The Legendary P.T. Barnum by Samantha

The Legendary P.T. Barnum by Samantha - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

An embodiment of American spirit, P.T. Barnum is iconic for his self-aware leadership and forward-thinking strategy. Born in 1810, Barnum dominated entertainment, taking the American circus nationwide by train and revolutionizing advertising and public relations in the United States and beyond. A global time capsule must thus immortalize Barnum for his global-mindedness, perseverance, innovation, and inclusivity.

P.T. Barnum mastered the American dream. Born of modest means in Connecticut, he first succeeded in business as a teenager. Barnum had an unequalled ability to discern the cultural needs of his customers, to fill a void even his audiences did not know existed. He embraced community and culture by identifying what customers wanted and then providing it.

Modern day customers and audience goers witness Barnum’s influence without realizing its ongoing impact. Barnum redefined the performer-agent relationship, proffering greater portions of ticket sale proceeds to his performers and enabling them to define their artistic paths. He turned his American Museum into the top attraction in New York City, incorporating wildlife and cultural exhibits to educate a public unable to explore the world beyond Manhattan’s bordering rivers. Employing radical advertising tactics and amplifying hype for his performers’ arrivals in myriad American towns, Barnum ensured sold-out shows and record-breaking returns on his artistic investments. He even moved the American circus to railroad tracks, transitioning an antiquated horse-and-buggy transportation system to an efficient model capable of rapidly reaching remote cities. Throughout it all, Barnum came to define the American businessman and entrepreneur.

The goal of any great business should be to achieve profitability while identifying and exceeding its customers’ needs. Barnum managed this in every new foray, never permitting failure to be the end of his story. His determination and self-awareness made him a diplomat of the highest esteem, traveling the globe to showcase his performers in the homes of politicians, royalty, and artists alike. Barnum endeavored to share his fortune and renown, cultivating a social network so robust and diverse it was little matched in the pre-technological era.

A career-driven individual, I strive to embody Barnum’s business savvy. I acknowledge that the innate desire for success is meaningless if I neglect social responsibility. As he touted, success is most deeply felt when it accompanies generosity. I immerse myself in his dignified belief that “the noblest art is that of making others happy.” Barnum, like me, was educated, hopeful, undeterred, and imperative about leaving the world a better place. Barnum was wise to observe his peers; I hope to experience similar enlightenment in embracing diversity at IE. For his successes and failures, his self-made fame and resolute beliefs, and his exemplary contributions to a society seeking to encounter and appreciate cultural and artistic diversity, Barnum was and will perennially be an American legend.