I’m wanting to start something like it in Austin. Some reference questions- how many people usually attend, out of how many members/invites? What activities usually work best (a big group dinner vs. just drinks, etc)? Is it all TA’s, or do you usually end up with a healthy mix of others as well (tehnically-minded artists and interested programmers), or is it more of a general industry get-together? How did you find the members (word of mouth, etc)?
Just looking for some ideas, having a local community (in addition to the online one) is really important and something I’d like to spend some time on over the winter. Thanks, guys, and keep it up!
Ross always sets up lunch; I don’t think we’ve tried a different format. Usually the lunch runs 1.5-2 hours, and we get together approximately every six weeks in rotating locations near studios. The invite list is over 30 people, and we see an attendance of at least half that. We’re almost exclusively TAs, though we’ve also seen a producer (who used to be a TA), a lead artist with TA leanings, and a few whose job titles don’t reflect their TA-ness.
I can’t add much more thgan what Bronwen said, but, I was toying with the idea to maybe develop some talking points to spur more of a round-table-ish vibe.
I wanted to ask you about my idea describved above, Bronwen, so here is as good a spot as any to start the discussion. I want to capitalize on the SEattle group’s success:
-Does it sound like a good idea? Fun?
-Would it work in a lucnhtime format?
-Would we need a moderator? Cuz that would kinda kill the vibe.
I guess the only unanswered question is: How did you find the members (word of mouth, etc)?
I know about 1 developer in many studios in the area, I asked them to get me the emails of their respective TA’s and then start broadcasting invites. We were lucky cuz Bronwen was excited as was seth, so they brought their respective TA homies and the group got big, fast.
Talking points could be really interesting. We’ve had one or two spontaneous discussions, but no one has really been thinking about it ahead of time.
I think it could work in a lunch setting, so long as we can split into smaller groups. Often the table is so long that we can’t hear people talking at the other end. Maybe two topics at once would be neat. I don’t think we need a moderator. If the topic devolves, it’s probably because we found something more interesting to talk about.
Not too many people have joined the forum yet (hopefully we’ll be able to push a few more into it after the next session), but pretty soon we’ll hopefully be able to drum up some interesting topics from the group.
Did you have somethings specific in mind for the coming meetup?