IndyHall Member Profiles: Megan Canney
Filed under: Community Support, From the Business Side, Independents Hall, coworkers
Meet Megan Canney.
Megan is a professional seasonal fabric home décor designer. Wow, that’s a mouthful.
For all you seasonal fabric home décor design civilians out there this means she designs those pretty Christmas stockings you hang above your fireplace in addition to various other holiday decorations. She claims designing Christmas stockings is a year round activity but I don’t buy it. My current theory is that it’s a front for her true profession: Mercenary Assassin. More on that later.
I couldn’t help but wonder how one gets into her alleged profession.
“I originally went to school for fashion design but mostly for wearable art, not production fashion.”
Seems she’s better suited for making wearable art for the runway, no?
“You can’t make money doing that so when I left school I got a job doing seasonal home décor design.”
Consider the dots connected. So how does Megan find herself among our ranks here at Indy Hall.
“I knew a lot of the early members and we would go to the Junto down in South Philly and people were always talking about the Hall. When I heard about the job I’m doing now I came and checked out Indy Hall before I even interviewed. I knew that I’d be working remotely and that doing so from my apartment just wouldn’t work for me.”
Interestingly, I more often hear that someone’s been working from home prior to joining the Hall but found them self too distracted to be productive. Excellent foresight she’s demonstrated here… a little too excellent perhaps.
“I’m a really social person and it’s hard not having a design team to work with so at least this way I get to have the social interaction as well as a separation between by working and living space.”
Megan’s presence at the Hall predates mine so I was curious to know how long she’d been here.
“7 months on and off due to the time I spend in China.”
… Now you remember that theory of mine?
“I go to China because that’s where all the buyers from all over the world go to meet with people like me and the salesmen. If a company does import they usually will meet in Hong Kong. It’s the hub of product related business transactions.”
I believe that, assuming that by “product related” she means people and by “business transactions” she means bounty collections. All I’m saying is you’d do well to buy plenty of decorations this year.
Happy Holidays folks.
IndyHall Member Profiles: Bill Jones
Filed under: Community Support, From the Business Side, Independents Hall, coworkers
Meet Bill Jones. Bill is an IT guy. He’s not just any old IT guy though; he’s the incredibly bold and savvy IT guy who’s not afraid to tell you your IT solutions suck. See for yourself.
“When I would go to my doctor, my dentist, or any small business in my area it would stand out to me that they had substandard IT solutions and I would point that out to them.”
Harsh, I know. Did I mention he has a kind side too? He would always follow up by helping them out.
“When I stopped working for a huge company and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, I thought that it would be easier for me to be engaged and understand the value I was delivering to people if I worked directly with customers in a smaller context.”
Consulting the IT civilians, empowering the little guy, it all makes sense. However, there isn’t exactly a wealth of substandard IT solutions floating around Indy Hall so what does “Mr. Savvy IT Guy” do here?
“The plan has always been for me to mine that area for a product or two and then focus on building those products because that’s what I really enjoy doing. Consulting and products are two different areas and I’m more of a product guy. Right now I’m actually moving away from the consulting side of small business to work on three products I have in development.”
If that’s not livin’ the dream, I don’t know what is. Naturally, I was curious as to what role coworking has played in Bill’s ability to create this situation for himself.
“When I was looking for office space I ran across this idea called coworking which sounded good to me. I quickly found that Indy Hall was one of the leaders in the area but living in Jersey I didn’t think I’d want to come to Philadelphia all the time. I came in one day just to do research and I realized that I really would be better off just hangin’ out here.”
Ok, but… why?
“The first day I had a six hour conversation with Jason Allum and I said to myself, ‘Ok, this is a good place to be.’ There was a lot of excitement about Indy Hall Labs and the business model that Alex, Jason and the guys were figuring out and that was very interesting to me. I realized there were people here who could teach me stuff and that was better than being alone in my basement office.”
There you have it. Indy Hall: The perfect alternative to your substandard workplace solutions.
Guest Post by Dave Troy of Beehive Baltimore Coworking
Filed under: Community Support, Education/Workshops, Events, coworking
On January 22nd, a delegation from Beehive Baltimore visited IndyHall — a trip we called “A Tale of Two Cities.” Baltimore and Philadelphia share many common characteristics: an amazing, eclectic workforce and arts community, a prominent position in the east coast corridor, and also many of the problems that plague many of our urban areas.
The idea for the trip came after I visited with Alex back in October and I wished I could “bottle” the energy and ideas behind IndyHall to share with my peers in Baltimore. Of course, I had already done this in one way; in 2008 my chance meeting of Alex Hillman at a wedding of a mutual friend is what led directly to the creation of Beehive Baltimore, our coworking community in Baltimore.
But I wanted to do more: to connect the members of our coworking community directly with like-minds in Philadelphia, to inoculate them with the knowledge that our two communities are linked by common values and also to raise the idea that coworking is a very powerful seed for urban renewal and economic growth. The founders of Beehive share something very important in common with Geoff and Alex: we want to change our cities for the better, and not just a little bit.
At first the trip was going to be a small carpool affair with 8-10 people. Pretty soon it turned into a bus trip with over 30 people registered. When we showed up on the doorstep at IndyHall, Alex and Geoff were a little surprised at the size of the crowd. But here’s the thing: show people a better way, a path forward that has room for hope in it, and people will rush to understand and be a part of it.
Our delegation was eager to learn what made the IndyHall community tick, and to compare notes from experiences in Baltimore. Some were our regular members, others were members of our community that want to drive change here. While we arguably gained a lot from a generous Q&A with Geoff and Alex, the real fun came in the Show & Tell and the extended lunch at National Mechanics. Many good new connections were made between the Baltimore and Philadelphia communities.
But, perhaps most importantly, the trip did one thing: show that we’re here for one another. Philadelphia and Baltimore both face staggering challenges in the years ahead. I, for one, am comforted by the knowledge that there are likeminded souls in a nearby city who will be working to understand these challenges alongside us, and I hope you feel the same way. We invite you to make a similar trip here to Baltimore sometime soon. Thanks for sharing with us. We all truly appreciate it and will be looking for ways to keep our communities growing together.
IndyHall Member Profiles: Dr. Greg Wilder
Filed under: Community Support, From the Business Side, Independents Hall, coworkers
I’d like you to meet Dr. Greg Wilder.
Greg is a classical conservatory trained pianist and composer whose works have been performed on prestigious stages across the globe. He is known by many different titles including but not limited to musician, composer, professor, and more recently co-founder of Orpheus Media Research.
I, however, know him by a very different title:
Speed Chess Nemesis.
It is for precisely this reason I challenged him to conduct this interview over a match. The opening move was simple; I wanted to know how Greg came to be a part of the Hall.
“I met Alex through PSL (Philly Startup Leaders) and I was very curious about him and his ideas about Indy Hall. I put myself on the waiting list and as soon as they relocated I became a member.”
I couldn’t help but wonder how a classically trained pianist composer wound up sitting in front of a computer as opposed to, well, a piano.
“I haven’t been hands on with any music for a number of months now and it’s been very difficult. I made a conscious decision to focus on my business and it has completely changed my life. Instead of attending an orchestral rehearsal for example, I’ll go to a business meeting.”
I still wasn’t quite sure as to why exactly he was here, a deceptive tactic perhaps. It was time to make a developing move. I had to know what could be so important to someone that they would put aside everything their life had revolved around thus far in order to pursue it.
“I’ve spent my entire life listening to, performing, and studying music. I’m fascinated by the way in which the human mind interacts with music and what I’m doing here at Indy Hall is giving computers a human-like sensitivity to music from both the listening and compositional standpoints.”
Boosh. Check. A bold move indeed, but would it pay off?
“My first morning here I really didn’t know if this would work but by the end of the day my mind was blown. There are so many brilliant people here that you really can’t be the ‘smart kid in class.’ I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with quite a few of them and they’ve done a lot to help make my vision a reality. What we’re doing is as much about coworking as it is about music innovation.”
Checkmate. Well played, Dr. Wilder. Well played.
IndyHall Member Profiles: Bart Mroz
Filed under: Community Support, From the Business Side, coworkers
Meet Bart Mroz. Don’t feel bad about the last name, he’ll teach you how to say it so long as you ask him nicely. Bart is one of the original members of Indy Hall. He recounts the noble tale of Indy Hall’s first days.
“The four of us worked on the floor…umm…borrowing Wi-Fi from a neighbor while we waited for our broadband to be installed.”
Did I say noble? I of course meant humble.
I was curious to know if Indy Hall, a truly collaborative workspace, had collaboration at its roots.
“Its roots are all in collaboration. Some of us were working together before Indy Hall opened its doors, during our ‘Cream Cheese Sessions.’”
A statement I found to be a particularly nice way of saying “Duh.”
Having been coworking for nearly 3 years now I wanted to know if Bart could ever see himself working any other way.
“I couldn’t work in a traditional office or even an office share. That just doesn’t appeal to me. This space is very open and creative. I keep to myself most of the time but I’m aware of what the people around me are doing, it’s part of the deal.”
How about from a business perspective?
“We couldn’t do it any other way. Very early on we realized that this model works really well for us. It’s not the case for everyone but for us there’s really no other way.”
A statement I found to be a particularly nice way of saying “I’m not going anywhere.” We’re glad to hear it because we sure do like having Bart around.
IndyHall Member Profiles: Kevin Fitzpatrick
Filed under: Community Support, In The News, Independents Hall, coworkers
I’d like you to meet Kevin Fitzpatrick, lifetime student of software development and active member of the Indy Hall community. If Kevin isn’t busy creatively stringing together lines of code, you could probably find him sharing ideas with a fellow programmer.
Holding true to form I couldn’t help but wonder first how Kevin got here.
“About two years ago I went to a cream cheese session, a Bar Camp, and Ignite Philly all within a couple of months. Alex was a big part of this scene and before I knew it I was coming in to Indy Hall to work once a month.”
Ok. Cheese, Bar, Ignite, Alex, I think I got it. Two years, huh? I think he must like it here.
“I love it here. Everywhere I go, be it Florida or Sweden, I talk about Independents Hall. A lot of the time I wind up being known as ‘Kevin from Indy Hall.’ There’s just so much going on in the Philadelphia tech community right now and when I ask around, people know.”
It seems like Indy Hall has served him well. Rumor has it he’s in the process of returning the favor.
“We’re basically developing a coworking management program in an effort to make your life easier.”
Thanks Kevin from Indy Hall! You shouldn’t have.
“The goal is to automate all the operational tasks involved in running a coworking space, such as invoicing, so you’re free to focus your energy elsewhere.”
I’ll add that to the list of great ideas that have been grown here.
“Funny you should say grown. My girlfriend and I were talking about wine the other day. The grape makes the wine and the soil has a lot to do with that. Only grapes that were grown in the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne. The reason is that you could take two seeds from the same plant, grow one in France and one in California, and the grape that grows will be completely different.
In application, an idea that starts here is going to get the flavor of the people that are here now. It’s going to turn out different than if it happened in a traditional incubator or in someone’s garage and I think we have really good soil here.”
Wow, Kevin from Indy Hall, that’s a fantastic analogy. Indy Hall: It’s good soil for your mental grapes.
IndyHall Member Profiles: Mike Nicholaides
Filed under: Announcements, Community Support, In The News, Independents Hall, coworkers
Today I got the chance to sit down with Mike Nicholaides, a full time member of the IndyHall family. Mike, like a number of other coworkers at IndyHall, spends his days crafting line after line of code.
“I developed an academic coaching application to help students working on their thesis stay motivated.”
Where were you while I was a full time student, semi-professional procrastinator, Mike?
Now, as an aspiring champion of logic, I thought that putting lots of coders into one space would create serious competition when it came time to find work. Mike assured me this simply isn’t the case.
“Intuitively you’d think this situation would create a lot of competition, but it’s not the case. It turns out that the people you meet are more likely to help you find a creative solution to your problem than to try and take your work.”
Like many inhabitants of the Hall, Mike sticks around because of the valuable connections he’s made since becoming a member.
“I knew after a few days I couldn’t go back to working at home. It’s really about the connections, these people who are expanding my view, my ability to do things.”
It’s not uncommon for people to take interest in Indy Hall initially because they see the potential to find collaborative work in the community. For some, it happens right away and other times, it takes awhile. In the end, they end up finding value in places they never sought it.
“I haven’t gotten any work yet through being here, even though that was the primary reason I came here. Even then, it’s been totally worth it.”
Really? No work yet? I didn’t buy it. Then Mike admitted,
“Well, Bula talked to me today about doing a mock up for an app he’s developing and Bill wants me to do some JavaScript for him.”
There, was that so hard?
Thanks for your time, Mike, it’s a pleasure having you as a member of IndyHall.
Looking forward to meeting Bula, Bill, and more? You will…just keep an eye on our bi-weekly newsletter (subscribe over on the left) or subscribe to this blog!
IndyHall Member Profiles: Maya Northern
Filed under: Community Support, Independents Hall, coworkers
This week, I got to know a little more about one of our most interesting members here at the Hall: Maya Northen.
She contrasts her neighboring coders by running a travel service, named Chimera Travel (@chimeratravel), completely solo. She operates out of Indy Hall or from her home, whichever she feels like that day. Freedom to move around only makes sense when you work in travel, right?
She made the decision to uproot, sell her storefront, and join Indy Hall for good reason.
“Some days I would sit in my store all day and not one person would come in. I learned quickly that people aren’t planning their vacations during work hours; they’re working. Other days, someone might come in just looking for me to beat the ticket price they just found on Orbitz. That’s not the kind of travel service I want to provide. I like to work with clients closely to find out what they are looking to get out of a vacation and make that happen for them. If you want to go relax on a beach at a spa resort, I want your booking experience to be just as trouble free.”
Maya’s excitement and love for travel are undeniable. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was what she always wanted to do.
“It’s always been my passion, but I was in corporate fitness for some time before I decided to make the switch. It’s a lot of hard work but there’s nothing I’d rather be involved with.”
I’m always curious to know whether having experienced Indy Hall people could picture themselves working outside of this context again.
“Honestly, not right now. I love the energy around here. It’s so nice to be here and interact with people throughout the course of the day as opposed to sitting in my storefront waiting for customers to show up.”
It’s nice to have you, Maya!
IndyHall Member Profiles: Johnny Bilotta
Filed under: Announcements, Community Support, In The News, Independents Hall, coworkers
One of the first projects we’ve tasked our new interns Michelle and Parker with is meeting everyone at IndyHall, and getting to know them. Luckily for you, that means that YOU get to know our members better as well!
We’re going to be kicking off a series of member interviews conducted in no particular order. First up, though, is Johnny Bilotta, who is arguably IndyHall’s very first member. Parker begins the interview below the jump!
Parker: Who are you and what do you do?
Johnny: My name is Johnny Bilotta, and in true IndyHall fashion, I wear many hats. Most of my living is made as a freelance creative director and an interface designer. I’ve also administered some parts of IndyHall here and there. Being member number one has its responsibilities. That includes co-hosting Two Guys On Beer, which was founded here at IndyHall.
Parker: Does Two Guys on Beer generate revenue?
Johnny: At the moment, no, but we’re getting close. We’ve been the featured beer video segment on Philly.com for a few months now!
Parker: How did you hear about IndyHall?
Johnny: Alex and I were both contributors and spectators on the PANMA e-mail list, which is the Philadelphia Area New Media Association. We were going back and forth on things we wanted to see improved in Philadelphia. Alex emailed me off list, and suggested we get some drinks, get to know each other, and compare notes. So we met for dinner and beers on a rainy day in April of 07.
I had never heard of the coworking movement before that night. He told me about the idea of IndyHall, asked me what I thought, and I said, “I’m in!”
Parker: What made you decide to join IndyHall?
Johnny: I joined because working alone and not having people to bounce ideas off of became a problem. It was the need for social contact, to talk about things around the water cooler, and even introduce a forum for to find a solution. I have always been a self-proclaimed student of Bauhaus principals, and IndyHall is a shining example of those ideals. It was a perfect fit. The collaborative atmosphere also provided opportunity to work on a grand range of projects. I tapped into a previously unknown market for a creative professional.
Parker: What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve ever experienced at IndyHall?
Johnny: The growth factor of the space as a whole. To go from a few people meeting at coffee shop to an actual space to DOUBLING that space, all with in two and a half years. That is quite an accomplishment, and was very unexpected.
Parker: So you’ve been here since the beginning of IndyHall and you’ve experienced coworking to the fullest extent, and even gained some exposure to the limelight. My question is, could you ever see yourself going away from the IndyHall community or coworking in general?
Johnny: At the moment? No. The community will always be something I would like to stay active in. It is filled with amazingly talented people and been such an invaluable resource in my life.
As far as leaving the space? If the right offer came along and I knew that I was able to help another company, or another initiative like IndyHall, it would be tempting. There have been times that I’ve thought about picking up and leaving Philadelphia again. I think one of the things that keeps me here is the work I do with my IndyHall colleagues, including Two Guys on Beer. I feel like the overall community here is just starting to really get its legs, so leaving it would, in my opinion, be a mistake. I think Philly hasn’t even begun to show the tech or creative world what it has to offer. Give it a couple years, but it’s going to be a fun ride.
IndyHall Town Hall 2
Filed under: Announcements, Community Support, Events, From the Business Side, Independents Hall
In last week’s newsletter (you are subscribed, right?) we announced our 2nd IndyHall Town Hall.
We held one of these back in March when we were first thinking about moving from our Strawberry St. office into something bigger. It proved to be an extremely valuable format for getting the community up to speed, introducing people, and seeing progress forward.
On Tuesday, October 27th, we’re doing it again. The first of what we hope to continue as quarterly Town Hall meetings will allow the entire community, not just the paying membership, to come together to find out about IndyHall’s progress & growth, and continue to be a part of the shared vision.
We’ll be hosting it at our office, 20 North 3rd St. It will begin at 5:30 sharp and we expect it to take 60-90 minutes.
The goals of the Town Hall format are twofold: first, to open up as much information as we can about the business and community operations. Second, to provide a proper sounding board for the fast growing community that inhabits our clubhouse.
Imagine a hybrid of a “state of the union” from some community leaders, as well as an opportunity for your voice to have an impact. Of course, with the same level of approachability and authenticity you’ve come to expect from IndyHall.
We have some exciting announcements. But don’t we always?
Attendance isn’t mandatory for members, but its’ strongly recommended. Also, as I mentioned, this is a COMMUNITY town hall, which means it is open to the public. Because of this, we’re asking people to RSVP to make sure we can plan/arrange the space appropriately.
In the past, we’ve had good response and a significant turnout, and we’re hoping for the same this time.
Please help spread the word to other community members and organizations that might want to attend, and encourage them to RSVP.
We look forward to seeing everyone on the 27th.
