Are you passionate about something you want to teach, show, explain, or share with other creative people in the Phoenix community? Take five minutes to tell us about you and your topic and we’ll put you in consideration for the next Ignite Phoenix!
NOTE: If you are looking to submit for Ignite Food, please head to the Ignite Food submission page.
If this is a pitch about a product or service you sell – STOP!
If this about motivation, coaching, or ways to be super wonderful – STOP!
If this is a personal hobby, obsession, interest, or fascination – CARRY ON!
We’re sure your product/service is great, but that’s not what Ignite Phoenix is about. We are looking for very real, tangible things people do (Building Miniature Giant Robots), they know (Taiko Drumming), they’ve tried (Paragliding), they’re starting (Year of Music) or they’ve studied (Thinly Slicing Brains). Share the things you really love, no matter how strange or obscure you think it might be!
For tips on making a great submission, check out this blog post or get your creativity flowing by checking out the list of submissions for Ignite Phoenix #11. Any topic is fair game, as long as it’s PG-13 and isn’t a sales pitch.
Now, on to the submission process! If you submit an idea, you agree that you:
- are able to speak on this topic in 5 minutes, not a second more.
- can create a 20-slide presentation to support your talk.
- allow your submission, presentation and a video of your talk to be posted online (your email address and phone number will be kept private).
- will not pitch or advertise for a product or business, even your own
- will adhere to the Rules & Guidelines for Ignite Phoenix!
Submissions are now open, and Ignite Phoenix #12 is coming up in the Spring so make sure to get those ideas flowing! Share with us, and our community, what you’re passionate about!
Go here to view the submissions we received for Ignite Phoenix #11 for some inspiration or read below to see the submissions we’ve received for Ignite Phoenix #12 coming up this May, 2012
| Stop Watching the News | |
| Presenter | Jason Carr |
| Biography | Husband. Father. Runner. Man of the people. Former news junky; Now liberated (mostly). |
| Description | The mind is a terrible thing to waste, and watching the news is a terrible way to waste it. TV news provides only the illusion of information and involvement. It builds up irrational fears, inhibits thinking, limits understanding, and misleads us systematically. So kick the habit. Ditch the brain crack. Stop watching the news. |
| Why the Wii is the Worst Thing to Happen to Videogames Since ET: The Videogame | |
| Presenter | Adam Burch |
| Biography | I am an avid videogame player, critic, and designer. I play way to many videogames for way to long periods of time. Videogames. Let me show you their brilliance. |
| Description | The Nintendo Wii has done irreparable damage to the mildly noble art of videogames. With it’s insanely high market penetration and weak library, the Wii has more-or-less cemented in the minds of the public the image of games as harmless distractions. They may never recover. |
| A Pox on Gamification | |
| Presenter | Adam Burch |
| Biography | I am an avid videogame player, critic, and designer. I play way to many videogames for way to long periods of time. Videogames. Let me show you their brilliance. |
| Description | Gamification – the alluring sensation that’s taking the world of game design by storm! From the hallowed halls of MIT to the Colbert Report spotlight, gamificationers promise a world with fewer bad habits, and greater happiness for all. But is what they promise real, or simply another opiate for the masses (PROTIP: THE LATTER) |
| Have you heard the word of GODHAND? | |
| Presenter | Adam Burch |
| Biography | I am an avid videogame player, critic, and designer. I play way to many videogames for way to long periods of time. Videogames. Let me show you their brilliance. |
| Description | There are videogames, there are videogames, and then there is GODHAND. A game so great, it got it’s creators fired, so brilliant all the major critics shunned it, GODHAND is at once all that is, was, and ever shall be, right (and wrong!) with videogames. Behold, the UR-GAME. |
| Space Giraffe: EAT FLOWERS WITH HOOVES MEANS GET BONUS | |
| Presenter | Adam Burch |
| Biography | I am an avid videogame player, critic, and designer. I play way to many videogames for way to long periods of time. Videogames. Let me show you their brilliance. |
| Description | Videogames may not have their Citizen Kane yet, but I have found thier Ulysses. Space Giraffe is at once baffling and familiar, beautiful and indecipherable, elegant and obtuse. It is not THE future of videogames; It is FROM the future of videogames. |
| Twitter: How 140 Characters Changed My Life (and can change yours too!) | |
| Presenter | Brie Copley |
| Biography | Twitter addict. Phoenix lover. Community supporter. |
| Description |
“Twitter is silly.” “What do you have to say that is so important?” “You probably tweet what you had for lunch.” “That’s only for famous people.” “Who has that much time?” “You meet people from Twitter?!” “What’s 140 characters?” “Do you take pictures of your food, too?” “Social media doesn’t change lives.” Or does it? It did mine. |
| Why We Can’t Be Negative Online | |
| Presenter | Brie Copley |
| Biography | I’m a 25 year old lover of Phoenix. I’ve found my community via twitter and enjoy meeting local people and supporting my beautiful city! I do my best to balance being authentic and genuine online, even when I’m having a bad day. |
| Description |
There is a stigma around negativity when posting online that prevents most of us from sharing what is really going on in our lives. With every tweet we send, we want to show others what an amazing life we lead! But what about when you need help?
This community isn’t just about good days, it’s also about the bad days! How can we help each other? |
| The Difference Between Training And Education | |
| Presenter | Fredi Lajvardi |
| Biography | I have been a teacher in the Phoenix Union High School District for 25 years and in that time I have lead some of the students at the school to do some pretty amazing things in the area of robotics. This experience along with my teaching has lead me to see whats missing in education in the United States and why it is so hard to make the change. |
| Description | American education is lost and many “experts” don’t even know how to save it. Funny that for something that has been in existence for almost as long as mankind, and for something we have continually done for just as long, we forgot how! The solution is easy and its staring us in the face! What will it take to get the “experts” to see it? |
| Today’s mass American political thought. Who are Americans? | |
| Presenter | Glenn Miller |
| Biography | I’m a returning Arizona resident as of 09 who graduated from High School here in Prescott and graduated from ASU with a BA in Political Science. I’ve mostly worked in sales including the health club industry in the Washington DC area. I’ve long been a political activist and am a former Chair of the greater Washington chapter of a national lobby. |
| Description | What do Americans really think on politics? What does liberal, conservative or progressive really mean? What is our heritage historically on these issues? I believe that my background studying American political thought and my experience making short and to the point sales presentations give me the ability to address these questions in five min. |
| Seriously, play dodgeball | |
| Presenter | Sam Pewitt |
| Biography | I am a wanderer, a dreamer, and a goofy somgun. I have been playing and organizing dodgeball events in Phoenix for over 5 years, and I wouldn’t change a bit of it. |
| Description | Big, small, short, tall, angry, glad, happy, sad. No matter who you are or what you do, dodgeball is the sport for you. Dodgeball has enjoyed a core group of enthusiasts for years, and it doesn’t need to be a small subculture any more. Let me show you why everyone should play dodgeball, the world’s greatest team sport. |
| Human Context and Our Story | |
| Presenter | Chris Cottrell |
| Biography | I’m 23, graduated from ASU in 2010 and currently daylight a corporate job, moonlight my own business and twilight in a graduate program. (There has to be a better word than twilight). I live in Tempe with my beautiful lab Emma and love learning about business and great ideas. |
| Description | I’m fascinated by each person’s story. Which is admittedly odd, because, I rarely take the time to hear it. When I meet someone new, I get very short but informative snapshots of who they are. The way they talk and dress all tell me things about who they are. But, more often than not, when I hear their life story, it shatters what I thought I knew. |
| A Capitalist’s View On An Energy Independent Nation | |
| Presenter | Mathew Sparkes |
| Biography | As a self-proclaimed free thinker, I have spent most of my adult life as a renaissance man working on various projects; some as large as how the universe first began and others as small as handheld UAVs. My most recent passion is energy, as I have spent a great deal of the past five years of my life working on renewable energy solutions. |
| Description | Since the 60’s the United States has been dependent upon foreign energy. This has cost our nation over 13 trillion dollars (according to Department of Energy figures) and this will continue until 2117, totaling over 170 trillion dollars. It’s our responsibility to use the free market to cut costs before this poses a larger detriment to our country. |
| Why You Should Marry for Love. And Food. And Love of Food. | |
| Presenter | Maisha Christian |
| Biography | A transplant from Las Vegas, NV (the City of Cheap Eats), I’ve been in the Phoenix Valley for almost 15 years. I’m an ASU Alumni and work as a marketing professional for a local construction company. I spend my off time loving my family, singing and teaching at church, and volunteering marketing services to local non-profits. |
| Description | Baking w/ kids, Thanksgiving w/ Grandma, Sunday dinners, church BBQ. Since so many relationship experiences include food, here’s my theory: Marrying for love is supreme; marrying with the common love of food is good insurance. You may not want to talk to someone, but you will eventually have to eat. Did I mention I’m marrying a chef in April 2012? |
| Buzzed and Beautiful | |
| Presenter | Susan Cope |
| Biography | I am Director of Catering at Fabulous Food Fine Catering and Events. I love to embrace all the small things in life. I live my life by a set of 21 rules. Rules include: See the art in life ,everything has something beautiful about it , Make new friends everyday, even if the friendship only lasts one conversation, Live life like you may die tomorrow |
| Description | I took away one clean line of perfect, jet black hair. With each pass, my nerves calmed. I thought to myself, this isn’t so bad. 600 seconds later, it was complete. I was free. I was buzzed. I was beautiful. And I was alive. Do something drastic, an activity that is 99% out of your comfort zone. You will feel like you can conquer the world. |
| The Lost Art of Cooking | |
| Presenter | Susan Cope |
| Biography | I am Director of Catering at Fabulous Food Catering and and Events. My passions are absorbing information of any kind, exercising until my body is beat up, local eating, rock climbing, spewing words for others to read and the small things in life. Life Lesson #12: Make funny noises constantly. |
| Description | Cooking seems to be a lost art. For me it is about knowing what goes into the dishes I prepare and watching the expressions of my friends and family as they enjoy home cooked meals. I like to know the story behind my food. Cooking is part of our heritage. It is unique to regions and has a local flare. |
| Change the world in 3 minutes or less through story | |
| Presenter | Park Howell |
| Biography | After being in the advertising business for 20 years – 2010 Ad Person of the Year in Metro Phoenix – I learned what really motivates us all into action: Crafting and telling compelling stories. I own Park&Co, and we use the power of story for our clients, on our employees, with our vendors, and to motivate our kids. |
| Description | Innately, we’re all storytellers. It’s what separates us from the rest of the mammals and primates. However, most of us don’t understand what makes a great story work. It took our son going to film school – and my subsequent interest and intense study into the power of story – to create the 9 steps that make every story work every time. |
| Taking back your impact. | |
| Presenter | Alexis Christoforides |
| Biography | I’m a scientific programmer that works in cancer genomic research and also a grad student at ASU. I eat things I find. |
| Description | As movements like Occupy Wall Street remind us that we have a right to be angry, it’s good to remember that our power is bigger than we think. Our money talks, often much louder than our protests. Learn about boycotting, about all the things you can keep local, and even about tax resistance. |
| Why I choose to have only one kid and everyone should just shut up about it. | |
| Presenter | Debra Plunkett |
| Biography | I’m a mom of one beautiful and perfect little girl. I battle with chronic people pleasing syndrome so I feel the need to prove to all the non-believers that my life is indeed complete, even if I do choose to discontinue procreating. |
| Description | We need tolerance for parents of onlies! No I didn’t have a bad pregnancy. No my child was not a terrible, temperamental baby. No trouble with the “systems” either. I love being mom, yet I don’t feel compelled to bring additional life into this world. My reasons are perfectly valid –so you all can leave me alone about how selfish and uncaring I am. |
| America Needs More Darn Passenger Trains | |
| Presenter | George Stupski |
| Biography | I am retired and live in Sedona. I have been an officer in the Merchant Marine, a school teacher, and a Geographic Information Systems Analyst. My dog and I do volunteer visits to retirement homes and Alzheimer’s units. I enjoy hiking and tennis. I use “Kevin Zahn” as a pen name and post samples of my writing on the site listed above. |
| Description | I have always loved trains. In my years at sea I have visited at least 40 countries and often rode trains while there. I know train travel could be a lot better here, and will tell how. It is absurd Metro Phoenix has 3M people, and not a single passenger train! I will entertain, educate and inspire people to be more progressive about this! |
| Expanding Light Rail: What Makes Sense | |
| Presenter | David Bickford |
| Biography | I write two blogs devoted to sharing the best of the area: PHX Rail Food is a guide to good eating along the light rail line that connects Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. PHX Trail Dude is a guide to less-traveled hikes in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. The common theme is a walking lifestyle, whether that walking occurs on city streets or desert trails. |
| Description | The 20-mile light rail line that connects Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa has been a success, with ridership exceeding forecasts and continuing to grow after three years of operation. The question now is how best to grow light rail to serve even more of the region. Hear one passenger’s view of which extensions, both planned and fantasy lines, make sense. |
| Archetypal Psychology and the Homeless Condition | |
| Presenter | Joshua Allen DeRusha |
| Biography | I’m a 27 y/o phoenix area B.A.R. Army Veteran who spent 6 months in Kirkuk Iraq before being dicharged. I didn’t witness any atrocities directly, my behavior in training resulted in a radio post on the FOB. I’ve been a writer and rapper for a decade now, forever perfecting the technique of speaking extremely fast. |
| Description | I am currently homeless, sleeping where I won’t be seen and subsisting on the leftovers people are generous enough to give. I am clean, sober, and as generous as I am able. I’d like to discuss the idea’s of Archetypal Psychology (James Hillman) as it relates to homelessness and the human need for security and comfort. |
| How living like a caveman changed my life | |
| Presenter | Dean Ouellette |
| Biography | Over the last year I have become very passionate about health and nutrition. Over the last three months I have also lost 30 pounds eating and exercising like a caveman. Also known as the Paleo diet. But it is so much more than a diet, it is a lifestyle, living like a caveman. |
| Description | Did you know if you took the history of man and put it on a football field you would only get to the agricultural part of our society during the last five yards. This is why we now have so many diet related health and obesity issues. |
