• by Kelly Samardak , November 10, 2010

Netshelter Party, The Park, New York
November 9, 2010

Last night I went to a party.  Shocking, I know.

I got the invitation...well, wait, that's not totally how it went.  Someone at Netshelter emailed my OG +1, Gail Hilton with an invitation to their "Holiday Mixer" asking her to pass it on to me.  I'm a sucker for holiday mixers.  No one attends those things in a grump.  And if you show up in a funk, red velvet bows, tinkly lights, and non-denominational décor will yank you right out of it.  So of course I clicked through the eventbrite link to see who else would be attending.

Lots of agency names were listed and I also saw Mashable's Sharon Hirsch mixed in, so I knew a familiar face would be present.  But I was also confused.  Because the header said "NetShelter's 'Most Influential'  NYC Tech Mixer #netshelternyc Top Publishers in Mobile, IT and Consumer Electronics"  So... do the quotes around "most influential" mean they're not really?  And... what happened to the holiday!?  My desire to attend started to waver at the sight of "most influential" because usually -- you know it's true -- "most influential" parties are attended by self-definers. But Netshelter's Dana Oshiro's "we're real people" response on Twitter pushed me over to the "attend" side. 

I was just at The Park last week for the comScore ad:tech NY party and it might be my new favorite place.  I just hop on the L, and bink! There I am. Plus, I love the secret-treehouse feel of that place.  Last night they had really cranked up the fireplaces and heat lamps.  I was sweating like a boiled turkey within minutes.  I doubt I was sweatier than @ADroidian and his Droid-hat-wearing homies, Russell Holly and Matt Abdou, though.  As soon as I saw their Droid hats, I felt I needed to gush to them about my Angry Birds update and other such things, assuming they were Droid developers or employees.  I'm still not sure what their situation is.

Thought Equity Motion's Content Sales Managers Gail Hilton and Alli Wolf were there talking with Joe McDonough, Regional Sales Manager, East, NetShelter Technology Media.  I also met Pirouz Nilforoush, Sourabh Hajela of CioIndez, and Matthew Sullivan of Dennis Publishing.  I found Patrick Florestal of Havas, Andreas Deleon of Havas, and Caeson Potter of Headstrong  in the woodsy, cedar-smelling back room.  I also shot Gilt Groupe's Rolf Hanson and Matt Crocker of Rdio.  Getting those guys to look at the camera at the same time was a challenge I wasn't expecting.

It was hard to break into the small pockets that this small party had broken into, so I made a pretty quick exit.  I still have no idea what the party was for, since my email inquiry has gone unanswered so far.

Also, Nightlife Reporting Tip #89.27: Do not consume an entire bushel of sautéed kale before covering a party.

Tomorrow night I'll be covering the Pearl Awards, which are presented by the Custom Content Counsel (used to be Custom Publishing Council, but that must sound too much like paper).  The Pearl Awards celebrate the best in custom content like American Airlines Publishing, Story Worldwide, and Time Inc. 

I'll cut out a little early because around 8 p.m., the night gets just a little more fabulous with the relaunch party/5^th Anniversary combo for ConcreteLoop.com, a black entertainment blog.  The Belvedere sponsor + super swank Hiro Ballroom venue = ridiculous fun and photos.  I can't wait! 

It's too bad T.I. can't leave Georgia or I'd be crossing my fingers for his celebrity guest status.  Goapele will be performing, and then everyone can thank DJ Tiger Lilly for booty-moving late-night rambunctiousness.  I certainly hope the snot tsunami I'm wrestling with today is gone by tomorrow!

Photos are up on Flickr!