Walking and talking billboards staked out the corner of College Avenue and Allen Street Friday in a publicity stunt to promote local bars.

The campaign was part of Phenom Entertainment, a business started in October by Penn State students that throws parties and hosts events in bars and clubs downtown.

For Friday, Phenom recruited members of Theta Delta Chi, 305 E. Prospect Ave., and Gamma Sigma Sigma, 420 E. College Ave., to turn their members' faces into animated advertisements. Their foreheads, cheeks and chins acted as canvases for Club Love, 129 1/2 S. Pugh St., and Bar Bleu, 114 S. Garner St.

Phenom owner and co-founder Justin Storey (senior-economics) said he also recruits Penn State athletes to spread the word of his budding business, and Penn State running back Austin Scott was helping out Friday. His face was not painted, but he said he would do his share in the promotion.

"I met Justin this summer and told him I could help out," Scott said.

Storey said that Phenom has deals with many football players, and they routinely show up to Phenom events.

"They like to help out any way they can," he said. "I'll ask them to wear a Phenom hoodie out and they will."

Friday's promotion prompted a few children to tug at their moms' coats in hopes of getting their faces painted as well.

"I think it's good for people to become aware of what is going on," Dan Maimon (junior-advertising) said while two girls wrote on his face with blue and white.

Maimon was part of the Street Team for Phenom Entertainment, which turned a few heads when the group worked College Avenue.

Scott Johnson (junior-mathematics) adorned his face in paint to entice more people to come to poker night Tuesdays at Bar Bleu.

"I already go to poker night," he said. "It's nice to get the word out."

Kevin Braley (junior-kinesiology) is the manager of the Street Team -- whose members are paid $25 per hour to be human advertisements for State College businesses -- and said that the face painting is just one side of the promotion process.

"We have 20 to 25 people who promote," Braley said. "We go through the HUB and hit all the dorms."

Braley said that the trick to not getting kicked out of the HUB-Robeson Center is not to promote drink specials.

"You can promote anywhere on campus as long as you don't promote alcohol," he said.

Storey said he got the idea from watching TV.

"I saw that they were doing this in New York and said, 'we could do this,' " he said.

Storey said that Phenom is flourishing in State College and his phone has been ringing consistently since starting the business last October.

"I have to put bars on hold," he said.

Storey's business hosts events in conjunction with bars. The business takes charge of promoting the events and also brings in DJs and bands in exchange for a little kickback.

"Usually we take all the door money and the bar gets the rest," Storey said.

So far, Phenom has contracts with Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., and Bar Bleu, but Storey said there is still much to learn.

"I'm still learning the ropes," he said.

Storey said that the key to promotion in State College is knowing the scene.

"We have to target for a particular crowd," he said.

Knowing which bars to promote for each crowd, for Storey, has led to a successful business venture that he will continue while he attends Dickinson Law School of Penn State University in the fall.

"There is always a demand for promotion in State College," he said.