Networking in the News

FYI

The Uncompany Collective will be mentioned in an article in an upcoming issue of Los Angeles magazine. The focus of the article is on networking in the entertainment industry, but it was borne of a comment made by an uncompanist to Laurie Pike six months ago, about how the stigma of "networking" is evaporating in this climate of economic uncertainty and the deepening pool of freelance and independent workers.

And on that note: we are looking forward to the next event of The Uncompany Collective! For each event the baton is passed to the next organizer, who puts their imprint on it. Michael Sy is leading the charge for what may become a super cool swap meet. Or something entirely different. Regardless, the goal is to expand our professional networks across disciplines and across industries and make new connections that lead may lead to new projects. (Unless for you its about dating!) So think about what you want to do when the baton is passed to you.

Cheers.

Jen

Friends of LA River Cleanup and Frogtown Artwalk

Paul Redmond invites you to the FoLAR annual cleanup and Frogtown Artwalk this Saturday, May 9, 2009 until noon. Come as early as 7:30 am to help clean up. info@paul-redmond.com

It's the 20th anniversary of the Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) Annual River Clean Up. Blake Lofts is proud to be the new clean-up site at 1839 Blake Ave. along a stretch with a natural river bed and lots of beautiful trees and birds.

Every effort is being made to make this a green event. Bring your own reusable water bottles, work gloves, sturdy shoes and clothes you can get dirty. Don't forget sun-block and a hat. Water, snacks and hand sanitizer will be provided.

The Green Committee from Silver Lake will be on site informing the public on green issues along with the giant plastic bag ball from Earth Day. Interactive art projects utilizing the trash treasures found in the river, fun for the whole family, music, raffles and gift bags.

March 1st, Uncompany 2nd.

Wow! (OK this wee photo doesn't do it justice.)

What a great day. Architect & designer Andrea Lenardin Madden not only lent her studio for the second gathering of the uncompany collective, she squeezed (squoze?) fresh oranges for mimosas along side Dean, her studio intern. They organized a lovely spread secured by Edie Kahula Periera and generously donated by Peet's Coffee and La Brea Bakery. DJ Eric Layer created a musical backdrop to the proceedings. Guests mingled inside and outback. Damn gorgeous weather last Sunday.

The point of the gathering was a SHOW & TELL. Not just hi-how-are-you-what-do-you-do but show me. The net result was a generous exhibition of actual objects and printed statements from each contributor. From J Michael Walker's original painting to Steffie Nelson's latest book to soft service stitched goods by Michael Sy, the "exhibits" were amazing. (Did you really think everyone would sit still through a bunch of live presentations? Of course not.) It was a chance to get better acquainted with each other's work and seek out those who piqued our curiosity. Right there in the room.

Already new work is coming out of the uncompany collective: Jessica Fleischmann (graphic designer, still room) was connected to Julia Gogosha-Clark (eyewear maven, Gogosha Optique) for a card design project. Please share your success stories!

If you were there last Sunday, please post your SHOW & TELL statement (that is the form you filled out for the event) to this here blog. It would be great to see it. And with photos too. Email for password access to theuncompanycollective (at) gmail.com.

MARCH FIRST

NEXT EVENT!

OK...I before I get started about the future....I will refrain from dissing the somewhat inaccurate post from the past below...but I will say this: while we love to see news about new things people are doing, blatant self promotion that tries to frame itself as an endorsement, e.g., to put words in the mouth of the uncompany collective, is highly discouraged. This is an open forum for collaborative exchange. Let's try a little harder to make the exchange relevant. Thanks. This is Jen talking, if anyone wants to blast back.

And in other news!

NEXT EVENT!

March 1.

Host:	the uncompany collective founders
Type:	Party - Mixer
Network:	Global

Time and Place

Date:	Sunday, March 1, 2009
Time:	11:30am - 2:30pm
Location:	a l m project studio
Street:	5544 hollywood blvd

Contact Info

Phone:	3235700571
Email:	theuncompanycollective@gmail.com

Description

Greetings to the uncompany collective…

Our next event… the uncompany collective SHOW & TELL
Sunday, March 1st…1130am – 230pm
Location:
the architecture studio of Andrea Lenardin-Madden
a l m project
5544 hollywood blvd
hollywood, ca 90028
323. 570 0571

the following is a preview of what’s to come:

agenda:
· To network
· To have fun
· To share work (an informal presentation)
· To update our neighborhood professional community
map
· To take (and re-take) uncompany collective mugshots
· Informal viewing of video interviews filmed at the
December 14th, 2008 uncompany collective holiday
party
· Open forum - a 10 minute slot for Uncompany
Partner Announcements - If anyone has any short
announcements they would like to share please
submit them via email (in advance of event) to
theuncompanycollective@gmail.com … sample
announcement… "xyz was recently laid off, is looking
for work in the design field. Or, "zyz is planning to
open a health food store and is looking for
consultants"…funny and witty is welcomed!

updates:
· theuncompanyblogspot
· tag photos on flicker
· the uncompany collective on facebook

We’ll be in touch with more details as the date nears…EXPECT SHOW & TELL...bring an item and a 200 word description for that item. It is a piece about you, that you have accomplished, that will ignite action/discussion/comment that will be useful to the future. Think about it.

Cheers,
The uncompany founders

Greetings to the uncompany collective…

Welcome to the New Year!
We've had some time to regroup…it's now time for some forward movement.

Our next event… the uncompany collective potluck
Sunday, March 1st…1130am – 230pm
Location:
the architecture studio of Andrea Lenardin-Madden
a l m project
5544 hollywood blvd
hollywood, ca 90028
323. 570 0571

the following is a preview of what's to come:

agenda:
• To network
• To have fun
• To share work (an informal presentation by 5 professionals from varying fields…names to be announced)
• To update our neighborhood professional community map
• To take (and re-take) uncompany collective mugshots
• Informal viewing of video interviews filmed at the December 14th, 2008 uncompany collective holiday party
second half of post:
• Open forum - a 10 minute slot for Uncompany Partner Announcements - If anyone has any short announcements they would like to share please submit them via email (in advance of event) to
theuncompanycollective@gmail.com
… sample announcement… "xyz was recently laid off, is looking for work in the design field. Or, "zyz is planning to open a health food store and is looking for consultants"…funny and witty is welcomed!

updates:
• theuncompanyblogspot
• tag photos on flicker
• the uncompany collective on facebook

This will be a byob + food event with some treats donated by La Brea Bakery…we are working on coffee/tea…

We'll be in touch with more details as the date nears…please stay tuned!

Cheers,
The uncompany founders

Ps…happy January 20th!

ana llorente at uncompany event

too bad there were no signs for "bilingual salsa dance student"
www.altdesignco.com

Just say NO

It's not just us taking matters into our own hands. Courtesy of Peter Shankman today:

Even in bad economic times, people need to think positive! Holton Sentivan + Gury and j2 communications invite you to stand up and choose NOT to participate in the recession! Everyone who signs up will have their names included in an upcoming Wall Street Journal ad that will tell Wall Street and Americans that we refuse to wallow in bad financial news, and will continue to do what we do even better in '09! Stand up and be proud!

http://norecessionforme.us/

Shiny Happy People

This is a good one too!

More Pics

Here are a few more shots from the event....we uploaded and Flickr tagged these (and you can too) with theuncompanycollective at Flickr.com

Sarah Shewey produces events (and smiles)

Sarah Shewey stopped by the GOOD Space and briefed us on the TED conference coming soon to So Cal.

mucho kudos to Google

Hey a big shout out is due to GOOGLE, without which this project would not even be possible.


The Uncompany Collective receives email there....theuncompanycollective at gmail dot com....and keeps track of stuff & things at Google docs and Google calendars. It's super simple and it's FREE. Which fits the UN of the mission perfectly. Google enabled a great holiday brunch with food, drink, and real professionals behind the bar. (Thank you, Akasha, for coming out!) Alta Dena, La Brea Bakery, Mighty Leaf Tea and Intelligentsia also contributed to a fine day in the GOOD Space. We got to borrow Modernica furniture and use Repurpose cups courtesy of GOOD. (If you're nice, GOOD may let you use the GOOD Space for a small fee. But you have to be nice. Plus GOOD.) So mucho kudos to Google and also these serious talents: Eric on turntables, Ryan on video, Jenn Su on a/v, and Chet in general. xx

Publicist Nia Tahani Davis

Nia's smile lit up the room on Sunday...

Sent in this morning...Mr Paul Redmond

uncompany members keep getting handsomer.
this is mr paul redmond
www.paul-redmond.com

The Uncompany Collective featured on The Advocate.com

Calling All Creative Comrades

A new grassroots media organization holds it inaugural event in Los Angeles, and what starts as a networking event becomes a call to arms for media professionals to figure out new ways of working as the economy and old media empires are crumbling.

By Rachel Dowd

In the weeks since Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States, a notable shift has occurred in the American psyche. Whether it’s strictly attributable to the grassroots movement that propelled an African-American into the White House or the sheer vulnerability created by a sudden and continuing collapse of the world economy is neither here nor there. Free-market Americans have suddenly warmed to socialism.

Nowhere was that shift more on display than on Sunday at a brunch held at Good magazine’s exhibition space in Los Angeles where Uncompany -- a “collective” of the city’s professionals in media, design, fashion, architecture, and entertainment -- came together to meet, eat pastries, and drink mimosas.

The crowd sticking name tags on a makeshift org chart initially seemed tentative. After all, few, aside from the five founders -- Bill Benjamin, Jessica Fleischmann, Edie Kahula Pereira, Caroline Ryder, and Jennifer Uner -- actually knew what Uncompany was. But the invite had sounded intriguing enough: “Meet like-minded creative souls and discuss new ways in which we can work together at this gathering of forward-thinking professionals. Treats courtesy of La Brea Bakery, Intellegentsia, Mighty Leaf tea, and Sunday papers from both coasts.” While this creative soul didn’t see any copies of the Sunday New York Times, the cinnamon rolls were truly amazing, and the room was packed with interesting minds.

“I used to come to these kinds of events to find people I could get work from,” said Fleischmann, founder of the graphic design firm Still Room, during her introductory remarks. “Now I look for people I can work with.”

Ryder spoke of her recent layoff from Variety’s Stylephile blog and how that gave rise to lunch with fellow Uncompany cofounders. “I went into that lunch anxious,” she recounted, “and I left energized and optimistic.”

The same transition could be seen at Sunday’s event. Conversations among the some 150 attendees about the “anemic” job opportunities and the growing number of unpaid invoices quickly led to discussions about innovative projects people like Lauren Gropper, founder of a green building firm and host of HGTV’s Green Force, are working on. Gropper, incidentally, provided the compostable plastic cups for the mimosas -- free of charge.

And while networking will always be a factor in a town known for making deals during 12-step meetings, the goal for that afternoon was a little less about what an individual could get and more about what “we” might do. Ryder, for one, plans to propose that Uncompany mobilize in the fight to overturn Prop. 8 at the group’s next meeting in February.

Because in this age of bankruptcies and government bailouts, Uncompany believes that only by joining forces can we also become too big to fail. “This is just the beginning,” reads its mission statement. “Your ideas, and above all, your participation are encouraged. Because only when we unite are we greater than the sum of our parts.”

To become a partner in Uncompany’s collective -- or to get invited to the next event -- check out the group’s Facebook page or join its blog at theuncompanycollective.blogspot.com.

The Uncompany Collective launch, and what Santa left behind

A HUGE, GIANT THANK YOU to all the curious creatives, all 150 or so of you, who showed up to the Uncompany Collective's launch at the GOOD space. We were delighted, energized and inspired by the response. Seems like more than a few of us are looking to pull together L.A.'s notoriously disparate creative community. Dozens of great connections were made--I saw one jewelry designer connect with a store owner who wanted to carry her wares, journalists teamed up with editors they hadn't worked with before, wardrobe stylists pitched screenplay ideas...the room brimmethed over with ideas. As one modern furniture store owner commented, "this was the most optimistic recession gathering I've ever been to."

The Secret Santa table was, as predicted, a wild success. One writer couldn't get enough of her vintage black purse. A costume designer was excited by her mini bottle of Grey Goose. Inexplicably, this delicious candy jock strap (pictured) and a pine cone remained unclaimed.

Look out for coverage of the event at The Advocate.com in the next few days and in the LA Weekly in January.

What with all the mingling, I only found time to snap a few photos...here are a couple...many more will come shortly. If you have any, please send them in to us at theuncompanycollective@gmail.com
















Posted by Caroline Ryder
www.carolineryder.com

what are we?

what is the uncompany collective?
we are a loose agglomeration of creative professionals.
we are a response to the breakdown of the economy.
we are a way out and a way in.
we are a conversation.
we are an open question.

we hope to work together to contribute to this exciting (a new president! who thinks!) and terrifying (a devastated & deteriorating economy, & all that means, especially for the most vulnerable) time.
we hope to work with others too.
we hope you will work with people in disciplines you hadn't considered as related to yours too.

things can be different.

inception

The day after Thanksgiving, five of us got together in a backyard in Echo Park, Los Angeles to start the uncompany. We drank Belgian beer and ate garbanzo beans, Brie, and fennel salad. We come from the worlds of journalism, design, marketing communications, fashion, publishing and gardening. We look forward to unearthing new paradigms for business and society. We look forward to new opportunities for the fabulous creative community of professionals who believe that it is still possible to thrive, even in this economy. And the way to do that? By pooling our talents, by combining and recombining so we can work together in new ways.
This is just the beginning.

Jen Uner
Caroline Ryder
Jessica Fleischmann
Edie Kahula Pereira
Bill Benjamin