Full Sail University is proud to welcome clothing brand entrepreneur, Johnny “Cupcakes” Earle, voted #1 BusinessWeek young entrepreneur for his t-shirt brand with a recipe for success, Johnny Cupcakes, to the university’s on-campus performance venue, Full Sail Live on Saturday, October 27 for a guest lecture. The event is part of the “Cupcakes from the Crypt” Coffin Tour, featuring a limited-edition Johnny Cupcakes Halloween collection, including t-shirts, hats and accessories, sold out of coffins.

The evening will feature Earle speaking to students from several of Full Sail’s degree programs including: Entertainment Business, Internet Marketing, Graphic Design, and Digital Arts and Design. His lecture will focus on entrepreneurship, starting a business with zero funding, engaging a community, employee management, creative use of web and retail space, nontraditional marketing and promotions, and the importance of art, graphic design, and packaging. Limited seating will be open to the general public.

In 2001, Earle began selling his quirky cupcake-themed t-shirts and pins to friends and family out of the trunk of his beat up ‘89 Camry, inspired by his nickname, “Johnny Cupcakes.” Creating a cult following, Earle continued to develop the brand through selling t-shirts out of his suitcase while touring with his hardcore music band. Noted as one of Inc. Magazine’s 2012 Fastest Growing Companies, Johnny Cupcakes has moved far beyond suitcase-based sales and expanded its reach to include a robust retail site and eye-catching and engaging storefronts in Boston, Los Angeles and London, UK. Each retail space is designed as a vintage bakery and displays signature products inside refrigerators and glass bakery displays.

Johnny Cupcakes creates a unique experience for each customer through special events, packaging, retail environments and endless surprises. All Johnny Cupcakes designs are exclusive and most are printed just once, making the products not just stylish, but collectible. Voted best young entrepreneur in 2008 by BusinessWeek, Earle remains dedicated to bringing the Johnny Cupcakes experience to customers and fans across the country in fun, unexpected ways.

“A vital component of our curriculum centers around providing our students with real-world opportunities including guest lectures and discussions with industry professionals,” said Eric Rosenfeld, Full Sail University’s Program Director of Digital Arts and Design. “We are honored to welcome back Johnny Earle, the founder and force behind Johnny Cupcakes, to our campus to provide insight into the evolution of business, while sharing his take on the creative strategy behind his brand’s designs.”

Johnny “Cupcakes” Earle is currently touring nationwide and will feature an exclusive pop-up shop following his lecture where fans can experience the brand’s wacky, unexpected nature, mingle with the founder and fans and get tour exclusive Johnny Cupcakes Coffin Tour merchandise. For more details on the tour, please visit www.johnnycupcakes.com.

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About Full Sail University:

Full Sail University is an award-winning educational leader for those pursuing careers in the entertainment and media industry. Founded in 1979, Full Sail has been recognized as one of the Top Five Game Degree Programs by Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the Best Music Programs by Rolling Stone Magazine, and one of the Best Film Programs by UNleashed Magazine. In 2011, Full Sail received the “21st Century Best Practices in Distance Learning Award” from the United States Distance Learning Association, was named the “School/College of the Year” by the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges, and was recognized as one of the Top 100 Social Media Colleges by Studentadvisor.com.

Full Sail offers Master, Bachelor, and Associate campus and online degree programs in areas related to animation, art, business, education, graphic design, film, marketing, web development, music, recording arts, sports, and video games. Full Sail graduate credits include work on OSCAR^®, Emmy^®, GRAMMY^®, ADDY^®, MTV Video Music Award, and Spike Video Game Award nominated and winning projects.

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