Browsing “50 Coffees Series”

I recently read a theory that going for 50 coffees with people you’ve never met is the entrepreneurs equivalent to the theory that doing anything for 10,000 hours will make you an expert on it. While I get the idea, 50 coffees is far easier than practicing something for ten years, and while I’m far from lazy I’ve decided to set out on a fairly simple mission: over the next 50 weeks I’m going to invite 50 interesting Vancouverites, most of whom I have never met before, to go for coffee. I’m going to use this as an exercise in networking for myself and for V.I.A. while also using it as a platform to introduce you to some people who are doing really cool stuff in the city you live in. COFFEE #25 Name(s): Chris Kelly, John Paolozzi and Brad Frenette Occupation(s): CBC Music Community Producers Beverage(s): French press Railtown blend (Chris), “something medium” (John), Dark roast – black (Brad)

Meet Chris, John and Brad. Community Producers for CBC’s newest online music offering (appropriately entitled CBC Music) they each head up different online communities within this digital beast of a service that our national broadcaster launched this week. Essentially what they’ve gone and done is replicated the success of CBC Radio 3, which has built up an amazing community amongst people who like/listen to/support Canadian Indie music, and spread it out to practically every different genre of music that is made in this great country. I hinted at this no-longer-top-secret project on Week #15 when I had coffee with Steve Pratt over there and am now happy to be able to introduce you to three of the twelve people who produce for the separate categories.

So let’s start with Chris on the left. You might recognize him as Grant Lawrence’s former on-air producer and also the producer of the best fake news show on the planet, This Is That. I’ve introduced you to him before. He now produces two of the CBC Music communities: Rock and Pop.

In the middle, John Paolozzi. John is a longtime CBC Radio 3 behind-the-scenes online producer kind of guy whom I don’t think I’ve ever introduced you to before. He and I share a love for the outdoors and log cabins (which I’ll expand on at a later date) and he handles the Radio 3 and Electronic communities.

And finally, Brad Frenette, on the right. I had actually gone for one of these 50 Coffees with Brad a couple of months back when he worked for the Vancouver Sun but as you might imagine I go for a lot of coffees and there’s a bit of a queue of these features that go up weekly. He resigned and took on this new position producing the Singer-Songwriter and Country communities for CBC Music before I could publish the picture I shot of him in one of the Vancouver Sun board rooms with Canada Place as a backdrop.

There are nine other folks stationed across the country that produce and manage the other genres represented on 40 music streams on the CBC Music web site. Click over there, find your favourite genre and dig in to being a part of the new online community that supports it!

I recently read a theory that going for 50 coffees with people you’ve never met is the entrepreneurs equivalent to the theory that doing anything for 10,000 hours will make you an expert on it. While I get the idea, 50 coffees is far easier than practicing something for ten years, and while I’m far from lazy I’ve decided to set out on a fairly simple mission: over the next 50 weeks I’m going to invite 50 interesting Vancouverites, most of whom I have never met before, to go for coffee. I’m going to use this as an exercise in networking for myself and for V.I.A. while also using it as a platform to introduce you to some people who are doing really cool stuff in the city you live in. COFFEE #24 Name: Josh Dunford Occupation: Founder/Janitor Beverage: Water

Meet Josh Dunford. Head of Burnkit, proud dog dad and the owner of no less than two medium-sized shipping containers that he keeps in his office space. On his business card it says that he’s a “Founder/Janitor” and what I get out of that is that he takes care of stuff, top to bottom.

We met at Burnkit’s large warehouse studio space on Alexander Street in Railtown and before I got there I had a feeling that we were like-minded simply because we both have a history in design. But when I arrived and realized we have very similar haircuts, almost the exact same facial hair and common tastes in plaid, I knew it to be true. And as the conversation strayed from the work that they do for clients such as Bing Thom Architects, BC Ferries, The Canadian Cancer Society and others into talk of camping and island adventures, I knew that we’d likely be meeting for another coffee in the future. Hell, maybe even 50 more coffees.

You can learn more about Burnkit and the work they’re doing HERE. Also be sure to dig into the online CATALOG for the recent exhibition they produced entitled Prototypes, featuring original design prototypes from 5 notable Vancouver-based designers. Here’s a video that introduces it…

I recently read a theory that going for 50 coffees with people you’ve never met is the entrepreneurs equivalent to the theory that doing anything for 10,000 hours will make you an expert on it. While I get the idea, 50 coffees is far easier than practicing something for ten years, and while I’m far from lazy I’ve decided to set out on a fairly simple mission: over the next 50 weeks I’m going to invite 50 interesting Vancouverites, most of whom I have never met before, to go for coffee. I’m going to use this as an exercise in networking for myself and for V.I.A. while also using it as a platform to introduce you to some people who are doing really cool stuff in the city you live in. COFFEE #23 Name: Michael Tippett Occupation: Entrepreneur Beverage: Dark roast + Orangina

Meet Michael Tippett. Two-time Emmy nominee, co-founder of NowPublic, outgoing executive director of Growlab and the founder of Vancouver’s newest startup, Ayoudo, which just launched today! I must apologize for, again, bringing you to coffee with somebody who was not a stranger to me before we met up to chat over java but I can’t think of a better way to introduce you to Michael and I’m really excited about this thing that just launched today.

We met at the Everything Cafe where he gave me the scoop on what Ayoudo does, how it’s pronounced (a-YOO-doh) and where it’s headed. Essentially it’s a web site and a free iPhone app that you can use to put the word out about anything you need done, and people answer the call. Or the other way around: you’re good at something/available and you find ways to help other people by applying for the jobs they’ve posted. Very cool, very simple and self-explanatory and, again, I’m very excited to see where this Vancouver-born company is heading. I’m also about to use this app to try and find somebody to make some curtains for my travel trailer, so if you’ll excuse me…

Learn more about Ayoudo HERE or just search “Ayoudo” in the Itunes App Store and find somebody to do that whatever-it-is for you today!

I recently read a theory that going for 50 coffees with people you’ve never met is the entrepreneurs equivalent to the theory that doing anything for 10,000 hours will make you an expert on it. While I get the idea, 50 coffees is far easier than practicing something for ten years, and while I’m far from lazy I’ve decided to set out on a fairly simple mission: over the next 50 weeks I’m going to invite 50 interesting Vancouverites, most of whom I have never met before, to go for coffee. I’m going to use this as an exercise in networking for myself and for V.I.A. while also using it as a platform to introduce you to some people who are doing really cool stuff in the city you live in. COFFEE #22 Name: Andrea Dowd-Dever Occupation: Producer Beverage: Green tea

Meet Andrea Dowd-Dever. Producer for Vancouver-based brand.LIVE, the folks working in the background putting on many of the large scale events you go to in town. Andrea is yet another exception to my “meet with strangers” rule for this series as I’ve actually known her for a couple of years, since I was first brought on as a judge of the Celebration Of Light Fireworks competition that she helps produce with brand.LIVE for the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society. But she’s somebody doing awesome stuff in the city and I wanted to introduce you to her, so I broke the rule.

We met for coffee (uh, lunch and tea) at the old New Town Bakery spot in Chinatown, right before they closed their doors and reopened a new location a couple of doors down. Andrea told me all about the upcoming City and Slope Festival happening February 9th-12th, and I started planning some editorial with our editors soon after. While she’s not directly involved in managing Vancouver’s newest festival she assured me that during the event she’ll be up at Seymour in her neon 80′s ski suit by day and getting her dancing shoes on for Benny Benassi at night.

I asked her what she’d been working on the past few months and she told me she ran the Molson Canadian House at 2011 Grey Cup, the Celebration of Light (which I already knew), 2011 Canada Day at Canada Place and Live at Squamish (which she notes as a favourite, along with a Gala Fundraiser for the Sarah McLachlan Foundation).

At the end of our coffee Andrea told me THE CRAZIEST Canucks riot story about how she essentially jumped on a grenade to save the giant screens that they installed for CBC and the City Of Vancouver so a bunch of nice people (and some certifiable A-holes) could watch the Stanley Cup Finals downtown. Now picture that post-Game-7 riot mob as it first broke out, then picture a few brave workers (Andrea being one of them) successfully taking down the huge video screens before they could be destroyed, then them looking down the street and seeing an angry mob coming, then diving into a van and barely escaping injury. That’s hero status right there.

Learn more about brand.LIVE HERE and learn more about the City and Slope festival HERE. February 9th-12th!

I recently read a theory that going for 50 coffees with people you’ve never met is the entrepreneurs equivalent to the theory that doing anything for 10,000 hours will make you an expert on it. While I get the idea, 50 coffees is far easier than practicing something for ten years, and while I’m far from lazy I’ve decided to set out on a fairly simple mission: over the next 50 weeks I’m going to invite 50 interesting Vancouverites, most of whom I have never met before, to go for coffee. I’m going to use this as an exercise in networking for myself and for V.I.A. while also using it as a platform to introduce you to some people who are doing really cool stuff in the city you live in. COFFEE #21 Name: Margot White Occupation: Vice President Beverage: Latte

Meet Margot White. Vice President of Weber Shandwick’s Vancouver office, a senior communications strategist, media trainer and presentation coach.

If you’re anything like me you might have read the description of what she does and still had no clue of what her job entails. The worlds of ad agencies (which Weber Shandwick is not) and PR/communications agencies (which they are) are often swirling mysteries to me and I often can’t tell the two apart from each other at first glance, which is why it was super cool to be able to sit down with Margot at Everything Cafe on Pender and ask her point blank “What is it exactly that you do, anyway?” and have her explain it to me in words I understand.

What Margot does day-to-day is still a bit cloudy but I do know that one of the things she specializes in is crisis communications. Like let’s say a celebrity or someone who heads up a corporation is accused of doing something that could damage their reputation – the whole ordeal where Justin Bieber was accused of fathering that baby a little while back is a perfect example – well, Margot specializes in training folks how to manage a crisis situation like that so they don’t come out the other end looking like a dumbass and tarnishing their brand. Weber Shandwick is a huge, award-winning agency with offices in 81 countries around the world, and they are known for delivering the exact opposite of what might make their clients look like dumbasses, in all respects. In fact, their Canadian offices won over 15 national and international awards in 2011 alone, so they are certainly doing something right over there. All of what they’re doing still eludes me but I am certain that they’re making brands look good to us Canadian consumers, in large part due to Margot and the work she does right here in Vancouver.

Learn more about Weber Shandwick Vancouver HERE and follow Margot on Twitter.

Have you been following my 50 Coffees Series? Jenny Yoo from Making Contact on Evolution 107.9FM has, and she’s been enjoying it so much that she approached me for an interview about it. It aired on 107.9 earlier this afternoon, have a listen below if you’re interested in the ins and outs of this series of posts…