Erik Westra talks about Solo Team and the 1099-MISCletoe Bash - A Holiday Party for the Self-Employed.* We discuss why many good ideas start as jokes, the importance of setting clear expectations, and the difference between networking and conne

043 - Charles Youel: ARTCRANK

Nov 9th, 2015 37m 7s

Charles is the founder of bike poster festival ARTCRANK. He talks about building up the show into an international event, traveling a whole lot, then scaling down to focus on projects they are passionate about (like their newly launched website

042 - Ben Geffen: Walker Art Center

Sep 25th, 2015 34m 17s

Ben is the Associate Director of Event Production at the Walker Art Center. His team does “all the work that supports the art at the Walker.” Ben tells how he approached his career as a practical learner and how his job and passion eventually m

041 - Mike Kempenich: Gentleman Forager

Sep 12th, 2015 29m 13s

Mike Kempenich talks about how his interest in hunting for wild food developed at a young age and his history as a commercial cultivator. As “Gentleman Forager” Mike hosts weekend getaway events that combine camping & foraging with incredible m

040 - Kalsey Beach: Do Good Events

Aug 24th, 2015 31m 18s

Kalsey is President of Do Good Events, a boutique event management company. She walks through the process of planning events with a client and bringing their visions to life, and we discuss the difference between introverts and extraverts in th

039 - David Christie: Target Field

Aug 9th, 2015 30m 41s

David Christie is Director of Events at Target Field.We discuss the huge variety of non-game-day events held at the venue (including the best one, the MN Monthly Food & Wine Experience), how modern sporting facilities are structured to double

038 - Maude Lovelle: Uptown Art Fair

Aug 2nd, 2015 34m 57s

Maude Lovelle is Executive Director at the Uptown Foundation and CEO of Uptown Art Fair, one of the top ten juried festivals in the country. We discuss the history of the event, how they continue to improve and grow while maintaining the qualit

037 - Mike Frigon: Midwest Comic Book Association

Jul 27th, 2015 37m 37s

Mike is a lead volunteer at the Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA), a volunteer organization that hosts the long-running spring MSP ComiCon & Fall ComiCon. We discuss the history of their events and how they have changed over the years, plus

036 - Jenny King: Autoptic

Jun 27th, 2015 32m 23s

Jenny King is the festival director of Autoptic, a two-day festival of independent culture featuring comics, music, zines, prints, and art. We discuss the challenges of her role as a spreadshet-loving organizer on a board full of creatives, Je

035 - Jeff Decker: Twin Cities in Motion

Jun 22nd, 2015 34m 32s

Jeff is the Race Director for Twin Cities in Motion, an organization that manages many local races including the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. We discuss how Jeff started his career as a race director, the logistics of planning a new race, an

034 - Dustin Huibregtse: TEDxMinneapolis

Jun 2nd, 2015 38m 35s

Dustin is the founder of TEDxUMN and Co-Organizer of TEDxMinneapolis. By day he works as an IT consultant, but we met to talk about his long-running passion for events.We discuss how he began and what keeps him going in events, his goal of cre

033 - Vilay Dethluxay

Apr 27th, 2015 37m 34s

Vilay Dethluxay has been producing events for pretty much her whole life, and her resume includes work for CoCo, Playboy, and Vita.mn's 2011 Annual "Hotness" Party. We talk about her history and recent work with Sound Unseen, Cult Collective, a

032 - Victoria Earhart: Friends School Plant Sale

Apr 22nd, 2015 34m 16s

Victoria is a long-time volunteer with the Friends School Plant Sale. She has had a lot of roles with the event, and is currently on the buying committee and general oversight committee. We talk about how the sale has grown, how you sustain a t

031 - Patrick Kuntz: Ignite Minneapolis

Apr 6th, 2015 30m 38s

Patrick is the Founder and Executive Director of Ignite Minneapolis, a “a high-energy evening of 5-minute talks by people who have a burning idea—and the guts to get onstage and share it with their hometown crowd.”We talk about the history of

030 - Greg Flanagan: Maker Faire

Mar 24th, 2015 31m 18s

My guest this week is Greg Flanagan. Greg talks about the upcoming Mini Maker Faire, his background at The Mill, and his work with Leonardo’s Basement, the University of St. Thomas, and Tree on a Hill Workshop.Hack Factory - Twin Cities Maker

029 - Betsy Faber: Summit

Feb 28th, 2015 30m 52s

Betsy and I talk about how her background in education and experience teaching English in Japan prepared her for her job as Visitor Services Coordinator at Summit Brewing Company. We also talk about the details that go into planning some of the

028 - Sarah Edwards

Feb 17th, 2015 37m 23s

Sarah Edwards is the founder of I AM MPLS, I AM St. Paul, and I AM Kindness. Sarah and I talk about the positive side of failure, the frightening moment that you commit to an event, and some advice for anyone who’s thinking of trying something

027 - Evva Kraikul

Jan 25th, 2015 33m 13s

Evva Kraikul is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Glitch. Glitch is a non-profit organization at the University of Minnesota that hosts numerous video gaming initiatives and activities throughout the year, including GlitchCon, which was

026 - Grown-up Club (Taylor Baldry, Tim Lovett & Victoria Nohl)

Jan 18th, 2015 35m 22s

Get to know all three Captains of Grown-Up Club: Taylor Baldry, Tim Lovett, and Victoria Nohl. Since 2013, Grown-up Club has hosted a series of ridiculous, participatory events for wayward adults. Perhaps the most ridiculous--and interesting--i

025 - Sarah Peters

Jan 11th, 2015 42m 54s

Ahoy! Join me as we set sail for this week’s podcast with special guest Sarah Peters. We talk about how she helped to create Open Field at the Walker, the genesis of her Floating Library project, and Northern Spark: how the festival has changed

024 - Ale Pelinka

Jan 7th, 2015 31m 57s

Ale is Executive Director of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA). We met at her offices in the California Building to discuss NEMAA’s art events, the future of Northeast, and a brand-new event starting this month! FUN FACT: 2015

023 - Mike Davis

Dec 22nd, 2014 37m 29s

Mike talks about his many events involving Burlesque of North America, Cool Jerk, and his DJ work. Topics include Dre Day, Cinco De Mayhem, and WORLD (craft) FAIR.Show Notes & LinksPaint LouisLife Sucks DieBurlesque of NA Gangsta Rap Colo

022: Rio Saito

Dec 15th, 2014 26m 26s

Rio Saito is Program Manager at the Japan America Society of Minnesota (JASM). She is also a professor at MCAD and assists with events there in addition to her work with JASM. We talk about Rio’s background in the arts, the many local events hi

021: Hayley Matthews-Jones

Dec 8th, 2014 30m 49s

Hayley is the Special Event Coordinator at Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. We talk about the importance of creativity in events and different approaches to planning that emphasize more structure and order, or creative experimentation.S

020: Don Ball

Nov 10th, 2014 31m 5s

Don Ball, co-founder of CoCo, talks about using a variety of events (including Jump! School) as a marketing tool to bring people in and make them aware of their coworking spaces.Show Notes & LinksCoCoKyle Coolbroth - Our Cultural Identity Cr