Las Vegas Media Guild 2009 Reboot
While today marked an amazing moment in history, tonight marked the 2009 kickoff/reboot of the Las Vegas Media Guild (LVMG). Started last spring, LVMG initially began as a way to connect local members of the Pixel Corps. However, the more I learned about the Pixel Corps, the more I realized that this group needed to reach more than just the film/video/vfx crowd. So, I expanded LVMG to include all Las Vegas-based creatives, including actors, writers, graphic artists and others.
Early meetings were held in local restaurants and bars. While drinks and appetizers were great, the various settings were best for socializing but not for real professional networking. After the great success of our August meeting at Mac-Tek, I started looking for a permanent, low-noise home for LVMG. Work and life got in the way and I could not nail down a venue and schedule until December. So, we put our meetings off until the “reboot” that happened tonight.
Our meetings will now occur every third Tuesday of the month in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Las Vegas Library. For a complete schedule and directions, please visit our events calendar.
Tonight’s Meeting
Welcome
I kicked things off with a little history of the LVMG, most of which can be found above.
Introductions
Next, we did a round of intros for the room. Everyone took a moment to say who they are, what their craft is and what they hope to get out of the meeting. This part of the meeting always feels like the beginning of an AA/NA meeting, but I think we may have found a solution to that (see below).
Open Discussion
Next, we opened the floor to a discussion of the LVMG meeting format and plans for possible projects. There were a lot of great ideas and the basic format for future meetings look like this:
- 7:05-7:15 PM – Welcome :: A brief hello and update to get things formally started.
- 7:15-7:30 PM – Profiles :: 2-3 brief presentations by group members who introduce themselves and showcase their skills/portfolio. This replaces the painful round of intros.
- 7:30-8:00 PM – Presentation 1 :: A more formal presentation by one or more group members. This can take the form of training, demo, description of services, etc.
- 8:00-8:30 PM – Presentation 2 :: Same structure/purpose as Presentation 1 but different topic & presenters.
- 8:30-8:50 PM – Open Discussion and Portfolio/Reel Review :: The free-form “mingle” portion of the evening. As needed, we may have a formal LVMG discussion in this slot. Folks with portfolios/reels may feel free to make them available for review at this time
- 8:50-9:00 PM – Wrap-Up :: We need to clear the room by 9:00 PM, so !’ll start playing bouncer around this time. :^D
- 9:15- ?:?? PM – Libations Elsewhere :: The larger group is encouraged to connect after the formal meeting at their favorite nearby watering hole to keep the discussion flowing!
Blogging for Career Enhancement (Impromptu Presentation)
As an example of the sort of presentation one might give, I gave a brief overview of blogging for the uninitiated and discussed in detail how a good blog can be a useful tool for job-hunting and/or client recruitment. Tools discussed included Blogger, WordPress.com, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
With help from the group, I provided an overview of the aforementioned services and how they can be used to establish one’s professional presence online. Specifically, I recommended that one blog once a week on a subject which is central to their career path. Over time, this collection of posts will help them in the following ways:
- Google Rank – If set up correctly, the blog will organically associate their name with critical search term (aka keywords) used in their specific career path. For example, an illustrator could blog about cool brushes and tutorials for Adobe Illustrator.
- HR/Recruiter Review – The modern employee screening process often includes “googling” the potential employee. As one moves up the Google rankings, it helps them stand out in the hiring process. In addition, an established blog can underscore one’s status as a subject-matter expert and can become a resume item in and of itself.
- LinkedIn – LinkedIn.com is simply the best business networking tool currently available on the web. It’s toolset is highly respected by employers, contractors, investors and just about anyone doing business on the web. Maintaining a current LinkedIn profile and linking to it from your blog can be a great asset for making new business connections.
- Twitter – To the uninitiated, Twitter is a hard thing to describe. Is it a microblog? A running discussion with 400 of your closest friends and business associates? Is it a big cocktail party where one “overhears” cool factoids and gleans bleeding edge information? is it THE medium for breaking news in the information age? In short, it is all of these and so much more. Everyone was encouraged to create a twitter account and follow one another.
- Online Presences :: For the record, here are the online presences of tonight’s attendees:
Other Tidbits
- We were fortunate to have Dave Courvoisier, KLAS anchor and local celebrity, stop by early in the meeting. Though he had to run, I asked Dave to speak briefly about the impact of new/social media on mainstream media. To paraphrase his response … “the future is now!” Dave is excited about social media and the way it is changing traditional media.
- Everyone is encouraged to participate in LVMG and not to wait for permission from me. If you have an idea for a topic or a presenter at our February meeting, act on it. Reach out to a possible speaker or write up presentation. Just shoot me an email to have it added to the schedule. When February fills up, we’ll schedule subsequent months well in advance. To that end, here is the preliminary February schedule.
- Profile 1 :: Volunteer Needed
- Profile 2 :: Volunteer Needed
- Profile 3 :: Volunteer Needed
- Presentation 1 :: Adobe After Effects (Presenter To Be Determined)
- Presentation 2 :: Brand Yourself Online (Doug Daulton) – This will be a more formal version of the impromptu presentation given tonight. I am happy to fill the slot with something else that presents itself in the interim.
- Starting in February, we will begin recording monthly LVMG meetings and posting them over at LVMG.org.
- An LCD projector and screen should be available to presenters at future LVMG meetings. Free WIFI will be available as well.
- Everyone is encouraged to join LinkedIn and Twitter. After doing so, please add these contact points to your profile on LVMG.org.
- Finally, a few folks asked about the book I mentioned at the end of the evening. It was Rebel without a Crew by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Whether or not you plan to make films, it is a great book about getting off your keister and following your dreams.
- UPDATE 1 :: As suggested by Stevie Puckett, we now have a LinkedIn group. Join now!
- UPDATE 2 :: Here is the contact information for the recruiter I mentioned last night.
Sonia Petkewich
Las Vegas Business Development Specialist
Phoenix Staff, Inc
6255 McLeod Drive, Suite 26
Las Vegas, NV 89120
702.566.3694 office
702.891.9754 fax
www.phoenixstaff.com
OK. So one down. Eleven more to go in 2009, with lots of stuff happening in between. I look forward to working with you all throughout the year.
Peace,
Doug
Thanks for the wrap-up! I look forward to attending a future meeting!