February 15th, 2011
Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 6pm for the 5th
installment of Ignite Wilmington at the newly renovated Queen Theater, site
of World Cafe Live, at 5th and Market Streets in Wilmington!
Ignite Wilmington is a night of presentations with a twist. Presenting on a
subject of their choice, speakers have exactly five minutes to teach
something, enlighten us, or simply inspire–backed by twenty slides
auto-advancing every fifteen seconds. Quick, fun, and smart, Ignite sells
out the largest venues in Wilmington.
This time, we are teaming up with the great DelTweeters to make it a
fantastic event! Follow us on Twitter (@IgniteWilmo…and we’ll take a
mention, RT or #FF if you can spare a few of your 140 characters). If you
talk about us (and we hope you will), drop in #Delaware, #NetDE and/or #WilmDE to
help get the word out.
We need some kick-a$$ speakers to match the stellar venue. If you, or
someone you know, is doing something interesting in or around Wilmo, please
consider speaking. Think creatively; we’ve had all kinds of presentations
from technology/social media to Hansei, social movements to dating…all
very well-received by the Ignite crowd.
Submit your talk ideas here. Tickets available now!
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October 11th, 2010
Another Ignite Wilmington is now in the books, and we wanted to say “Thanks!”
The night was a success on all levels: the speakers were great, the venue was fantastic, and the crowd was energetic. We learned what a “Wuppie” is from Kelly Cofrancisco and Jeff Schaller taught us just how big an alligator’s brain runs. We learned how little hinges can swing big doors by changing out a single lightbulb from Alex Sawyer, and Len Damico gave practical, heartfelt advice for handling a layoff. We also got a first hand look at a lot of cool projects that are happening in Wilmington right now, from people like Michael Kalmbach, Gordon Del Giorno, and Joe Sielski.
We also gave away our first Ignition Grant, to the City Theater Company’s Community Series. The CTC is a great organization helping to push Wilmington’s creative community forward. The Ignition Grant will be used to fund a portion of their Community Series, which takes place in February and March and features a local playwright and local players.
There are so many moving parts in orchestrating an Ignite, and there are so many people to thank. In no specific order, I’d like to say “Thanks” to:
- Our hosts, the DCH. The DCH was a great place to have our event. It was cozy and intimate, reminding us (a bit) of the first Ignite at The Archer Group. Also, we couldn’t have asked for anyone more helpful than Wendy Scott.
- Our Emcee, Mr. Mark Mobley. We are lamenting the day when Mark won’t be available for an Ignite Wilmington, because he makes emceeing look so easy. We give him virtually no direction, and he keeps the night humming along, without a hitch. Without Mark, the night wouldn’t be nearly as fun.
- Our sponsors. El Diablo provided the food, Greg at MySherpa wrote a check, and Gordon at Film Brothers arranged to have the event filmed. The best way to say “thank you” is to consider them next time you’re hungry, in search of top notch tech support, or need to have something filmed.
- Our twelve courageous speakers. Of the twelve speakers, only one (Jeff Schaller) had done an Ignite presentation before. The feedback I kept hearing was the overall quality of the speakers - from start to finish – was the best it had ever been. Giving a solid, tight Ignite talk takes a ton of thought and practice, and everyone did a great job.
- Our inner circle, Brad Wason and JulieAnne Cross. Brad and JulieAnne were instrumental in helping us pick our speakers. We had a record number of proposals submitted, and they helped whittle down the list to the twelve that spoke.
- Our volunteers. Theresa Martin pulled together ALL the last-minute details and Don Steward delivered beer AND was the resident IT guy for the night. George Weaver, Jennifer Rice, Cathy Dolan, and Liz Lockman stepped up and graciously offered to help too. A little help goes a long way, but a lot of help saved the night. Thank you so much for pitching in and making the night a success.
The next Ignite is going to be held in February. We’ll be announcing the date shortly. We’ll be posting the videos for IW4 soon too.
We’d love to hear your feedback, and we’re open to suggestions as to how to make the night better. Email us at info@ignitewilmington.com.
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October 6th, 2010
Tomorrow is the day it all goes down – at Ignite Wilmington #4. Everything is in place; we have a fantastic lineup of speakers (they’ve been practicing their tails off), a great host (the lovely DCH), a fearless MC (the irreplaceable Mark Mobley), and gracious sponsors (El Diablo and MySherpa).
We even have some great prizes to give away….which we’ll keep a surprise for now.
On top of everything else, we’re giving away our first-ever Ignition Grant to a very cool organization. We’re going to keep that under wraps until tomorrow as well.
Also of note: Film Brothers will be recording all of the presentations at Ignite Wilmington #4. We’ll be posting all the talks online in the upcoming weeks.
Remember:
- Things kick off officially at 6PM; the doors to the DCH will open and we’ll have drinks and light bites.
- Come out early so you can relax and meet some interesting people (that’s part of what Ignite is all about).
- You do NOT need to bring tickets, as we’ll have a list of all attendees at the door.
- At 7PM we’ll start the evening (and shut the doors to the room with the speakers).
- The parking lot across from the DCH holds about 40-ish cars. If you’re running late, you’ll have to park in the surrounding neighborhood.
We’ll see you tomorrow night!
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October 5th, 2010
Dave McGurgan lives in Wilmington, Delaware. Throughout the ’90s, Dave performed and toured with more than a dozen indie and punk rock bands. He published eight issues of Yakuza, a fanzine inspired by punk rock and travel. In addition to his passion for music, Dave is a pet therapy advocate. Dave and his four dogs have visit nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living facilities Delaware to improve the physical and mental health of individuals, including hospice patients. Dave can be found on Twitter @dmcgurgan.
Dave will share his story,“We’re not here for the money, we’re here for the friends: The genuine story of a little luncheonette on North Scott street””
Angelo’s Luncheonette has stayed in business for 43 years living by this motto. By being open and honest and converting customers into friends and fans, The Muzzi family has created one of the most genuine businesses in Wilmington. If success was measured by the number of friends they’ve made, The Muzzi’s ought to be millionaires.
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October 5th, 2010
Denee Crumrine is a recent graduate of University of Delaware with a B.A. in Communications and is currently an intern at the interactive marketing agency, The Archer Group. She was involved in PRSSA and served as the Public Relations Chair of the community service sorority, Gamma Sigma Sigma. She has also conducted research in violence in prime time television, minority representation in prime time, and in the utilization of Facebook among college students as means of conflict resolution.
Denee’s talk will be “So…Is this a Date? How to Decode Your Relationship Status in 2010”
Why are things so complicated when it comes to dating? The lines defining the traditional boundaries of relationships have been blurred, and we’ve become inundated with so many means of communication – or miscommunication. If you can’t figure out if last weekend was a date or not, then I am here to help. As a single gal learning the rules of the so-called ‘playing field’ during an age of texting, Facebook and uncertainty, I’ll share what I’ve learned in the hopes that we can all navigate this mess known as dating a little better.
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October 4th, 2010
Andréa Miller is the Editor/Publisher of Laugh!, Delaware’s new monthly humor, arts and culture magazine.
A northern Delaware resident for 15 years, Andréa began freelancing for the Community News nearly a decade ago. She joined the staff in 2002, As reporter, she won more Delaware Press Association awards than any other DPA member to date. As editor, she sought to saturate the weekly papers with voices from the community, and lead the editorial team through a newsroom operations overhaul, consolidation and newspaper redesign.
Andréa holds a bachelor’s in Psychology from Bryn Mawr College, where she graduated summa cum laude while raising three children. An artist and cellist, Andréa studied fine arts at Carnegie Mellon University and The Cleveland Institute of Art.
Andréa’s dachshund and golden retriever, mostly-grown kids, pastel painting and fledgling vegetable garden bring her daily smiles.
Andrea’s talk will be “The Power of Laughter”
I was a psych major at Bryn Mawr, and when I graduated in 2001, a new category within the American College of Psychology was just being established by then APA head Marty Seligman out of UPenn. It intrigued me, and I’ve followed it’s development from a distance since then. Its called Positive Psychology, and far from being some “feel good pop psychology,” its all about the scientific study of the factors that produce happiness, life satisfaction, longevity, positive health outcomes, etc. and figuring out how to maximize them in the population so that the good life is as available to all as possible.
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October 4th, 2010
J
oe Sielski is a Delaware native and Wilmington resident. He is a server at Chelsea Tavern and a member of the INbassadors. In April 2010, he founded Delaware’s first Gay and Lesbian news blog: DelawareGLU.blogspot.com. When he’s not working or blogging, you can find him out walking in one of Wilmington’s many parks or simply find him enjoying a movie and a glass of wine.
Joe’s talk will be “The Delaware GLU.”
I started the Delaware GLU because I saw a need. Delaware is a small state, and there are about 7 or 8 primary LGBT organizations. Each of these organizations have their own separate mission statement and a separate calendar of events. I would notice that these groups would post their events on places like Facebook, yet many of these events would go unnoticed – mainly because many people don’t even know these groups existed. There were so many amazing things happening independently from one another with little to no support from other groups, and they all just needed some form of …glue!
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October 1st, 2010
Felicia Pullam is the elusive *F, tweeting on behalf of @GovernorMarkell and serving as a core member of the Governor’s communications team. Prior to joining Delaware state government, Felicia lived in Asia for nearly a decade, leading the regional Corporate Responsibility practice for APCO Worldwide. At APCO, she specialized in stakeholder relations, strategic communications and partnership building, worked with clients ranging from from development agencies and nonprofits to multinationals and business associations. Felicia wasn’t always a corporate hack or a bureaucrat though – she started off her career as a Princeton in Asia Teaching Fellow and later worked on the set of Zhang Yimou’s Hero, as Zhang Ziyi’s English tutor.
Felicia’s talk will be “How A Tweet Becomes a Road Cone.”
The dramatic, behind-the-scenes tale of how one tweet may have saved an entire neighborhood of Delawareans. You know how a bill becomes a law, but do you know how a tweet becomes a road repair? Have you ever sent a suggestion or a complaint to state government and wondered happened to it? This case study begins with one Delaware citizen on the lookout for danger and ends in action.
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October 1st, 2010
Matt loves adventure, sports, and pushing the boundaries. He has traveled in South America, Italy, and the Soviet Union, and competed in ice hockey, rowing, and cycling. He and his wife live in Center City Philadelphia. When he’s not finding a new adventure or spending time with his wife, he works for the Archer Group as their Director of Measurement.
Matt’s talk will be “Hitting Life’s Pause Button: How To Leave Your Career, Your Stuff, and the Country For a Year.”
Have you ever wanted to get away from it all? You know, dump your stuff, leave your obligations, jump on a plane, and wander around a far away place for year or more? My wife and I just came back from a trip like that – the trip of a lifetime in South America. I want to share with you how it came about, how we prepared, what we did, and what we learned.
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September 30th, 2010
Lynette Young is founder of Purple Stripe Productions and specializes in social media marketing, technology, strategy and implementation services. She brings precision and creative flair to helping organizations define their social media and technology strategies. Lynette also serves as a Board Member and Strategic Adviser to a number of agencies, technology startups and non-profit groups. Lynette has been been a true pioneer since she began blogging in 1997 and an expert in podcasting and virtual worlds since 2004.
Lynette’s talk will be “Why is Your Mom on Facebook & Why Does She Want To Be Friends with Your Ex?”
Besides checking up on a high school sweetheart or playing Farmville, discover the five motivators for why people participate in social networking online. By understanding what’s in it for them, you will get a better understanding of what’s in it for you, and in the process figure out what your mom needs to friend your ex for.
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