Last night we went to Ignite Phoenix for the first time. I first heard about it from Kim over at Terralever several months ago. I applied and although I was in consideration I wasn’t invited to be one of 20 presenters. Then earlier this week Perri told our AZ Women in Media group about the event and we decided to show up early and get a free ticket to attend at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

Creator Jeff Moriarty (pictured below) and his friends put on this amazing community event where people can get up and talk for five minutes with slides. This was their 5th event.

We got in with no problem. It was great seeing Shawn V., Scott H., Joe R., and of course Dan S. was there, the Creative Connector himself chatting with Francine H. who promised to attend a future CC. Later we saw the guys from Gangplank and Forty and then we ran into Bill. S.

The event was a great showcase of Phoenix talent and personalities. We listened to everything from a presentation on bat poop to Bluetooth douchebags. I probably could have done without the lecture on public restroom cleanliness – TMI.

We shot a video of the first presentation, called “Use what you got to get what you want” by Nicholas DiBiase. See below.

I highly recommend you come out for the next Ignite and better yet, fill out an application to come present on something you are passionate about. I haven’t decided if I’ll reapply. My topic – Six Million for Six Million is a little heavy and not condusive to audience clapping and participation. But I might come up with something else..

It was fun and kind of surreal to listen to my friend and mentor, Howard Lindzon speak at the MIT Enterprise Forum at the Hilton Hotel in Scottsdale, and not just because he used the kind of colorful language on stage that would have been bleeped on public airwaves. I hadn’t seen How in awhile so I heard about some developments that wouldn’t be news to a regular Howard Twitter follower or reader of his blog. Apparently Inc. Magazine recently said his blog is a must read for entrepreneurs. (Sorry but I couldn’t pull up that quote online, please send me the link if you have it.) The other news – that Howard recently got to open the market and ring the bell for NASDAQ which he told me was a life long dream. I also heard that one of Howard’s many disciples, a guy named Cole, has help found DeedStreet.com, another Twitter application – for realtors. Now savvy agents will be able to instantly trade information on listings, buyers, and sellers. How smart is that?

So, Howard has already shared in his blog that he only got to about page 4 in his Powerpoint while addressing the group. (I think it was at least 12 pages; the MIT Enterprise Forum Group should be sharing the presentation in its entirety soon for anyone interested.) Instead of sticking to his slides, he got on tangents including an inspiring rant about how he has cold called many people, which has lead to a lot of big business for him including early investments from infamous local Life Lock to a lesser known but equally successful company called The Gripp.

He also shared some of the influencers he reads on a daily business making a good point that there’s so much out there on the Net, you definitely have to focus on your area of interest. He said the Internet is about filtering and discovery. His list includes:
Upside Trader
Fred Wilson
GigaOm
Seth Godin
Investors Business Daily
Brad Feld
Techmeme
Techcrunch

It’s always good to be reminded, as Howard said, that failure is part of the process. When I asked him during the Q&A what was his biggest mistake, he answered that he had been working with a partner in the nineties in his hedge fund. They were successful, and Howard said he had a big ego and in his own opinion was way too flamboyant, so his partner ultimately ended up stealing from him which was a very painful experience. Later at dinner we laughed as he recalled having to move out of that office and personally wheeling his leather desk chair across Camelback Road in the middle of the summer.

Howard also joked about his massive Twitter following. People get so mad at him for some of the things he writes, that they send emails to let him know that they are going to stop following him. He said, “I didn’t ask them to follow me!”

One of my favorite remarks of the evening?
How said, “I learned from Mark Pincus you can hate people and make a fortune on social networking.” This was after referring to Mark as a prick several times. Like my other favorite Howard (Stern), I can’t wait to see what he says next. Find out yourself by attending the upcoming Fourth Annual Entrepreneurship Conference November 12 at the Desert Willow Conference Center where Howard will be one of the main speakers.

I recently learned about an upcoming event in Phoenix featuring my friend and advisor, Howard Lindzon. Howard is the CEO of StockTwits, one of the few companies I know where people are actually making real money from Twitter. If you want to turn your tweets into dollars, I highly recommend attending this engaging “real-time” discussion at the next signature MIT Enterprise Forum Phoenix event. Dee Harris, President of the Arizona Angels, another good friend and advisor, is one of the founding members of the group.) Best known for his start-up proficiency, Howard will share his perceptions on emerging technology and social trends intersecting communications, business, finance and media.

Get a singular insight on a vast array of current topics including:

* How the real-time web is transforming traditional business models
* What ‘real-time’ means for entrepreneurs
* Using social leverage to drive growth
* How to use trends to make money
* The key to surviving bear markets

This event is more than your standard TweetUp. It is a unique opportunity to join with emerging market enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and social media fanatics starting at 5:30pm. Learn how this start-up dealmaker assesses real time opportunities and the expected real time risks. An investor in Twitter, he will reveal how 140 characters is changing our world.

Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time: Networking begins at 5:30PM and our featured guest will follow at 6:30PM.
Location: Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas
Registration Fee:
–$40 for Members, Students and Alumni
–$45 for Non-Members
–$55 at the door
Registration is required. Food will be served.

“Tradition!” Tevya the milkman sang its praises in the iconic film “Fiddler on the Roof.” Since cinema was invented, the Jewish people have looked to the screen to showcase their traditional culture, with all its pathos, drama, tragedy, humor and history. This is the mission of the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival, which over the past year has merged and expanded to a cultural tour de force that expects an audience of 6,000 moviegoers.

After a year of courtship negotiations, the thirteen-year-old Phoenix Jewish Film Festival and the five-year-old East Valley Jewish Film Festival have officially merged, making the conglomerate a powerhouse in area film festival entertainment. Says Assistant Executive Director Adrian Bendick, “The major difference between this year and last is that through publicity, we will be able to expand into more communities by merging funds, we will have the affordability to get newer, first-rate films, and be able to present a more focused cinematic event to attract moviegoers throughout the Valley.“

The winner in this merger is the public. A total of ten films will be shown at two geographically spaced venues — Harkins Chandler Crossroads off Route 202 and the Harkins Camelview 5 in Scottsdale — to attract ticket holders from Phoenix, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Paradise Valley, Glendale, Peoria, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Chandler, Sun Lakes, and Queen Creek. The area is home to approximately seventeen Jewish congregations and organizations, which the GPJFF is counting on for support. Publicity will come mainly through email and hard mail based on an address list of almost 10,000 names.

The merger was a bold step for GPJFF, which is now one of the only film festivals of its kind in the entire country that is completely independent. Success rides on its core of volunteers and community support. To bring in funding, under its nonprofit status, the GPJFF will publish an ad and supporter journal, to be distributed at the screenings. Also, the organizers continue to remain dependent on individual donations from patrons as well as film sponsors. Hospice of the Valley has been designated as the guest charity for the 2010 Festival.

It is still more than three months before the Festival opens on February 20, but preparations have been going on for nearly a year. The two film selection committees have met once a week since last March as they focus on a variety of dramas, documentaries, shorts, features, comedies and Holocaust genres. “The committee’s goal is to bring the best there is to thousands of moviegoers, who will be our ultimate critics,“ says Executive Director Jerry Mittelman.

In the past 24 hours, I have come across information about 3 different compelling projects about kids in Africa.

Yesterday as I was searching for the best method to email our database a video trailer about our short, I noticed an email from a stranger via FunSlide on Facebook. The video was a section from a film called The Fragrant Spirit of Life. When I visited the San Damiano Foundation web site to learn more, I noticed they had an amazing list of heart wrenching documentaries about the poor and hungry. I am so impressed with filmmaker Gerry Straub and whoever else is responsible.

The second film is called Tapestries of Hope which I believe came out earlier this summer. The producer, Michealene C. Risley, left a successful corporate career and made this film. Talk about tough subject matter. It’s about rape and abuse of children. Traditional healers in Zimbabwe have been counseling men that if they rape a virgin they will cure their AIDS. This directive is one of the leading causes of the increased spread of AIDS in the next two generations, as young girls who are raped get infected and transfer the disease to their newborns. Last year alone, a local non-governmental organization, or NGO, recorded 4,146 cases of sexual abuse against children in its relatively small area of operation.

On a happy note, the non profit program, Freshwater Haven, has grown tremendously since its inception, with more than 30,000 girls across the country involved today. GCN uses a human rights-based approach to address gender inequalities in education and in all social, political and economic aspects of life. It is a community-based grassroots organization with several strategic programs, including educational training, advocacy and community development. Thanks to my friend Dave Bittner for sharing this info with me.

The third story is about how a local business woman and acquaintance, Eileen Rogers, of Allegra Printing and her friend are apparently celebrating their milestone birthdays this year by requesting donations to build a school in Africa. What a great idea! I used to do business with Eileen when I was in Scottsdale. It’s nice to do business with people like that. What a mensch! All of these people are, they are helping to change the world.

The Age of Stupid USA Trailer from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

See into the future at the premiere of THE AGE OF STUPID next Monday night, September 21st 2009. (It will be in Phoenix at several theaters including Ahwatukee 24) Experience the cutting edge of independent distribution at a one-night special event simulcast live to theaters across the United States. This event launches an unprecedented global premiere that will continue the next day, when THE AGE OF STUPID will be distributed by satellite and internet to over 50 countries from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

You are invited to attend the premiere at any of the 440 theaters around the U.S., or in hundreds of locations abroad. Following the film, you’ll hear Kofi Annan and other special guests, plus a live performance from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke.

Organized by independent filmmakers working totally outside mainstream distribution, this global premiere will be one of the biggest ever. It will also be the most ambitious. It takes place on the eve of the UN General Assembly’s climate session. The ultimate goal is to pressure decision makers to achieve a new climate change treaty.

To attend the premiere, go to http://www.ageofstupid.net . To learn more about THE AGE OF STUPID, you can read Peter Broderick’s Distribution Bulletin #9 at

I hope you’ll be able to attend. In addition to supporting the filmmakers and their climate change campaign, you’ll participate in what may be the most innovative indie release of the year.