When geek-themed slideshow franchise
Ignite came to Philly in 2008, the
event could have taken many forms. As only the second city to host an
Ignite event, founder Geoff DiMasi (of
P'unk Avenue fame) was unsure how
to play it at first. So he went to the originators for guidance.
Started in Seattle by
O'Reilly Media Technology Evangelist Brady
Forrest and Bre Pettis of
Makerbot.com, Ignite was designed to
introduce Seattle to its own tech and entrepreneurial scene, allowing
presenters five minutes to talk about, well, pretty much anything.
After
meeting Ignite's inner circle at
South By Southwest, DiMasi decided he
wanted to start Ignite in his hometown and decided that a traditional
conference vibe was so not Philly. So he brought it to Fishtown rock
club
Johnny Brendas, charged five bucks and set the speakers loose. Five
sold out events later, Ignite is going strong and No. 6 is set to
be the largest event yet.
"Some people run it like a business and
have it in an auditorium and people sit very demurely and listen very
carefully to everything," says DiMasi. "We have taken the punk rock
approach where you pay your five bucks, it's at Johnny Brendas, it's
meant to be really fun and spirited so that the speakers feel like rock
stars."
The event used to be free but as attendance increased,
DiMasi began charging to donate the profits to worthy causes.
Philadelphia Food Trust received money as well as all-girl rock summer
camp
Girls Rock Philly. With the $1,250 they received, Girls Rock Philly
was able to offer scholarships to girls who couldn't afford the camp.
"That
culture of giving back to the scene in Philadelphia is what inspires
me," says DiMasi. "Someone came up, they shared their idea, and we try
to find something that will have a real impact on the city. Coming up
with that mechanism is something we are really proud of."
Source: Geoff DiMasi, P'unk Avenue
Writer: John Steele