A couple of weeks ago, I was helping a friend (and local Boulder startup) celebrate the opening of some new office space when a buddy came up to tell me I should be participating in Ignite. I'm generally wary when people tell me I have to do something, but the next words out of his mouth were about how Ignite would be a perfect opportunity to do some stand-up in front of a tech crowd. Now he had my attention. Fortunately, at this same party was Andrew Hyde, the organizer of said Ignite, and after talking with him for five minutes, I was sold. (Andrew is really good at that.)
The idea behind Ignite is simple. Give a presentation for 5 minutes, with 20 slides that auto-advance. (That's 15 seconds per slide, if you need help with the math.) The presentation can be about anything at all AND there was going to be free beer. Sounds fun, right?
Ignite Boulder was beyond fun. Inspirational, funny, and educational, the presentations ran the gamut from tech topics (the future of the mobile web) to human topics (lucid dreaming) to practical topics (how to crash a party). The beauty of Ignite is that you really can listen to just about anyone for five minutes and the format allows for lots of personality to shine through each presentation.
As for me, I decided to tackle two subjects close to my heart: startups and standup. I didn't do any material from my actual stand up routine, but instead, decided to show the similarities I've found between the worlds of standup comedians and startup entrpreneurs. What follows is my presentation but I'm warning you...it's NSFW if you work in a place where you can't joke about sausages. (And if that's the case, then I'm sorry for you.)
Now, it's your turn. If you're in the area and have a hankering to rock the mic, applications are being accepted for the second Ignite Boulder, taking place on December 17th. Take my word for it...this was a creative challenge that left me feeling good about myself and my local community for days after. What more could you want from a free event?
And if anyone has any ideas for my next Ignite presentation, feel free to leave a comment. I have a few things bouncing around but am always open for suggestions.
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