Cheer up with syrup.
CEO of SoulPancake, Shabnam Mogharabi, served up a stack of inspiration to the Lory Student Center Tuesday night, courtesy of RamEvents.
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SoulPancake, a media and entertainment company made famous by the YouTube series Kid President, produces and distributes thought-provoking and uplifting content in various channels, including Vine, TV and YouTube, Mogharabi said.
“I feel like I’m being of service every day (with our content),” Mogharabi said. “I might be changing someone’s life, or their day, or even just their hour, but that’s so important.”
The 5-year-old company, founded by actor Rainn Wilson of “The Office,” celebrates positive psychology and the power of joy, but doesn’t shy away from sensitive issues, such as death.
“When we started, we were just throwing out topics that were taboo in normal conversation, but that we felt shouldn’t be,” Mogharabi said. “Why don’t people talk about these things?”
Mogharabi’s hour-long presentation focused on the missions of SoulPancake and its various content forums, as well as the profound effect of joy on everyday life.
It featured clips from several SoulPancake videos as well as an audience member’s phone call to express gratitude to a role model.
“Happiness can come and go, but true joy isn’t fleeting and has a huge impact,”Mogharabi said. “It can be so simple to embrace — you can just pick up the phone.”
Event Programmer Alexis Svenson said Mogharabi was chosen as a speaker because of SoulPancake’s positive impact.
“We fell in love with Kid President (at RamEvents) and his message,” Svenson said. “SoulPancake is a fascinating organization that can make you reevaluate what really matters.”
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The presentation was part of an ongoing campaign to bring inspiration to Colorado State University that started with September’s Ramspire events.
“Joy propels people,” Svenson said. “I hope events like these help people gain a new-found understanding of joy.”
Jessica Teal, family consumer science education junior, said she came into contact with SoulPancake through education capstone classes, and attended the event because she wants to be a teacher.
“I want to learn what I can do to make a difference,” Teal said. “We have so much power as students that we might not be using.”
Teal said she encouraged several friends to attend in an effort to share her passion.
Attendee and CSU Deputy Director of Livestock Systems Katie Steneroden said she wished the event had been more promoted.
“We’ve had so many powerful female speakers, like Temple Grandin and Shabnam Mogharabi,” Steneroden said. “It’s so important to promote and support events like these.”
SoulPancake media includes content like “Street Compliments,” “The Science of Happiness” and “What Does Love Look Like to You.”
Mogharabi said she hopes to see SoulPancake grow to be a leader in uplifting entertainment in the next 10 years.
“This is how we can get people their daily dose of inspiration,” Mogharabi said. “People need to be inspired. They crave it.”
Collegian Reporter Rachel Musselmann can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @rmusselmann.
