Benjamin Robinson Brings Aggie Pride into Visual Focus

For more than eight years, Aggies have enjoyed original social media content from @ghoedosanddonts that has covered everything from homecoming, student life, athletics, and encouraging alumni to give back to the university. The man behind this platform, Benjamin Robinson ‘09, is a visual content creator who has enriched us with his love for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

“When I graduated in 2009, it was in the middle of the recession. I had moved back home to Raleigh, North Carolina, and I came up with an idea to start a social media page for @ghoedosanddonts with Darren Brand ’08. We started creating content about A&T that became successful with Aggies online,” said Robinson.

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, Robinson decided to freelance for two years before applying to Elon University’s interactive media program.

“While at Elon, I did my graduate project on the A&T Bookstore and I launched their Instagram page. During this period, the men’s basketball team was playing in the NCAA and I used the platform to sell merchandise,” said Robinson. “I knew from watching how the students responded on social media that A&T had a culture and it was an ‘a-ha’ moment that helped me to realize I could do more using digital media with a collective group of people.”

Through the creative genius of Robinson and Brand, the platform was built off of sketch comedy videos, football scores, homecoming memes, and content shared by other alumni.

“We honestly grew our following of 18.6K on Instagram and 17.6K on Facebook by sharing content in the Aggies’ groups. We have worked extremely hard with staying on top of the trends of social media and remaining relevant with our audience,” said Robinson.

“Aggies love A&T and it’s because of alumni, students, parents, and the community that we have been featured in publications like BuzzFeed, Complex and we have celebrities commenting on our posts about the ‘Greatest Homecoming on Earth.’”

During homecoming, Robinson uses the help of other Aggie creatives such as Bradley Burton ‘17, Jerrell Harris ‘08, and Brian Washington ’11 and a plethora of other Aggies to produce content.

“For some people, they believe that it is a myth or folklore that A&T has the ‘Greatest Homecoming on Earth’ and we are here to provide evidence and proof that Aggie Pride is worldwide,” he said.

Robinson resides in Dallas, Texas, and has worked as a visual journalist for the Dallas Morning News for three and a half years. He is now a visual storyteller and digital designer for HKS Inc., the second-largest architecture firm in the United States.

“I believe the impact we are making with the platform is when prospective students reach out wanting to learn more about attending A&T and pushing Aggies to click the ‘Give Now’ button on the university website,” he said.

To learn more about Robinson, please follow him on social media @BenjaminMack.