January 4, 2010 - 6:06am
Elvis Presley died six years before Sharon Huang was born in
Taiwan but that hasn’t stopped the 26-year-old MBA student at Vancouver Island
University from helping to keep memories of the King very much alive.
During a four-month internship with Pro Elvis Jumpsuits in
Nanaimo, Huang worked with costume designer Elle von Boetticher to reach out to
an estimated 80,000 Elvis tribute artists around the world.
Von Boetticher, who trained in costume design at Dalhousie
University, spent more than 13 years working on film and theatrical projects in
Calgary and Vancouver before focusing on reproductions of the flashy outfits
that Elvis made famous.
Ready-to-wear outfits range from $390 to $670 with custom
designs such as the Spanish Flower priced at $2,500 including cape and
belt. The high-end costumes take up to 60 hours to produce with rhinestones
and nailheads set in elaborate patterns.
Von Boetticher’s fledgling company got a major boost in its
profile last October when Elle and her husband Timothy appeared on CBC’s
investment –themed reality show, Dragons’ Den. The couple came away with
a commitment for $30,000 to expand operations and a significant increase in
recognition.
“People come up to me on the street and say they saw the
show,” Elle von Beotticher said.
While the TV exposure has helped, von Boetticher said there
was greater impact from the VIU student’s marketing efforts earlier in the
year. Huang, who is interested in the fashion industry, worked with Pro Elvis
to increase its exposure on the Internet through YouTube, Facebook and EBay.
“We did some brainstorming and Elle told me what she liked,”
Huang said. “Some of my ideas were to video an introduction to the company for
YouTube, produce a website and business page for Facebook. My ideas were about
reaching an international market with techniques that don’t cost much.”
The exposure led to an increase in inquiries from Elvis
tribute artists throughout North America as well as Europe and Australia. Von
Boetticher, whose sales averaged about $5,000 a month last year, sees the
marketing effort as key to reaching a goal of doubling sales this year.
Internships are an integral part of the 14-month dual Master of Business Administration
/Master of Science in International Business program at VIU.
Students work with local businesses, government organizations and other
agencies on a variety of projects. It’s a partnership with the community that
gives students real-life experience while entrepreneurs and others get new
ideas for marketing, financial management and other aspects of their
organization. Businesses and organizations are encouraged to contact the MBA
program at VIU to discuss potential internships.
“It’s really a great crucible,” said MBA internship
co-ordinator Brook Pearce. “Students can apply academic theories and for some,
it turns into an employment opportunity.”
Pearce read about Pro Elvis Jumpsuits and saw it as a good
fit for a partnership with VIU. It was a particularly good match for Huang who
could use her Mandarin language skills to research sources of rhinestones in
China and potential manufacturers of Elvis boots.
“She learned a lot about how business works in China as well
as Canada, a truly international experience,” Pearce said.
There are
about 400 students from China at VIU. They represent the largest national
group among the more than 1,200 international students who attend the
university each year.
“We have
developed good partnerships with Chinese universities,” said Graham Pike, Dean
of International Education at VIU. “We are beginning to see significant numbers
of students from these institutions transferring into our Bachelor of Business
Administration program after completing two years in China.”
VIU is
working on additional joint programs that include mutual interests in
aquaculture, tourism and hospitality, Pike said.
While her internship ended in October, Huang is staying
involved with the company working on a customer data base and researching the
market for Michael Jackson tribute artists. She hopes to get a job in
Canada after graduation in June. Von Boetticher is preparing to work with
another MBA intern as she sets her sights on the market for Michael Jackson
tribute artists and fans.
“There’s great potential,” she said, adding that the
company is working to produce a line of outfits in time for a Jackson tribute
festival in Penticton this summer.
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For more on Vancouver Island University’s intern program,
visit: viu.ca/mbaintern
For more on Elvis and Michael Jackson costumes, visit:
proelvisjumpsuits.com or mjtributesuits.com
To view the Dragons’ Den appearance, visit:
cbc.ca/dragonsden (follow guides to episode 5)
Tags: In the Community
