Students and the community packed the CAC to attend a Q&A Fireside with Internet celebs Stuart Edge, Devin Graham, Tiffany Alvord and singer David Archuleta on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The event was hosted by the Willes Center of Entrepreneurship that had the guests come to judge its annual Great Ideas video conference.The stars spoke on living the standards of the gospel despite pressure from the world and being a light to the world. Each judge shared experiences about sticking up for their standards.Graham shared about how his standards benefited his revenue with two recent video experiences. “I did a swimming video with a company and all of the girls were wearing bikinis. I didn’t want to turn them away so I filmed it. Later, I showed it to a friend who really cared about me and she said, ‘I’m so disappointed in you.’ Seeing that perspective and knowing what I’m creating is influencing people I decided from now on everything I do will be in line with the church completely.”“Two weeks later,” continued Graham, “the NFL contacted my crew to make a video for the Florida Jaguars because they’re struggling with attendance. They gave me access to the entire stadium and cheer squad. I got there and all the cheerleaders were immodest. I pulled the coach aside and told her my concern. She said, ‘This is the NFL and our whole appeal is sex appeal. You have to do it; that’s why you’re here.’ I walked back out there and told the cheerleaders, ‘All you women are very beautiful but you need to cover up. We want this to reach all audiences.’ All the girls went back and came back out with their normal clothes.”Edge talked about having to explain the Book of Mormon to friends who had seen “The Book of Mormon” musical. “It was a little intimidating because these guys are very powerful in the Internet world, and here I am sharing my beliefs about the real Book of Mormon.”Archuleta said he never felt it necessary to exchange his standards to share his gifts or talents. He said, “I’ve felt some peer pressure with people telling me that doing a certain thing is more successful, but I never felt it was necessary. It’s sometimes an opportunity to stick up for what you believe.”He said during a song writing session once, he had to stand for his beliefs. “The songwriters were talking about smoking weed since it supposedly makes you more creative,” said Archuleta. “They were so surprised that I didn’t participate in things like that. They were even more surprised that I didn’t swear, go out and do crazy things at parties and with girls. I remember one successful songwriter said, ‘Wait, you don’t do all that?’ and I said, ‘No.’ He then said, ‘That is so weird… but how cool’.”Alvord talked about the challenges of being a girl on YouTube. She said, “Modesty has never been a huge deal because I feel comfortable being modest. One time I posted a picture on Instagram of me in a tank top thinking no one would really notice. One of my LDS followers said she was disappointed in me, and when I saw it, I realized they really do pay attention. Once you decide what your standards are and what you believe, it’s easy to be strong in that. There isn’t temptation if you already know the answer.”After the fireside, Graham said, “A lot of people told me how inspiring I was, but to me I was inspired by everyone in the audience. Seeing that many people there and knowing they have the exact same problems I do reminded me I’m not alone.”Gabriell Sabalones, a senior from Indiana majoring in international cultural studies, said the speakers “were like little latter-day heroes, fighting the good fight in the face of possible unpopularity and ridicule. I feel inspired to develop that kind of relationship with my Heavenly Father too so that he’ll know that he can trust me with more opportunities and blessings.”
Writer: Joshua Mason ~ Multimedia Journalist
