment complexes where large living bills are essentially split among residents.

The number of renters in Athens has increased from 23,025 in 2000 to 29,896 in 2020.
“The rent’s definitely gone up a good bit due to the increase in student population,” Goodwin said.
Girtz addressed these gentrification concerns by highlighting that the county built student-oriented housing on land that was previously asphalt parking lots, lumber yards, or abandoned buildings, where people were not already living.

“If we hadn’t approved any of those projects, those are thousands of students that were gonna have to find a place on their own to live, and it would have created pressure on neighborhoods,” Girtz said.

The commission is also spending $2 million to provide additional assistance to the homeless population, in addition to hiring an executive director to ensure good interaction and coordination within the homeless community.

“No matter what your lot in life, no matter what your family looks like, no matter what you do for a living, among the things we all need, is a place to live,” Girtz said.

Metal Mania at 40 Watt Club: Rosie & the Ratdogs Lead Athens' Hardcore Scene in Epic Lineup

The 40 Watt Club will host a lineup of four hardcore metal bands on Tuesday. (Photo/Sara Beth Warnken)

The event will feature Apostle from Atlanta and three bands from Athens — Rosie & the Ratdogs, a heavy metal psych band, Attest, resurrected as a hardcore punk band and Oxystar, an alternative rock band. Apostle’s newest EP Liminal was released last December.

“There's something beautiful about the Athens music scene and of itself that you just want to join and be a part of,” said Donnie Malone, lead singer of Rosie & the Ratdogs.

Rosie & the Ratdogs is a metal band from Athens that have been together since summer 2023. The band is named after former band member Andrew DeLong’s dog Rosie. Rosie & the Ratdogs continues to release music with a new single, “Peench,” released earlier this month. The group’s sound is a hardcore mix of psychedelic rock, heavy metal, punk and shoegaze.
“When you get to that show, starting that pit and seeing that energy, that's like, OK, all of that work just paid off,” said Ben Shytle, guitarist for Rosie & the Ratdogs. “You can see it there, it's right in front of you. You can grab it, you can jump into the crowd and grab it.”

Shytle describes the Athens music scene as an “accumulation of all of these unique souls.”

Rosie & the Ratdogs said they believe the metal scene is growing in Athens and attribute its recent success to Athens record shop Shadebeast, who has brought in metal bands from out of town.

“Beast is doing a lot for the scene here, for sure,” said Jordan Russell, bassist for Rosie & the Ratdogs. “They are like the driving force I think behind it.”

Tickets to the show are $10 in advance and $12 on the day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m. and music begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are available through the 40 Watt Club website.

Design

Dawgstock Music Festival Poster

I designed this graphic for UGA's Music Business Program as the official 2025 Music Business Festival poster using Adobe Illustrator. I utilized the pen tool to create a logo and lettering inspired by the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival to mimic Dawgstock's hippy and psychedelic themes.

Podcast Cover Redesign

For my graphic communications class, I redesigned a podcast cover for "The End of the World" podcast by Josh Clark. I replaced the plain black background with a public domain image of a large boulder structure in space to better reflect the podcast's supernatural and space-like theme. I added an image of a planet to replace the "o" in "world" and a futuristic typeface with a glow stroke.

Podcast Cover Redesign

For my graphic communications class, I redesigned a podcast cover for "The End of the World" podcast by Josh Clark. I replaced the plain black background with a vivid starry scene using a brush type to better reflect the podcast's supernatural and space-like theme. I added imagery of asteroids, meteors, Earth and a space rocket, which aligns with its exploration of potential world-ending events. I chose to use bold colors and high-contrast visuals to coincide with the show’s talk of catastrophic scenarios. The design balances contrast and movement, with a bold, futuristic typeface with a glow stroke to capture the futuristic tone of the podcast.