Ignite Boulder is a volunteer-run event held approximately every couple of months at the Boulder Theater. At each event, there is a line-up of a diverse group of speakers. Each speaker give a 5-minute talk with 20 slides. Each slide moves every 15 seconds, and the slides don't stop. This keeps the talks moving at a quick, energetic pace. The range of topics is broad. The rules for speaking are that the talk teaches something of social value; the presentation is original (not a talk you've given elsewhere); the slides do not include video, audio or gifs; and the talk does not promote a business or is used as a "pitch." Talks are similar to TED talks, except that they can be on the geekier and goofier side. Think "fun geek party" instead of a night of formal presentations. Sometimes there are issues with the slide deck or speakers get stuck, but the crowd is always supportive.
Ignite Boulder is modeled after Ignite Talks. Ignite Talks originated in Seattle and was started by Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis in 2006. The idea was to show that PowerPoint presentations could be fun. Ignite's mission is: "Everyone speaks." The topics are based on what the speaker is passionate about. Ignite is meant to be a geek night celebration, where the speakers share what is truly important to them, and attendees learn something new by being exposed to topics they may not normally encounter on a daily basis. And through this sharing of stories, a community is built. Ignite Boulder was started in 2008 by Andrew Hyde. The first Ignite Boulder was in the Atlas Building on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. The next Ignite Boulder event will be #33 at the Boulder Theater. It has grown tremendously over the years, and it is great to see how the diversity and professional quality of the talks have evolved over time. There is a big difference in the production quality and vibe when comparing Ignite Boulder 1 to the last event, Ignite Boulder 32. There are Ignite events all over the world today, showing the popularity of this event that allows anyone to share a passion of theirs with a supportive community that is eager to learn. This shows me that the Ignite events tap into our universal desire to share stories with each other. Starting with the original Ignite Talks in Seattle, this model has spread throughout the U.S. and into Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.
In Colorado alone, there are 6 Ignite locations: Grand Junction, Gunnison, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, and Boulder.
Finally, I caught a quick interview with Jason Cole, someone who has presented at Ignite Boulder multiple times.
The geeky nature of the event allows for diversity of voice and many different types of stories to be told in one night. All of the talks are posted on their website and on YouTube. Here are some talks to give you an idea of the kinds of stories that are told at an Ignite event.
"Eliminating Gay as a Pejorative from our Lexicon"
"Chicks Hate Assholes" -- The slides here are hand-drawn, which add to her ability to tell her story about online dating.
"This is the Power of Intentional Giving"
"The Drug War Sucks"
"How Stories Change Your Brain"
This is from Ignite Boulder 1: "From the Mic to the Meetup"
Here, Ef tells his story of dating women over the years, including during the social media age, using his electric guitar.
Ignite events happen in 6 locations in Colorado. Check one out! Or if you're in another state, find the Ignite location closest to you. It's good fun, and usually there are fun entertainment acts during intermission to break up the string of talks. Learn something new, talk to people, and then head to the Ignite after party and continue storytelling. By the end of the night, everyone has the realization that while we may all have inherent differences, there are things that make all of us human that bind us together. It is those things that we relate to, allowing us to authentically connect with one another.
Postscriptum: This week's theme is Coding as a New Literacy. In creating the interview graphics, I was on the struggle bus with making my interview graphics the same size for this blog post. At first, the graphics were different widths, and seeing one much wider than the other, no matter what settings I clicked on, drove me crazy. I had to figure out how to manually code the graphics properly into this webpage, since this time around, choosing "original size" or "X-Large" didn't result in pictures of the same width. A lot of trial and error, and numerous attempts later, success! Well, at least for the full website. The mobile version is a different story 😒
via GIPHY
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