By Jennell Retamar
Students have been able to pull off the unexpected and have successfully started up a record label at Florida Southern this past semester.
Meet SoCo Productions, a student-driven organization that has only been around for one semester and has proven that it is planning to stick around for the long run.
“There was one student who said, it’s been done, it’s not possible, no one’s going to back you, no one’s going to support you. It’s been tried over and over again and I couldn’t just accept that,” Enjelique White, president of SoCo Productions, said. “No, I’m not going to sit here and accept that it’s not going to happen.”
At first it began at Tutu’s where White had meetings with her friends where they would talk about their common goals and interests. The numbers started to grow as her friends began to spread word throughout the school.
Six people turned into 15, which then turned to 25. Now, SCP is at an astounding 55+ members in just a few short months of being established as an organization.
“What I love about SoCo is that it’s open to all majors,” White said. “We have people in biology, in computer science and they’re all part of SoCo. I hear all the time how SCP has grown and how it made people feel so good about themselves.”
Freshman Mark Haver, a triple major in Environmental Studies, Marine Biology and Political Science, is one of artists SCP represents who isn’t a music major.
“I had gotten involved with SCP through my friend Enjelique and through other music students by word of mouth and I wanted to make sure that I could definitely help them in any way that I could, even though I’m pretty much a science and political science major,” Haver said.
SoCo Productions is made up of five major parts: artists, producers, managers, promotions and tech. One of SoCo’s biggest assets is that each artist is paired up with a manager. These managers are music management students who are also part of SoCo. Whenever SoCo would meet, the manager and artists would talk about any upcoming events that they would be able to showcase their talents.
“I think a large part of what’s really cool about SoCo is that it doesn’t really matter what your major is,” Haver said. “I think everyone has something really unique that they bring and I like to think that I bring a sense of vibrancy and positivity.”
This past December, SCP presented “Serpentine Fire”, its first annual winter showcase, which was well-received by FSC students.
When they’re not in meetings, members of SoCo can be found working on new music, performing during open mic nights at the Pink Piano, or performing during events such as ACE’s annual Southern’s Got Talent show.
“We took a group picture, and I realized how much of family I had with them. It’s everything I wanted honestly,” White said.
