On the morning of August 7th, the back room of Doyle’s in Jamaica Plan was harboring a group of people passionate about media, as they do every first Sunday of each month for the Boston Media Makers meetup.
Boston Media Makers is a group with fluid membership (if one can call it that). The end goal of the group is to meet people who are working and specializing with audio, video, and many other specialties pertaining to technology. Podcasters, videobloggers, filmmakers, artists, writers, PR and social media people frequent the meetups as well.
It’s always a nerve-wracking experience to walk into a room with a bunch of strangers and take a lot of pictures and ask a lot of questions, so when I pulled up to Doyle’s and turned off my car I imagined the people I would meet once I got inside. Better yet, I imagined what mask I should put on before entering. What do I want these people to think of me, a student among teachers? I was torn between walking in with my “Don’t even think about messing with me” face (most used while riding the T) or my “I’m the intern! Love me!” face (highly rare). Such a hard decision that I had to make, yet even as I was photographing the outside of the building I hadn’t decided. That is until I bumped into Steve Garfield. I saw him and immediately recognized him from the video I watched to prepare me for the meetup. He apologized for obstructing my view of the building but instead of saying, “Oh that’s okay, you’re Steve Garfield!” I said, “You’re the organizer for Boston Media Makers. I’m Welina here with BostonTweetUp”, awkward handshake and all. He laughed and welcomed me inside afterwards. I was immediately put at ease. After that, I knew I was going to enjoy myself inside.
I recommend bringing something to talk about after you talk about yourself. Boston TweetUp’s very own Joselin Mane brought his favorite pair of sneakers to show to the room. Others has questions for the group. Because of the Book Swap theme at this month’s meeting, people were encouraged to bring books to trade with someone else. Some (like yours truly) forgot one. John Cass, marketing guru (who also forgot a book), asked the group: “What is a book you constantly refer back to when it pertains to your profession?”
Anything and everything is acceptable here. One of the first people to introduce themselves showed off a fancy phone cover they just purchased. As the introductions went around the room, people shared their own cases, or if they were anti phone case, like Tom Dowler, co-owner of Long Haul Films. Others who were at the Meetup included Kara Sassone, Trish Fontanilla, Kyle Psaty, Alecia Lebeda, Drew D’Agostino, Nelson Dewitt, Reiko Beach and others.
More information:
- Organizer: Boston Media Makers
- Host: Steve Garfield; Twitter handle, website
- Social: hashtag #bmm
- Frequency: First Sunday of the month
- Venue: Doyle’s Cafe in Jamaica Plain