Ignite Denver 20 Archives

Ignite Denver #20 recap!

September 12, 2015 Guest Writer

Ignite Denver #19 took place in a snowstorm in February. The skies opened up once again over Ignite Denver #20 in early June, soaking the street but not the pre-show eats of Biker Jim’s Dogs. A couple of well-placed oversize umbrellas kept the dogs & buyers dry.

The festivities began inside with a full lineup of speakers:

And our wonderful Master of Ceremonies, Kat Atwell, started the evening by telling us what Ignite Denver is about, and her experience as a performer.

Kat really likes these dancers. She is not one of those dancers.

The A Side started with Daniel Stones, delivering a message about raising his children

This is not one of Dan's children. — The one on the right is not one of Dan’s children.

Helene Kwong then entertained with stories about her time in San Francisco as a hot dog vendor.

Joanne Burke Peterson then told us how to delay procrastinating. (See what I did there?)

More monkeys. You're welcome. — More monkeys. You’re welcome.

And Elizabeth Boese showed us how to do what you love and love what you do.

Gabriel DiCristofaro rounded out the night’s opening by telling us about the reptile brain and black marbles therein.

The intermission was graced by the murder ballads & love songs of Charming Disaster, a duo featuring Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris

Charming Disaster - Ellia Bisker & Jeff Morris — Charming Disaster – Ellia Bisker & Jeff Morris

Once we returned to our seats, Ravi Raman began the B side by revealing the benefits of quitting your job and traveling the world.

Meridith Grundei exhorted us to get out and fucking play!

But not playing like W is playing with this baby.

Jacob Anderson told us what to tell your tech person.

We were taught the tools for coping in the world by Shelsea Ochoa

Love is all you need. And a few other tools.

The evening’s speakers concluded with Kerstin Caldwell explaining just how fucking brilliant we really are.

The only way we could keep the night rolling after such an engaging group of speakers was to rely on the energy and potency of the parlor rock of Kotorino.

After ten talks (plus Kat!) and two bands, we left the Oriental Theater a little wiser, a little more tipsy (it’s ok, we had designated drivers), and with many songs in our hearts. The rain had cleared and Ignite Denver would sleep until November 5, 2015, when we’ll meet back at the Oriental for Ignite Denver 21.

Be a presenter – submit a Spark!

Be an audience member – buy a ticket!

Watch all the videos from Ignite Denver 20 on YouTube!

Buy stuff from our awesome sponsors! Name.com | Grafenberg Productions | ReadyTalk |Sticker Giant |Geek Spirits

All photos ©Sam O'Daniel for Ignite Denver

Tuesday Two! Love for our Ignite Denver MCs

June 9, 2015 Guest Writer

The Spark presenters at Ignite Denver are the reason so many people come out to the events, time after time. However, we also have talented and thoughtful MCs like Jared Ewy and Kat Atwell who start our evenings off right and keep the proceedings rolling along all night.

Come see Kat on Thursday, June 11th (that’s the day after tomorrow!! Buy tickets!) as she leads us through another fantastic Ignite Denver. Make sure to bring your appetite for good food and good music, as we’ll have Biker Jim’s Dogs serving up tasty grub before/during the show and Kotorino serving up gorgeous tunes at the afterparty!

And here’s Jared opening up Ignite Denver #17!

See you Thursday at the Oriental Theater!!

Tuesday Two! Education Situation

May 26, 2015 Guest Writer

In this season of graduations, we pause to look back at Sparks that have the theme of education at their heart.

First up, Jeff Macco explains why we should treat college like a job, and not like school:

Next, Meg Jamison advocates for changing how we teach kids in order to provide the skills they will need to be innovators, not just memorizers:

There are two and a half weeks left until Ignite Denver 20, so get your tickets early and save money! See you Thursday June 11th at the Oriental Theater.

Final Presenter Workshop on Monday, May 18th!

May 15, 2015 Guest Writer

Submitted a spark but still a little nervous about getting onstage in front of hundreds of people? Fear not! The Ignite Denver crew has you covered with our final presenter workshop before Ignite Denver #20 this coming Monday, May 18th. The subject is “Giving A Good Presentation” and will take place at 6pm downtown at the ReadyTalk offices at 1900 16th St, Suite #600. We hope to see you there! And if for some reason you can’t make it, check out our Tips for Presenters page, which includes this video “Why and How to Give an Ignite Talk”:

Tuesday Two! Two Sparks from Ignite Denver #19

May 12, 2015 Guest Writer

In the run-up to ID#19 we had a feature called the Friday Five where we showcased videos from past Ignite Denver events. As we draw closer to Ignite Denver #20, we wanted to do the same thing, but on a smaller scale. Five videos a week (sometimes ten!) is a lot. We admit it. So, the Tuesday Two was born! Or is born today. Happy birthday, Tuesday Two.

While we’re on the subject of ID#20, make sure you vote for the Sparks you want to see next month! Also, you can still buy tickets for the show on Thursday, June 11th at early bird prices, so hop on that. It’s going to be a great show, what with the Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs food truck and after party & intermission music by Kotorino and Charming Disaster, respectively.

So in looking forward, we look back. Here are two videos from our sold-out Ignite Denver #19:

Mike Sales: What I learned from almost dying!

Laurie Seymour: Start Living “Inside-Out” Instead of “Outside-In”

Bonus Two! Here’s a video each from Kotorino and Charming Disaster!

Kotorino – “Into The Sky”

Charming Disaster – “I Know You Know”

We’re excited to see you all at the Oriental Theater in thirty days!

Biker Jim’s and Kotorino at ID20!

May 6, 2015 Guest Writer

Ignite Denver has two pieces of wonderful news for your mouth and ears! (I don’t know why that sounds dirty, but we’ll just let that slide)

#1 – Our confirmed food truck for Ignite Denver #20 on Thursday, June 11th is BIKER JIM’S GOURMET DOGS! Yes, the local legend will be gracing our taste buds with their wares! Along with their famous hot dogs – elk jalapeño, beef, vegan and others – they will be serving chips and sodas and condiments for the dogs. Come hungry!

#2 – National touring band Kotorino is returning to Denver to play the Ignite Denver #20 after party! We met the band during their 3-day stint in town back in late January/early February and thankfully convinced them to come back next month for our event. While the full band will play the after party, lead vocalists Jeff and Ellia’s side project Charming Disaster will grace the stage during intermission.

Educational speakers, gourmet hot dogs, and art jazz folk music. This is going to be the best Ignite Denver yet! You don’t want to miss this.

Early bird tickets are on sale now for only $5! Student tickets are only $3. Prices go up on June 6th, so don’t wait! We sold out in February and expect to do the same in June.

See you at the Oriental Theater on Thursday, June 11th!