{"id":18384,"date":"2017-08-28T05:00:35","date_gmt":"2017-08-28T12:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=18384"},"modified":"2021-02-03T14:57:12","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T22:57:12","slug":"apartment-idol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/apartment-idol\/","title":{"rendered":"Apartment Idol"},"content":{"rendered":"

For musicians Jay Filson of Nasvhille and Jeremy Gentry of Chicago, a year of free rent in a brand-new apartment building is a golden ticket while they work toward establishing fledgling music careers.<\/p>\n

\"Jay<\/a>
Jay Filson, center, was named the winner of the SoBro Star contest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And for Chicago-based Magellan Development Group, a Yardi<\/a> client, hosting the two musicians as \u201cArtists in Residence\u201d at its new properties is an amenity so unique that it has garnered significant press attention.<\/p>\n

Filson and Gentry are the inaugural winners of a creative lease-up competition held by Magellan as it marketed The Sobro<\/a> in Nashville, and Exhibit on Superior<\/a> in Chicago. The goal was to find Artists in Residence who would perform at the communities and provide music lessons to residents in exchange for a year of free rent.<\/p>\n

The Contest<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each Artist in Residence winner competed against dozens of other musicians who submitted videos about why they were the most deserving and talented applicants. A live final performance, a la American Idol, concluded the competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Magellan principals envision this musician\/artist in residence as teaching, playing, connecting with our residents in a variety of ways. They believe that music brings people together,\u201d said Sherri Cuda, Director of Leasing for Magellan.<\/p>\n

Both Filson and Gentry are newly out of college and each was struggling to figure out what next steps their pursuit of a music career would take when they heard about the \u201cSobro Star\u201d and \u201cExhibit A-Lister\u201d competitions.<\/p>\n

Gentry, who works at one of Chicago\u2019s dueling piano bars in the evenings, was thinking of moving back in with his parents. Filson had been working in marketing but knew that music was really the passion he wanted to pursue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the kind of opportunity that does not come up, ever,\u201d Gentry said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping that before next year I can make some original music. That\u2019s my goal, to release an EP or a short album of original music before my time is done here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jeremy Gentry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Filson has a similar plan. He was working at his alma mater, Indian Wesleyan University, when the opportunity to compete for free rent in \u201cMusic City USA\u201d came his way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried not to get my hopes up too high but it just seemed like such a perfect opportunity,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then it worked out, so I packed up all my stuff and moved to Nashville.\u201d Since arriving, he\u2019s been working on establishing a broad base of contacts and exploring the local music scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople here really do care about music in a really exceptional way. So it\u2019s fun to be able to play for people and residents here that really love music and are open to hearing new artists,\u201d Filson said.<\/p>\n

Benefits all Residents<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"image-2017-07-28(3)\"<\/a>
Jay Filson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As part of the terms of the contest, each Artist in Residence puts in 30 hours a month of musical contributions toward their community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get a great deal out of it, but the residents get in house entertainment on a regular basis,\u201d said Filson, who often mixes his own original work with mash-ups from popular artists like Eminem.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been playing by the pool, playing any events we have, and playing events at other Magellan buildings,\u201d said Gentry, who is trained as a pianist but also plays guitar and drums.<\/p>\n

To augment his preparation for work at the piano bar, Gentry asks his neighbors for their song requests when he plays at the pool. He also has a list of residents who are interested in lessons and plan to start teaching soon.<\/p>\n

Expanding Possibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cuda says that Magellan plans to continue to roll out the contest in other future lease-ups, with the option to expand the scope. The talent portion of the event garnered significant publicity and attention in both markets. Local public relations agencies helped market it via social media and local news outlets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn future projects, we intend to tailor the program. We may include culinary, wellness, fitness, or other areas. We feel like we\u2019ve just scratched the surface of the visions and concepts we can develop with the program,\u201d Cuda said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur high-rise renter seeks an experience that compliments their life style. They want to work from home, they want convenience, and they want to engage with their neighbors. We feel that this program can develop over time as we continue to develop properties.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commented Gentry: \u201cEvery apartment in downtown Chicago has the same amenities. Everybody has a pool, everybody has a gym. Everybody has the typical things you would expect in a luxury apartment building.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut having an Artist in Residence is something that really makes the building stand out. In just the little bit of time that Jay and I have been doing it so far, it seems to be working well and everyone is enjoying it. I don\u2019t see why other (apartment) buildings wouldn\u2019t want to pick it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch a video of the Sobro Star competition:<\/p>\n