It’s safe to say that social networking today is the once had-to-be-in Chamber of Commerce. If you’re in business you know you have to be on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinerest, period. People want to type in your name, see your face, your work, your birth date and your business resume. Hipster entrepreneurs have it easy, no Wednesday business lunches, mandatory brainstorming sessions in order to grow the chamber membership, or monthly dues or endless meetings with people you would never sit in the same room with under any other circumstance.
Scott Nash (above) needed a network and he searched. He couldn’t find what he foresaw as the ultimate way to connect with peers. So, he created perhaps the only model for an online chamber of commerce where clients and colleagues can find a person in one click and determine with a yes or no a future working relationship.
His vision was to have a portal for creative people, i.e., an online directory, if you will, populated by professional profiles. His goal was for connecting individuals, businesses and ideas into an active network for artists and other creatives from a wide variety of industries. Relying on his experience and years creating/designing networking opportunities for the community, Scott developed ConnectwithCreatives.com, an online 24/7 networking connect site. Here’s how he explained it last week as we sat in the Crema Coffee Shop at 28th & Lawrence and drank their dark coffee and delish chocolate croissants.
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The definition of how we do business today.
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections. A social network service consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. from the internet
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Scott: I launched ConnectwithCreatives.com at the Create Denver Event last May (2012). It was an off shoot of my ‘Tall Zebra’ internet design & development company. Because I wanted and needed creative connections, I thought it was time to bring together an assortment of individuals to learn about other creatives through an online directory/website. CwC was started from scratch. I came up with 33 creative categories like design, film, theatre, writing, promotion. It was my intention that each user to be able to list three categories under their name, because today, we all know, creatives can and do everything from writing scripts to cartooning all in a day’s work. Just ask one.
DAM: People will want to know the price and how it will benefit them. Do you have free listings?
Scott: There is a free listing option, but most people opt for a SPOTLIGHT listing, which has a one time set-up fee of $44. This includes a photo and profile. Members create their profile with a bio, photos, career history or business and services description. Each member is invited and informed of upcoming networking events and encouraged to do a presentation and promote their business at these get togethers. We’re expanding opportunities already. In March, I am launching the companion website ColoradoCreativeNews.com. This is where members can post articles, press releases, events or crow-funding projects and allows people to quickly view the SPOTLIGHT profile of the contributor. It is an easy way for creatives to get their name out there, all while helping promote news pertaining to the creative community. CCN will also serve as storage for press releases, an online resource for publications and, we’ve set up a way for creatives to make money from referrals.
DAM: Tell me more about the free listing option.
Scott: It is minimal information but all the same, CwC is a site where I expect clients to search for creatives as well as services. If you are in the business of creativity, I encourage you to go to www.connectwithcreatives.com and at least input your name, business and talent/s on the free listing page.
DAM: How much research did you do before creating this site?
Scott: I looked for months for something like Connect with Creatives and found nothing. It was my desire to connect with other creatives that led me to designing CwC. The purpose of CwC is for creative people to stay in touch with each other, and help each other connect. That’s what I wanted initially. So I started it myself.
DAM: Any success stories yet?
Scott: Yes, People love that it’s unique and just about creatives. There’s Norman Dillon, a photographer in the RiNo district, who has gotten business from the CwC website, Vicki Hazelett, a video editor is very pleased and, Laura Copperthwaite, a real estate agent for artists is happy to be able to stand-out in the creative community. With the launch of ColoradoCreativeNews.com, I suspect we’ll hear more successes. I think creatives will have to get more creative and find the extra time to promote themselves with press releases on CCNews.
DAM: Where do you see Connect with Creatives in five years?
Scott: I hope to develop other sites such as this for other major cities.
office of Connect with Creatives in Lower Downtown
Connect with Creatives is a unique gathering for like-minded professionals geared specifically to appeal to artists, designers, stylists, photographers, writers and their need for self promotion.
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