My perfect Bonnaroo redo

My perfect Bonnaroo redo

By Ella Cobb I could write thousands of words about all the incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experiences Middle Tennessee State University has brought me, but nothing will ever compare to my time spent at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.  At the end of the spring semester in 2025, I was promoted to team lead of MTSU’s student social media team following the previous lead’s graduation.  One of my first assignments in my new role was to lead our three-person group during our five-day sprint at Bonnaroo. I had looked forward to this weekend since I was hired in July 2024.  Middle Tennessee State University MBA student Ella Cobb poses in front of the Bonnaroo rainbow at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo submitted) It is difficult for me to put into words how excited I was to be working at Bonnaroo as part of a media team. I felt so much positive energy and creativity from spending so much time around creative professionals in the media tent.  I would catch myself daydreaming about what my professional future could look like in that tent. The idea of using social media to tell real stories kept me excited and energized for every moment.  Unfortunately, that weekend was cut short by rain and flooding at the farm, and I missed out on over half of the experience.  At that point, I planned to graduate from my graduate program before the next Bonnaroo. I was heartbroken to know that this was probably my last experience in the media tent at Bonnaroo.  Fast forward a year: my circumstances had changed, and I was still at MTSU, finishing my MBA and able to lead our student group at Bonnaroo one last time. In a way, it felt like I was given the opportunity for a redo. The best redo.  Once again, three members of the social media team were assigned to the festival. I was the only repeat member. Savanah Gill, Makaylee Hall, and I worked so well together, building on each other’s ideas and taking care of one another all weekend. We were very excited to start our Bonnaroo weekend off by filming a package for News 2-WKRN’s “Local on 2” showcasing all the work MTSU students were preparing to do on the farm, everything from social media, writing stories, running cameras and more. Watch our package below! Our main responsibility at Bonnaroo was to keep the university’s Instagram audience up to date on what our nearly 40 students were doing on the farm through story posts, interviews, and other reels.  We spent four days listening to great music, creating content and observing media professionals in their natural work environment.  In many ways, I am the group’s organizer, not just because I am the team lead. It is just in my nature. I wanted to make sure our days ran smoothly without having to plan our content on the spot or rush to get our ideas down.  Before Bonnaroo started, we all conducted some market research and made a list of ideas, sounds and trends we could do. After I got home every night, I outlined the content we could make the next day. The next morning, I shared it with the team, and we adjusted and finalized our plans before we went out to the farm.  This was a good system for staying ahead of the day while still making quality content and enjoying the music. The days were long, hard and very hot, but I know I would not trade the experience for anything in the world. From left to right, Middle Tennessee State University students Ella Cobb, Savanah Gill and Makaylee Hall were part of the student team who worked at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo submitted) Luckily, the rain did not keep us from enjoying the festival this year when the showers started Sunday morning and led to an evacuation.  After a change of shoes (luckily, Savanah and I brought rainboots just in case, not so lucky for MaKaylee, who had to buy new shoes at Walmart), we were still able to see every artist we wanted, despite walking through piles of mud.  I know by Sunday morning, we were all tired, cranky and sore. Nevertheless, we powered through our longest day on the farm and closed the night listening to Noah Kahan on the main stage.  When I look back on my one and a half years at Bonnaroo in the media tent, I am filled with happiness and pride, and reminded of why I love what I do.  It is an overarching reminder that I am on the right track and meant to work in the ever-changing and growing world of social media.  Mark Twain said, “Find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.”  That saying perfectly describes how it has felt to work on the social media team. This is even more true when I get to work events where I feel right at home, like Bonnaroo.  Over the course of the weekend, we created 14 reels or main feed posts, posted more stories than I can count, conducted five student interviews, and made a news package. Most importantly, we learned a lot and had a great time.  It feels right to end this story the same way I ended mine last year: “It confirmed what I already knew I wanted in my career. I want the opportunity to tell people’s stories. I want to be in the room. I want to use my skills to share the world with everyone else. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be back in the media tent at Bonnaroo one day.” Happy Roo! Writer Ella Cobb is part of MTSU’s Student Voice team. She is completing her MBA in Strategic Marketing Analytics and earned her undergrad in Marketing at MTSU. She graduates in August.