May 6, 2009

Biznik's "Shine" video networking event May 6 in Fremont

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Are you deciding to set up your own business? Need an eye-catching way to help get yourself noticed in the job market? Then you'll want to drop by the Fremont Studios tonight between 5 and 10 p.m. for the Biznik "Shine" event.

As I mentioned last month, the Seattle-based online entrepreneur community called Biznik.com is conducting a video project about local businesspeople in the Puget Sound region. This evening, Biznik will set up several cameras that will be operated by professional videographers who will conduct three- to five-minute interviews with various attendees about their career stories -- how they got started, projects they are working on, their job histories, problems they have overcome, etc.

While this event is geared mostly toward self-employed entrepreneurs, it is also a great way to network and get your story across to corporate hiring managers. Each participant interviewed at Shine will walk away with a high-quality video presentation about themselves, their professional triumphs and future career plans that can be used in whatever manner that person wishes. The videos can become a nice complement to a personal Web site and can be linked to digital résumés.

Biznik, however, will also take portions of these interviews and stitch them into a feature-length movie about Seattle's entrepreneurial scene, called "Shine," which will be completed by late spring or early summer. Because of this film project, Biznik is requiring all attendees to fill out a recording release form. The form can be filled out at the event, but copies can be downloaded here and brought to the Shine event to speed the processing.

As of this morning, there were 578 RSVPs for the Shine event, but Biznik co-founder Dan McComb says the Fremont Studios facility can hold more than 1,000, so there's plenty of room. Interviews, however, will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to get there early. There will also be a $5 entrance fee to cover the venue and production costs; all remaining funds generated will be donated to Northwest Harvest.

McComb estimates that there will be time to record about 240 interviews during the five-hour event. But even if you can't make it tonight or are unable to get an interview recorded in time, Biznik is accepting your own videos that can be uploaded to a YouTube site they have created (see here for details on how to conduct do-it-yourself interviews, plus a list of sample questions).

Check back here on Hire Ground or at the Biznik.com site for updates about the film premiere and to find out if your video made the cut. I hope to see you there under the lights tonight.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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1 Comments

Dan McComb on May 6, 2009 11:26 AM | Reply

Thanks for passing along the word about this event, Randy. And for anyone who can't make the event tonight, you can still tell your story - grab a camcorder and record your own 3-5 minute story, and upload it to http://www.youtube.com/group/shinestories. And remember, tell us your REAL story! The world is not hungry for another well-rehearsed sales pitch. Every small business is an act of self expression. Your business grows from something deep inside you. What is it?

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