Local student artist to appear on MTV series

IU sophomore Jeremy Gotwals is a man of all trades who has an MTV episode of “MADE” under his belt, exciting ideas for a television show of his own and a CD to be released this month. MTV has just recruited Gotwals for another episode in the new series, “Truth Riders,” which will be airing 8 p.m. Saturday.

IDS: What are you studying here at IU?

Gotwals: Journalism / International Affairs

IDS: MTV recruited and contracted you for their new series, “Truth Riders.” How did this opportunity come about?

Gotwals: Filming MTV’s ‘MADE’ in 2007 opened a myriad of doors in my career – having worked more than three months on the project, I facilitated some strong personal/professional connections with producers at MTV Networks; connections that I have maintained over the course of the past two years. This summer, producers at MTV’s  “MADE” headquarters in New York gave me a call to see if I was interested in filming with them during the summer of 2009. Wanting to expand my work with television, and finding their proposition intriguing, I naturally jumped at the chance.  

IDS: Tell me about the series “Truth Riders.”

Gotwals: The “Truth Rider Challenge” is a mini-series of “Micro-sodes” aimed at promoting the TRUTH Tobacco Awareness Campaign. In the mini-series, you can watch me and my partner Natalie in all of our adventures/misadventures as we try to raise awareness about the tobacco industry using whatever means necessary, from singing, to selling trash ... or sporting big purple costumes that look like some kinda strange Muppet-Pokemon creation from a cheesy ’80s Japanese horror movie ... we made our mark on thousands during our filming at the annual ‘Dew’ Tour in Portland. For the production, we filmed in Portland, Ore. during the month of August, at the Annual “Dew Tour,” a sort of “Warped Tour” for skaters and extremes sports enthusiasts. Here, we met up with the “Truth Riders,” a group of college students who spend their summers touring the nation promoting facts about the tobacco industry. In the show, you see me and my partner Natalie go head-to-head as we compete to rock out on the road with the “Truth Riders.”

 

IDS: The episode that you will be featured on is due to air Saturday on MTV. What has been the response from friends, fellow students and family about your past and upcoming TV debuts?

Gotwals: Naturally, both friends and family have been incredibly supportive; from my core, I thank them for that. Television is no easy career – it’s a constant game, a struggle of egos, where, in any moment, the pressure can cause you to crack or to shine – when we crack on camera, our fears show. ...  But when we are fearless and unattached to the results of the final production, we are totally free, and our true self shines forth beautifully – even if the part of us that airs isn’t the whole picture.

 

IDS: You have been featured on MTV’s “MADE.” How did you get chosen for that opportunity?

Gotwals: In 2006, MTV Came to Bloomington High Schools North and South (and high schools around the country) to look for talent to cast in a new season of MTV’s “MADE” – the story is a crazy one, I literally showed up with my guitar, amid hundreds of my fellow students, and played them one of my songs. Having no expectations, and never having even seen a single episode of MADE, I walked away knowing I had made an impression, but I didn’t see it going anywhere. Within two weeks they called me back and came out to film with me for a day. But it wasn’t until more than a year later, in March of 2007, that I actually got the phone call saying “Let’s do this thing!” So I had to wait a long time, and filming commenced at the end of March 2007.
 
 

IDS: What was it like having MTV producers and camera crews following your every step for a week?

Gotwals: In 2007, working with cameras for three months, filming every breath of air, took some adjusting but nonetheless was a profound and enjoyable experience. By now, working with cameras comes naturally. In Portland, the cameras proved to be no challenge at all, and I dived right into the process with ease and confidence.

 

IDS: What was the response from students and faculty to the camera crews following you to classes, etc?

Gotwals: Cameras have this way of affecting an area of people. It’s a strange psychology and a true test of character. Suddenly people project onto you whatever they fear inside of themselves, or whatever goals they fear they cannot attain. They project a character onto you that is totally false. Such is the folly of the collective illusion of fame – when the cameras are rolling, you can see both the best and the worst in people.

 

IDS: “MADE” brought in Sony recording artist Ryan Key, of Yellowcard, to help prepare you for your performance at Rhino’s. How did Key help you with your music and with your performance preparation?

Gotwals: In 2007, working with Ryan Key brought tremendous pop-culture perspective to my music, which, at the time, did not conform at all to pop-culture standards. Now, I have a middle ground, with song structures that one hears in your favorite rock bands, but still a healthy dose of my quixotic lyrics and adventurous melodic structures/time changes.

 
IDS: You are recording a CD at Echo Park Studios that is due to release later this month. What type of music can people expect to find on the CD?

Gotwals: The CD I will be releasing this month has all originals written, composed, and arranged by me: seven or eight songs total, three rock tracks recorded with my former band Paradigm Shift and the rest are acoustic/semi-acoustic featuring accompanying musicians from the Jacobs School, as well as a track “Azadi” that will feature international artists from Iran, visiting the States for musical/cultural endeavors and to escape the repression of their totalitarian government. My style is best described as “progressive acoustic,” as I blend popular alternative rock elements with classical, ambient and folk undertones – primarily with an acoustical emphasis.

IDS: You were a volunteer on the Dalai Lama tour in 2007. Can you tell me about this tour and what you did?

Gotwals: As a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, I have been working extensively with Bloomington’s Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center for many years. In 2007 my work on site was very intense. I worked directly with media coordination, event preparation and also with merchandise sales, as selling some of the TMBCC’s beautiful Himalayan merchandise requires a knowledge of the culture, language and native spirituality. My work with Bloomington’s TMBCC continues – and will continue when the Dalai Lama returns in May of 2010. I will be leading and putting together campus activities, promoting the event on various levels to students who are interested in learning more about Tibetan culture, art, history and religion.

 

IDS: After the airing of the “Truth Riders” episode, do you have any more TV shows you will be working on?

Gotwals: Currently, I’m working on spreading my wings with my television career. I have a television series that I am writing, and intend to host, which I am pitching to major networks – a series featuring international travel, music and enhancing cultural awareness via television and my fun, creative and crazy personality, blended with insightful tones – looking at ecological issues, issues of global consciousness and self/global awareness.

 

IDS: So far you have been on a major network television show and have recorded a CD. What are your career aspirations for the future?

Gotwals: Down the line, I seek to continue my work with music and television, as well break into film and other multimedia areas. Overall, through the various works that I publish, my plan is to enhance global vision: raising awareness of health in mind, body and planet, and bridging gaps between cultures and communities worldwide and in America.