• by Kelly Samardak , May 10, 2010

Mashable NYC Headquarters Warming Party, 92Y Tribeca, New York
May 6, 2010

This past Thursday I made the trip down to 92Y Tribeca for Mashable's party celebrating their new NYC Headquarters and their new hires. Just like your first day at work, right? Champagne, open bar, crostinis with delicious toppings, and tequila shots!

Now, I don't want to get anyone in trouble, which is why I'll leave out specifics like names and other identifiers, but let's get this on the table right now. It is inappropriate to stuff your business card into the back pocket of the photographer -- or in anyone's back pocket. Networking is not for butt-touching, are we clear? OK, good. Add that to your course "Common Sense Networking 101" and let me know how the class responds.

The other thing we should talk about is HopStop, and how much I love it when the directions instruct me to "turn onto an unnamed road" This is exceptionally convenient when I'm standing at an intersection with five criss-crossing roads. I ended up getting a nice walking tour of Tribeca. When I finally arrived at the 92Y, I found Mashable's Brett Petersel skulking about the entryway while I waited for my +1, who turned out to be inside, anyway. A good start all around!

Inside were clumpings of people that eventually distributed themselves throughout the space, which was a great venue for a shindig like this. Lots of wiggle room, a lengthy bar, adept bartenders, and one of the best gatherings of people I've been to in a long time. Missing was the clique-encouraging hierarchy prevalent in a lot of tech media/digi media events. No one was VIP or faux-described as such. The constant rumble of comfortable conversation and the seemingly unending wide-smiling handshaking wasn't a chore, it was very welcome.

Learning about up-and-comers and blossoming start-ups like SNAP Interactive CEO Cliff Lerner's AreYouInterested.com is why I love this job. I told Cliff he and giveanddate.com should partner up. Hanging around with Cliff were Jennifer Gilbert, Jeff King, and Lynn Trono, all of LA&K, Inc Public Relations. Nearby was PRNewser's Joe Ciarallo, whom I haven't seen in a cow's age; it's always good to catch up with him. I always like to see what others think about the intersection of technology and journalism and whether or not it's the writer's job to concentrate on his/her superb writing skills only, or if learning how to promote those stories through technology should be on the plate as well. Yes, I do talk about more than cocktail wieners.

Buddy Media's Jenean Chapman was also working the room with Buddy Media Front End Producer Matthew Turner and Alexandra Furger Graham (hunting that perfect PR job!). When I headed to the open bar to re-up my Champagne (or was it prosecco?) I met Josh Scherman, biz dev dude at Postling, a service that aims to lessen the multiple login posting pain of prolific online sharers. Josh and I share a Midwest connection, with his wife hailing from Youngstown, Ohio. Before meeting Josh, I had met Postling CEO David Lifson, the admittedly more socially shy one in the duo.

Another Erica in the house was Erica Swallow, formerly of the New York Times, soonly at Mashable. Encased in a cloud of PR guffaws was Shane Snow of Mashable. In my notebook I wrote "LB SN" next to his name, but I now have no idea what that means. Adding to the PR buffet was Alex Tuller of Lane PR and Ezra Rich, Corporate Communications Manager at Arc90 Inc. And rounding out my firsthand experience with New York Times attrition was Vadim Lavrusik, switching over from The New York Times social media management to the role of social media manager at Mashable.

Hanging by the bar at one point was Next New Networks' Michelle DeForest, talking with Postling's David Lifson. Also nearby were Amanda Bird and David Berkowitz of 360i. Towards the back I found AttentionPR's John McCartney nursing a Ginger Ale, still hurting a little from "bad tacos" from Cinco De Mayo (bad tacos loosely translates to "good tequila").

We shut the place down. When the 92Y started blinking the lights and breaking out the cattle prods, the party had barely dwindled. My date for the evening, Erica Peltz, Director of Executive Services at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and I squeezed through the doors to exit into the nightnight. I was making good on my promise to squire Erica to a social-media-nerd party, and I'd say she held her own nicely. Everyone is a nerd in some dimension of his or her life, right?

Thanks, Adam Hirsch, Sharon Feder-Almost-Hirsch-Or-Feder-Hirsch, Adam Ostrow, and Peter Cashmore for bringing together a solid group of good people to celebrate the team you've assembled, and your NYC headquarters!

More photos are up on Flickr! (more coming, too!)