Becoming Brandon’s Assistant

(Pictured: The Assistant and Larry)

Being a part of Vanderbilt’s history definitely has its perks. Thanks to the Commodores going to the Music City Bowl, I got to be Brandon Barca’s “Assistant” during the team’s check-in to the Opryland Hotel last night. My fiancé is usually as hardcore about his job as they come, but during a moment of weakness (or maybe niceness), Brandon handed me a camera and said, “Here—hold this. Follow me and don’t say a word.” I was suddenly thrust into the world of being the “web-guy’s” assistant. And I enjoyed every minute of it! I got to see Larry Leathers (Football Media Relations Director) in his interviewing splendor talk to Jamie Graham and Brian Reese. (See Brandon’s blog post below for the actual interviews.)

I was also charged with the task of finding out more about Gaylord’s Opryland Hotel. During my research, I discovered that it is actually the 17th largest hotel in the world. The hotel and convention center is housed within 600,000 square feet and contains over 2800 guest rooms. It’s most impressive feature is the nine acres of indoor gardens, including waterfalls and a river. It is a definite “must-see” in Nashville, and the perfect location for the Commodores’ stay.

As an avid vucommodores.com reader, it was interesting to see all the excitement that takes place behind the scenes. Thanks, Brandon and Larry, for letting me tag along. Please let me know when I can help in the future. But don’t worry—I won’t quit my day job yet.

Yours truly,
The Assistant