Introducing the members of the first DIYTogether Incubator Group
15 Nov
This is Chapter 2 of “The Diary of DIYTogether Incubator Group.” Click here to read Chapter 1 of “The Diary of DIYTogether Incubator Groups.”
Update to this post: On January 19, 2012, we decided to change the name of the DIYTogether Incubator Group to DIYTogether Beta Group, mainly because it's shorter and snappier. For that reason, for blog posts written pre-January 19, the group is called "First Official DIYTogether Incubator Group."
“It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.” —Scott Belsky, Founder of Behance
By Amy Schroeder
As the DIY Business Association develops a professional matchmaking site called diytogether.biz, I’m assembling real-live groups of entrepreneurs, self-starters, creatives, and consultants who meet in person on a regular basis.
I have a ton of goals for these groups, but here are the main things I want to learn from them:
- What are the best ways to help creative people work together to accomplish their individual goals?
- What are the best ways to assemble small groups of people with various skills to start businesses, grow existing businesses, and collaborate on projects?
So, let’s get down to business.
I’m happy to e-introduce you to “the first official DIYTogether Incubator Group.” Our second meeting is tonight, and we’ll continue to meet on a monthly basis. I’ll blog about the group’s progress here on diyba.org, and you’re invited to participate in the group’s first #diychat Twitter chat on December 1. (Details will be announced soon!)
The members of “the first official DIYTogether Incubator Group” have no shortage of ideas, and tonight’s topic is laying out one to three goals to accomplish by the next meeting.
As time moves on, you’ll witness an evolutionary ebb and flow in this group—with members moving in and out—because that’s how creativity, collaboration, and entrepreneurship works.
We hope you’ll join us for the ride. There’s a good chance that what we learn from these people will change the way you work.
Douglas Calhoun: The Next Big Thing in Interior Design and Gay Culture
Founder, The Queer Interior
thequeerinterior.com • @QueerInterior • The Queer Interior on Facebook
My gut told me that Doug was a next big thing in entrepreneurship when he took the stage at Brooklyn DIY Business Association Conference in June to accept his $1,000 microgrant for winning the very first Splashlife Best Idea Contest.
Since then, I’ve come to think of him as my gay boyfriend and a one-to-watch in the DIYTogether community.
The founder of The Queer Interior—a startup that celebrates LGBTQ creatives in Brooklyn through their environments—Calhoun radiates entrepreneurial energy and gobs of friendly personality and inspiration. And, to boot, he’s got a Southern accent that trickles out every now and then.
On November 17, Calhoun is hosting The QueerInterior.com Coming Out Party at 70 North 6th Gallery Space in Brooklyn, and you’re invited.
Sammy Davis: The Martha Stewart of the Vintage World
Founder, Sammy Davis Vintage
Sammy Davis (no relation to Jr.) is a show-stopper of the down-to-earth variety. She’s a stylist, writer, and Web series host on vintage fashion and thrift-store shopping.
What I like about Sammy is that she’s a hardcore go-getter who knows what she wants—to maximize her brand as the Martha Stewart of the Vintage World.
Like Martha, Sammy’s persona as a vintage stylist (with a journalism degree) can go any one of a number of media directions: TV, radio, magazines, books, a fashion line, you name it.
I want this woman to get her big break. Every time I see her, I sense that she’s so almost there.
Golzar Selbe Naghshineh: The Activist
Producer, JustTheTipOfFeminism.org
I met Golzar at DIY Business Association’s Get Funding ASAP! Micro Conference in September at the Loosecubes HQ.
This lady knows a lot about raising funds for nonprofits and is looking for connections and creative suggestions for obtaining corporate sponsorships for Just the Tip of Feminism, a documentary that follows five guys who identify as feminists and is changing the stigma of feminism. The film is currently in production.
Golzar is an Iranian–American with extensive experience in women’s issues and gender equality. She has worked in Kenya, China, and New York, with a principal focus on ending violence against women and girls around the world. She‘s worked with Eve Ensler (writer and creator of The Vagina Monologues) and V-Day for several years in New York City. In 2008, she lived in Kenya where she worked with an anti-rape organization and filmed the documentary Making Waves, Saving Lives.
Unfortunately, Golzar wasn’t able to attend the first Official DIYTogether Incubator Group Meeting at my apartment on October 19, because of crap weather and feeling exhausted after a six-hour meeting.
Tonight the group is meeting at Golzar’s apartment, located near the just-shut-down Zuccotti Park.
Shaina shows the hand (pictured with Douglas Calhoun of The Queer Interior and Janis Joplin).
Shaina Feinberg: The Funk Fixer
So what does Shaina do exactly? She has no official title, because she’s a jack of all trades—This American Life contributor, audio producer, writer, and collaborator with comedian Dave Hill. Shaina also creates audio and video pieces for exhibits at the Tenement Museum. She is in the beginning stages of making her first feature-length film.
As for clearing up creative funks, one of her latest and greatest inventions (in addition to hypercrafting) is Alignment (not the chiropractic kind), her method of incorporating a number of new-agey practices to assess where people might be experiencing congestion in their lives. She then works with them to clear the congestion.
Keep checking back for updates on this Alignment stuff—I have a feeling it’s going to be good.
Amber J. Adams: The Gen Y Journalist
amberjadams.com • @amberjadams
I’m so glad that I met Amber at our Get Funding ASAP! Micro Conference in September.
Talk about the importance of a compelling personal narrative to market your business, Amber already has one by default.
The 26-year-old followed the rules for “success in America” (she attended a really good university, got good grades, completed internship, moved to New York, get job at major magazine) only to realize that her paycheck was so little (no health insurance included) that she could barely pay her rent.
Fed up with being told to “just be grateful to have a job,” Amber is developing a movement called Generation Innovation to inspire GenYers to stand up for their futures. She and her friend Shaminder Dulai are currently strategizing a fundraising plan to embark on a cross-country road trip to capture the stories of GenYers of all walks of life.
I am very hopeful that she and Shaminder will speak about their experiences of producing a documentary film, called 77, about their trip at DIYTogether Conferences in 2012.
Shaminder Dulai: The Nomadic Storyteller
Shaminder’s Twitter profile blurb is right up my alley: “Photojournalist, multimedia producer, filmmaker, adventurer, city desk reporter trying to find the answers… currently a nomadic gun for hire. Let’s collab!”
His work has appeared in The Houston Chronicle, Mother Jones, The San Antonio Express-News, The Washington Post, The Albuquerque Journal, The University of California, The UK Guardian, and Vibe, and he’s assisted on shoots for Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, and the San Francisco 49ers, among others.
After concluding a six-month cross-country road trip in an Airstream and a stint with Mozilla and the Knight Foundation in Berlin in October, Shaminder relocated to New York to pursue various film projects, a photo book project, and a documentary film project on Gen Y with his partner, Amber J. Adams. He’s available and perpetually interested in helping shape ideas and collaborating on projects. Don’t be shy about getting in touch.
Shaminder tells the back story of the documentary project, 77, that heand Amber J. Adams are working on: “Amber and I came up with the idea together, first planting the seeds during a trip to Peru in 2010, then cultivating it during a three-week road trip in spring 2010—then harvesting over the summer until we arrived where we are today. Amber and I have wanted to work on a project that would give us “freedom from freelance,” the concept of chasing gigs for pennies and little else. I feel it’s time to take charge of our lives, give convention the middle finger, and become risktakers who live and die by our rules, not the rules passed down to us.”
Kris Kaczor: The Teacher-Turned-Filmmaker-Scorer
Founder of 750 Productions
Kris is a deep thinker who requires little sleep.
I’ve known Double K since we were 19-year-old freshman at Michigan State University. He and I hung out with a crew of other musicians and creatives who’ve helped shape where we’re at today.
Professionally, Kris directs and scores videos and films for clients including Razorfish, Radical Media, and Glamour (he’s the guy behind the Top 10 College Women videos). Some of his latest projects include producing a doc about an activist who is attempting to ban plastic water bottles in her city, and a DIYTogether video that we hope to post on Kickstarter or IndieGoGo.
Lesley Ware photo by Kamau Ware
Lesley Ware: The Friendly Fashionista
Founder/Blogger, The Creative Cookie
Lesley Ware (nee Williams) is one of my favoritist people in the world. Maybe it’s because she’s originally from Michigan (me, too), or maybe it’s because she has mad style, or maybe it’s because she’s a warm-hearted creative person.
Like Shaina Feinberg, Lesley is a jill of many trades. Lesley is a seamstress educator, artist, zinemaker, former nonprofit editor/producer with a Master’s Public Administration, Fashionable Lady About Town, and blogger.
Read her tips on how to “Rock Your Most Creative Self” on diyba.org.
Colleen Ryan's on the far left (pictured with Amber J. Adams and Doug Calhoun at the first DIYTogether Incubator Group Meeting on October 19, 2011.)
Colleen Ryan: The Get Sh** Done-er
As a former editor for Venus Zine, NYLON, and other publications, I’ve met hundreds of creative geniuses in the last decade. But there are always standouts, and Colleen is one of them.
Colleen rocks both sides of the brain, which, to me, seems like one of the most valuable brain types available these days.
She runs her own business as a video editor/producer, Web-site repairperson, and small-business consultant.
On top of all that, she’s a user-experience-oriented, technical/business thinker who knows how (key word) to collaborate very well with creative types by bringing their ideas to fruition.
Her professional experiences include growing a small video business into a very big video business (Milk and Honey Productions) and as a producer for Raw Media Networks. Now she is self-employed and works on video and Web development projects for all kinds of cool projects, including Fashion Week and DIY Business Association.
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This is Chapter 2 of “The Diary of DIYTogether Incubator Groups.” Click here to read Chapter 1 of “The Diary of DIYTogether Incubator Groups.”
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