99U Local: Toronto
An evening of creative inspiration.
“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety nine percent perspiration.” — Thomas Edison
1% Inspiration
Earlier this year, Bailey, Janakan and I flew down to New York for the 99U Conference where we spent time getting inspired with developers, designers, marketers and inventors from every corner of the globe. The theme of the conference hasn’t changed since its inception in 2009: Making Ideas Happen. And while the team was there to soak up inspiration on a personal level (we’ve been reading 99U for years, and I’ve also written for Workbook), we were also there on company business - Splash Effect had been selected a few months earlier to stage one of the first ever 99U Localevents in our hometown of Toronto.
99% Perspiration
Toronto is a bustling, world-class hotspot for innovators, leaders, doers, makers and entrepreneurs. We’re the proud home of local success stories such as 500px, FreshBooks, Wave and Wattpad. We’re also an outpost for companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Uber and Shopify. We have in our backyard a handful of globally recognized accelerators and incubators such as The Digital Media Zone, MaRS Discovery District, The Next 36 and Extreme Venture Partners. We’re also cultivating an amazing amount of talent from our local schools which include Ryerson University, University of Toronto, OCAD University and the Schulich School of Business. We’re a collaborative, welcoming and connected city. Exchanging ideas, sharing best practices and celebrating our work is a core part of the Toronto startup culture — weekly/monthly events like Creative Mornings Toronto and Lean Coffee TO, as well as signature/annual events such as TEDxToronto, FITCand NXNE keep our close-knit community tied together. Our known network of creative professionals is somewhere in the ballpark of 80,000 strong. But in a city of 2.7 million people, many of whom could get behind Edison’s suggestion that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, the possibility to make Toronto’s 99U Local a fixture of the city is very real.
99U Local: Toronto
As the producers of 99U Local: Toronto, the Splash Effect team has worked hard to curate an incredible group of speakers for an intimate evening of creative inspiration. We’re thrilled to invite you to join us and learn how to kill it your creative career.
The program will feature short talks offering practical creative career and business advice from exceptional Torontonians who are making ideas happen:
Steve Carty (Artist @ Hermann Audrey)
Heather Payne (CEO @ HackerYou)
Randy Boyagoda (Director @ Zone Learning)
There will also be a panel on the topic of mentorship, featuring:
Gavin Shepard (Co-Founder @ The Remix Project)
Mustefa Jo’shen (Founder & CEO @ Design Cofounders)
Karla Moy (Arts Program Leader @ The Remix Project)
Che Kothari (Board Chair @ Manifesto Community Projects)
Nayani Thiyagarajah (Communications Coordinator @ Roots of Empathy)
Come for the road-tested, no-bullshit advice. Stay for the drinks, food, and networking.
About 99U: Local
The creative world wants and needs real-world lessons and support for their careers. 99U Local was created to help foster creative growth in communities around the world, so that readers could meet and connect offline and in person. Toronto was selected among a handful of global destinations to be part of the the 99U Local movement. We’re currently in a golden period of creativity — an arts, culture, tech and startup renaissance. You are an accomplished creative and a leader in your field. And we want you to share actionable, practical insights about how to build an incredible, creative career. You can watch examples of talks curated at 99u.com/videos.
About 99U: Local
The creative world wants and needs real-world lessons and support for their careers. 99U Local was created to help foster creative growth in communities around the world, so that readers could meet and connect offline and in person. Toronto was selected among a handful of global destinations to be part of the the 99U Local movement. We’re currently in a golden period of creativity — an arts, culture, tech and startup renaissance. You are an accomplished creative and a leader in your field. And we want you to share actionable, practical insights about how to build an incredible, creative career. You can watch examples of talks curated at 99u.com/videos.
About Splash Effect
Splash Effect is a Toronto-based digital agency. They help forward thinking brands and leading colleges & universities to supercharge their communications and build online communities. Learn more @ splasheffect.ca
About Design Cofounders
Design Cofounders provides design education via DC Edu, business + design consulting via the DC Studio, and drives impact and innovation through DMC: Design Makes Change initiatives. Learn more @ designcofounders.com
