The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Shawndra Russell, self-avowed zealot for all things Savannah, free lance writer, and novelist of future acclaim.  Read on for Shawndra’s notes on a cool funding tool suitable for budding entreprenuers of every talent…

Kickstarter projects have exploded since the crowdfunding  platform launched in 2009. The most recent and biggest success story is Pebble, a watch that syncs with your smartphone and acts as a remote, which has raised over $10 million with a funding goal of only $100,000. Talk about pressure!

Kickstarter Rules

You’re not just throwing money at an idea with Kickstarter; you’re actually part of getting the idea off the ground and making it possible for the creator to carry out their vision. But Kickstarter has set up parameters to help ensure success, and I think these rules help make the platform more professional and standardize the projects in an easy-to-grasp way. Here’s a brief summary of the rules:

• Your project has to have a start and finish.
• You have to set a funding goal that must be reached or none of the funds are released to you and no backers are charged.
• You have to set up tiers of rewards for your backers, such as the product itself if the campaign is to fund for example an album or book.
• Your project has to be approved by Kickstarter.
• A set amount of administrative fees will be paid to Amazon and Kickstarter only with successful projects.

Kickstarter and Savannah

Although Savannah has not reached its potential as a creative hub yet, it still is a fabulous playground for creatives thanks to SCAD, major motions pictures that have been filmed here, “The Book,” and the collection of locally owned and operated shops and restaurants. Many SCAD students have embraced this money-raising tool to fund a variety of projects since Kickstarter co-founder Charles Adler presented on campus last year. The most popular Savannah category seems to be films (no surprise); however, Savannah projects have run the gamut of options: publishing, art, music, performance, fashion, gaming, technology, and food. Some of these have even resulted in full-blown new businesses, which of course is great for our cultural economy.

There are currently 11 active Kickstarters in Savannah, with Drain by Molly Mayo ending today and Sweet Carolina Cupcakes by Holly Slayton ending June 8. Our city lists 68 successful campaigns (not sure if more exist as Kickstarter wasn’t able to share data with me), beginning with The Happy Maladies’ music video to showcase their acoustic, experimental folk that reached its goal July 3, 2010. By comparison, the top three most popular cities are New York with 2,472 projects, Los Angeles at 2,306 projects, and Brooklyn with 1,208 projects (Come on, Savannah, we can do better than 11!).

Cristina Alonso, who has a current Kickstarter campaign for her company Barefoot, Innovative Beach Furniture and Accessories, stated, “There is so much talent in the Savannah community and SCAD fosters the best and brightest from all over the world here in Savannah; along with Kickstarter, the possibilities are endless.”

My own experience with Kickstarter has been positive so far, even though I only have 15 days left in my campaign ending May 31 to raise money to publish my first novel, and it’s only 14% funded. However, the process has forced me to do what writer Jeff Goins calls “ship:”   putting my finished product out in the world instead of it sitting on my storage drive. I finished the novel in January, and since then have attended conferences to pitch literary agents and contacted many others via email, but the rapid changes in publishing make it tough to go the traditional or “dream” publishing route—agent, book deal, advance, book on shelves 18 months later. But with Kickstarter, I can create my own path to publication AND have my book e-published before summer ends.

Why You Should Launch a Kickstarter

Kickstarter brings the creative process out in the open. Ideas that used to be tinkered with behind closed doors now become living, breathing realities. Some of our ideas can and are beat to death, but with Kickstarter, you’re forced to move forward out in the open, sharing your daydreams with the world.

I think Kickstarter is a wonderful tool that not only serves as a way for an entrepreneur or creative to test the interest in their idea but also dream big and put into action ideas that otherwise may sit doormat for years. More and more we are seeing young people strive to be self-employed instead of applying for a pool of jobs that are applied for in overwhelming numbers. And instead of having to work at a job they aren’t passionate about for years trying to save up enough capital to start their own business, Kickstarter is a way to, ahem, kick start dreams faster by utilizing your built-in support systems.

I also think it’s good for our city to have these fun, creative projects to rally around. The response to the Savannah Kickstarter SeeSAW outdoor art project “Before I Die…” has been fantastic. Uniting around creative initiatives like this and other projects not only supports the visionary behind the inventive idea but also touches all the people involved, creating a sense of belonging and spreading goodwill.

The Rewards of Becoming a Kickstarter Backer

I have backed six Kickstarters myself, and it’s thrilling to know that I have helped fund other peoples’ dreams. Sure, I am excited for my cookbook to arrive from Poor Girl Eats Well,  but it’s more than just pre-ordering a product. Without Kickstarter, I would not have the opportunity to help these strangers that now feel like meaningful connections. I find myself browsing projects on a weekly basis and always find something I want to support. These passionate dreamers inspire me to continue to go after my dreams and brainstorm new projects, even if these ideas don’t turn into Kickstarters.

Creativity breeds creativity, and I think that there is no reason why Savannah shouldn’t be considered one of the top creative hubs in the country—heck, the world. We’re already known for our beauty; let’s be known for our brains, too.

Testimonials

I contacted many Savannahians that are currently running a Kickstarter campaign or have completed a fundraiser that was successful. The overwhelming response is that Kickstarter is a brilliant tool that helps fund dreams that otherwise may not be possible or would put the creator in debt, which is obviously not an ideal way to start a new endeavor.

Still Funding

Sarah Benkin, writer of Star Power, a Bawdy, Body-Positive Erotic Comic

“I decided to use Kickstarter ’cause there’s no site quite like it for raising money for a project, and I really liked the idea of backer incentives, being able to add in cool extras.”

Jak Kerley, Creator of Longview, A Full-Length Film

“I decided to use Kickstarter because it seemed like the best way to stick to my DIY ethic, but be able to take it to the next level with a higher-level of funding. It also brings your project to a new crowd, and you can be certain that it is a crowd that is interested in your project. It was also an easy way to get my family and friends involved…I’ve been told about it by multiple professors, and they encourage the students to take advantage of it. Outside of SCAD, you can definitely tell how this is a creative and very involved city.

Cristina Alonso, owner and creator of BAREFOOT: Innovative Beach Furniture and Accessories

“I had a chance to see one of the co-founders of Kickstarter who gave a lecture at SCAD last Fall. I was completely new to the concept of crowd sourcing. It was so fascinating—a great platform and network for all creative projects to thrive! I wanted to try it out myself. I decided to use Kickstarter to reach a wider audience for my thesis project. People told me I had an innovative design, and Kickstarter could be the way to have it become reality…the Kickstarter experience was fast and easy; it was getting over the nerves that was tough. What if I can’t do it? It was tough work getting all the materials ready, because I wanted a sense of the experience that my product would bring. Then, once it’s all ready, the nerves set in. It’s just scary to put yourself out there, but it’s so worth it…”

Successfully Funded

James DrZ Zdaniewski, co-founder of Savannah SeeSAW

“I had previously backed a few projects that I believed strongly in supporting, so I knew how good that felt to be on the other side of the Kickstarter platform supporting someone else’s ideas to get started. And I actually got to meet Charles Adler (one of the founders of Kickstarter) when he came to Savannah last year. So I got to hear the positivity behind the initial reasons they started Kickstarter firsthand…the process to set one up is straight forward. Kickstarter makes it pretty painless and easy. I loved seeing that not only did we get amazing support from our community but also people from around the world that just believed in our cause and what we were trying to make happen in Savannah. Savannah has a reach beyond this community, and Kickstarter has proven that.”

Jamie Bowerman, creator of Bowerbags

“As my landlord said, Kickstarter is also a great, guilt free way to ask for money from friends and family.”

Brett Brooks, creator of Dust Bunny, a graphic novel

“Bazinga. Everything worked out with the project. I’m sure that’s slightly disappointing, but truthfully, there wasn’t much more than a wink and a smile to my approach to Kickstarter…I enjoy creating on any level, through any medium. The hope of monetary return was a great thought, but it was creating the videos, the art updates, and the blog entries for everyone to enjoy—that’s what made the project fun. And since this was going alongside the vitae of the Kickstarter waiting period, it was a great avenue to simultaneously advertise myself as an artist and gear people towards a project they could financially support. Also, I think Kickstarter’s simplistic site design is perfect, because it doesn’t overshadow the project author’s personal work, nor try to steal the thunder. It’s functional, and it does a great job of stapling itself as a service and not a showcase.”

Joanne Morton, MPL-USA Art Tour: Sharing Positive Energy from Sea to Sea

“I choose to be an artist and understand the instability that this choice has in our society…to have sites like Kickstarter to help those who have creative ambitions find funding is awesome! It is a lot of work to raise the money using social media and can be frustrating to do the work…I would like to encourage more of our social media friends/fans to donate $1-$10 to their friends who request money for their creative projects. I’m actually trying to do more of this myself :)”

David Markus, Ferrite-Interactive Liquid Sculpture

“Kickstarter has been on my radar for a little while now, and I felt it was time to give it a shot. The community was booming due to a number of high profile projects, and it seemed like an interesting concept to get an idea off the ground. Since you don’t give away intellectual property rights, and its all-or-nothing funding, there wasn’t anything to lose…I love the response and the connections with your backers. It’s awesome to have people comment and support your work, and Kickstarter does a lot to make sure you stay connected with the people supporting you. Of course, first you have to get the word out about the project. That in itself can be a little trying, as there’s a lot of projects out there fighting for attention.”

Seqapunch Comic Books

“We decided to use Kickstarter because we had seen the website before. We had seen a number of interesting products get funded because of it, and it seemed like a good idea. So we investigated a little further, and it turned out it was really easy to manage and set up a project through Kickstarter. We liked the process because it was really simple. Just set up some rewards, put some ads out there and watch the support flow in. Managing ads was a little nerve-wracking, because we had to constantly balance our advertising budget with our donations, but we ended up getting a big surplus, so it all worked out…there are a lot of people will big ideas and small pockets. There’s a large concentration of really creative people in Savannah, so it’d make sense to have a lot of Kickstarter projects springing up here.”

I hope that you will check out Kickstarter’s  website and see if any projects catch your fancy. If nothing else, I hope that reading about other people chasing their dreams encourages you to take a step towards your own dreams today. Happy creating!

Shawndra

Shawndra Russell  is a freelance writer, editor, and social media marketer who loves Savannah and wants to help the city thrive any way she can. Shawndra has a Kickstarter campaign ending on May 31 to raise funds to publish her first novel, Couple Friends. You can learn more about her project and help spread the word via this link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shawndrarussell/publishing-my-first-novel-couple-friends.  You can also follow Shawndra on Twitter at @ShawndraRussell.

The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Bret Bell, history buff, icon of cool-under-fire and public information director for the City of Savannah.  Read on for Bret’s unabashed (and based on the stats, well deserved!) chest-thumping on behalf of the City of Savannah…

Warning: What you’re about to read is some straight-up, flat-out, make-Bobby-Zarem-proud PR. I’m the communications guy for the City, after all. Did you really expect something different?

Here’s why I’m about to unleash this PR assault: If you casually follow the news, it must seem like there’s only crazy coming out of City Hall these days. I’m a former reporter, so I get it. Controversy is awesome: It’s both easier to report than a budget-balancing think piece AND readers/viewers love the drama a whole lot more.

Most every decision coming out of Bay and Bull is controversial to someone. Two elected officials stand on opposite sides of on an issue – that’s good copy. A citizen disagrees with a City action – clearly David and Goliath.

But the real story of City Government is the daily miracle that occurs, mostly unseen, to keep this puppy running. Streets, signs, lights working together to allow you to safely (most of the time) share the road with thousands of motorists and still get from the southside to the Savannah River in minutes. Fresh water starts the morning in a limestone aquifer hundreds of feet beneath your feet, is coaxed to the surface, treated, and sent through a vast underground infrastructure, ending the day at your faucet just in time to brush your teeth.

Cool? Yes. But not a story unless that water doesn’t make it to your faucet.

As these things rarely make the news, I figure it’d be a good time to offer up a brief by-the-numbers list of a few things your City has been up to:

$260 million.  That’s the total the City has spent on drainage improvements over the past 15 years. For you newbies, homes once flooded in Savannah all the time. We’re flat, ringed by tidal waterways, and when it rains here, it rains REALLY hard. When anyone asks you what SPLOST has done for them lately, please mention $260 million – almost all of it came from the penny sales tax. Canals were improved, pipes were widened, and massive pump stations that fight the tides were constructed. A decade ago, we were designing drainage improvements to stop homes from chronically flooding. Today, we’re designing projects to move water more quickly off of slow-draining streets. That’s a big shift.

$100 million.  If you haven’t lately, drive down Pennsylvania Avenue. Between Gwinnett and Savannah High, look to the west and you’ll see some really good-looking new construction. That’s the first phase of Savannah Gardens, a partnership between the City and the nonprofit CHSA Development that will be the most ambitious (550 units, $100 million in public and private investment) affordable housing development in Savannah’s history. It has mixed income tenants and mixed (and really great) architecture – some of it is subsidized multi-family rental, some is single-family detached homes being sold at market rates. It’s all really, really green – rain barrels, geothermal, super energy efficient, tons of open space. On the east side of the street you can still seen the old Strathmore Estates that Savannah Gardens is replacing. The transformation is remarkable, and will impact deep into surrounding neighborhoods.

2,100.  The number of curb cuts we have made downtown since 2007. We are an old city with lots of curbs and corners. But a few years back we made a pledge to increase accessibility for all. Ask anyone who operates a wheelchair whether conditions have ever been better.

662.  The number of leaks the City’s water system experienced last year. I bring this up because a decade ago we averaged almost double that number. In the 1980s it was four times that total. With almost 1,000 miles of public water lines in our system, leaks are inevitable. But going from 2,560 to 662 is saving a lot of water – thousands of gallons a day. Similar story with our sewer system: In the 1990s we averaged 1,106 sewer blockages a year in our 834-mile system; in the last decade we’ve averaged 656. How did we improve so much? We stayed on top of our (your) infrastructure. We didn’t defer maintenance. We replaced lines with chronic problems, and modernized the system. This kind of pro-active management also led to …

$42.13.  The average combined monthly water and sewer bill Savannah residents pay. A national survey last year showed that we have the lowest combined rates of any system in Georgia (Atlantans pay $155.60 a month on average), and the third lowest in the Southeastern United States.

20%.  It’s amazing that some still question the wisdom of merging the City and County police departments. Since the formation of Metro Police in 2005 (the vote was in 2003, but the details took a couple of years) Part I crime has dropped 20 percent across all parts of the community – the islands, the southside, downtown, everywhere. Investigations now seamlessly cross jurisdictions, precinct and beat lines make more sense, and we have more resources to bring to bear. 2010 was the safest year statistically in Savannah since the mid-1970s. 2011 was the second safest.

12.5.  The City’s millage rate, used to determine (along with the assessed value of your home) how much you pay in City property taxes. 12.5 is 28 percent below what it was 15 years ago (17.4 mills). City Council has kept the millage rate low even as property assessments have decreased in the City for the first time in half a century. That has translated into a 9.4 percent property tax decrease for Savannah property tax payers over the past three years.

2.  There’s a national organization called the Insurance Services Office (ISO) that rates fire departments on a 10-point scale based on training, equipment, response times, water infrastructure, etc. The lower the number, the better the department’s fire protection capability. Only a handful of departments across the country have the best rating – ISO-1 – while just 1 percent of departments carry an ISO-2. Savannah Fire is one of them, and the only department in the region. For Savannah homeowners, this means better fire protection, and lower home insurance rates.

OK, take a deep breath. That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

 Bret

The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Kevin Lawver, technologist, crazy man and seer of Things That Can Be.  Read on for Kevin’s ponderings on technology, Savannah and our future….

There was a discussion recently on the Creative Coast LinkedIn group asking ‘Is technology really the solution to revitalizing Savannah?’.  I posted a comment, but the question has stuck with me for two weeks – to the point that I’m going to take this opportunity to try to answer it. I’m a technologist and have been for 15 years. I’m easy to find on the web, so I won’t bore you with my particulars. I’d rather talk about the question.

There’s a lot of nuance lost in these discussions, and in that question. Technology is never the only solution to any problem. There’s always a process around the use of that technology, the reasons that technology was developed in the first place, and the support staff that gets built up around a technology. Savannah has a lot of problems, and technology isn’t going to solve any of them by itself. But, technology can help us solve those problems faster, cheaper and more efficiently. Technology can help our young people develop talents and skills to help them succeed in a challenging and changing economy. Technology can reduce waste, corruption and mismanagement of public resources. Technology can help us better understand the consequences of nuanced changes we make in our businesses.

When I hear people talking about turning Savannah into the next Silicon Valley, Austin or Portland, I shake my head and frown. We’re not going to be the “next” Silicon Valley, Austin or Portland, and I feel strongly that trying to be is a recipe for disaster. Better yet, I don’t think we should want to be like any other place. Savannah is unique, just as all three of those other places are unique. We have different strengths, different resources and different cultures. We need to be honest about the raw materials Savannah has available and what size technology companies we can support. We have to get over whatever motive it is that drives us to imitate instead of innovate and get on with building what we can with the materials we have to work with. It’s a lot harder to actually solve problems than imitate others’ solutions, but that’s the only true path to success. Let’s talk about what I think Savannah’s path is…

The longer I live here, the more convinced I become that technology can play a huge role in solving several of our problems. Bradley Taylor says frequently that “Savannah is a great place to build things to sell to people in other places.” I think he’s proven with Rails Machine that that approach can work. Other local entrepreneurs like Rad Harrell of Talent Soup, and dozens more that I don’t have room to mention, provide further proof that lifestyle businesses centered around technology are a viable option for building sustainable and successful companies based in Savannah.

It’s time to take their hard-won lessons and build a formula for success for those kinds of companies here. Then, we can build the governmental structure, community support and ecosystem to help those companies form, coalesce and thrive. The great thing about technology companies is that they require almost no capital to start. You don’t need heavy machinery, a storefront, or years of R&D or FDA approvals. All you need is time, a text editor, a browser and lots of hard work. Both Rails Machine and Talent Soup were bootstrapped and have never taken outside funding. That gives them a huge advantage over businesses that require either large amounts of debt or investment to get started. You’re answerable to no one but yourself and control your own destiny. It gives you the ability to pivot as you see fit and grow at your own pace.

I think Savannah has the perfect environment to grow dozens of these kinds of businesses and create hundreds of local jobs. We have a low cost of living, good quality of life, lots of local universities to draw talent from, and a supportive community built around the Creative Coast. All of those businesses will eventually need administrative help, more developers, operations folks, accountants, lawyers, etc.

There’s still a lot of work to do to make it a reality. We need to convince local government officials to make the changes needed to make it easier to start a business. We need to build closer ties with local universities to connect local businesses with students and faculty. We need to build out the formula I spoke of earlier to share the lessons learned by our local “pioneers”.

We have a long way to go and I’m a little short on actionable details right this minute, but I’m proud to say that there are smart dedicated people already working to make this a reality and prove that technology, along with a lot of smart people, creativity, hard work and talent, actually can be the answer to revitalizing Savannah.

Kevin

 The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map…..HOWEVER, this week Jake Hodesh, Creative Coast’s executive director, is jumping to the front of the line with his own blog.  Read on forJake’s take on TEDx Savannah-style….

(this blog also appears in Savannah News, April 25, 2012)

On May 18, Savannah will host its third annual TEDx Conference. That’s pretty exciting news when you view the history of TED and think about other host cities that wave the flag as leaders of hip. It says a lot about our own community.

The TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference was started in 1984. The original vision for the event was to provide a stage for world class presentations, and to attract high-power, high-dollar, executives and world leaders as attendees. The goal was for the concise (18 minutes or less) presentations, focused around science, social movements, community engagement and the arts, to challenge the power hungry attendees. These attendees would return to their corporate structures, municipalities, or foreign nations enlightened, engaged, or empowered to challenge their contemporaries and the ripple effect would be social change for the better around the globe.

Beginning in June of 2006, something else, different from what was originally expected, happened. With the advent of online video channels, YOUTUBE in particular, TED videos from what are now considered the archives of the 1980s have gone viral.

At the time, the talks were offered for free viewing online, under a Creative Commons license, through TED.com, and by June of last year, the videos had been viewed more than 500 million times. That is right: 500,000,000.

Some of you reading this article might have watched TED Talks on NETFLIX or the Science Channel. The Talks, once reserved for only high-paying high-power attendees, have become material for the masses. Now, anyone with access to the web can tune in at any time and be empowered.

A few years back, TED organizers realized they had struck a chord with the world. They watched the number of views that certain videos on YOUTUBE received. They realized their best attempt at changing the world was in the hands of the masses and not necessarily in the hands of their invitation-only attendees.

TED organizers, in response to their worldwide citizenry, decided to offer thousands of videos, available around the clock, for free. Watch what you wish. Comment. Become engaged. People of the world responded, chat rooms, cubicles, inboxes and coffee shops were aflutter.

Not a week goes by when I don’t receive an email with a link to a TED talk, and the same can be said for weekly conversations that I have when a TED talk is referenced.

The TED organizers went one step further in 2009. They began allowing localized, organized versions of the acclaimed VIP-only main events. They created the moniker TEDx, and began issuing licenses around the globe. With the approved license came strict guidelines and rules to follow. TEDxNewYorkCity, TEDxLA, TEDxSeattle, and the like began launching local conferences with vigor.

Four years ago, Frank Spencer, a Savannah-based futurist, and a band of cohorts received the license for TEDxCreativeCoast. Year one (2010) was a success, year two (2011) pushed the boundaries even further, and on May 18, 2012, the Jepson Center will play host to the 3rd Annual TEDxCreativeCoast.

Savannah’s local TEDx has proven to be successful and quite popular. TEDx offers a day long opportunity to be inspired, moved, engaged and challenged. By the end of the day, your intellectual appetite will for sure be satiated.

If you are interested in attending, I encourage you to find a ticket now as this year’s conference has nearly sold out; otherwise, join the rest of the world and tune in online for free.  A total of 14 guest speakers will fill the day with fast-paced and thought-provoking presentations ranging 8 to 12 minutes in length. TEDxCreativeCoast 2012 guest speakers include:

• Andrew Davies, creative director for Paragon Design Group
  (Savannah)
• Beth Mount, artist and founder of Graphic Futures and Capacity Works
  (New York City)
• Catherine Compton, co-founder of Slow Food Savannah
  (Savannah)
• Christopher Plummer, designer, fabricator and owner of Bastille Metal Works
  (Savannah)
• David Pleasant, master percussionist and founder of Riddimathon!, Inc.
  (New York City)
• Enoch Hendry, minister of Trinity United Methodist Church
  (Savannah)
• Carlos Santamarina, professor of engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
  (Atlanta)
• Jaime McGrath, educator, Gould Elementary School
  (Savannah)
• Kevin Lawver, programmer and web developer with Railsmachine
  (Savannah)
• Kevin Klinkenberg, architect and urban designer with Olsson Associates
  (Savannah)
• Mark Finnern, founder and host of the Future Salon and Chief Community Evangelist at SAP Labs Inc.
  (Savannah)
• Nikki Kaia Lee, student and aspiring fashion designer
  (Savannah Arts Academy)
• Tom Hardy, founder of Verbal-Visual Framework and adjunct professor of design management at SCAD
  (Atlanta)
• Zhenjie Dong, photographer, artist and graduate student
  (Savannah / China)

To purchase tickets, plan a viewing party or simply learn more about TEDxCreativeCoast 2012, visit www.tedxcreativecoast.com or www.facebook.com/tedxcreativecoast. 

It’s going to be awesome!

Jake

The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Radford (Rad) Harrell,  perpetual change catalyst, business writer, community activist and CEO of TalentSoup.  Read on for Rad’s positive approach to change….

Is change hard? If you answered “yes”, why do we hear so much about the value of change in our culture? Is change really all that great? Seems to me people avoid change unless absolutely forced to act. In some aspects of my own life, I’m less than proactive when it comes to change, typically “swerving” at the last moment to avoid hitting something (a driving metaphor is fitting, yes?). Put another way, change is usually forced upon people. And forced anything is bad.

With change being so common, I’d think we’d be much more comfortable with it. And if change, which can be hard, seems to be everywhere whether we like it or not, is the implication there is a time when change is not hard? Can change ever be easy? Is change something to look forward to? I think the answer is yes to both questions.

My first exhibit is a very small group of people in our society who voluntarily subject themselves to constant change with apparent zeal (with an extra helping of sheer terror added for flavor). These folks are radicals and rule breakers, and our fair city has more than you’d think. Such rare individuals have a special place in my heart and my calendar. I regularly meet with all types of people that share one common trait: they are all trying to do something that is almost impossible – - create a company around a fledgling idea. 

In the start-up / entrepreneurial world, change is about the only thing an entrepreneur can rely on. In the chaos and constant unknown of a new business venture, most founder(s) have an unnatural ability to see change as something entirely different from what a “normal” human perceives. Founders see change as opportunity. And they act on that vision. They ask the hard questions, the “What if” and “Why” questions. It’s amazing to experience the excitement of a founder with a great idea. They grab change by the horns because they are too innocent, or too determined, to know change is hard and should be avoided. The fervor and energy of a startup venture is so powerful that reality is distorted and change is seen as something good. Change is embraced. Change is actually sought after.

But I’ve observed an oddity that infects their perspective as the idea grows and begins life on its own. Their zeal for change, and the opportunity that lies beyond it, is replaced with resistance to change. They begin seeking consistency, stability, and normalcy. Change becomes hard again. Change didn’t, well, change, their perception did.

Exhibit 2 is historical. This cycle of change, evolving from something good to something bad, seems to apply to more than just people. It applies to communities too. Our lovely city, Savannah, once had eyes that saw only potential. Change was a given in the early days of this great city, as more people were attracted to what she offered. They came because Savannah was a city of opportunity. A city that asked “What if” and “Why” questions. A city that acted on the opportunity that presented itself when answering those questions.

The value those founding radicals created, those that embraced change in the past, we have the luxury of experiencing daily. City planning, architecture, new forms of commerce and organizations (the Girl Scouts were a radical idea don’t forget), they all make up the fabric of why we choose to live here. But change, and the opportunities that are realized when we embrace it, are still all around us. How we choose to perceive change is up to us as a city.

Mentoring and coaching those atypical folks in our midst trying something new is an honor. For Savannahians to thrive now and move forward, we have to adopt a new perspective. We have to embrace change. We must start asking the hard questions and be excited to act on this new approach to shaping the future of our city.

Change in our city can be easy. It starts with you and me saying “Yes”.

“Yes” to new questions and the answers that surface.

“Yes” to new ideas.

“Yes” to change.

 Join me.

http://webelieveinyes.com/

The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Summer Teal Simpson,  one of Savannah’s non-stop movers, shakers, and all round hip people.  Read on for Summer’s approach to making good things happen……

I moved to Savannah nearly six years ago, leaving behind fast-paced life in Atlanta in favor of the charm, the ease, and the eccentricity of the Hostess City. Finding myself in a state of professional transition, I waltzed into the United Way building in search of a position volunteering until steady employment came along.

That’s the day I met Shirley Sessions, the director of Hands On Savannah, the volunteer center of United Way of the Coastal Empire (UWCE). She was instantly – and is still – one of my most favorite people I’ve ever met. She is genuine, kind, fun and remarkable champion and vehicle for volunteerism in Savannah. By the end of that meeting, our fates were sealed. I would go to work for her in service as AmeriCorps Project Coordinator. It was a tremendous introduction to this great community and one of the more uplifting professional endeavors I’ve ever been part of.

Three weeks ago I received an email from Shirley. I was tickled to hear from her and honored to accept her invitation to serve as a judge for the upcoming 33rd Annual UWCE Volunteer Awards & Recognition Luncheon on April 25th. The luncheon honors extraordinary volunteer work in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties and presents awards in the following categories: Animal Advocacy, Cultural Arts/History, Education, Environmental/Conservation, Health & Human Services.

Prior to my involvement with Hands On Savannah, I naively undervalued volunteerism and its game changing impact on communities. In Savannah alone, it is the dedication of countless volunteers that provides some fairly basic level social services to the people of this community – be it the poor, the elderly, the handicapped, or the youth. It is also volunteer hours served that help to uplift arts, cultural affairs, and humanities, protect our precious natural resources, and support animal welfare organizations.

As one Brian O’Connell is attributed as saying, “Volunteering creates a national character in which the community and the nation take on a spirit of compassion, comradeship and confidence.” Evidence suggests that a community rich in volunteers boasts a healthier, more involved, more prideful constituency. It has further been suggested that “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy,” with volunteerism equating hands-on participation in community building and the shaping of a citizenry.

Correlation has been found between service and health benefits, with ICM Research indicating that repeat volunteers report weight loss, lower usage of alcohol and cigarettes, and reduced stress and overall depression. Professionally, as I quickly discovered, volunteers are found to have improved team work, better leadership skills, and a higher likelihood of promotion and salary increase. This explains why many of the largest corporations are requiring or encouraging company-wide community service programs and volunteer engagement.

I’ll leave you with some additional compelling facts on volunteerism, but first I want to implore you with a call to action. In a community the size of the one we share, each of us has a great ability and responsibility to affect change. I challenge you to evaluate your role therein. Through organizations like Hands On Savannah you can become involved in any number of service opportunities that impact the lives of others… and can result in noticeable changes to your own.

Some facts on volunteering:

• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the volunteer rate rose by 0.5 percentage point to 26.8 percent for the year ending in September 2011.
• According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, about 62.7 million Americans, or 26.5 percent of the adult population, gave 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service worth $173 billion in 2010.
• According to the Independent Sector, the estimated value of volunteer time for 2011 is $21.79 per hour.

The 33rd Annual Volunteer Awards & Recognition Luncheon takes place from 11:45 am – 1:00 pm on April 25th at Savannah Station. Tickets are available for $20 per person. For additional information, visit www.uwce.org or www.handsonsavannah.org.

Summer Teal Simpson

 The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson.  A life-long community activist, Mayor Jackson is proudly waving the flag for all corners of Savannah.  Read on for some questions from the Mayor which will make you stop and think about life’s priorities…

As a young woman coming of age in the 60s, I was a dedicated participant in the Civil Rights Movement. My life was forever changed by this experience. I learned the power of passionate ideals and unwavering commitment to the greater good.  Today as Mayor of Savannah, I believe Savannah is again at an historic crossroads, where the choices we make and the actions we take will shape our community’s social and economic prospects far into the future.

We’ve made great progress toward positioning Savannah as a leader in the new economy. From cutting-edge design, to sustainable industry, to advanced technology, we are competing at an international level.  Our reputation as a hub for creative and tech innovation only continues to grow.

But despite this, many of our citizens struggle to meet their most basic needs. In a world focused on information, convenience, productivity and entertainment, we face a new kind of challenge: equal access to technology needed to drive our future prosperity.

Recognizing this widening gap, the City of Savannah a few years ago began a program called The Digital Divide. Using a grant from the State, we installed fiber infrastructure along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, then partnered with the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority, the Housing Authority, and Internet service provider Seimitsu to offer low-cost, high-speed Internet access and computer training to citizens and businesses along MLK and Montgomery Street, from Bay to 52^nd Street. The wonderful nonprofit All Walks of Life (AWOL) stepped in to offer free, refurbished computers to these citizens.  

The Digital Divide Program is not the silver bullet, but it’s a start. We must not quietly accept a splintered community. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.

In the 1960s, without a single Tweet or status update, my generation fought the good fight and we won.  Today, young people around the world can spark social and cultural change through something as simple as creating a Facebook page. So I look to our innovators, our artists, and our entrepreneurs to play an integral role in a new revolution.

Consider your work within the landscape of our entire community. How can you use your skills to improve the lives within the larger Savannah community?

Challenge yourself to have broader professional reach. How do we attract and retain international talent while also cultivating a dynamic local workforce?

Create lofty expectations of your local government and social service agencies, and help us meet each and every one. What role do the resources of an engaged government play?

And perhaps most importantly to a United Savannah: redefine your peer group and your target market. How can you step outside of every bubble, circle or box you may currently exist within? Stretch yourself. Engage people who don’t look, talk or think like you.

I look forward to participating in this sort of open and frank dialogue. I believe the ideas and inspiration that come will be of tremendous benefit to Savannah economically and socially, ensuring our community is a place where all residents and industries can thrive.

Mayor Jackson

 The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Normally, guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map, but this week I can’t resist breaking in line and posting about FastPitch 2012.  This is truely an amazing event, one which connects entrepreneurs with potential investors, but more important, it helps push emerging entreprenuers into action.  For you entreprenuers still sitting on the couch, read on for motivation ….

(Savannah News published this article today, March 28 2012)

Tomorrow, 33 local entrepreneurs will gather at the Coastal Georgia Center to compete for cash, prizes, and the attention of the FastPitch 2012 judging panel. These entrepreneurs and emerging businesses will pitch their ideas to investors from throughout the region with the hope that at least one investor will find their idea intriguing, forge a relationship, and help move their product or service from concept to market. The stakes are high. The pressure is tremendous. The energy will be incredible. And the event is open to the public.

Tomorrow not only marks an important date for those competing, it also serves as an indicator for how vibrant our local business sector has become: this is the second year in a row that more than 100 applicants have turned out for this event.

Late last year, Orjan Isaacson, regional manager of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute and Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC); Luke Pittaway, director of Georgia Southern University’s Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership, and I began preparing for tomorrow’s event. We had worked together in 2011 to co-host the FastPitch event and we were overwhelmed by the response we received. More than 100 applications for the 2011 competition were submitted and 40 of those applicants were selected to participate in the event.

While preparing for this year’s event, we debated whether we would have as strong an application pool for 2012. Had we exhausted all our regional talent in 2011? During the ensuing months, we found out that talent within the region is much more robust than we imagined.

For the second year in a row more than 100 applications arrived in our office. For tomorrow’s event, we have selected 33 applicants to compete for cash, prizes, and prestige.

The number of applications is an incredible benchmark. Local entrepreneurs abound, and the programs and efforts throughout the region to cultivate these burgeoning companies are helping develop the local start-up landscape.

The work of The Creative Coast and our counterparts is paying dividends: to see what those dividend look like, attend tomorrow’s FastPitch 2012 competition.

The first step for all FastPitch competitors was to complete a one-page profile of their product or service. The next step was to work one-on-one with a panel of experienced coaches to refine their one-page descriptions and polish their verbal presentations.

The overall goal for each competitor is to show their product or service in the best light possible, and hopefully gain the interest of an investor that is judging (or simply attending) the event. While winning is important, participants know the FastPitch process serves a more important purpose: it is often times the spark necessary to move a start-up from thinking about an idea to actually going to market.

Tomorrow will be exciting, nerve-racking, and emotional. A few competitors will stumble, unable to find the composure to present in front of a panel of judges. The vast majority will step up and perform. The next Jobs, Gates, or Zuckerberg might be in the room tomorrow.

Come see for yourself.  FastPitch 2012 is free and open to the public. The event takes place 9 am Thursday March 29 at the Coastal Georgia Center, 35 Fahm Street in Savannah. For more information, visit www.fastpitchcompetition.com.

Jake

 The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Brynn Grant, SEDA’s Vice President for Competitiveness.   Brynn lives, eats, thinks, dreams Savannah’s economic development possibilities.  Read on for Brynn’s update on SEDA’s plans to harness the local community’s brainpower on a broader scale ….

In December 2011, on this blog, we told you a little about the SRI International study that will direct SEDA’s proactive efforts to create, grow and attract jobs here for many years to come. In the final analysis, in addition to identifying four target industries, SRI outlined areas of opportunity for our community along with possible recommendations for growth and development that included advanced manufacturing workforce initiatives, models and mechanisms for supporting start-ups, the linking of materials and design assets, maximizing the well-established logistics and transportation sector to attract more of the higher-wage businesses that support it, and of course, entertainment production.

While SEDA is working internally to align our programs, services, marketing and public relations efforts with the identified target industries for the greatest possible effectiveness in job creation, it is also our intent to work externally to help advance the recommendations made in the final SRI report as a community, and we are committed to serving as the convener, organizer, and as much as possible, the unifier.

In that light, through our Competitiveness Sounding Board made up of SEDA board and advisory council members, as well as strategic partners who are just genuinely interested in participating, SEDA is developing small, strategic teams based on the areas of recomendation.

We expect the teams to organize around these causes for a temporary period of time as determined by the need itself; they should not be committees that exist in perpetuity. They will be responsible for reviewing the key assets, perceived gaps and recommended actions and then developing plans to advance these key community development initiatives in the ways that make the most sense for us as a community, as a region.

With the teams’ continued engagement and counsel, the Competitiveness Sounding Board’s job will be to prioritize, strategize and organize the pursuit of these final recommendations.

Ultimately, the recommendations made by SRI are just a starting point. There is really no telling where the small teams may end up with regard to their recommendations. And I am certain it will not be all new ideas but in many cases old ones revisited, though perhaps this time with the collective force behind them to actually bring them to fruition.

One thing for sure, we cannot not try. We cannot put the study and the recommendations made in it up on the proverbial shelf with no effort to move it, and this community forward.

A part of the process now is to seek feedback and ideas from the community. If you are interested, we invite you to take a moment to review the executive summary and the recommended actions below and submit your ideas, thoughts and feedback to Leigh Acevedo at lacevedo@seda.org.

Advanced Manufacturing

Advanced manufacturing includes aviation and aerospace, materials and resins, industrial machinery and food processing.

Recommended action by SRI International:

• Focus on technical training in middle, high and post grad

• Communicate career pathways to K12 students and parents

• Strengthen industry collaboration to recruit skilled workers from military and develop programs for recruiting outside region in short term.

Start-Ups and International

SRI International initially put start-ups and international into the same category so the recommended actions are similar. The teams will be separate.

Recommended action:

• Develop virtual incubator/entrepreneurial boot camp associated with professional managed seed/venture capital fund

• Further develop and strengthen networks and “no wrong door” structure

Materials and Design

Design is one of the most important components of innovation in today’s economy. Materials and Design include industrial design and materials science research.

Recommended action:

• Develop business plan for collaborative research and design center

• Identify potential partners for research and marketing

• Work with national organizations for design to develop a new design conference, which brings executives and thought leaders to Savannah

Logistics and Transportation

Includes the Port of Savannah, marine transportation, logistics and warehousing and export/import and other transportation support services.

Recommended action:

• Approach SAP about establishing a local office and business plan for attracting software logistics companies that specialize in developing applications for the SAP infrastructure

• Leverage Port of Savannah and local companies as “test bed” for logistics R&D activities

Entertainment Production

Includes film, TV, digital media, computer animation, game design, special effects and more.

Recommended action:

•  Due diligence and exploration of city and state incentives for sound stage project

•  Business plan for attracting SCAD digital media alumni to start companies in Savannah or using alumni connections to attract outsourcing by major companies

•  Funding for indigenous small film, TV or digital media projects

We would like to hear your comments and thoughts before April 20. Hope we do!

Brynn Grant
Vice President, Competitiveness
SEDA

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The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Eric Posman, a producer/writer on college sports for ESPN and ABC who lives in downtown Savannah with his two children.  When not eating/living/breathing college sports, Eric is an All Star member of The Creative Coast’s TEDx team. Read on for Eric’s ponderings on green beer and basketball….

The countdown is on to the St. Patrick’s festivities, which this year aligns with the calendar of the working world and falls on a Saturday.

So let’s fast forward: you’ve spent the wee hours of the morning setting up camp in your favorite square or you’ve been on your feet all day trudging through downtown to take in as much of the scene as possible. Now it’s mid-day, and you’re overspent.

What better way to recharge or relax but with 10 hours of live college basketball right in the heart of the sport’s biggest spectacle? I guess if Notre Dame were on in an Irish pub in Savannah that would be the nexus of March Madness indeed.

So here are some things to keep you focused while you’re clearing out the cobwebs:

1) Your Bracket

Saturday begins a frantic weekend stretch when the field gets whittled down to the Sweet 16. Chances are a couple of the traditional early-round upsets have already taken place and the Titans have already beaten up on the Also-rans.

Your bracket is looking just as solid as Dick Vitale’s or President Obama’s. But now anybody can beat anybody. You didn’t have Northern Iowa over Kansas or Butler over Pitt, but nobody else did either so there’s no reason to throw in the towel in your office pool just yet.

2) The TV Coverage

Before 2011, CBS was the sole rights holder of The Tournament. The greatest complaint from the viewers over the years was that they couldn’t see every game. Four games would be broadcast regionally, filtered through the CBS broadcast center, think of “Houston” in Apollo 13 minus the cigarette smoke and crew cuts.

There, the head suit would decide when to give the viewers in each region a glimpse of another game, combine regions, or take you to the best finish. At times this was handled with great dexterity, at times it was clumsy, and sometimes it was just logistically impossible.

But starting last season, CBS partnered with Turner Sports on an $11 billion (not a misprint, the “B” is correct) deal to broadcast all the games at once using Turner’s multiple cable platforms. Now if you miss a great finish it’s on you. Hopefully your St. Patrick’s hangover hasn’t affected your trigger finger on the remote.

3) The Commercials

As previously mentioned, this is a multi-billion dollar project, and many advertisers will use this platform, a la the Super Bowl, to get their funniest spots on the air.

The problem is the ads repeat over and over. The Super Bowl only lasts 3+ hours. On an all-day event, what is outrageous at 2 PM only sparks outrage at 10 PM. Buffalo Wild Wings will be the biggest culprit. At least you have another game to flip to.

4) The Lingo

There are many clichés and buzzwords to be aware of even if you’re not playing the March Madness Drinking Game.

“Chalk” means all the favorites are winning. From the phrase “chalk it up.”

“Parity” is a term the talking heads will use to explain the buzzer-beaters and mild upsets.

“Sleeper” will usually refer to a team from a small conference with a lot of seniors, white guys, and a veteran coach (think Davidson or Creighton).

“Cinderella” is the most overused of the terms. It belongs to the team that has no business being in the position they’re in, and we’re all just waiting for them to return to their place in reality.

In some more nuanced societies, they’ll be a little more subjective and simply take a drink whenever Charles Barkley (inherited by CBS when Turner came on board) says something inane.

So there are some things to watch for on a hazy March 17th. And if you just happen to be stumbling in from Broughton Street around midnight and your TV is talking about how the chalk has been erased or if Cinderella’s slipper still fits, you might want to drink. Water.

Eric