CCA student is finalist in radio contest
The work of tech-savvy Canyon Crest Academy junior Jeff Wolff may be coming to a TV screen near you.
Wolff is the youngest of four finalists in the 102.1 KPRi-FM’s “Create Your Commercial” contest. He could win a $1,000 prize and the opportunity to see his work aired on local TV.
His 30-second commercial, featuring a swirling station logo while U2’s “Vertigo” blares in the background, also got the most votes in an online vote.
“I worked pretty hard to get the votes,” Wolff said. “I e-mailed all my friends and had everyone vote.”
The station’s consumer-generated advertising campaign is reportedly the first staged by a San Diego business.
Several companies nationwide have already used the tactic - a few commercials that aired during this year’s Super Bowl were thought up by average folk.
Station owner Robert Hughes, of Del Mar, said he turned to his listeners to create a commercial. “The best explanation of the station is from those that consume it,” he said.
The winner will be announced at the KPRi Christmas concert Dec. 11.
‘Web head’
Creating new media is something Wolff does well. At a young age, he figured out that the Internet is a great place to sell just about anything.
When he was in middle school, he wrote an “e-book” and sold it online on E-Bay.
Now he operates his own Web design business, xhila.com, where he sells custom Web sites for clients.
No small affair
One Web site Wolff created with a friend for the “World of Warcraft” computer game, sold in May for five figures, he said.
“I like doing Web sites a lot, I think it’s what I’m best at,” Wolff said.
He said the challenge is making a site functional and valid while also giving it a very professional look.
Wolff is mostly self-taught at his craft, he said. He generally does his own research. However, this year he’s taking a class to learning how to make Web applications.
Wolff’s commercial can be viewed at
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