ROLE
Founder, Head of Product, Experience, & GTM
TEAM
Up to 2 Interns
TIMELINE
Annually, for 3 years
"[Alexi] makes people around her want to better all around, and makes all projects she is involved with full of life, joy, passion, and success."
Jenn Cristy
Former Rising Star Mentor + MidWay Advisor
Rising Star Youth Competition
Where Battle of the Bands Meets The Voice
Experience Design
Journey Mapping
Data-Driven Optimization
Vision Development
Digital Strategy + Design
Brand Building
Integrated Marketing
The Rising Star Youth Competition was MidWay's first program: an immersive 3-month music competition in Indiana, where contestants were paired with local celebrity mentors to prepare for a final showcase and compete for career-advancing prizes. I originally launched it as a multi-purpose proof of concept. It validated demand for the hypothesized culture and concept, built trust with the local community in a lower-stakes setting, and gave me the chance to earn the confidence of MidWay's founding advisors. It also marketed the festival before it even existed, generating our first artist booking and ticket sales ahead of launch.
Originally designed as a brand awareness stunt, Rising Star exceeded expectations and evolved into a recurring program that ran for 2 additional years. The program paired aspiring musicians with local mentors whose careers aligned with their goals, creating a deeply personalized experience that introduced contestants to the music industry while making them feel like stars.
Prizes included high-value experiences - performing at MidWay Music Festival, radio interviews, studio time, and music lessons - from local partners. I designed the end-to-end participant journey, co-created curriculum, and built gamified activations to maximize skill development and engagement.
KEY RESULTS:
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83% retention with early adopters
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Validated scale into an org-wide program engaging 1,500+ members across 4 audience segments
CATCHING UP WITH THE WINNERS
"I felt so powerful as a young person and young woman walking away from this competition."
Maris Fish
Former Rising Star Participant
