BRAND STRATEGIST

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Tapsense

Tapsense Developer Holiday Party @ Jillian's

December 11th 6:30-9:30pm 





I only document about half the company events that I attend, and I also admit that I wasn't planning on posting this event as the only pictures I took that evening were from the photobooth. However those pictures kept on popping up, over and over again -so much that I had to get to know them. Tapsense is essentially a mobile app marketer because with an overwhelming amount of media these days, they face an increasingly competitive landscape but Tapsense still cuts through the clutter. You see, first I received the print-out from the photobooth which is standard, but then about thirsty minutes later in the middle of Jillian's 50 ft high definition wall my face was plastered on the T.V screen. This was an obvious representation that no matter how many times I've done the photobooth, one of the pictures always seems to catch me off guard. I now have an event crashing goal, to master the four faces in a photobooth. If that wasn't enough though, the mass e-mail that was sent out to the Tapsense company thanking everyone for attending was forwarded over to me. Low and behold, one of my pictures from the photobooth was smacked in the center of the e-mail (even overlayed across someone else's face). Why is my photobooth picture turning up everywhere?... I still have no idea, but what I do know is that it's not easy to catch someones attention these days, but Tapsense does it.

This holiday season I crashed it with the Tapsense team!





Thursday, December 27, 2012

PassBan

PassBan @ The HQ
December 20th 6:00-9:00pm





There are many sports I'm not good at but if there's one sport where my talent really is, it's definitely in foosball. For that reason I challenged anyone in the PassBan office to play me, as I crashed this event to learn about this new app  called Passboard. Set to be released next week, this free app plans to replace traditional passwords with flexible & modern multi-factor verification that turns YOU into the password. Kayvan Alikhani, the CEO, summed it up by saying it's essentially "Password 2.0" allowing you to protect applications by creating your own security process that involves facial and voice recognition. This event was decked out with nerds, and really smart ones that were dedicated to revolutionizing mobile security. These guys were ready to transform the way we feel about protecting a good friend -our phone. Let's admit it, if dogs are man's best friend then the phone has easily secured it's spot as the #2 wingman.  You trust your phone to hold some of your most private information so Passban set out to put some extra security on this personal wingman of yours. The question remains though, can identical twins fool the system? Well, Kayvan is bringing my twinster and I in to see if we can share a password.

Crashed it... playing with passwords at PassBan (say that five times)




Thursday, December 20, 2012

Voxer

Voxer Holiday Party @ The HQ 

December 13th @ 5:30pm





It's not a party unless someone face plants into the floor and with that -Voxer knows how to party. I learned that night if you lock your knees for too long it restricts the blood flow and could end up making you pass out.  Even when standing attention in the military they have their knees slightly bent, and I'm sure the CEO Tom Katis could confirm this. Tom used to be a Special Forces communications sergeant and his idea of Voxer was actually inspired while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He got the idea for the company when he needed better technology to talk to other soldiers on the battlefield so he founded Voxer, a walkie talkie app for smartphones. Voxer lets you send instant audio, text and photo messages to your friends; the messages stream live as you talk, and your friends can join in real-time or listen later. With all the hard work that's been put into the app since 2007, it's no wonder they were celebrating. They've come a long way and as I chatted with Tom he showed me some photos in his phone of Obama from the night before and now he had the opportunity to take a picture with me -this CEO was really on a roll here.  They had a fully stocked bar with a kitchen cooking up quesadillas, and I ended up in a photobooth with two strangers (which one turned out to be an investor of this party). Voxer is the first company I've seen that perfectly balances the workhard playhard mentality -now talk about that via walkie talkie.















Tuesday, December 18, 2012

BASE

Base Holiday Party @ University Club

Dec 13th 6:30-9:00pm 








Even though I'm a Jew, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. The city smells greener and shines brighter, and it gives everyone another reason to be celebrating. I picked an event at the University Club and chose the Base Holiday Party on the 4th Floor, then grabbed myself a name tag and crashed it.  I wasn't sure what Base was about but I figured it was either a baseball team or a place for Bay Area Software Engineers to gather -and it turns out it's the later. This event was located at the historic clubhouse atop Nob Hill and was founded in 1890 with a dress code required, which even surprised my new software engineer friends. If you hike up Nob Hill without having an asthma attack you'll appreciate the view at this elegant venue, so I slide out the doors to the balcony to enjoy the the city skyline and catch my breath with a margarita. BASE is focused on emerging technologies such as Machine Learning, Robotics, Nanotechnology, 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Augmented Reality, and using software to create art. I took time that evening to talk with these software engineers about our shared love for new technologies and applaud them for doing what they do (however they do it). BASE embraces the future, and I crashed this event because I do too.






Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Wired

Brocade + Wired Reception @ Wired Headquarters

Dec 5th 6-8pm













I walked into Wired and crashed this exclusive reception to have a chat with Chris Anderson, Wired Editor-In-Chief.  Teaming up with Brocade, he gave me a copy of his new book "Makers: The New Industrial Revolution" and told me he was quitting. After 12 years he decided to step down to spend more time with his robots.

Chris started DIY Drones and cofounded 3D Robots (a company that turns atoms into drones). The definition of a drone has changed over the years but today it refers to an aircraft that has the capability of autonomous flight, with small drones essentially becoming a fleet of flying smartphones. We talked about how people use technology and I found out that Chris was also the creator of  OpenSprinkler -which apparently became a hot seller with hydroponic pot growers. While crashing this event it was obvious I was the youngest person by a solid twenty years, and I was there to represent this different generation of technology that I grew up in. We all came together that evening and explored the possibilities of technology today, diving deeper into how 3-D printers have become a driver of manufacturing's next generation. Similarly to how how simple it is to press "Print" there's now the consumer equivalent of capabilities to build something with the "Make" button.  With rip, mod, make, we can see what happens when powerful tools meet the hands of ordinary people.  According to Chris, "We're all designers -so we might as well get good at it."

Wired -Crashed it!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Puccini & Pinetti


Retail Relaxation @ Puccini & Pinetti
November 26th 4:00-6:00pm



I crashed this "Retail Relaxation" event at Puccini & Pinetti's to figure out what an event with that theme even means. There was no speaker, no presentation and no further information, with that just some drinks and hors d'oeuvres made this company crash earn it's title as the most relaxing event yet.  At Puccini & Pinetti's they were serving up an an array of meatballs and pizza from a wood-burning oven. This Italian restaurant thinks of themselves as one big food-loving family so I pulled up a chair and joined them. Just like every other family dinner I've been a part of, after enjoying the delicious bites we headed down the hallway to take shots at a hotel. Accessible through a path, Hotel Abri is a sleek hotel with a modern decor -extending the urban vibe of relaxation.

Crashed it at Puccini & Pinetti's...
For a moment of relaxation with my new Italian family! 

Friday, November 23, 2012

Nitro

Nitro in the Cloud @ The New Office
November 15th, 6:00pm-9:00pm

There was quite the security at Nitro.
I made it in though and was approached by an Australian man who turned out to be the CEO, Sam Chandler.  Sam and I chatted for a bit before taking this awkward photo by the bathroom.  I had heard about this place, and Nitro's new home base so I told him I was there to scope out the scene. He told me he had a feeling that I may have done this before, which makes me think that either I've gotten really good at crashing company events, or he's just got a really good intuition about things. I want to say it's the combination because this is Sam's third startup and they're now up to 100 employees and this is my 33rd company crash and I'm up to over 3,500 views.



Nitro was built with this idea of driving the digital document revolution. Milo, the wombat, is the company mascot that has a turbine strapped to his back. Even with an obvious Australian undertone, Nitro felt very San Francisco. They had a ping pong table, a well stocked snack bar, no cubicles, 2 DJ booths, and too many booze fridges to count -and they even invited me back the next evening for their "Club Nitro Friday Night."

Nitro is an opportunity for people to build or create something really special, kind of like this blog... No bullshit -crashed it!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Allied Technical Services

ATS Client Appreciation @ Thirsty Bear

Nov 15th 6:00-9:00pm 


ATS was hosting an event which was the second stop on my "three company crashings in three hours" tour. This was the invitation I got my hands on and in conjunction with the Green Expo, it inspired me be more green myself by recycling this paper invitation that I received for it. While crashing this event with Allied Technical Services, I couldn't find a single person that worked there. On their homepage they say, "We're there when you need us, where you need us" so I assume they're just that dedicated to what they do that they all left their own party to work on some plumbing emergency. ATS is frequently called upon to assist designers with the preparation of plumbing specification packages and this was their client appreciation event. I have to admit, that I'm not a client but I did appreciate the flash drive they provided me with. I also appreciate that more people have been asking how I crash all these company events, so I've decided to share how to do it in three simple steps.

1. You get a hold of the invite details.
2. You figure out how to crash it.
3. You crash it.

That's pretty much all there is to it.

Crashed it, with the ATS crew (wherever they were).















Monday, November 19, 2012

Blend


Blend Networking Reception @ The Hub
November 15th, 6:00-9:00pm



















I crashed the Blend Networking Reception by getting a Greenbuild Conference pass. I wanted to see what the green guys were up to these days and ended up in a hammock at the Hub.   I mingled with the B Corporation Community while I tasted Veev, the world's first Acai Spirit. Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is the exotic tasting Brazilian national fruit thought to be the healthiest fruit on the planet. Their green thing is that 1% of sales go to rainforest preservation and environmental causes. 


Somehow I ended up with Santiago Halty's business card, the Founder & CEO of Senda. I don't remember ever meeting him though, but I did see his balls. This fair trade soccer ball company is based in Berkely and they believe fairness is a game changer, so I decided to be more fair by clarifying something. When I tell you I'm not "the party crasher" -it's true... because I'm actually a company event crasher (which is a lot more professional and underground).





Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Slideshare

SlideShare & The Costume Party 
November 1st 6:00-9:00pm













This is what I would classify as a confusing company crash. 
I walked into this business event and everyone was in costume. Although I clearly didn't get that memo, it was now November and that wasn't even the confusing part. It turns out that this was in fact a different company event then I was intending to crash. There were two business events going on in the same building at the same time. This was not the SlideShare event, but a different company party... SlideShare was on the third floor. 














I did make it to SlideShare that night and celebrated this event crash with a few people from LinkedIn. Earlier this year LinkedIn acquired SlideShare so I grabbed myself a product analyst there and attempted to re-create the logo, but with beer. SlideShare allows you to upload presentations, documents and videos. It's essentially a YouTube for PowerPoints. 
SlideShare allows for more sharing experiences, knowledge and creme brulee.
It's so obvious, SF loves to share. 



Crashed it.

Shared it.

Total Heliski

Total Heliski's Launch Party @ One Market St. Restaurant

November 6:00-8:00pm 
















This is me crashing the launch of the Heliski tour, with Hayley Melidonis (CEO of Toal Heliski) and Patric Maloney (President of Snowwater).  All three of us appreciate good skiing and good wine so we came together to talk about a place that has both.  Total Heliski was set up by heli skiers, for heli skiers and boarders and to be honest here, I didn't even know what heliskiing was until I crashed this event. It turns out, this niche adventure is popping up all around the world in order access untouched terrain. By flying there in a helicopter it's a luxurious adventure and pretty much the best possible ski experience you can have. The video footage looked as if these skiers were gliding down clouds and you literally could see the weightlessness while watching it. With guaranteed fresh powder tracks and no lift lines by helicopter, heliskiing takes skiing to a higher level of appreciation -putting the ski lift in the sky.


















This other photo is a moment caught of me talking about something interesting to Ari Tulla (CEO & Co-Founder of Better Doctor). http://betterdoctor.com Better Doctor is a new app that is committed to simplifying healthcare and helping every American find the right doctor. It solves the problem of discovering and booking doctors by putting great effort towards simplicity and transparency. Now having helped 6 million consumers find doctors including me, quoting Ari, "Ideas matter, but execution rules" and I support that, because if I didn't execute on my idea I would never have landed me this Heli hat.












Monday, November 5, 2012

Citizen Space

The Future of Work  @ Citizen Space

October 29th 6:00-9:00pm


I strolled into this Citizen Space event to see if it really was what they claimed as a "nicer place to work." SOMA has become a hub for start-ups, and with that, came a growth of co-working spaces because people in SF love to share -even ideas. I also knew Philip Rosedale (the Founder of Second Life) would be there. I value his thoughts and with a "don't ask, just do it mentality," I knew he would understand why I crashed his event.

There's an inordinate amount of innovation here, and I can confirm this because I sat in a room full of entrepreneurs that evening. Philip recently debuted his new app, Coffee & Power -a marketplace for skill-based jobs. This new platform was inspired by Second Life and the value that people were getting from each others skills and capabilities. In Philip's talk about his new venture he brought up the fact that there's still only a 20% success rate for any single start-up, yet San Francisco thrives on start-ups because this city is full of risk takers. Which explains why I was inspired to try out out the whole start-up thing too. I created a hand sanitizer for the dog leash.  www.CleanPetHands.com

This talk highlighted how impactful sharing can be, so I thought I'd share three points that I took away from crashing this event.
1. If we fail, we will be OK.
2. Capitalize on the constant serendipitous encounters.
3. Crazy ideas succeed... so feel free to share them at Citizen Space.