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Experiential Ethics Education with Brand Tantrum Tower™ at Quinnipiac University
Asst. Professor Dr. Donald McAulay and Frii Branding LLC Bridge Ethics, Leadership, and Communication With Innovative Workshop Activity.
West Haven, CT October 26, 2025 - Quinnipiac University’s Dr. Donald D. McAulay Jr., Assistant Professor of Sport and Entertainment Management, recently partnered with Christopher Elliott, founder of Frii Branding LLC, to bring Elliott’s new communication and team-building activity, Brand Tantrum Tower™ (BTT), into the classroom. The collaboration bridged Quinnipiac’s Ethics in Sport Management curriculum with a live communication and leadership simulation, demonstrating how ethical reasoning, clarity, and collaboration intersect under pressure.
This experiential exercise aligns with Quinnipiac’s mission to become the ‘University of the Future’; nurturing global citizens who lead with ethics, collaboration, and inclusive excellence.
An Innovative Twist on Experiential Learning
To align the workshop more closely with real-world team dynamics in sports and corporate leadership, Dr. McAulay suggested that Christopher Elliott design a creative modification to BTT: three-person teams consisting of two Speakers and one Builder. The adjustment proved transformative, revealing ethical tensions such as competing leadership, decision-making under conflicting guidance, and trust when multiple voices vie for influence.
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“That subtle change spoke volumes about Dr. McAulay’s approach to teaching,” said Elliott. “He understands that leadership and ethics aren’t learned from slides, they’re lived through experience. His students didn’t just discuss ethics; they practiced it.”
As the university’s newly appointed President Hardin has noted, Quinnipiac must remain nimble, responsive, and rooted in community values. Experiential tools like Brand Tantrum Tower™ help cultivate those very competencies in students—leadership under constraint, respect for multiple voices, and ethical decision-making.
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Student Insight in Action
Across eight student groups, participants navigated intense collaboration and reflective debriefing tied to ethical theories from Max Weber, Norbert Elias, and C. Wright Mills. Anonymous post-workshop surveys revealed powerful takeaways:
“…everyone on a team can have a big role.”
“…sometimes you have to trust someone else’s idea.”
“Clear planning and communication leads to success.”
“Learning how to think before I speak…for people to understand rather than just talking out loud.”
The winning team, Carlos Braun Simo, Caroline Matyczyk, and Morgan Cupo constructed the tallest freestanding tower of the day. For their performance excellence as communicators and collaborators, they received custom Brand Tantrum Tower™ keychains titled “Black Belt” and now hold first place on the Brand Tantrum Tower Global Leaderboard at www.BrandTantrum.com/leaderboard.
Bridging Ethics, Leadership, and Communication
Rooted in Elliott’s decade-long background in branding, digital communication, and workshop facilitation, Brand Tantrum Tower™ challenges participants to “lead without control” and “build trust under constraint.” Through structured role limitations, teams experience firsthand how authority, autonomy, and influence shape ethical collaboration, mirroring high-stakes decisions faced in sport management and organizational leadership.
“Our students need to learn how to communicate ethically, especially when multiple leaders are in the room,” said Dr. McAulay. “This exercise gave them a chance to wrestle with real-world dilemmas; balancing voice, trust, and accountability in the moment.”
Global Reach & Cross-Sector Impact
Since its creation in 2018, Brand Tantrum Tower™ has engaged over 200 participants, from university classrooms and faculty retreats to nonprofit leadership cohorts and corporate executive teams. The activity has reached attendees across the U.S., France, Spain, Peru, Russia, Thailand, Japan, England, Brazil, and Korea—each discovering how to collaborate under constraint, communicate with clarity, and reflect on how they lead, follow, and adapt.
About Dr. Donald D. McAulay Jr.
A New Haven native and former Division I student-athlete, Dr. McAulay earned degrees from The College of William & Mary, Troy University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. Now an Assistant Professor at Quinnipiac University, he focuses on holistic athlete development, educational equity, and leadership ethics. He is also the founder of Athlete Alliance Sports Consulting LLC and The Athlete Alliance Foundation.
About Christopher Elliott and Frii Branding LLC
Christopher Elliott is a world-record-holding creative professional and CEO of Frii Branding LLC, a leading Connecticut-based marketing agency specializing in brand development, digital communications, and experiential learning. His Brand Tantrum Tower™ workshop has become a signature enrichment experience for organizations seeking to enhance communication, teamwork, and ethical leadership.
Booking Information
Colleges, nonprofits, and corporations interested in hosting a Brand Tantrum Tower™ session or learning more about partnership opportunities can visit www.BrandTantrum.com or contact Frii Branding LLC at CEO@FriiBranding.com.
Media Contact:
Frii Branding LLC
Christopher Elliott | CEO & Facilitator
Email: CEO@FriiBranding.com | Phone: 203-715-7108
Website: www.BrandTantrum.com
Photos: All photos are copyrights of Frii Branding LLC. Required media releases received from all students depicted.
