DeAndré Upshaw knocked our socks off as the inaugral Young & Free Texas Spokesperson
The search
Waco, Texas' DeAndré Upshaw submitted his application on September 9, 2008. It was clear from the very beginning that he was a frontrunner.
After making it to the top three with Jason Smith and Amy Acreman, DeAndré was a content machine, producing over 25 additional blog posts, podcasts and videos during the application and voting phases. He proved early on that he was made for the job.
When the results from the public vote were tallied, DeAndre' had garnered 52% of the votes. TDECU's Trey Reeme drove to Waco and covertly organized a group of DeAndré's friends to gather and surprise him with the news that he won! After his shock, he gladly accepted the job.
DeAndré's year
DeAndré kicked off his year on November 4, and quickly made staples of some of the topics and ideas he brought during the search phase.
He established "I Found It On The Internets," an exploration of some of the wackier things on the internet. Among some of those things found? Cheetos Lip Balm, The Wayback Machine and Handerpants.
Another weekly feature was "Free For Me," where DeAndré would spotlight free events, food and things around Texas. Some of the deliciousness included free Whataburger, Chik-fil-A and KFC.DeAndré also teamed up with Jason Smith to find the best free stuff that SXSW had to offer.
DeAndré's amazing videos
DeAndré created 45 high-quality videos through his tenure. The videos featured money saving tips and on-location features of the events that DeAndré attended.
Together with his friend Justin, DeAndré brought us the concept of "freeling" in the form of an unforgettable video featuring a Sonic Gift Card.
An especially informative video showcase the concept of "The Balanced Money Formula."
From the web to the real world
Some of DeAndré's most meaningful interactions occurred in the real world. Credit unions are presented with event sponsorship opportunities all of the time. These sponsorship packages typically include exposure through program advertisements, banners, logos on T-shirts and booths. Instead of stopping there, we sent DeAndré to cover the event with man on the streets interviews. The resulting videos were some of his most memorable.
In the spirit of Young & Free, after encountering food queen Rachel Ray at SXSW, DeAndré was able to prowl the streets of the festival and eventually give away a Flip Video camera.
DeAndré was also able to connect with members of TDECU at community events such as the Tom Tom Festival held in Yoakum, Texas.
He even got an opportunity to hang out with the applicants for Young & Free South Carolina on the 2 Girls and a Guy Morning Show on location in Charleston, South Carolina.
As the inaugural spokester for Young & Free Texas, DeAndré helped to cultivate a community of Young & Freers who now have a voice and a head start on their finances.
