Hannah Suarez

Creative and digital content industries

March 7, 2010 • 11:49 am 0

TEDxBrisbane Writeup. Part 2: Speakers

This is Part 2 of my TEDxBrisbane writeup.  Part 1 was about the organisation of the event.

All you need is … TO SEE

I missed out on the first speaker and first ‘brainburst’.

Leonard Pattenden, Phillip Long, Florencia Camus – IGEM

This group (International Genetically Engineered Machine competition or IGEM) aims to bring out the best in the fields of cross-disciplinary engineering and biology (synthetic biology) by facilitating these competitions.

Joel Gilmore, Physicist – ROAM Consulting

Joel was a good public speaker (he actual does things with corporate communications when I spoke to him and is also on kids’ show The Shak).  Especially crucial for considering the fact that his topic is controversial – nuclear power.  Check out his curated list of good public speakers on his blog.

There were feedback that the discussion presented was ‘one-way’ (I wasn’t in the livestreamed room though – so am welcome to other people’s opinions on this) but I think that there is only so much that you can present in a short timeframe.  Had a look at his Twitter account and he is keen to get the discussion moving forwards beyond this event.

All you need is … TO LISTEN

Robert Pekin, Founder – Food Connect

Robert started the presentation with a very personal story that opens a window into his personality and his personal story which forms the basis of why he founded Food Connect.

When I was in high school, there was a girl who gave a very moving speech about her experience on the farm and the hardship associated with the drought near Toowoomba.  Robert Pekin touched on suicide and depression that farmers faced due to a number of factors and he considered death before deciding that he wanted to live.  It is always touching to hear stories like that – to understand that humans have the stamina and ability to move forwards.

Pekin’s presentation was relevant to the session’s theme in two ways – city folk listening to country folk, and on mental health.

Richard Slatter, General Manager – Wotnews / We Are Hunted

First off – big applause to Richard for going to the 16th AIMIA Awards in Melbourne, partying till midnight and doing a TEDx talk!  I have seen Richard speak about Wotnews and We Are Hunted once or twice before so some of the material wasn’t new but there is always something very new and exciting to learn when it comes to talking about the journey!

I like the energy and vibe behind these stories – always a great buzz when people are doing something very innovative, exciting, new and potentially something that is off-centre.

Richard’s presentation was highly relevant with the theme – in this case, the act of listening online across various sources.  It is something that I am aiming to work on in my projects – how can social media be used to listen effectively?

Timothy Hill, Architect – Donovan Hill

Timothy Hill is a great public speaker – him and Brian Donovan did a really entertaining presentation at a Pecha Kucha Brisbane event when it was part of the IDEAS Festival last year.  The presentation at TEDxBrisbane was entertaining as well but I think it was a bit more in-depth in terms of information and insight – where in Pecha Kucha Brian and Timothy focused a lot about their works (and also the visioning of future works), Timothy Hill had some great insights about the discourse that occurs between the architect, the client and even the building.

All you need is … TO DREAM

Deborah Fleming, Founder – Australian Story

Putting on my Brisbane Creative Industries hat on, I very much admire Deb in terms of doing something new, inspiring, something that is not yet offered in mainstream media outlets and her outlet for that is via ABC’s Australian Story which is also the only show of its kind that is produced outside of the likes of Sydney and Melbourne.  There is definitely a lot that I can learn from her in terms of their approach of reporting and interviewing and also in her role as the Executive Producer.

Sheldon Liebermann, Designer – bigfish.tv

I love Sheldon and the Bigfish.tv animations.  Have seen him present a few times and would definitely see more! I think that AGDA Queensland is doing a presentation in March 30 at the Brisbane Powerhouse – details aren’t online yet but it should be soon if anyone is keen.

I had a brief chat with him after the event.  He used a normal-sounding voice…or is…it?

Chris Sarra, Executive Director – Stronger Smarter Institute

His presentation grew stronger at around the second half when he started describing what Stronger Smarter Institute is about.  Chris draws upon his schooling experiences (internal) and the needs of the Indigenous community in Australia (external) to lead this institute which is dedicated to shift the tide of expectations in Indigenous education into something more positive.

All you need is … TO ACT

Misinterprotato

This jazz band gave us the right entertainment as we burst into the final session of the day!  I was paying close attention to the drummer who, as someone described, was like a surgeon with his drumkit and sticks.

Bronwyn Sheehan, Founder – The Pyjama Foundation

Bronwyn founded The Pyjama Foundation as a way of giving back to the community, particularly to foster kids in Australia.  Today her foundation helps a number of foster children in Australia, has great volunteers and patrons.

Nigel Brennan, Photojournalist

It was only 100 days before his TEDxBrisbane, his first public talk since the ordeal, that he was released from being held hostage in Somalia.

“I would like to ask the media to understand that it is going to be some time before I am able to talk about my experience. In the interim I would greatly appreciate if you would all respect my wishes for privacy and space to come to terms with the situation I now find myself in.

“My family is also going to need space, and privacy and I ask you to respect that as well.”

December 2 2009, Source

From the moment Nigel went on stage I could tell that he has gone through a great deal to have the bravery to share his story in front of a crowd of strangers (and even moreso considering online streaming).  His voice seems deliberately controlled, the type of voice that I would use when I am trying to be calm and collected.

Freedom, family, friends.  That was the key message.

To act:

Both families gave up on efforts by their respective governments a year after the kidnapping, turning instead to raising money to pay the ransom themselves.

December 2 2009, Source

And the crowd thanked him for his bravery in sharing the story and passion for his work with a standing ovation.

A few of the three minute TEDxBrisbane brainbursts:

Michael Doneman, Founder – Edgeware

Michael talked about the nature of seeing – in the sense of seeing opportunities or the entrepreneurial eye – and the nature of reality (how it can be bent, altered).  Definitely check out the Edgeware programs.

Anthea Edam, poet

Anthea gave beautiful reading about one of her poems about scientists who discovered a way to zap the corruption chromosome and what the future could be like.

Paul Fairweather, creative catalyst

When I was in 2high Festival as an Online Coordinator, there was an artist called Emmanuel Hernaez who would do a lot of sketching at the event and Paul’s sketches and enthusiasm for it reminded me of that.

Paul shared some of his TED sketches with us before Timothy Hill’s talk!

Filed under: Australia , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

• 8:56 am 3

TEDxBrisbane Writeup. Part 1: Event

I have decided to split up my post TEDxBrisbane write-up into two parts – first part will be discussing about the event format and the second part will be all about the speakers (if I can somehow manage it – I didn’t take any notes!).

It is rare to come across a free, high-calibre event that is run by volunteers yet TEDxBrisbane has exceeded my expectations and I think that it has also exceeded other people’s expectations.

My personal background

I’m a bit of a TED fan so have been following TED for some time including TEDxBrisbane when the organisers first announced that they are doing a TEDxBrisbane.

Venue

The venue was situation in the State Library of Queensland which worked well with the event agenda, numbers, location, accessibility and transport for the attendees.  Due to the registration demand, TEDxBrisbane had to choose another room within the venue and SLQ offered other rooms in case that happens.  Have been in previous situations where the room had to be changed and it is always a relief knowing that the venue can remain the same.

The audience were therefore divided into two streams (black dot, red dot) – one stream were able to watch the speakers live and another can only view the livestream of it.  With exception to technical issues, it worked quiet well…although I may not have felt the full impact of being able to watch a speaker in the flesh, such as Nigel Brennan’s talk.

The interest in the inaugural TEDxBrisbane was unprecedented – the event could have accommodated another 100 people! I wish that everyone could have seen the speakers in the flesh but I think that it is better to have taken on board more attendees rather than less.

Catering

TEDxBrisbane provided the catering for the attendees and really took care of us very well!  Whether it was a coffee for that early morning Saturday start, a nice healthy lunch to replenish our bodies (and brains) or drinks for the post-event conversations it was all well serviced.  I even left my bag (I foolishly decided that I wanted to bring two books, a notebook and a laptop in this satchel bag) in the care of a volunteer during the post-event drinks.

Due to the event location, attendees have the choice to go to Tognini’s and other cafe’s around the area or to head over to Southbank or West End for dinner or lunch.

Volunteers

The volunteers were exceptionally helpful and it was obvious that they really enjoyed the day!  I know three of the volunteers (one is interested in HR, another in urban planning, another in enterprise dev) – both are really active in their respective areas.  It’s amazing that the volunteers also reflect what TED is all about too!

Registration/application process

Responsibility goes with the attendees to ensure that they are registered properly, to update the organisers on any last minute changes and so on.  At the same time there were great communications with the organisers regarding registrations and name badges.  I think that it was great go beyond the name/organisation layout and to also add sections like “All you need is more…” and “Talk to me about:” which has been a good conversation starter.

Attendees need to have filled in an application form (with specific questions ie why do you want to attend this event?) in order to attend the event and I thought that this is a really great idea just to make sure that the attendees are definitely keen on attending.  One of the issues that free events face is making sure that attendees even go to the event in the first place. I think that the application form was a great idea to gauge the kind of attendees and their interests as well.  I don’t know what the process has been like with the speakers but my guess is that if the speakers were confirmed after the application process then the information gathered would be a good indicator about the kinds of speakers, content etc.  But yeah this is just a guess!

After the application process, applications are notified about whether or not they were a success and they had to re-confirm their attendance again.  A few people that I know pulled out which was fair for people who are in the waiting list and there was a lot in the waiting list.

Promotions

Some people didn’t find out about this event until it was too late (and, understandably, complained about it) – TEDxBrisbane didn’t have the budget nor the sponsorship for TVC ads or billboard ads.  A lot of the promotions I felt were generated by word of mouth from the fans and followers.  This worked well for the inaugural event as many of the attendees would already be familiar with TEDx format, TED etc.  It is all about ideas worth spreading, in this case the idea of a TEDxBrisbane event!

I find it amazing about how this event that can appeal to a wide variety of people – engineers, artists, programmers, teachers, students, mums, dads etc.  TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design which are three broad areas.

Format

The speaker format were the actual TEDxBrisbane talks, 3 minute ‘brain bursts’, TED video content and the jazz band, Misinterprotato played at the beginning of the last session.   Due to the tech difficulties in the beginning, one of the TED video content couldn’t be played but this ensured that the event could run on time! You get the domino effect if there are difficulties at the start with time – tech difficulties, long intros, late attendees/speakers etc.

What could be improved?

  • Bigger venue/room.
  • Designated areas with chairs/tables for attendees (rather than heading out a bit to sit ie near entrance of Gallery of Modern Art)
  • The Ideas Worth Spreading tent not being red (hard to read people’s names due to a similar red colour)

Overall, I feel fortunate to have been able to spend a weekend with inspiring, motivated, interesting and interesting people – whether they were the speakers, the attendees, the volunteers, the sponsors.  What truly makes an event successful are the people involved in it, whatever it may be!

Filed under: Australia , , ,

February 28, 2010 • 8:11 am 0

creative3 international forum

I have spent many days (but seeing as many of the conversations start occurring late at night, many many nights) keeping track of creative industries event that are occurring in regions outside my own. There is one such event that my colleagues in areas outside Brisbane and even Australia would find interesting and worthwhile enough and that is the creative3 international forum to be held in Brisbane from April 14 to April 16.

Filed under: Australia

February 5, 2010 • 2:52 pm 0

LIP or Location Independence

We live in public.  And even if you think that you don’t live in public, you actually do. Well this isn’t about that but it’s about another concept that shares the same acronym – location independence.

I have been doing location independent work since I was young but it has only been 2010 when I first found that term.  When I was 12, I was doing graphic design work for a website that was owned by a then 18 year old owner based in the Netherlands.  When I was in Year 9, I had my first cheque from a client in NSW. The year after high school, my first cheque from an international client was based in Canada.  So I grew up doing paid work that is location independent but the difference here is that I wouldn’t call it serious, long-term work.

I feel like I am taking step backwards now.  I feel more and more that I have to be physically located at an office to do certain work.

There are benefits of being physically there – being able to discuss in real-time, being able to gauge the person’s body language and voice tone which can’t be grasped in an email and hard to attain via video conferencing.  Any days which requires lengthy processes when it comes to decision making requires you to be in an office.  Days rules with tasks straight-forward, autonomous work which doesn’t require a lot of discussion or decision-making with a team should be done LIP or location independent.

Not just location independence but also time independence

Why am I advocating LIP?

Other than being introduced to this at such a young age…

LIP is going to be an asset for the organisation.  Rather than dealing with the overhead costs of an external being in the office, LIP allows an external to work on certain tasks out of office hours.

LIP allows me to do other work, also important and relevant, during the day.  I may bill 15 minutes for a task before doing another task for another client in the next 30 minutes.

LIP acknowledges that certain hours of the day carries more weight for certain tasks and for certain organisations.  For example, 8.30am to 5.30pm holds more weight than 7pm to midnight for work that requires results for certain tasks within office hours.  Weekend LIP work for heavyweight workshops or autonomous planning or tasks holds more weight than conducting it on a Monday because certain tasks on that day will have more importance.   Therefore, LIP is about quality of time (what is the optimal time for this task?) rather than quantity (this task requires a bulk set of time in a weekday).

LIP’s focus is on the importance of individual contributions rather than the importance of individual contributions based on geography.  For example, just because I live on the other side of the world does not mean that I may not hold the same professional values and goals as someone living in Portland and nor should it stop me from conducting work with them.

The use of LIP is steadily growing – more agencies facilitating externals that fit the project brief, more organisations making use of specialised skillsets and networks that externals can provide, growing preference to work at an abode (ie due to children) etc.

And of course, there is also the lifestyle.  Some people conduct LIP work for clients around the globe while changing their ‘home’ locations every so often, some people love to travel too much but they wan’t to be able to conduct work that’s relevant to their non-travel related industry.  With me, my personal reason is that my professional goals requires me to use LIP to maximise my time or to find the best time to do certain tasks.  I can’t be in an office for a non-negotiable amount of hours for a non-negotiable amount of days and focus on that particular organisation – I need to have LIP to conduct work for other organisations and projects as well.

Filed under: Australia , , ,

January 27, 2010 • 2:00 pm 0

Speaking at Ignite Brisbane: Information and Communication Technology Industries

The inaugural Ignite Brisbane, as part of Global Ignite Week, will be on Thursday March 4 at the Queensland College of Art and will focus on the Information and Communication Technology Industries.

What Is Ignite?

If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world geeks have been putting together Ignite nights to show their answers.

Ignite was started in Seattle in 2006 by Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis. Since then 100s of 5 minute talks have been given across the world. There are thriving Ignite communities in Seattle, Portland, Paris, and NYC.

This community site is sponsored by O’Reilly.

Click here for more information about the event and about the speakers.  Register here.

Have something creative, innovative, interesting to share?  Their speaker proposals are still open and you can submit a proposal by February 9.  For interested speakers, here are some of my thoughts on what makes a good public speaker.

Filed under: Australia, Brisbane, Events, Personal, Technology , , , , ,

January 23, 2010 • 5:02 pm 2

Graduating as an entrepreneur.

There have been many articles have been written that has encouraged doom and gloom for us recent graduates.  Graduate jobs crisis for class of 2009.  Too many graduates, very few jobs. Economic crisis puts ‘graduate careers’ on hold. How has the global financial crisis affected you? It wasn’t just the news articles but some of the actual comments that these have generated.  Or the stories like the time when this graduate from New York sued her college because she remains unemployed.

Even the lingering question over what’s next is still in the air.

When December came, I was in slightly unstable territory.  I confess that in the past two years of university I have always seen myself in a position that is different to the position that I am in right now.  So when the time came for me to face the actual truth – that my study is now done and what I think I will do after uni is not going to happen anytime soon – it took weeks for me to get used to it and actually embrace it.

Stepping into the dark. Image by Hannah Suarez 2007

The truth here is that I am an entrepreneur.  I have somehow managed to be an entrepreneur.  I don’t think I even learned what this word meant when I started uni.  But I am apparently – according to those Twitter lists, according to other people, according to myself and what I have been up to.

You know what’s very interesting?

For one thing, I have had this thing called ‘an entrepreneurial flair’ for a while now.  Since I was at least 11 to be exact although it may have been earlier.  When I was in single digits, I remember spending an afternoon taking care of a small bakery (because my nanna was dozing) that my parents owned and doing such a good job at it that I decided to pay myself with a piece of bread when I have sold enough.  I remember having dinner at a friend’s house when I was at high school and announcing to my friend’s mum that I am going to start a company.  Throughout high school I did projects in my own time – they weren’t extra-curricular – and in Year 9 I had my first paid client which was a NSW record label that is run by an ex-SBS producer.  He gave me a cheque even though I never gave him an invoice because I had no idea what to charge.

What’s perhaps really interesting is that…I may have tried to change myself. Or convinced myself that it wasn’t the case.  At the end of my first year at uni, I landed a few graphic design job interviews.  I went to two interviews – one was disastrous and the other two made me realise that I didn’t really want to work as a designer (also, I didn’t know how to use Illustrator) for anyone so I changed course. Now,  I have finished studying my media and communication degree and none of the job ads out there really appeal to me and what I want to do.  Despite doing a lot of things to ensure that I get those recommendations, that work experience, the relevant people to tap into all of which are supposed to lead to a full-time job working for a company or for the government that I’ll be in for years and years and years…isn’t really going to be happening anytime soon.  Because I don’t want it to happen.

Yes. I have graduated as an entrepreneur.

Filed under: Australia, Entrepreneurship, Student

January 22, 2010 • 7:56 am 0

Being in Heaven

This came into my inbox and I just though to post an entry about the film:

A story for those interested in Personal Development and moving their lives forward to new and more fulfilling experiences. Come on a journey of revelation and awakening, and discover how a single conversation can transform your life and set you on a path of freedom and personal happiness.

Young and successful, Jason Masterman, an Australian working in New York, loses everything in a financial crash. He encounters a mysterious writer who specialises in uplifting people’s lives and teaching how it is possible to access the higher potentials you have within you.

Jason undergoes a transformation that will surprise and inspire you, and show that moving forward, and even radically changing one’s life, is possible for anyone.

See the movie (opening at Palace Cinemas January 28th) and you will receive Michael Domeyko Rowland’s companion book ‘The Real of Law of Attraction’ for free.

See the trailer and all details at www.beinginheaven.com.au

Filed under: Australia

January 4, 2010 • 6:58 am 4

For those who literally want to fly!

I have been spending the past few days looking for some deals in trial introductory flight (or TIF) lessons for both light aircrafts and helicopters.  Trial introductory flights differ to joyflights/scenic flights in that you are provided with a bit of theory and have the opportunity to control the aircraft during the session.  My tandem skydive was about $30-$40 cheaper than what is found out there because we had a group discount and I am keen to try and find a good deal for me.

What about sites like RedBalloon Days or Freemanx?

After comparing costs between these sites and from the actual service providers, these sites offer convenience with a small mark-up of actual costs.  RedBalloon has an excellent SEM strategy though buying up keywords and sponsored search in Google no matter what I try and search!  The entrepreneur behind RedBalloon was featured in one of the business magazines in Australia some time back and I applaud Naomi Simson for all her work.

TIF Lesson with a light aircraft

Finding a good price for a TIF with a light aircraft was fairly easy.  I was in Toowoomba with my family when the ad came up for the Darling Downs Aero Club offering $120 for a TIF.  Costs are low because they are using uncontrolled airspace and most likely other factors as well.  Tomorrow morning, I’ll be taking control of this Piper P-38 Tomohawk:

Compared to aggregation sites, a TIF in Redcliffe can cost $145 and in Caloundra it is $190.  The location that I am going to is walkable!

TIF Lesson with a helicopter

Now searching for a good deal with helicopter has proved to be more challenging because there isn’t a bigger interest in helicopters compared to airplanes.  After a lot of searching online, I came across ABC Heli, based in the Gold Coast airport, who pointed me to the direction of Helibiz.  I was excited about Helibiz’s $295 TIF offer until I realised that it can only be conducted in Airlie Beach airport.  Austcopters have a $500 TIF with a Robinson R22 at Archerfield Airport which is far beyond what I am seeking.  Aeropower, based in Redcliffe Airport, offers a TIF for $295 which so far has been the best deal out of the service providers and especially from middle-man providers where costs can be $345.  I am still waiting for a couple of responses from two others!

Because Robinson R22’s are the choice for TIF lessons, I believe that I’ll be taking control of this:

Lessons Learned:

  • It’s worth trawling the web and going beyond sponsored search
  • Don’t be afraid to ask the actual providers any questions that you have including referrals
  • Try online directories such as Yellow Pages Online or for this in particular, HeliDirectory.com
  • Costs increase depending on airport and decrease in cost usually means increase in distance to reach the airport
  • Try searching for businesses based in smaller airports such as “helicopter + redcliffe” in Google because that will be their base

Filed under: Australia , , , , ,

November 11, 2009 • 4:14 am 3

Lessons from the Pitch Club Pre-Selection

For four hours today, I was making notes on my observations of the 15 people who pitched their ideas to a panel consisting of experts within the incubator, entrepreneurship, venture capital and angel space:

  • Peter Christo (Christo Partners)
  • Rober Mair (Pioneer Development Fund)
  • Nigel Hall (Innovation Centre, Sunshine Coast)
  • Anna Rooke (QUT – Creative Enterprise Australia)
  • Justin Brow (60Sox) – wasn’t in the panel but interjected with helpful commentary or extra questions

For four hours, I was exposed to not only the trial and tribulations of entrepreneurs seeking to gain leverage, obtain mentors and other support services, gain funding and other investment opportunities and to also obtain feedback on their ideas.  It would have been a very tense situation for the pitchers – being sent into a room to pitch to such a panel.  And that’s not even the actual Pitch Club event itself!

Anyway, I’ve taken notes and I have decided to share this to you all in case you find it helpful.  I didn’t link the individual to a certain points because I think that this is relevant regardless of what your idea is.

Some questions to ask yourself while developing your pitch

  • What/where is the market opportunity?
  • Who else is doing it? Who are your competitors?
  • What is the value proposition of your product or service?
  • Do you have or do you need tangible materials to support your pitch?
  • What is the exit strategy?
  • What can the investors gain?

Angles to take on board while refining your pitch

Being so involved IN the venture, it can be quiet easy to make assumptions that the other party will understand the industry lingo, or understand the importance of why a product or service need to exist.  It’s important to approach your pitch from a variety of angles – from the angle of a potential customer, from the angle of a potential VC or angel, from the angle of a potential mentor or benefactor.  What is going to be the ‘noise’ to your message?

Another thing to take on board is to look at the nuances between geographies and cultures.  A name may mean something else in another country.

Intellectual integrity

I may be good at this, but I am not good at that.  This relates a lot to making sure that you communicate exactly what you need in terms of intangibles – for example, mentorship opportunity, accounting skills or legal consultation.

Know your industry and your product/service

Be clear as to what exactly you are offering for the sake of clarity.  What your stance is within the venture – are you the producer, the distributor, the CIO, etc – when engaged with other parties that are contributing to the venture.  Who are you aligning with? What is your product, service or competitor?  Why would they choose your product/service over the other?

Do you have the freedom to operate a certain functionality?  This relates a lot to web-based services.

Monetisation and commerciality

If you are offering a product or service that may be non-commercial (ie it relates to cultural products or services), do you have the commercial skills to monetise it?

How are you getting your product or service into market?

Be realistic with the figures and ensure that you have strong figures.  You can either be direct with what you need (for example, # amount over # years with # return) straight away or you can create a proposition to have a more in-depth discussion with a potential investor and test the waters.  However, do not sit on the fence and be sure about where you want the investment to go.

Look into other ways to obtain what you need – perhaps grants, sponsorship or benefactors are the more preferred option.

Stages

Each individual were in various stages of their ventures – from a local start-up that would benefit more from having mentors and angel investment right through to an established enterprise with international exposure and they are looking for the right exit.  Be clear and be honest as to what stage you are in and what you need to get into that next stage.

Another stage to be aware of is your own – going from a practitioner mindset to an entrepreneur mindset.

Credits to your pitch

Have you or your venture won awards or have you gained media attention?  Showing that the media or industry is interested in this adds credibility to the pitch because other entities have already shown it.  Do you have a history of entrepreneurship and if so, provide examples of successful business ventures in the past – one described himself as a ’serial entrepreneur’.  Sell your skillsets and make it the attractive part for investors.  Also, has there been interest from organisations or key individuals that can add weight?  What is the expertise of your staff?  Do you have endorsements?

A way to strengthen your pitch is to seek out similar case studies that have been successful, find out what the common ground is and ensure to let the other parties know about it.

Speak from the heart

You need to speak from the heart- don’t read from the notes.  We are all human and if you have been involved with your venture for the past several years then we will appreciate the hard work that has been put into your venture to make it possible.  If you had to quit your job or took on a night-time role or make any other personal sacrifices, then we will further appreciate or even relate to the personal story behind all the numbers.

Ultimately, people will be curious at your personal story – how did you get involved?  What drives you to do what you do?  Don’t be afraid to share a bit of that.

It was interesting that many of the individuals opened up about themselves during the Q&A portion because they are able to share their story and their passion just merely by talking about it.

That is all the notes that I have from sitting through the pre-selection of Pitch Club Brisbane.  This is definitely another event to go to – it’s on tonight, starts at 6pm at the Caxton Hotel on 38 Caxton St.

Filed under: Australia, Entrepreneurship

October 28, 2009 • 8:28 am 0

Article: Imagining Empty Spaces Into Social Spaces

2highfestival_park 9371

Here it is, the newest entry up online at the British Council Creative Cities 2.0 site!

Imagining Empty Spaces Into Social Spaces:

Han­nah Suarez from Bris­bane Cre­at­ive Indus­tries shares inspir­ing stor­ies of com­munit­ies and organ­isa­tions who have spot­ted empty spaces in their cit­ies — from aban­doned shop­fronts to car park­ing spaces — adop­ted and trans­formed them through creativity

The entry is divided into two parts – first focuses on empty spaces being transformed permanently (ie an empty shop being transformed into a local arts and design boutique or an empty office into a small creative industries incubator for start-ups).  The second focuses on the transformation of empty spaces into social spaces on a temporary basis such as Brisbane PARKing Day or Brisbane Festival’s Street Feats.

Not only is it time for us to think about how we can shape and transform these empty spaces…but to also celebrate those who have!!

Filed under: Australia

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