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Archive for the 'Creative' Category
If you’re anything like me then you’re finding it a bit hard to believe that the end of August is upon us.
The good news is: cSpot is tonight, the last one of the summer. The hottest creative networking org in town will set up shop at Hang Fire, one of the hottest bars in town. Seems fitting, yes?
Join us, as we mourn the passing of watermelon and lemonade, fireworks, sandcastles and plentiful sunshine. (Save Fitz, who’s itching to bid a don’t-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-way-out adieu to sunburns and weather that doesn’t bode well for blazers and pale noggins.)
I know I’ll be schmoozing my seasonal blues away. After all “Summer” is my middle name (first, rather) and I always mourn its passing come this time of year, for obvious reasons. Unlike some of us, I can rack up a killer tan.
So, whether you’re drinking to the “impending temperateness” or drowning your summerless sorrow, come join us at Hang Fire from 5:30 to 7:30 as we fill the place with creative conversation.
Yea, you heard us. ESRI, THE leader in GIS technology (makes ArcGIS, ArcView, ArcInfo, etc) featured SEDA (and their multi-functional property search website) on its community showcase section (scroll down the page).
The Property Search website enables users to search for available industrial buildings, office space, and land sites based on multiple search criteria. Results are viewed on a GIS-enhanced dynamic map and can compare locations to community features and transportation access. There is even an option to save a search in a personal portfolio. (FYI, SEDA maintains relationships with area developers and landowners and manages a database of property from 5,000 square feet to 1,400 acres. )
 
The Property Search website is such a great use of ESRI’s technology that not only did they request to do a case study on it, but they asked to showcase the site at the International Users Conference last week. Not too shabby, huh? We’re beaming with pride and admiration for big econ dev brother. You did good!
(A special shout out to Amanda Blind, GIS Analyst and Research Guru at SEDA, for her mappy muscle on this endeavor. Thanks for all your hard work…you go girl!)
At any given stage in an election season, political junkies, policy wonks, strategists, candidates, campaigners and the media know that the politics of voting blocs (evangelists, African-Americans, Hispanics, male/female, upper-class/lower-class, age groups, urban/rural, etc.) must be factored into any campaign. At least if you have any real interest in winning. And great campaign success, like terrific campaign failure, can affect political strategies for decades to come.
Well, hold on to your seats. Because we’re officially somebody. Whether you approve of using the “class” term or not, for the first time in history the “creative class” has been qualified (and quantified) as a voting force. Not only registering on the radars of present-day politicians but set to matter for elections to come. Hot dog!
Going back to the early 80’s, Reagan was the first Republican candidate to truly appeal to the evangelists, thus making them a voting force to be reckoned with, at the heart of the Republican base. And (according to the NY Times), their spiritually-influenced vote has changed campaigns and election outcomes ever since. It appears that, 28 years later, Senator Barack Obama has built the strong base of support of a new bloc. Yes, the creative class.
Its the last Wednesday of the month, and there’s nothing like a little pig-latin to mark the glorious one-two punch of hump-day AND cSpot.
cSpot this month (tonight, July 30) will be at Saya Lounge: a happenin’ cocktail spot on Broughton, downstairs from the newly grand-scaled DC2 Design (the LA-based design showroom and retail store).
And if you haven’t been yet, here’s your chance. It’s a kickin’ new sidestreet joint (highlighted by big ole’ Buddha heads, warm tones and tasty martinis) and it’s a great venue to have fun and enjoy the funky, braininess of Savannah.
Heck, you may even meet the business connection of your dreams. Example: TCCa met, courted and hired our former Marketing Priestess, Angel Ratcliffe (now at Paragon Design Group) due to a chance meeting at cSpot. Come to think of it, I met Fitz at a cSpot, and 1.5 years later I’m bloggin’ up a storm for him. Damn!
We’re also extending happy hour (5:30 - 7:30 pm) and bringing in Zunzi’s cultural culinary expertise to provide some cocktail hour munchies for our cSpotters. (Mouth is watering…)
Good Monday, quirky Savannahians. As you transition back into the work week, Fitz wanted me to remind you to put one last thing on your calendar this week.
It’s a biggie: the deadline for applicants for this years TCCa Innovation Awards is fast approaching. In fact, it’s Thursday (July 31)!!
To refresh your Monday memory, the Innovation Awards (to take place on October 23) will honor regional business, education and community organizations that demonstrate innovation and outstanding achievement in education, business, community, government and sustainability. To date, we’ve seen applications from across the board - from janitorial services to transportation to fashion - so join the show and let us know why you’re innovative!
Consider this an INNOVATION intervention. Missing this deadline could be disastrous to you and your business’s long-term health (over-dramatization of facts).
You are the key players in this awards equation. Not only the eyes and ears of the Creative Coast but the true creators, innovators and entrepreneurial heroes. Don’t let a chance for deserved recognition (and a dang good time) slip away.
Acclaimed author and authority on creative cities, Charles Landry, is heading to Savannah for a lecture tomorrow, July 8th at 7:00 pm at the Charles H. Morris Center. Landry comes to school us in the ways of creative city-building.
Stealing Jim Morekis’s opener to this week’s Connect Savannah cover story, simply put:
Charles Landry is one of the coolest people you probably have never heard of.
Best known for his books The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators and, more recently, The Art of City Making, Landry’s word works are considered THE guides to building a creative community. For those of you who know Richard Florida, the creative (albeit controversial) guru and author of The Rise of the Creative Class and Who’s Your City?, you’ll get a kick out of ole’ Charlie… (If Florida is the guy who described what a “creative” city/economy is and why you might want one, Charles is the guy who wrote the book on how you actually build one and what they look like around the world).
A taste of his acclaim:
I’m a happy camper. Last week two of our greatest passions, the environment and the creative economy, were merged. An all day session of the Chatham Environmental Forum (CEF) produced ten priorities to guide the organization as they draft a plan for the County Commission on how Chatham can become the “Greenest County in Georgia.” One of those ten priorities was “Building Creative Infrastructure.” You heard me right. The CEF thinks a creative community is part of the green community equation. We couldn’t agree more. And here’s why.
The two are mutually beneficial. The workforce of knowledge- and culture-based industry tend to migrate to communities with a good quality of life, meaning clean air and water, expanses of greenspace, recreational opportunities, good transportation, etc. We want ”creatives” in Savannah because of a) the way they will positively impact our community’s economy and b) the way they will positively impact our community’s environment. And they will be more likely to relocate to Savannah if we embrace initiatives to maintain the resources that make this a healthy, beautiful place to live.
This month announced a major nationwide first: Massachusetts nominated a statewide Creative Economy Director. That’s right - it’s like TCCa on steroids. Massachusetts Gov. Patrick Devall nominated Jason Schupbach, 32 (wowza, a youngin!), to the position. A known patron of the arts, Schupbach appears dedicated to expanding the diverse creative sector (ranging from individual artists to cultural institutions to video game makers) through measures such as tax incentives and training programs. (We need to add him to our Christmas list.)
I think I speak for everyone here when I say: That’s a wicked good idea, govn’ah.
Schupbach echo’s what many of us in Savannah have said all along:
“A strong creative economy translates into a strong overall economy… These are innovators, the cutting edge,” Schupbach explained to the Boston Globe.
This is big news for the creative industry as Massachusetts poses the question: is this something that can be reproduced and proven useful economic policy in other states across the country, especially in a highly competitive era for jobs, companies, and skilled workers?
You heard it here, folks. As of Monday I’m a 26 year old woman (my, how time flies.) But I’m not the only one having a good time growing up. Fitz (31, yikes) and Leigh (the big Three-OH), fellow Geminis, are also celebrating birthdays this week. It’s a bonafide birthday trifecta with TCCa-ers boasting May 26th and 28th birthdays.
If you feel like buying us a birthday beer (or chocolate), celebrating the short work week or just coming out to meet cool, creative professionals, join our cSpot fete. That’s right: cSpot and birthday suits (kidding). This month we’re at Lulu’s Chocolate Bar on MLK, right down from Venus de Milo. Mmmm, chocolate covered creatives. Sounds like a birthday bash to me! See you there…
who: The cSpot
what: Monthly cocktail shenanigans
when: Tonight! (Wednesday, May 28th) from 5:30-7:30pm
where: Lulu’s Chocolate Bar (map)
details: 42 MLK Jr Blvd
Popularity: 25% [?]
On May 21st at the SEDA/TCCa offices at high-noon, we will be facilitating a blogging panel made up of the area’s preeminent bloggers (read: YOU), on behalf of one of our most favorite-ist new young companies, Balaya.
If that weren’t enough, we’ll even buy you lunch and give you a comfy chair to sit in.
Balaya. Together. Wherever.
Hopefully, many of have heard of a great new company we’ve helped out named Balaya. You may have even attended their announcement we hosted last November where we celebrated the news that their corporate headquarters would be in Savannah. (Hooray!)
Balaya provides advanced web applications that help members of any group communicate and collaborate more effectively from desktops and mobile devices. What’s even cooler is that SmackDab Studios (another company we’ve given relocation love to) is developing their flagship product. Gotta love that domino effect.
Tick-it™, it’s like email but sucks less
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