Where Are They Now?

Over the past few years, I have been running a blog series about some of our young alumni and what they are up to. I thought it might be neat to revisit some of these alumni to see where they are now. I grabbed one from each of my five previous posts. Let's re-meet them!

Ali on the campaign trail 

We met Ali Vitai in the Newsies blog back when she was the multimedia editor at MSNBC. Today, well, things have kind of taken off. In 2015, Ali was selected to cover a long-shot Republican presidential candidate by the name of Donald J. Trump. And we all know how that turned out. Ali covered the entirety of the Trump campaign, spending a year and a half on the road as an embedded reporter for NBC News. Throughout her time on the trail she reported for NBC's and MSNBC's digital platforms and frequently appeared on TV giving the latest updates from the ground. After Trump's historic victory, Ali has continued covering his transition into office. Here's a great interview with her about what it has been like covering Trump over the past year and a half.

Dan and Lewis Del Mar on Conan last week 

Daniel Miller was in The Industry blog, and things have blown up for him since we last talked. I caught up with Dan last week to see how his music career has developed. He told me, "About three years ago my best friend and I moved to New York and formed a new group called Lewis Del Mar. A year and a half ago we signed to Columbia Records via Startime International. This last year I traveled all over the U.S. and Europe, and performed over 100 concerts in 7 different countries. We were billed on ten major festivals including Lollapalooza in Chicago and Outsidelands in San Francisco. I performed on television twice: Conan and James Corden. We released our self-recorded/produced debut album this past October, and went on our first headline tour in which most of the dates sold out. I was interviewed for NPR regarding an in-depth look at one of the songs on the record and its relation to my family's Nicaraguan heritage. And our album went to No. 1 in Bulgaria lol." 

So yeah, you could say things are going pretty well. Dan even told me he'll have some shows here in NOLA soon. I'll be checking them out at Hangout Fest this summer and you should too!

Ashley out front of the new store (photo Tim Black)

Ashley Porter was on our Fashionistas blog and, one brand new store in the French Quarter later, and her jewelry line has become a mainstay of many celebrities. Her store opened just a few months ago on Toulouse Street in the Quarter. "Since the story was covered the brand has really taken off." Ashley recently told me,  "We've had tons of celebrities become fans of the line, everyone from Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Lawrence, Sean White...We also have been published in Southern Living, W Mag. Elle Japan. Aside from the new store, most recent and exciting is the debut of my first collection in Fine Jewelry. The collection is inspired by the Crescent City and our place in the universe. My goal in the next three years is to bring more jewelry infrastructure to the city by building a casting house and becoming vertically integrated." 

Joe and Brendan at the Chapter Spot HQ 

We first met Joe McMenemon and Brendan Finke in the start up blog. In case you forgot, they are the founders of ChapterSpot. Since we last talked, ChapterSpot has become much more than a start up. Joe and Brendan founded their company with the goal of making it easier for large membership organizations to manage and to scale their complex business processes. Now, ChapterSpot has grown to support some of the world's largest non-profit organizations. Joe and Brendan have been recognized as the top 100 most influential and active people in tech and entrepreneurship in Louisiana. With an eye on the future, ChapterSpot is building new technology in the quickly advancing fields of data science and artificial intelligence. The company is growing quickly and hiring many Tulane grads as they expand. They currently have over 8,000 organizations as clients! 

Brennan at his store

Brennan Foxman was just getting the idea of his restaurant going when we featured him on the Foodies blog a few years back. His restaurant, Wokworks, has been open for almost four years now, amassing a cult like following, several local awards, and a sizable new investment. Brennan says, "We are excited to grow our brand into several more stores in the coming year, hopefully adding to our family in Philadelphia before expanding to other cities. Who knows where we may end up! #bringwoktotulane"  Anyone in Philly should be sure to check out his shop on Chestnut Street!

Who would have known I could have launched the careers of these five (well, six) young Tulane alumni! I am sure they credit much of their success to this blog. ;-)

T Swift sportin' a Porter Lyons ring

Lewis Del Mar (photo: Billboard)

Another celebrity wearing a Porter Lyons necklace. A.k.a. my mom. 

Wokworks in Philly. (photo: Yelp)

Inside of Porter Lyons in the Quarter