Connecting people with ideas, each other, and snacks.

This isn't a case study so much as a compilation of a number of different events and experiences, but there is one challenge at the heart of them—how in a big city of people with busy schedules, are there ideas intriguing enough to get people to gather? And once they come together in a space, how do we make it worth their time and attention?

Open Book

What does it mean to be a transparent publishing company? Usually decisions are made behind closed doors with no discernible knobs, but Chronicle Books accepts public submissions—one of the few publishers to do so. So we extended this logic and brand value to an event where we invited creative community members to mix and mingle with our editorial and design teams, and hear from one of our recently published authors, Carissa Potter. There was a preview of the season's titles, an exclusive 'zine that included interviews with the books' makers, and even a snapchat filter for the occasion.

Beer + Design with Fort Point Beer

For SF Beer Week, I partnered with local craft brewery Fort Point Beer to host a panel on the growing business of beer branding. They are known for their iconic design by Manual, which extends from the cans to multiple layers of packaging, and is further expressed in their omnipresence at San Francisco creative events. The panel discussion between the Manual team and a few of our beverage book designers quickly sold out.

CreativeMornings San Francisco

Every month, CreativeMornings San Francisco sells out 200-300 tickets for its 8:30am talks. There is a hunger for insight on what it is to lead a creative life, and for connections with others wondering about the same thing. As a member of the organizing team of CreativeMornings San Francisco, I advised on speakers and venues (from community spaces to startups) and did whatever needed to be to make sure it went off without a hitch (or at least minimal hitches).

SF Design Week

Office tours are always a part of design week, but a tour of the office of a design-focused publisher is a rare thing indeed. For the annual SF Design Week, I worked with the design team to expand the number of tours offered, and to include a party in the lobby. The 300 tickets sold out almost immediately.

#SFphotohunt + Beatnik Photowalk

One of the most satisfying parts of working at a museum was finding themes in exhibitions that connected to contemporary trends. For example, an exhibition on New York's Photo League featured a group of photographers who for the first time, thanks to 35mm film, could freely roam the streets of New York and capture life as it happened. Sound familiar? So I created a contest and campaign to capitalize on the rise of mobile photography called #SFphotohunt. Every week a theme was released, and anyone was invited to submit their entry for a chance to win camera from Lomography. The grand finale was a group photowalk and panel discussion featuring local photography luminaries, who also chose the winning entries. 250 people attended the event, and  to date there are 5,000 posts on the hashtag #SFphotohunt.

Similarly, for an exhibition on the photography of Alan Ginsberg, I asked the director of the Beat Museum to give a historical tour of North Beach for a photographer crew to capture. About 50 people showed up to take a stroll through SF history.