A poem about breakfast by our own Parker Whitney
Filed under: Community Support, In The News, Independents Hall, coworkers
After having his “day saved” by member Chris Dawson, who provided him with a breakfast croissant after he skipped breakfast, our illustrious office manager Parker wrote this piece thanking him. It was too creative not to share.
When’s the last time someone thanked you for a casual gesture with something this thoughtful?
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: 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.
BREAKOUT! Festival comes to Philadelphia
Filed under: Community Support, Events, In The News, Independents Hall, coworking
When some of our friends from Manhattan’s New Work City told me about The Breakout! Festival, I was instantly on board. A group of people who wanted to take advantage of public places to create new, interesting, and stimulating work environments sounded like such a cool mission. Given the availability of power and internet, and the mobility of our workforce and their needs, this project is a beautiful expression of work no longer being about where, but HOW people do their jobs!
BREAKOUT! is a month long event where groups of people congregate in different places to work for a period of time, or discuss alternatives to work places. In many cases, it’s a “break out” session, encouraging usual cube-inhabitants to get out and meet some new people. Sound familiar?
Tomorrow (Monday, October 12th) the BREAKOUT! NYC group is going to “break out” of Manhattan and join us for a few hours in Philadelphia! They’ll be taking the Bolt Bus, an awesome wifi-enabled transport option between NYC and Philly, working for the two hour commute, then joining us at IndyHall for a bit. We’ll welcome their group and discuss mobile work alternatives, and weather permitting, head out to Washington Square Park for an outdoor brainstorming session.
The group, organized by Anthony Townsend (a researcher dedicated to working on the role of telecommunication in urban design and development), is providing an excellent opportunity not just to make for an interesting Monday morning, but a valuable opportunity to tie neighboring cities together. Philadelphia and New York are SO close, and the transportation is SO accessible, if you haven’t taken a day to work from each others’ coworking spaces you are missing out.
One of the biggest values of coworking is adjusting perspective for the sake of improving your own productivity. I hope you join us around 11:30-12 tomorrow, Monday the 12th, at IndyHall to welcome our friends from NYC and take part in BREAKOUT! NYC comes to Philadelphia.
Oh, and Anthony is bringing a BBC reporter, so as he suggested to me, “make sure you have your coworking sound-bites ready!”
Haven’t been able to visit the new IndyHall office yet?
Filed under: In The News, Independents Hall, Videos, coworking
Not to worry! Our friends from Technically Philly came by last week and not only got the ten cent tour, but caught it on camera along with some interviews with a couple of members. This is a TINY glimpse into what’s been going on at the new IndyHall, and by no means is a substitute or a full representation of what’s been going on. You REALLY need to come down here and see it for yourself!
It’s no “MTV Cribs” walkthrough, Brian Kirk of TechnicallyPHL and Drew Lazor of Philadelphia City Paper put together a great set of clips. If anyone wants to produce a “Cribs” style walkthough with Geoff and I…you know how to find me.
Enjoy!
Meet IndyHall again, for the first time
Filed under: Announcements, Community Support, From the Business Side, In The News, Independents Hall, coworking
On April 7th, 2009, Geoff and I signed a lease for a new clubhouse for the IndyHall community to work from. Almost immediately, the planning began, because we knew that our occupancy would begin on May 1st and we wanted our members to be able to work from the space as close to day one as possible.
Over the following 4 weeks, we budgeted and set milestones. Demolition began almost immediately on the new space, connecting the two 2200 square foot units with an open archway to allow easy movement between them.
Paint colors were selected. Paint went up on the walls.
We hung over 3000 feet of gigabit ethernet from a custom-designed overhead cable management solution, designed by our own members. We pulled together furniture from so many sources, including our old office (now being affectionately referred to as “IndyHall Classic”, plenty more Ikea, and even some pieces hand-made by friends within the awesome community of Philadelphia.
The newspapers even wrote about what we were up to.
On friday, we moved. On Monday morning, our first official work day in the new space will begin.
IndyHall has been re-imagined, and not just by Geoff and I. It’s come together in one of the most magical collaborative processes I’ve ever had the privilege of being a part of. If you ever ask me it’s important to build a coworking community before a space, the last 4 weeks are the reason why.
Building a community space alone defeats the purpose. Building a community space with the community that will call it home. That makes sense.
I’m fearful of thanking everyone by name for leaving someone out, so I’m going to thank EVERYONE who put any moment of time, any drop of sweat, any bit of contribution into the move. In less than 4 weeks, we went from a shell of two rooms into one of the most incredible work spaces…a workspace fit for one of the most incredible communities in Philadelphia.
This past weekend we celebrated, after weeks of planning a party along with our friends from Mashable.com and all of our amazing sponsors, and turned May 1st 2009 into a night to remember. I can’t take credit for the fireworks (though I’ve thought about it), but clearly somebody knew we were up to something big. SO many amazing people came from all over the place, including San Francisco, New York, and DC.
Saturday night, we continued the most epic Philadelphia geekend with IgnitePhilly3, co-organized by Geoff and a number of other incredible people from all corners of the coolest things in Philly. Ignite’s grown up alongside IndyHall, and while we don’t officially have any direct involvement in the event a number of our members presented and completely rocked. Philly is truly inspiring, because it is so inspired.
Today was finishing touches. We wired up our speakers. We cleaned. The final arrangements to follow through on my commitment of desks, chairs, power, and internet, are complete.
Starting tomorrow, Monday May 4th, IndyHall is re-opened on the 2nd floor of 20 North 3rd Street, across from the corner of 3rd and Church Streets in Old City Philadelphia. We’re far from done, but we’re ready for you.
Our sincerest thanks and love go out to each and every one of you.
It’s my pleasure to re-introduce you to IndyHall. Please come meet IndyHall again, for the first time.
Thanks to IndyHall’s Painting Crew
Filed under: Community Support, Education/Workshops, Events, In The News, Independents Hall, coworking
Over this past weekend we spent almost 20 hours working on giving the new office a paint job. Thanks to the help of over a dozen volunteers, we made quick work of over 5000 square feet of wall that needed painting, and the new spot looks AMAZING!
Big thanks to:
And SUPER special thanks go to Kara LaFleur for not only painting during all of the shifts, but for providing IndyHaul, her Subaru Forrester that was used for many, many trips to Home Depot to replenish paint reserves.
And finally, to Natalie Nagele and Dana Vachon for planning the entire event including picking colors, designing their placement on the walls, and getting the paint, and most of all for Dana being an extremely successful foreman (forewoman?) and really doing a great job of managing tasks. It was phenomenal to spend my weekend working on getting paint on walls, and being able to reply to almost any question “I don’t know, you should probably ask Dana”.
Great job everybody, thanks for all of your hard work!
The Painting of IndyHall 2.0: THIS WEEKEND!
Filed under: Community Support, Education/Workshops, Events, In The News, Independents Hall, Kudos, coworking
Our brand new office is coming together, and we’re a little more than a week away from moving in! Our desk building party was a huge success, with 25 desks coming together in under an hour (that’s GOTTA be some sort of Ikea record).
This upcoming weekend, we are planning three painting sessions. Colors have been picked out and organized. Supplies have been gathered. It’s time to make IndyHall look amazing.
Dana has organized three sessions this weekend, and we’re looking for volunteers to help out.
Session 1: Saturday 9am-12:30pm
Session 2: Saturday, 3pm-7pm
Session 3: Sunday, 9am-2:30pm
We have all the paint, a bunch of rollers and some trays, but if you have your own roller, or other painting supplies, feel free to bring them along. And of course, dress appropriately.
As with the desk building party, you’ll need to call to get into the building. Please send us an email to let us know you’ll be attending, which session(s), and we’ll respond with instructions on how to get inside.
Hall Together Now – IndyHall in the Citypaper
Filed under: Community Support, In The News, Independents Hall, coworking
Over the last month or so, TechnicallyPhilly co-founder and writer Brian James Kirk has been talking with Geoff and I about the past, present, and future of IndyHall. We’ve been happy to commit the time, because Brian’s done a great job covering our actions before, and we were confident in his ability to really do a great job with a new piece he was asked to do for the Citypaper.
Tonight, the digital version of that article went live, and the print version will be on news stands tomorrow.
A big thanks goes out to Brian, as well as everyone else involved/quoted in the article. I’m particularly happy that Brian made mention of “Starfish and the Spider“, which I’ve been pushing really hard recently as required reading for a lot of my peers.
I’d also like to point out that this is not the first article where Geoff and I were photographed perfecting our punk rock sneers.
Update: further kudos to a progressive arrangement between TechnicallyPhilly.com and the Citypaper, allowing both publications to run the same article. See it on TechnicallyPhilly’s site.
