2014 Wrap Up

We had an amazing year this year. We had several failures and many great wins. As we move into 2015, we wanted to review what we did this year.

New Friends and Supporters – First off, this year we gained a lot of new friends and supporters throughout the Silver Spring community. We appreciate everyone who has visited the site, attended an event, gave us advice, tweeted a link, shared a post, or just shared a laugh. Silver Spring is fertile ground for us to grow a community-oriented business, and we can’t express our appreciation enough.

Hired Nate Fisher – A new transplant hailing from Millersville, Nate brings great personality and creativity bolstered by his education in dramatic writing. Fresh eyes on the scene also lend a much needed perspective to our efforts. Nate is the brain behind our podcast Movie Nightcap, he manages all the online content that you see on the site, plus manages the Google+ page. His biggest project is still in the works behind the scenes, but you can follow his antics on Twitter at @heeey_nate

Nine Contributors –  We have nine contributors to the site, each offering their own perspective, voices and expertise. As we originally had planned, we wanted to offer a platform through which community members could exercise their creative chops without having to maintain or market their work. We’re happy and proud to be working with, Megan Moriarty, Amina Ahmad, Jonna Huseman, Abe Saffer, Jessica Sillers, Christy Batta, and Sam Dublin, Joy Andrews, and Rachel Brumberger from Third Space Wellness. Want to to contribute? Email us!

Located Offices in Creative Colony – Having had a close relationship with Creative Colony since their interest Meetup, and having very similar missions, it was a natural fit for us to locate our offices in their facilities. It’s allowed us to network, build and collaborate in ways you could only find at their awesome coworking space. Take a tour, sign up for a 3-day trial, and see what work could be.

Regular Content – We have several pieces of regular content with more to come. We have two separate podcast:

Movie Nightcap – We get together with a group of people to check out an (oftentimes older) movie. Three to four of us then drink booze. We then record us rambling incoherently about it for 45-60 minutes.

Wellness Unlocked – We partnered with our friends at Third Space Wellness to produce a podcast about health and wellness from Silver Spring’s local experts. Please subscribe, rate and comment.

We also have:

Events Round Up – Check out a curated list of the illest events going on in Silver Spring, brought to you by Megan Moriarty.

ARTicle – A roughly monthly piece highlighting art exhibits and artists in Silver Spring. Have a suggestion that we should cover? Email us!

Two regular events

PechaKucha – Not hip to PechaKucha? It’s a social event somewhat like TED, except not as lofty, and the presentations follow a 20 x 20 format (20 slides, each 20 seconds). Running from 7-9PM, It’s  a great way to spend Friday evening either as a stand alone or as a pregame to a local bar. Come out and join us for the next one, and email us if you are interested in presenting or sponsoring.

TweetUp – Are you on Twitter? If you are and haven’t made it to the Silver Spring TweetUp (#SSpringTweetUp), you’re missing out. We’ve held two TweetUps, so far, one at Mrs. K’s and the second at Denizen’s Brewing Co. and we’ll do more in 2015. Instead of simply tweeting at an avatar and handle, come out and meet people you interact with on Twitter, enjoy drink/food specials, win prizes, and maybe do the Running Man.

One Annual Event – April 2014, we held our first major event that went over with great success. Our Silver Spring City Wide Easter Egg Hunt was the first of many annual events to come, and we drew nearly 1,000 people from the greater DC area. We got a chance to showcase the artwork of four local artists, get residents into businesses, and promote a great daytime activity.

We’ve got big plans for 2015, and we want you to come along for the ride. Want to know what’s in store?

Pete Tan

Silver Spring Inc

A DC Native, people say I'm rude and abrasive; I say I'm passionate. I've been working in marketing since 2005. My brothers and I paid Geppi's rent through the 80s and 90s. My relief at an indoor wavepool never materializing in Silver Spring is balanced by my disappointment that City Place has dozens of shuttered storefronts. I love what you've done with your hair.