BOLD Miami

Flash Mob Organizer

By: Kristen Grace Photos By Olivia Otten

Posted: 12/12/09

It's spring, 2008.

Miami's Haines Food Court is crowded and bustling with hungry students. Zak Shugart, a sophomore at the time, sits at a table casually looking around and checking his watch. Suddenly, he slams his hand down on the table and shouts to the crowd, "Dang it! I forgot my drink!"

Just then, a student dressed in a giant McDonald's milkshake costume rounds the corner at full sprint. People all over the cafeteria jump up, pointing and yelling, "There it is!"

From their pockets, they pull straws and leap up to catch the milkshake on the run. Led by Shugart, the mob chases the milkshake man on foot all the way to Bell Tower, their straws held high. Upon catching up to the milkshake man and "drinking him," the participants suddenly disperse, leaving onlookers stunned and baffled.

The Miami flash mob strikes again, all thanks to Shugart's precise planning and participation from nearly 80 students.

"Looking back, it was a very long run," Shugart says, reflecting on his favorite of the five flash mobs he has organized in the past three years.

Since his sophomore year, Shugart has been the co-mastermind behind such flash mobs as the worshiping of the new business school and the infamous milkshake chase.

What's a flash mob?

"A flash mob is a group of people that meet in a public space at a pre-assigned time," Shugart explains. "They do an unusual activity for a few minutes and then quickly disperse, leaving (hopefully) laughing bystanders."

It all started when Shugart and co-founder Austin Kosier were watching videos of flash mobs on YouTube and realized they could do the same thing at Miami. Shugart created a closed Facebook group called "Miami Flash Mob" and invited his friends, asking them to invite others.

As the group grew exponentially, ideas flew. Members of the group were encouraged to make suggestions for activities and places for future flash mobs to take place.

When an idea pops up that shows promise, Shugart and Kosier assess whether it's safe and make sure it doesn't break any university rules (lame, but necessary). Then, they create an elaborate plan and contact the group to let everyone know when and where to meet, what they will be doing and any props they should bring (a straw, for example).

"We have to be really careful not to incite panic," Shugart says. "We wanted to do a zombie infestation mob in the spirit of Halloween, but I don't think it would have gone over well if people had started biting each other."

Gatherings usually range from 30 to 60 people and pop up all over campus. Shugart tries to alternate the times they take place, both to keep the mobs random and to make sure everyone who wants to can get involved.

According to Shugart, the success and entertainment value of the mob is a direct result to how many people attend.

Now a senior, Shugart has plenty of time to come up with new ideas for these spontaneous gatherings.

"It's one of my favorite things to do on campus," Shugart says.