Commentary

Just An Online Minute... Pimms And Pints Wet The Media Whistles

paidContent and guardian.co.uk Pimms And Pints, Ace Hotel, New York
June 11, 2010

What better way to close out the first arm of 2010's Internet Week New York than in the basement of the swank somewhat dank, rock-infused, social-media-scenester-friendly Ace Hotel?  Social Media Society founder Persia Tatar introduced me to Stumptown coffee (the best, Jerry! The best!) in its belly and Friday night paidContent and The Guardian UK introduced me to Pimms.

After a pretty full week of party coverage, you could have found me more than once during the day Friday with my head either in my hands or bouncing off my keyboard, trying to jostle my energy reserves from their clandestine location to scoot me through the night.  Luckily, when I descended the stairs into Ace's underbelly, I found a cozy, low-key lounge, already spattered with a few groups and single seat claimers.  At one end of the room, the tattooed, newsie-looking bartenders were already at work, fashioning Pimms lemonades and pints of what have you.

I saw 360i's David Berkowitz immediately, who had just returned from Twitter HQ in San Fran, missing half of Internet Week. I wonder what 360i was talking to Twitter about...

Obviously the always-pepped-up David Kaplan of paidContent was there, popping up in differently circles throughout the room like a networking meerkat. It's always great to see David because he's just an all-around nice guy.  His greeting is never laced with shifty-eyed "but I don't know..." gossip, or the latest Debbie Downer detail.  Nope, he's just armed with a smile and a pint and probably a polite introduction to someone else in the circle.

I found The Guardian and paidContent's Caroline Little sipping a tall, cool beverage, deep in conversation with AdAge's Ed Lee.  They had found a semiprivate spot next to the wall of speakers and amps.  Speaking of amps, aren't speakers and amps one and the same?  Or is one just more rock and roll than the other?  Discuss amongst yourselves. 

I plodded around the room and walked by the entryway just as a powder-blue-wearing Ryan Lawler of NewTeeVee/GigaOM burst into the room.  I feel like it's been over four months since I've seen Ryan, and his beard tells me it may be because he was lost on an island.  He was with Cassel Kroll of Mediavest and the squirrely Scott Bullard, a Strategist at MIR.

"You missed your own party this week!" Scott smiled and yawped at me.

"Huh?" Me, thinking "Crap, I missed my own party this week... I think."

"You missed your own party this week!!" Scott repeated, suddenly triggering the "I know what's coming next" part of my brain. I asked anyway:

"What was my party?" I waited for it...

"Mediabistro!" Scott grinned.

"I probably missed it because I don't work for Mediabistro, I write for MediaPost," I smiled, whacking him.

No worries, I'm just going to start introducing Scott as the strategist for Muir Glen, whose canned tomatoes, by the way, seem to eke by QA more and more.

My final conversation stop was with Ryan Matzner of Blue Fountain Media and Mae Karwowski of 360i.  I had last seen them at the PopEverything party.  Being the Super Mayor that he is, Ryan was torn between hitting the Foursquare Mayors party or chilling out for the night.  After gabbing with Ryan and May about the Thrillist party line, Burger Conquest, Foursquare badge incentives, and false check-ins (location-based karma is gonna getcha!), I chose to head out into the night to meet my dude who I hadn't seen all week due to the nonstop Internet Week fun.

Monday I'll be back at it again, wrapping up the coverage officially with my favorite trifecta of action, adventure, super nerds, and champagne: The Webby Awards! Mmhmm, I'll be shooting the red carpet, Twitter-pating from the show (I assume the hashtag is #webbys), and lurking around the after-party, waiting for you to make out with the Aflac duck.

After the event you can find all of my photos from the evening in the Internet Week Collection on flickr, tagged with "14th Annual Webby Awards."  Can't wait!

Oh, right - Pimms photos are up on Flickr, too!

2 comments about "Just An Online Minute... Pimms And Pints Wet The Media Whistles".
Check to receive email when comments are posted.
  1. Chris Quirin from NY Interconnect, June 14, 2010 at 11:31 a.m.

    FYI...The instrument plugs into the amp,an amp sends the signal to the speaker, thus it amplifies the sound. It's still rock N' Roll.

  2. Kelly Samardak from Shortstack Photography, June 14, 2010 at 11:45 a.m.

    Thanks Chris! *shooting rainbow star* "The more you know..."

Next story loading loading..