Yet, there is so much more to the animation field than we are aware.

Chad Smith of Being Studios, will be our featured speaker for Wednesday, June 30th’s brown bag presentation. Smith has recently taken up residence at Gangplank and has already created a series of hilarious cartoons based on the regular activities taking place inside our walls.

More than that, Smith will be talking about the many opportunities available in the animation field, and how businesses can use the medium to tell their stories. Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about animation will be answered, and perhaps you’ll even end up as part of Smith’s Gangplank cartoon collection.

Something a little different

Some of you may recall that a few months back, Derek held an informal discussion about the future of Gangplank after a brown bag. We are planning on making this a regular occurrence, to hear your thoughts and share updates about Gangplank. These open forums will take place the last Wednesday of the month, before the brown bag presentation.

This open forum is for the curious, new members and Gangplank veterans alike. Want to know what Gangplank is? We’ll cover it. Want updates on the move? Come and ask. The open forum will begin at 11am. Stick around to catch the brown bag.

Original Source: GP Brownbag: Chad Smith & Open Forum

Jay Rogers

Original Source: Jay Roger’s Brown Bag

Dennis Keogh as 007

Gangplank, Arizona’s largest collaborative workspace, will be hosting celebrity impersonator, Dennis Keogh, as a part of their recurring brown bag series. The event will take place on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at noon. Keogh

has been performing as celebrity Sean Connery for a number of years, making appearances all over the Phoenix-area, Las Vegas and Canada.

Keogh will be speaking on what is required to become a respected A-list celebrity impersonator and the professionalism you must maintain to stay on top. He’ll discuss tips on how to get booked regularly and drum up new business – useful advice for a start-up in any field. Keogh will also share a few humorous and true stories of his life as Sean Connery.

“It is all perception – not deception,” explains Keogh. “If guests of my impersonation ask ‘Are you Sean Connery?’, I have several comedic answers.”

Keogh began performing full-time as Connery in 2006, after retiring from Bell Systems at age 53. As a Sean Connery impersonator, Keogh is invited to corporate parties, exotic car auctions, movie sets, Hollywood parties and charity events to add a buzz and work the crowd. He loves to walk the red carpet and mingle with guests, posing for photographs, and signing autographs.

Keogh thoroughly enjoys his work, even if it a bit unconventional. “We are all given great opportunities in life. A wise man,realizes them and acts upon them,” said Keogh.
I chose to jump through that window of opportunity while the window was still open.”

The brown bag is open to the public, free of charge. Bring your lunch, have a few laughs and enjoy rubbing elbows with a star (impersonator).

Original Source: GP Brown bag: "The Art of Celebrity Impersonation"

If you haven’t had an opportunity to attend a Hacknight, here’s a taste.

Last night, more than 40 people showed up to Gangplank for Hacknight. Our first ever roller-hockey game was played in the loading area behind the building. Josh Strebel of Page.ly acted as videographer, riding around on the new Gangplank bike shooting the bloody battle. Injuries were sustained, with the Conrey-Hurst-Charland team pulling off a 3-1 victory. Who says girls can’t play?

In the midst of the game, lots was going on inside Gangplank. Nicholas Dibiase and Brandon Franklin struck up an impromptu jam session, playing percussion and guitar for attendees enjoyment. Also on the music front, Stern Savage stopped by to drop off a sneak preview of his mixtape, to be released July 31st.

Hacking activities were in full swing as well. Heat Sync Labs set up a lock picking table, with various levels to challenge Hacknight attendees. Nick Hammond managed to pick all the locks, save the hardest.

And of course, what’s a Hacknight without a ridiculously awesome YouTube video about college sports?

Even with all the distractions and activities, Hacknights main draw is the amazing conversations between people. Artists, musicians, dating advice bloggers, marketing consultants and coders discussing sports, differences between the sexes and getting to know one another. These initial meetings are the stepping stones that create projects and passions that move the world.

Why miss out?

Original Source: Why you shouldn't miss Hacknights

The Linchpin meetup, put on by Tyler Hurst and Stealthmode, broke attendees into groups to discuss key concepts from the book, including overcoming fear, qualities of leadership, our current education system and the importance of learning to lose. Each group presented on their topics with a discussion portion following each presentation.

Many of the participants had recently left Corporate America and were starting ventures of their own. Their interest in attending the event stemmed from wanting to meet others that were in a similar positions for encouragement, ideas and general networking. Throughout the evening connections were made, relationships were formed and attendees walked away with some insight into their own status as a Linchpin, and where they might improve.

For coverage of the event, as well as an interesting take on startups in this economy, check out ABC 15′s video. Also, listen to Gangplank Studio episodes 35 and 36 to hear attendees discuss what the word Linchpin means to them.

Original Source: Linchpin Meetup Recap

Then Shwaag came along.

The company’s CEO Eric Keosky-Smith has taken local social media by storm with the concept of social powered generosity. His site gives away premium products, such as Amazon Kindle, to encourage real generosity by brands and promote consumer loyalty. Members get a shot at unique, high-quality products and the participating companies get advertising through social media buzz and happy customers.

Keosky-Smith has a long history with developing marketing strategies that break new ground. With over 25 years experience in technology and consumer marketing, he’s been behind some of the largest product launches and initiatives of the past decade.

His extensive history may be why he had trouble picking a topic – there’s just so much be wants to share with Valley-area entrepreneurs! His topic, ‘Opportunities in a time of mass upheaval’ will encompass many of the subjects he wanted to cover, including marketing and relationships in a social media world, as well as how to bridge generation/technology gaps in business.

Wednesday, June 16th @ Noon
Bring your lunch (and questions).

Original Source: GP Brownbag: 'Opportunities in a time of mass upheaval'

You’ve been to Gangplank a few times and you like what you see. If you’re thinking about setting up a more permanent base of operations, we now have a “Gangplank Space Request” form to streamline the demand. You can find the form on Gangplank’s website under the ‘Participate‘ and ‘Collaborative‘ tabs.

There is no fee to make Gangplank your base of operations. Our wifi, conference rooms and podcasting studio are at your disposal. We simply ask that you respect the space and work of fellow Gangplank members, as well as be willing to collaborate with the community.

Um….brown bags?

We want you to there! Our guests are at their best with a live audience that keeps them on their toes with lively discussion and questions.

But if you absolutely can’t make it…

Yes, we are filming them. Yes, the video will be posted to the website as soon as is possible after the talk. We also will be posting summaries of the presentations and providing information about speakers to come. If you can’t make it to the brown bags each week, best bet is to bookmark this blog.

Have a speaker suggestion? Let’s hear it!

Original Source: Gangplank Updates

Think ´American Idol´ — selected entrepreneurs will have 4 minutes to pitch their company to both a panel of experts & a live audience, followed immediately by a 3-minute Q&A session with the panel.

A free networking dinner will follow the formal pitch.

When:
May 26, 2009
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Where:
The Marriott – The Buttes Resort (in the Amphitheater room)
2000 Westcourt Way
Tempe, AZ 85282

Useful links:
Event Registration
Event Details

Video of previous CrowdPitches:
http://www.youtube.com/fundinguniverse#p/u/3/7WCdwfugRM4
http://www.youtube.com/fundinguniverse#p/u/4/2IJdTmqVDb4
http://www.youtube.com/fundinguniverse#p/a/u/2/1i_gLse4JjM

Original Source: Phoenix Crowd Pitch

Original Source: Free Entrepreneur Mentoring at Gangplank