BandCamp: Booking a Tour

Don’t forget, tomorrow continues the BandCamp series at Caroline Collective. (Given my recent Rock Band 2 obsession, I may be considering quitting my job to join a band. that, or just to play Rock Band all day.)

What: Bandcamp: TOURING workshop

Who: Sara Winter of AEG-TMC/Warehouse Live and Gretchen Schmaltz of Western Civilization will be our featured speakers.

When: January 4, 2009, 1-3p

Where: Caroline Collective, 4820 Caroline St., Houston 77004

Why: Learn about booking a tour for your band including tips and tricks to contact bookers, routing logistics, a packing list for your tour, and best practices for promoting in an away city.

Find out more on the Caroline Collective Bandcamp post.

Tags: bandcamp, caroline collective

2008 Wrap-up: June + July

And so continues the 2008 Wrap-up. Jan, Feb, March here. April + May here.

June: Community. Coworking. Caroline.

The first week of June, we feverishly prepared Caroline for her debut to the world. Gutting, cleaning, painting, gardening, desk assembling. We didn’t leave a brick unturned, as we spiffed her up for the 600 people who came through the doors on June 7, 2008, to witness the beginning of an amazing movement in Houston. A marriage of technology and art, a product of the passion of a select few, and the support of a an amazing community. It is one of the proudest things I’ve ever been apart of. And I am thankful to Matt and Ned for asking me to take part in it. Today I look back at this year, and I will always remember it most for Caroline, Sweet, Caroline. | View Caroline Opening Party Pics

Image: Ed Schipul

June also brought many events to Caroline.  This first Annual Lebowski Bash organized by our very own, Jason McElweenie, was the highest attended event at Caroline to date. With over 800 Nihilists, Acheivers, Dudes, Donny’s, and Maudes streaming in to share in Caucasians, Tasty Libations from Houston’s own Saint Arnold Brewery, and a special performance by Houston’s own, The Ton Tons. And of course….we screened the movie. We even got Sexy Attacked!—which had me beside myself with excitement. | View Lebowski Bash Flickr Pool

After the hustle and bustle of June calmed down, Miggy and I head for the border! We spend an awesome weekend in Riviera Maya, sunbathing, canyon repelling, and ruin climbing. It was the perfect mid-year break. Much needed for both of us, I’m sure.

July: July continued with more great events at Caroline.  Jeremy Jay and his band stopped by for a set, and later stopped by my place where I made them vegetarian pizzas (yes, me, cooked) and helped them set up a blog.  (Which looking at it now, looks like they haven’t touched it since!)

ArtStorm, Caroline’s resident art organization and gallery, opened their 2nd, and extremely sucessful show at Caroline,  Creature Comforts, featuring the art of some of my favorite Houston artists: Lisa Marie Godfrey and Ely Sebatian Brumbaugh.

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"

July was also more travel, as I headed to San Francisco for 2008 BlogHer Conference. I also had a chance to visit with my great friend, Laura Mott, and spend some time in the city with Fayza, as she prepared to move BACK to Houston!

Houston Chronicle Covers Green Networking at Beaver's Icehouse

We had some great times at Beaver’s this summer, thanks to New Living’s weekly Happy Hour, Green Drinks.  Some of our favorite charities and non-profits benefited each Wednesday as proceeds from eco-friendly drinks and munchies were donated.

Tags: 2008 wrap-up, caroline collective, green drinks, lebowski bash, yearly recap

2008 Wrap-Up: April + May

Here is the second installment of my 2008 monthly recap.  You can catch up on Jan-March here.  I’ll post June and July tomorrow. Moving to a new WP template, too!

April: Defensiveness

Houston Chronicle

April things really started picking up at the Caroline Collective, a coworking space in Houston that I was asked to help open with Matthew Wettergreen and Ned Dodington. The media really started pick up on what we were doing, so lots of photo shoots, interviews, and tours went on in April. Matt and I stayed up all night customizing a Wordpress template, which eventually turned into the current Caroline site. I understand now how programmers can work for hours and hours at a time. Addicting! Taught myself some CSS in the process. Now I’m hooked.

April was also the month that Matthew defended his 7 year long thesis at Rice University. I was glad to be there to share in this moment with him, and to celebrate this awesome accomplishment.  Afterward, he, Ned, Michelle and I headed for the Son Volt show at The Continental Club, a spectacular set by those guys, a perfect end to a great day.

Guy Kawasaki at HTC

Web 2.0 guru Guy Kawasaki also visitied Houston in April. After meeting some super talented H-town ladies at SXSW, he couldn’t keep himself from finding out what was in the water in Houston. He shared many principles of success, one that particularly stood out for me: Don’t Be Afraid to Polorize People. With success, will come negative and positive attitudes. A lesson I learned a lot about this year.

May: Mergers & Misunderstandings

Migs + John Volunteering at the Art Car Parade

As summer approached, May was filled with parties:  Art Car Parade, my first Derby Party (thanks to Bill and Angela Green!), and my very first introduction to Sarah Gabbart and her crafting lounge, Sew Crafty Houston. | full Sew Crafty Set.

I also learned in May that my company was being acquired by Halliburton. A shock to us all, but a change that has so far worked out wonderfully in my favor. I’m excited about the new role I hold there, and am looking forward to help take Halliburton into the world of Web 2.0!

May was a tough month emotionally, as the opening of Caroline grew closer, as did stress surrounding the opening party, balancing personal and professional lives, and strained friendships. I ONLY got though that month because of the awesome support of ma peeps and this awesome community in Houston. And to that I am ever thankful to you all.

Tags: 2008 wrap-up, art car parade, caroline collective, coworking, guy kawasaki, orange show, sew crafty houston, yearly recap

Don't Ever Say There's Nothing to Do Here

…because i’ll beat you.

This weekend is shaping up to be NUTS!  Nuts I say!

Let’s just get into it:

Friday

Hey you artsy fartsies, if you’re looking for a night out of openings, tonight, check out b.s. artblog’s recomendations for an itinerary.

Discovery Green hosts the 10 Year Anniversary of Wes Anderson’s Houston-filmed, Kevin Menchaca-starring (ok, starring is a strong word) Rushmore. 7:30pm at Discover Green Park, free.

Boot Scootin’ Boogie your way over to Leon’s Lounge for Dave Wrangler’s monthly Vinyl Ranch. I can’t believe it’s almost been one year since my last bday bash there. Geez, time flies.  10pm-2am, free.

Saturday

Here’s where things get sticky.  Stay with me.

Start your day off at the new Montrose Farmer’s Market in the La Strada parking lot. An awesome KSG write up on Houstonist here.  God, I love me some KSG.  (not to be confused with MSG).

Head over to Caroline Collective for the Save Ferris…Save Lives Leukemia Lymphoma Society fundraiser, for screenings of 2 of the 80’s best Breakfast Club @ 8,  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off @ 10.  Don’t forgot your 80’s costumes!  $20 adults, $10 kiddos.

The Orange Show, with the help of our favorite local brewery, Saint Arnold, hosts the Annual Foamraiser.  7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and will feature music by the Sideshow Tramps and The Grass Skirts. Tickets are $20 pre-sale, $25 at the door and include unlimited samplings of Saint Arnold brews. Proceeds benefit the Orange Show Concert Series. Um, did i mention BEER?
Get Kristin2Go’s preview of the event here.

If you are still standing, don’t miss James Pants’ exciting Houston debut at the MFA’s Mixed Media Series. If you’ve never been to one of the Mixed Media Series. WTF? do it do it do it do it.  Art Crowd members get into the VIP, so see ya in there!  Not an Art Crowd member? Become one!  It’s only $25 more to your yearly MFA membership.  worth it, i tell ya. See ya in VIP?
Admission:
$15 General Admission
$10 Students with ID
FREE FOR MFAH MEMBERS
18 and up

Sunday

Rumored that Ms. Spears will be making an apperance on the VMAs.  I’ll be speanding the day hoping and praying this it true.  Oh gawd Britney, this is what we’ve been waiting for.  Don’t screw it up!!!!

Have a good weekend, peeps!

p.s.  so this seems trown together, it was. no pretty pictures.    DEAL.  But if you MUST see pretty pictures, check out brentabousko’s post on the weekend here.  And he’s so  much cooler than me.

Tags: arts + events, caroline collective, discover green, leon's lounge, mfah, orange show

Green Drinks at Beaver's this Wednesday

Join the Caroline Collective crew this Wednesday, June 18th, from 5-10pm at Beaver’s Icehouse for Green Drinks.

If you enjoyed the Green Drinks Station at the CC opening party, come by Beaver’s each Wednesday as they support new entrepreneurial projects.

%25 of this Wedesday’s profits will support Caroline.

Hope to see all of you there!

Tags: beaver's icehouse, coworking, drinking, green drinks, networking, new living, parties

Fixin' Her Up

Today we were joined by awesomeness at Caroline, as the community came out to help us get her ready for the party on Saturday.

Many, many thanks to True Light Resources (and Karl), Hala Daher, Stefanie Acken, Enita Torres (Ephiphenita), Imelda Bettinger, Sean Stoner, Michelle Calabretta, Bryce Giesler (Word Junky), Jason McElweenie (deneyterrio), and Brent Ozar.

We got the flowerbeds cleaned up and the indoors got a good cleaning. And most exciting, we got the sign up and painted.

Hope to see all of you at the party on Saturday!

More pics from today here.

Tags: caroline collective, coworking, volunteers

We need yo' help, for realz.

So the date of the caroline collective party is drawing near, and we’ve still got lots to do to get her in shape for the big day. Momma need a new pretty dress!

Ned and I are attempting to organized some shifts of people to help out this Saturday at Caroline, as well as next Saturday, day of the party.

For this Saturday, we’d love as much help as possible. We are looking for people willing to move some debris off the property, clean rooms, floors, bathrooms, clean up flower beds, blow leaves, and just generally rock out with awesomeness.

We have some supplies, but whatever you can bring would be appreciated: brooms, mops, cleaning supplies, ladders, MUSCLES, shovels. wheel barrows, tools, etc.

I’m trying to secure a few baby pools so we can take a dip in between breaks.   Afterwards, we can always take a walk down to my place for a dip in my pool

I can’t thank everyone enough for all your hard work and dedication that have gone into making this dream a reality for us. I am overwhelmed with emotion each time one of you extends your extra time and support to this project. And we are all eternally grateful.

Please comment below if you think you can make it by, and if you wil be able to bring some supplies so we can get an idea.  Hope to see some of you tomorrow.

Call me with any questions 281.687.7515.

Tags: caroline collective, community, coworking, friends, volunteers

She's here. Let's celebrate.

View Opening Party Release

Tags: caroline collevtive, coworking, grand opening, party, saint arnold

Coworking has arrived, Houston.

You may have noticed that I’ve attempted to start blogging again, after a long break. Yes, long overdue, but also with good reason. The last few months = nutzo.

In the last 6 months, I’ve started a new job, traveled to 4 continents in 4 weeks, rode a camel, smoked a hookah, returned home to an emergency appendectomy, had my Godmother pass away, and most recently, find out that my company has been purchased by the largest oilfield services company in the WORLD. Any guesses?

So to say the least, I’ve been a little preoccupied.

However, I still haven’t mentioned the one thing that has taken up most of my brain power, sweat, energy, and heart: a little beauty called Caroline. And she’s lovely.

I know that some of you reading this have been hearing me for months talk about this project, and I’m ecstatic to say, she has arrived.

This week, tenants began moving into the Caroline Collective, A coworking facility in Houston’s museum district, that I have been helping to bring to fruition over the past few months. I know many of you have heard the story of her conception, and seen the progress of her completion, but for those of you who have not, let me explain further.

Coworking has become a global phenomena in the last few years. A concept that takes freelance, independent workers out of an isolated work environment, such as a home office, and surrounds them with access to a community of like-minded individuals, all the while providing them with resources of a corporate office space.

Over the last 2 decades, the corporate worker has more and more sought opportunities to become independent from an organization, and become their own boss. In the process, according to entreprenuer.com, in the U.S., over 14 million homes operate a home-based business.

However, as the entreprenuer moves out of the corporate office, and into a home environment such as a home office or coffee shop, they begin to lose a sense of collaboration and community. Thus, the birth of Coworking.

Coworking’s official definition, “a cafe-like community collaboration space for developers, writers, independents and anyone looking for a space to conduct their work in an environment alternative to the traditional working office,” describes the concept. If I were to pull one work to highlight from that definition, it would be “community.” As the basis and successes of coworking spaces around the world, hinge on the importance of community.

Providing tenants with private office space, open desk space, wireless internet, conference room facilities, coffee, secured parking, quick access to Downtown, Midtown, Museum District, and the Medical Center, Caroline Collective is a revolutionary concept for Houston, that is sure to impact the social make-up of the city’s workforce.

As I compose this post, one of Caroline’s first tenants, is documenting his move into the space via Twitter and Brightkite. A very emotional, exciting step for those of us who have seen this idea move from a glimmer in the eye of Matthew Wettergreen and Ned Dodington, to a space full of handmade desks, and walls splattered with blue paint by volunteers Houston’s own community. A bit surreal, and a bit overwhelming.

Over the past few months, Caroline Collective has been covered by the Houston Chronicle, Chron.com, ArtsHouston Magazine, 002 Magazine, and various local and national blogs. Evidence that Houston is ready and willing to support this endeavor, rightfully so, as the space was created for the community, by the community.

Caroline Collective is located at 4820 Caroline, just north of the Fine Arts Museum. For a tour of the facilities, please contact me and I’d be happy to show you around.

We are planning a huge opening party on June 7th, 2008 form 7-10pm. I’ll create a dedicated post of the party, with the invite attached. So save the date!

For more information on Caroline Collective or coworking, check out these resources:

Caroline Collective website
www.carolinecollective.cc

Caroline Collective Flickr Photo Group
www.flickr.com/groups/carolinecollective/

Caroline Media Archives
http://carolinecollective.cc/category/media/

Coworking Wiki
http://coworking.pbwiki.com/

Coworking Blog

http://blog.coworking.info/

Tags: caroline collective, coworking, houston