0:00
eight finalists did these pitches they
0:03
pitched these business ideas and Leela
0:05
Steinberg who's over at gala over the
0:08
music department crystal and a couple of
0:10
the workers over at gala Taco um a
0:13
couple of the workers at gala we were
0:15
all judges I say we because I'm a I'm an
0:18
honorary member of Gala and all of the
0:21
kids all of these young adults pctures
0:24
were phenomenal like I didn't know what
0:26
I was walking into they were so
0:28
phenomenal was hard to ask question
0:30
wow at the end right cuz they were all
0:32
so thorough and they had all these
0:35
brilliant Grand ideas but only one could
0:37
win and we judged them on about seven
0:42
including um Market viability
0:44
presentation um concept all these
0:47
different things uh that they had to
0:49
that we judged them on and one of those
0:52
contestants all of them did extreme
0:54
extremely well one of them um couple of
0:57
them stood out to me but one in
0:59
particular really did because I really
1:03
energy so if you could you could come up
1:06
with a great deck a great pitch deck you
1:08
could come up with a great script and
1:11
all of those things but you could come
1:13
out with a bad sell yeah and he nailed
1:16
it on every different aspect and Lea U
1:20
called me in fact at the end of it all
1:23
before they announced the winner I shook
1:24
all the contestants hands and when I got
1:27
to him he was the last hand I shook what
1:28
did I say to you you said you're a star
1:32
and I remember that I remember that yeah
1:34
and I meant that and bro I've been
1:36
breaking stars for decades
1:39
so I'll tell you you a star if you don't
1:44
you waiting for that star waiting for
1:46
you to tap in I want to welcome him to
1:48
the show The One and Only Nicholas
1:49
Alexis the winner of the pitch fit
1:56
contest congratulations my man yo
2:00
man man it's it was a lot of stress but
2:02
you know what it paid off it really did
2:04
pay off it did pay off um tell us about
2:07
yourself first before we talk about I
2:09
grew up in Midtown I'm 23 grow up in
2:11
Midtown you see thousands of people
2:13
running back and forth trying to make it
2:15
trying to be successful and I had to
2:17
choose a college that wasn't just here
2:18
numbers here spreadsheets just something
2:21
creative because it's so hard to have
2:23
that creative outlet and I found fit and
2:25
I said this this is the place right here
2:28
I graduate next year so I'm Junior but
2:30
it is it is a beautiful place and I
2:32
couldn't imag I couldn't imagine any
2:33
other college but I'm 23 mhm I am so
2:37
hungry I am so hungry and I can't even
2:40
words can't words cannot explain it I
2:42
just what's the next win what am I doing
2:45
tomorrow what's happening I'm I'm
2:46
flexible let's do it let's do it just
2:48
non-stop and and yes I got first place
2:50
cash was $3,000 come on come on you want
2:52
to go to lunch after this I didn't know
2:54
what the was okay well you you treat
2:57
it's my treat it's my treat but also
3:00
so I really this this was for both of us
3:02
cuz I grew up with a single mother and I
3:04
just really wanted to give back cuz she
3:06
put in so much work raising me and I
3:07
just I came home with the check the big
3:10
check and I was I didn't even tell her
3:11
answer the competition so I came home
3:13
with the check and I was like I'm taking
3:15
you to dinner the Sunday at a nice
3:17
restaurant and she started crying and I
3:20
I've never had an experience like that
3:21
it was so beautiful oh my gosh that's
3:23
amazing see I like this guy Man Nicholas
3:26
Alexis um so you grew up Midtown right
3:29
might have been right somewhere near
3:31
Alicia Keys huh she I grew up near um
3:34
Hudson yard she grew up in um kitchen
3:37
right um and then where did you go to
3:38
school uh for high school I went to this
3:40
robotic School Called Quest okay so my
3:42
dream school if I really wanted to get
3:44
in robotics was like MIT okay but that's
3:47
so hard I'm like engineering right now
3:50
and I chose fit and now with AI I can
3:52
create anything I can do anything I want
3:55
if I have the idea and if I can sell it
3:56
if I have that energy done you could do
4:00
can can you can you do a a brief you
4:03
know not the whole pitch but how you
4:04
started your pitch off on Tuesday yes so
4:07
my app um I pitched an app called
4:09
Elevate news it's only positive news and
4:12
I do a lot of presentations and you have
4:14
to open strong you have to capture that
4:16
audience in 5 seconds so I opened
4:18
showcasing current events really really
4:20
big things like War covid-19 really
4:23
recent events and people were looking at
4:25
me like what are you pitching right now
4:26
are you just giving us the news and then
4:28
I hopped directly into a a statistic 42%
4:31
of Americans say they avoid the news
4:33
because they're depressed so I'm All
4:34
About Numbers I'm about statistics and
4:36
how can I fix that how can I make
4:38
something that yes is profitable but can
4:40
actually bring positivity to people
4:42
because we need hope we really need hope
4:44
and I just went Full Throttle I did so
4:46
much research it the past two three
4:47
weeks have been no sleep yeah but it was
4:51
worth it it was worth in the end even if
4:52
I didn't win just putting all that
4:54
together and seeing your reaction
4:56
getting you're a star you don't even
4:57
understand how much that mean you really
4:58
you really I'm glad you brought brought
4:59
it up I thought you were going to forget
5:00
I'm glad you brought that up no no no I
5:03
I'm very present uh may not seem like I
5:05
do this big aloof thing Mike knows I
5:08
look like I'm not paying attention I
5:09
hear everything but I'm pay I'm paying
5:11
attention you actually threw my name in
5:13
your pitch too I ain't saying that had
5:14
some influence but did it did kind of I
5:18
had it was it was like an app layout
5:19
like a screenshot in the corner you know
5:20
how it says like hello user so it was
5:22
hello Sway and I had like a little head
5:24
shot of him and I didn't think anybody
5:26
was going to know cuz I knew he was
5:27
going to be a judge and it was on the
5:28
screen and he mentioned that after the
5:29
questions I was like I'm so happy you
5:31
mentioned that cuz I would have not said
5:33
anything yes yes small details for sure
5:36
no in your audience playing no your
5:37
audience right I'm a marketing major you
5:39
know I got to know my demographic I got
5:40
to know who I'm pitching to yes yeah
5:42
that's important right is so what
5:45
happens with the app now do you actually
5:46
pursue that or that was just for the
5:48
moment so I originally did this as a
5:50
pitch I didn't really have any plans and
5:51
after you left actually after I won I
5:53
had three people come up to me with
5:54
their phones out and they said can I
5:56
download this now and I was speechless I
5:58
was speechless cuz cuz this was a pitch
6:00
and I went home that night and I've
6:02
decided I'm going to do it this summer
6:03
I'm going to $3,000 is more than enough
6:05
for me to do this I'm going to I already
6:07
have a uxui design background and I'm
6:09
going through with this this is come on
6:10
nich I love this man come on come hungry
6:14
I am starving you don't even understand
6:16
yeah man uh so what's next man so
6:19
summers are here right summer yes yes so
6:21
um the semester ends up in two weeks and
6:23
I'm going straight to Italy to study
6:25
abroad for a photography program I'm
6:26
sure you sure you uh saw me in the
6:28
corner with my camera out I did see that
6:29
going to Florence ROM Milan beautiful
6:31
place I'm so excited then I come back
6:33
and it's it's either I do an internship
6:36
or it's Full Throttle with the app but I
6:38
I'm leaning towards the app I'm leaning
6:39
towards the app keep me posted man I
6:41
like that idea man you know I put 20
6:43
plus years in news with MTV so um and I
6:47
always been advocate of good we do a
6:49
segment on this show every Thursday what
6:51
is it called Good News Thursday there
6:54
it's alignment obviously Synergy maybe
6:57
there's a collab yeah yeah that would be
7:00
maybe bro that would be great we're
7:03
going to look back at this video uhhuh
7:05
what's today's date today is Friday the
7:08
10th of May 10th of May
7:10
2024 um I'm proud of you congratulations
7:13
man I really appreciate it absolutely to
7:14
my team over at Galla you guys are
7:16
awesome you go check out gallam
7:18
music.com and it's a lot of great things
7:20
especially for Independent Artists who
7:21
want to put put out music especially um
7:23
in the web 3 um world it's a great way
7:27
of um just being a t of on your own
7:30
eliminating the middle guy you're not
7:32
splinting checks it's just you all right
7:35
so check out Galla music congratulations
7:37
sir yes we going to stay in tuned let's
7:39
let's give acknowledge true
7:40
acknowledgement to the woman in the
7:42
camera please oh my god without without
7:44
Renee I literally I couldn't do any of
7:46
this there's there's certain professors
7:47
that really stand out and and shape your
7:49
future and Renee has truly been one so
7:52
thank you so much you going to put the
7:53
camera on and Drew so when he talks to
7:54
her name so people can see who she is
7:56
they smile Renee there you go hey she's
7:59
fly there you go you got it yes shapes
8:02
shapes so many Minds get on the mic come
8:04
on you might as well you talking you got
8:05
to get on the mic it's right here come
8:08
on come on Rene we're live on air you
8:11
got go you got speed up mic it thank you
8:14
thank you thank you for inviting me so I
8:17
am so proud of my students
8:20
and my mentor told me you know what
8:24
Renee you've had a successful career
8:26
yourself but what do you leave behind M
8:30
and that's why I teach lift others up
8:33
and you will be lifted with them and
8:36
that is I have to tell you listening to
8:38
Nicholas listening to his story I've had
8:41
other students that you know if you have
8:43
the ability to change someone's life by
8:47
uh by teaching by uh sharing your
8:51
experience it's I I have Goosebumps I
8:54
have Goosebumps listening U to Nicholas
8:56
talk about um what he's doing and what
8:59
he would like to do and that's what it's
9:03
yes salute to you professors and
9:06
teachers are like bonus parents yes you
9:09
know and i' all of us have worked around
9:11
education initiatives it's not an easy
9:14
job it's not just teaching you know it's
9:17
not just teaching you know yeah it's but
9:19
it's a privilege really yeah and um and
9:23
it excites me every day it excites me to
9:25
be in the classroom how lucky am I to be
9:29
able to be with the young people and to
9:32
see what they uh think about what
9:35
they're going to do what they want to do
9:38
how they want to make the world a better
9:39
place and uh it's a great experience for
9:43
me well keep going we got your back all
9:45
right thank you and I'm glad we were
9:46
able to make this happen all right thank
9:48
you thank you so much for all for
9:51
everything that all of these wonderful
9:54
individuals donate GA music sway
9:56
donating your time also to support the
10:00
students so we we love you thank you
10:03
love y'all too man and hey that
10:04
concludes the show man hey
10:06
congratulations brother thank you man B
10:08
things to come thank you absolutely I'm
10:10
going be right there with you you
