Best Virtual Q&As of Fall

Now it’s time to give credit to our BEST VIRTUAL Q&As of fall 2020! It is so hard to choose our favorites, so we also highlighted a few of our honorable mentions. Let us know who we can help you book for 2021!

1. Highest Attended: David Dobrik

Whether it’s the incredible online fame of David Dobrik’s vlog squad, the hope that he’ll give you a Tesla if you shamelessly ask enough times in the chat, or being able to interact with an internet icon, our Q&A events with David Dobrik have consistently had hands down the highest student attendance. Washington State University hosted him recently and the student moderator expertly handled the difficult job of keeping David on task, even as he relentlessly tried to prove that he could kick gum into his mouth… HERE is the winning moment.

“During my time planning events for the Student Entertainment Board, I have gotten to plan a variety of events and one of my favorite things is being able to partner with How To Concerts which allows me to create experiences like the David Dobrik Q&A that connect our students to someone they really look up to.”

– Madison West
Student Entertainment Board Programmer

2. Most Real: Tiffany Haddish

Tiffany is no doubt one of the most hilarious, highest energy comedians of all time. Her candid, loud, endearing and real personality is infectious. We’ve done a few events with Tiffany and each time we can’t wipe the smile off our faces. However, one of our events featured a foster care organization at the University of Texas – San Antonio. Watching her interact with the students who grew up in foster care during the meet and greet was one of the most impactful moments of our fall. Tiffany could not hold back tears as the students got the opportunity to tell her what her honesty and positivity has done for their lives. No one will forget it. 

3. Best Dressed: T-Pain

After seeing one Q&A after another feature talented artists sitting at a kitchen table or hanging out on a couch, you can imagine how impressed we were with T-Pain’s custom fit pink suit, disco ball-plated tie and pink background lighting effects. We should have expected as much, but this was impressive nonetheless. This Q&A featured discussions about famous collaborations, hit songs, life in the fast lane and you guessed it – money.

Fall Q&A honorable mentions include:

Most Impactful/Educational

Akilah Hughes did two events with us – one all about voting, and another about Halloween costumes and cultural appropriation. We are grateful for her willingness to educate!

Our friend Craig A. Ford hosted several anti-racism conversations providing excellent direction for organizations, staff teams, and more.

Pattie Gonia educated us about sustainability, acknowledgement, environment, and more.

Most Hilarious/Fun

Michael Che & Anna Drezen had a fun conversation about life at SNL, Michael’s recent hobby of antiquing, and we couldn’t help but laugh when Anna’s dog interrupted by vomiting right next to her. California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo deserves a shout out as well, for consistently producing a well-run, interactive virtual event every time.

Jason Nash has had so much fun with Q&As. Always willing to showcase school spirit, have fun, and talk about life as a comedian as well as a member of the vlog squad.

Most Personable

Jesse Eisenberg gave us incredible insight into the life and anxieties of filmmakers and actors.

Hari Kondabolu & Cristela Alonzo allowed us to watch a friendly discussion between friends about life as minorities in the comedy space.

Liz Cambage walked us through how she uses her platform as a famous athlete to fight against racism and work towards a more socially just world.

Things we learned this semester:

• A comfortable moderator is the key to a successful Q&A, but being a good listener is another key element of being a quality moderator. A great moderator keeps the focus on the talent, while also keeping the talent on task.
• It’s okay to ask the talent not to sit with extreme backlighting from a window.
• Most celebs do not watch the chat, and that’s okay. Zoom chat features are best used for social interaction amongst attendees. The moderator is in charge of keeping the momentum going, asking questions, and choosing quality conversations, or pointing out highlights from the chat to the talent.
• Make the Q&A as interactive as possible. This could mean promoting a few pre-qualified students to panelists to ask their questions live or allowing students to submit questions in a Zoom Webinar Q&A and choosing the best ones to ask live. 

These virtual celeb Q&As have been awesome. The key to success above all is creating a comfortable, engaging atmosphere and asking quality, thought out questions. We can’t wait to see what other Q&As we’ll work on in 2021.

Let’s do this!