Randy Stewart

15 years ago today…

On December 7, 2006 the very first Ignite Seattle was held at the Capitol Hill Art Center (CHAC) in Seattle. I wasn’t one of the organizers, but I was there for that magical night 15 years ago. There were over 350 folks packed into a tiny space meant for about half that many. It was crowded, it was hot, and it was chaotic but it was obvious to me that I was experiencing something special.

The conceit was simple – give a 5 minute talk with 20 slides, but the slides would auto-advance every 15 seconds and while a lot has changed in 15 years we remain true to our format.

The talk topics of the first Ignite Seattle were pretty tech industry focused, but it was clear that everyone who spoke that night was passionate about their subject matter (another requirement for a great Ignite talk). We experienced many delightful talks including:

Bre Pettis showing off some Make Project Disasters
Arlo Speedwagon discussing Mortality and User Experience
Jordan Schwartz teaching us how to make our own SMS service
Shelly Farnum showing off Dorkbot Seattle
Beth Kolko talking about how Info Tech in the Developing World
and roughly 20 more talks that night (including our very own Scott Berkun talking about innovation) and a popsicle stick bridge building contest.

I left that night intellectually overstimulated and exhausted (in the best possible way), but I also left wanting to be a part of the event in some capacity. I started working on Ignite just prior to the 4th event the very next year.

Bre Pettis and Brady Forrest – Ignite Seattle’s Progenitors

All photos from this event appear courtesy of Laughing Squid and you can see more on his Flickr feed here.

Submit Your Talk

It’s been a fun ride working on Ignite and Ignite has survived and flourished while living through an economic downturn, moving to 4 different venues (5 if you count the beautifully remodeled Town Hall) and now a global pandemic. And that’s why we need YOU to submit a talk to our next (in person, at Town Hall) event planned for February 17th, 2022. We’re thrilled to be in a place where so many are vaccinated, boosted and craving some social interaction and entertainment.

If you’ve ever thought about standing on the Ignite Seattle stage, now is the time to submit your talk and help bring us back to Town Hall, Seattle and the world!

Submit your Ignite talk today

While a lot has changed since way back then, the magic of Ignite Seattle hasn’t faded for me and I know a lot of you feel the same. I’m overjoyed to be planning our next event and I can’t wait to see all of you there.

Top 10 Ignite Seattle Talks of 2019

2019 was a fantastic year for Ignite Seattle! Here are a few highlights:

The event moved back into our old home at the beautifully renovated Town Hall Seattle.
We added new volunteers to the team.
We started a podcast.
We had our first open mic.
We had two new guest emcees.
We became a 501(c)(3) organization!

Thanks to the 35 amazing speakers who shared their stories on our stage and made 2019 an amazing year for Ignite Seattle. We had 226 talk submissions in 2019 and from that list we chose 35 of those speakers.

From that list, I give you our favorite talks of 2019:

I Like Your Shoes, Wanna Be Friends? – Nadine Khoury
Making friends later in life can be tough, especially when you’ve moved to a new place (and maybe doubly so if that place is Seattle). Nadine gives some great tips on making friends.

Saving the Planet With Your Fork – Mary Purdy
Mary is a licensed nutritionist and she gives great tips for eating better for the planet’s sake (and for your own). Spoiler: you don’t have to give up bacon.

Does This p-value Make My Lies Look Good? – Josh Jelin
Josh’s cleverly titled talk shows us how others lie with numbers and how you can too! NOTE: one of those statements is false.

I’m the Weirdo Who Left the Elevator Note – Sixta Morel
Sixta moved to Seattle from the Dominican Republic and found Seattleites a little, um, different than people in her home country. The Seattle freeze is real and Sixta shares how we can melt it a little more.

Cats, Rats, A.I., Oh My! – Ben Hamm
Ben’s talk was one of the most viewed talks in Ignite Seattle’s history. You’ll see why when he shows you how he built his smart cat door using off-the-shelf parts and a little cloud based machine learning know how.

A Transgender Band Walks Into A Rural Olympic Peninsula Bar… – Ginger Chien
I’m pretty sure that their wasn’t a dry eye in the room for Ginger’s talk about her journey to (what she thought would be) an unwelcoming place.

An Immigrant’s Battle – Salome Munyaka
What’s in a name? Kenyan-born Salome Munyaka’s light hearted talk details her challenges moving to the United States and teaches ways that you can make an immigrant’s life a little bit easier.

Convincing People: An Attorney’s Guide to Negotiation — Alexander Theoharis
Isn’t your way the best way? Alexander Theoharis outlines 3 methods of always getting your way (without the other side losing).

The Unbearable Lightness of Being… – Bruce Dawson
Do you ever get tired of going the same way to work every day? Ignite Seattle alum, Bruce Dawson got carried away answering that question by getting other people to do all the heavy lifting 😉

OCD is a Family Affair – Melissa Reaves
Melissa delivers an intense personal story about what it’s like living with OCD both as person who has it and parenting a child that is learning to manage it.

Dating Tips from a Former Dominatrix – Miss Kaila Yi
What do a dungeon and the dating world have in common? Veteran dominatrix, Miss Kaila Yi outlines what she’s learned from her career and how it applies to having more fulfilling relationships.

Whew… what a year 🙂

We’re looking forward to a fantastic 2020 and our next event is February 27th at Town Hall Seattle. Buy your tickets now.

Ignite Seattle 2018 Holiday Buyer’s Guide

Struggling to find a gift for the Ignite Seattle fan (or soon to be fan)? Maybe you’d like to support the speakers you’ve seen this year? You’re in luck! Many of this year’s speakers have the perfect gift to put a little bit of Ignite cheer under the tree and remind you of the amazing talks we had in 2018.

ROPOS and the Underwater Volcano

Want to get your kids (or nieces and nephews) excited about undersea exploration? Check out Dana Manalang’s talk, Oceans and Robots and Volcanoes, Oh My! and consider picking up her book, ROPOS And The Underwater Volcano. –$14

Discovering Seattle Parks: A Local’s Guide

Know someone who is new to Seattle or looking to spend a little more time exploring our amazing parks? Linnea Westerlind wrote the book on it! Discovering Seattle Parks: A Local’s Guide has details on 100 parks, is organized by neighborhood with illustrated maps and full color photos. –$15

Walking to the End of the World

We traveled afar with Beth Jusino’s talk to Northern Spain where she spent 79 days walking over 1000 miles on her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. If you know someone who wants to get away from it all while breaking in those new hiking boots, Beth’s memoir of her journey Walking to the End of the World: A Thousand Miles on the Camino De Santiago. –$14

For many of us, the holidays means giving tech support to those who need it the most: our families. Zac Cohn’s talk showed us how not to be the least secure gazelle by using the same password over and over again. The (somewhat ironically named) password manager 1Password is what he (and I) recommend for creating and managing passwords. They have apps for Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS to keep your passwords secure and in sync. 1Password is $36 a year for individuals and $60 for families of 5 or fewer.

Donate to SISCA

Earlier this year, Maryam Hosseini showed us how one guy can make you less racist She’s an active member of SISCA , a group that works here in Seattle to “reverse hostility between the United States and Iranian governments by developing people-to-people relationships.” You can support SISCA by becoming a member for only $5 a year.

Videos and Photos from Ignite Seattle 30

Ignite Seattle 30 was an amazing event and if you weren’t there, we’ve got you covered: all the amazing talks are now on youtube. If you were there like me, and it all just crashed over you like ocean waves, you might have forgotten some of the great stories we shared. Here’s your chance to go re-live the event.

Thanks once again to Bootstrapper Studios and Punch Drunk for their excellent video work at the event. You can see the full playlist of all 16 talks here.

Here are a handful of photos taken at Ignite, but you can view all the photos from Ignite Seattle 30 in our Flickr Pool here. Thanks to Morgen Schuler Photography for taking photos with me once again.

Submit a talk to Ignite Seattle 30

Want to speak at the next Ignite? While you can always get an extension for doing your taxes, we’re firm with our submission deadline of this Friday, April 15th.

Ignite Seattle 30 will be held Thursday, May 26th 2016 at the beautiful Town Hall Seattle, but without your submissions, we’d just be staring at our navels. And as interesting as that sounds, I’m sure you’ve got something more interesting to tell the 900+ people who show up to our sold out events.

SUBMIT YOUR TALK HERE

We’d love to have YOU on the Ignite stage.

Own Time or Die Trying – Ahsan Kabir

From Ahasan:

“So much to do, so little time. And really, we don’t use that time as well as we could. Ahsan discusses some of what he’s learned about planning his time in his quest to finish things.”

About Ahsan

Ahsan Kabir makes software, mostly. He obsesses about what makes for good experiences in software, ice and everything else. He posts occasionally at aephemera.com and you can find him on Twitter @aephemera.

Save the planet- eat a bug! – Virginia Emery

From Virginia:

“Why would you want to eat insects?

1) Curiosity- Insects are delicious!

2) Bulldozers move faster than biologists- and insects are a more environmentally friendly protein than other meats we eat!

3) Progress only happens when we challenge our preconceptions. Step out of your comfort zone- why not eat a bug?!”

About Virginia

Virginia Emery is an insect entrepreneur working to build the edible insect industry and change the way Americans think about protein.

Traveling Alone: And So Can You – Danna Klein

From Danna:

I learned to drive stick during a thunderstorm on a dirt road in rural Brazil. I discussed the future of the Castro regime while drinking rum on the back porch rocking chairs of the home of a Cuban couple who took me in like family for two weeks. I probably would not have had any of these experiences if I wasn’t traveling alone, allowing myself to be open to people and places in a way that brought companionship precludes.

About Danna
Danna Klein uses spreadsheets to keep track of almost everything. Her current obsessions are national parks, Michelin starred restaurants, Cascade hiking, and complaining about the people who moved to Seattle after her. She works at Mixpo, an ad tech startup, as a product marketer.

Operation Honest Day’s Work – Norman Bell

Earlier this year Norman decided to work on his work ethic and started an experiment he called Operation: Honest Day’s Work. Over the course of 80 days, Norman made some surprising discoveries that have helped him engage at work, and improve his work ethic, productivity and peace of mind. He’s excited to share his findings with you.

About Norman

Norman Bell is an award-winning public speaker, performer, presentation coach, and expert communicator who has used his communication skills to help Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and AT&T, as well as PBS travel show host Rick Steves. As an actor, he played opposite Academy Award-winner Christian Bale in “The Machinist” and wrote, co-produced and starred in the popular solo show, “SUBPRIME!” As a speaker coach, Norman has worked with social entrepreneurs competing in the Social Venture Partners Fast Pitch.

How Coming to the US Taught Me to Embrace Worry – Kevin Obbayi

From Kevin –

Growing up in a developing country, I tended to worry about my future. I had this idea in my head that if I joined college in the US, that not only will my dreams come true but life would be easy and worry free. Coming to the US taught me that regardless where you live in the world, stress and worry can be part of normal life and a great motivator to accomplish your dreams.

About Kevin

Kevin Obbayi in his own words:

I am a business analyst working for a Seattle based digital agency. I love working in web and mobile development industry. I enjoy good espresso and meaningful music. And when its not raining I longboard… oh, and I love to travel whenever I get the chance.