BaseCamp: How Do You Feel About Polygamy? And other stuff too...

Our conspirations, as Sooz likes to call it, are hotting up with Susan Kaup. She set up a place for us to coordinate what we are doing using BaseCamp. I won't reveal all about our plans, but I am excited to have someone like Sooz with as much energy, connections and standards as she has - working with us. 

And I agree: Basecamp rocks. Just before I read her post on it, I was about to ask her how we set something like that up.

So, we've teamed up to promote a gig by a band called OSB, tonight at Harper's Ferry in Boston. This is actually the first time we've had two events going on - on the same night. So, I am glad that there is someone like Sooz that knows as much about what we do - as I do - that can be at the event.  She has also hooked up blogads on ExploitBoston! to market the event (as well as other stuff from the rest of her posse).

We also have an event coming up on Monday, which is the third of a monthly event that has been growing in popularity, awesomely. We are about to launch this in Boston, which Susan will be a big part of. The email that I sent out to the group in Worcester, demonstrates what we are doing. Trying to bring a collective voice to the people that are doing exciting things in the entertainment, advertising and media industry.

So, Whaaaa happened this month?

Connecting the dots... This wednesday, I got referrals to two people I already knew. I met Jim Brindisi's cousin at Boston  Billiard Club and I told him what we do. And he said, "I gotta introduce you to my cousin". Then, later on in the day, I was meeting with Michael Kraft and he mentioned that I should talk to his cousin, Ricky Berger, an entertainment lawyer, who I had spoken to about two years ago. Today, I received an email from Liz Kelly, who I know through Andrew Teman, who built her website, saying that Phillip Carcia of Perfect Evolution Studios is shooting a video for her.

Worcester is indeed a small city. Everyone is somebody's cousin. Sometimes, it feels like we are fighting for the same piece of the pie. Many of the businesses in this city think that way. What I love about this group, though, from What I have seen so far at these mixers, is that people are coming together to help each other out... and we are making the pie bigger.  I've been hounding more venues to show up at these events, and I know others have too. Many that I talk to have already heard  about it. I went to a brainstorming session put on by Erin Williams and the NetMixer was a part of the conversation.

People are noticing what we are doing. And as long as we keep the energy flowing, and start to build some bridges, I think people will really take notice.

Paul Giorgio has put us in contact with Martin Richman at the Worcester Art Museum and Kent Russel at Higgins Armory. Adrian Parker from Tuckerman Hall came out to the last mixer. We are talking about hosting the NetMixers at these awesome Worcester landmarks. What I have discovered is that these venues are screaming louder than the bars for the city to take notice of their jewels. And they are very open to ways that the creative community (ie you) can get involved with them.
      
      There was a nice feature on the NetMixer in the Pulse Magazine this month. We've benefited from the exposure from the 3 largest publications in the city. WOMAG, T&G and the Pulse. Big thanks. But, Duncan made the point to me that we need to make these events about getting "stuff" done. It is less about making these events appeal to the wider public, and more about
making the connections that lead to bigger things. I think that is starting to happen.

In my last email, I asked people to tell me what is new and noteworthy. Here's an amalgamation of that. Tony Scavo said that Uncle Billy’s Smokehouse will release their new CD titled: TRACKS on March 17th (St. Patrick’s day) at Tammany Hall. For the record: New cds are noteworthy. UBS playing at Tammany: cool, but not new :) This month, I learned that the Locobazooka guys plan to be doing some networking events of their own, and reaching out to bands in Worcester in an even major-er way than they have in the past.

Buck Paxton, Mike Mars and Duncan Arsenault are launching 15gigs for the world to hear about the cool stuff happening in Worcester online in a radio format. Download ipodder, bring some mp3s on a disc, and come with some quoteworthy sayings and you'll find your voice/music broadcasted on the internet soon thereafter. What else? Jim Brindisi has assumed management of the band, OSB, and they are launching from Worcester to Boston to beyond and we're glad to be a part of that. Rob Newton has a great line up of films that have filled out in the last month for the MassBay Film Festival. Bob Bernier has a new compilation disc coming out. Morgan, the super-intern, has put together a killer all ages concert at Milan for this Friday with   Curtain Society, Deadites, Four Year Strong and ES3K.  Andrew Teman is the world champ of fast food porn commentary. 
      
But, that is all I know about.
      
And as much as I'd love to hear about everyone through email or the phone, we've come up with
a much more efficient way for you to tell EVERYONE at the Mixers what is GOING ON and MORE. Now, when you rsvp/reply, you are prompted to fill out a survey which asks:

What are you working on that someone at the NetMixer might be able to help you with?   
      What services/assistance can you provide to someone else attending the NetMixer?   
      What connections have you made at the NetMixer that have been helpful?   
      What suggestions do you have for future NetMixers?  

I will print out what everyone puts up there on Monday afternoon and bring copies of that.  With this new tool, I am hoping that we can phase out my secretarial work of typing up the sign up spreadsheet.  We'll still collect email addresses at the door, but if you want to share more info, you'll need to login and use the survey every month.

Not too sound tooooo cheeeesy... Worcester is looking up. And I think, collectively, we can play a major role in making it happen.

Beyond Worcester, we've decided to try and duplicate the goodness that is NetMixer in Boston at the end of this month.

Boston Billiard Club in Boston is providing the launching pad. Some Boston based people: Susan Kaup, Victor Ng , Steve Hall, Bob Bernier, Andrew Teman and Vijay Darynani have all agreed to support the hell out of this effort. And we are hoping that you will too. The plan is to have several of these events in major cities in the Northeast. Many of us want to take what we are doing and share it with the world. We are hoping to provide a platform for that.

Meanwhile, Duncan will be ensuring that the quality of this event in Worcester grows and benefits Worcester, because that is where the heart is.

Now that I have officially written an email that rivals Erick Godin's weekly Lucky Dog emails in length, I feel very accomplished. For those of you that read this far,  Erick said he'd buy you a beer. Well, atleast a buck off.