Midcoast Magnet... Who, What, Why, How

Midcoast Magnet develops leaders in support of innovative projects that foster creativity, livability and economic vitality.

We're a non-profit organization of people dedicated to vibrant culture, entrepreneurship, and socially and professional networking.

Juice Conference: The Juice Conference is bi-yearly conference held in Camden. Juice is a forum for the exchange of ideas, the sharing of success stories, and the development of strategies for Maine’s future. Juice connects leaders of the creative economy to foster growth and prosperity. By weaving together the arts, technology, and entrepreneurship, Juice inspires innovation by bringing talented people together from widely different backgrounds to build on Maine’s traditions. Juice 3.0 November 11-12, 2011 www.juiceconference.org

Pecha Kucha: Pecha Kucha Night is an internationally recognized event based on a unique presentation style in which artists, designers and other creative individuals share twenty images, or each image. Pecha Kucha Night Rockland spans the midcoast, from Thomaston to Belfast, and strengthens community by bringing people of all ages together to consider ideas and images presented by various creatives in our area.

Build Green Maine: Build Green Maine was originated by Midcoast Magnet with the intention of connecting practitioners in the various areas of green building and renewable energy with each other and with homeowners and other stakeholders in Maine’s. BGM is currently going through a transformation. To learn more about it contact George Callas.

Juice Boxes: We want to keep the conversation moving in the creative economy and between Juice conferences. In support of this effort we will be producing quarterly events, called “Juice Boxes”. Each Juice Box will be crafted with specific sectors of the creative economy in mind, at least two sectors, bringing them together, having speakers, panelists, a dialogue or theme to be continued from Juice, the ability to walk away with a new or improved skill, and ample time to network. The sectors focused on, but not limited to, are: the arts, entrepreneurship, investment, fundraising, networking, technology, and innovation.

Wanna Social Network… In Real Life?: We held some focus groups last year and it became apparent to us that the 20/30 demographic in Midcoast Maine wants to be more involved. We have designed some events to bring them together to socialize, network and tell them more about the events we have coming up. We had the kick off event in March at Billy’s Tavern and it was a great success! We will be having more. These events are not meant to exclude, but actually the opposite – they’re meant to include! Learn more on our website or facebook.

Monthly Networking Events: Midcoast Magnet will broadcast events happening within the community and invite interested parties to go to the event together. At least one of our board members will be there to welcome and network with you. The outings range from art walk nights, plays, techy gatherings, and more. Let us know if you have an event you would like to promote and we will add it to our calendar and put it in our newsletter.
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Many Ways To Get Involved...

• Start coming to events! Email info@midcoastmagnet.com to get on the list. You will receive updates on upcoming MM events, as well as other happenings in the Midcoast and beyond.

• Stay tuned for the new www.midcoastmagnet.com - we will be announcing it soon.

• Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/midcoastmagnet

• Join our board: The Midcoast Magnet board is always expanding and always looking for people that want to contribute. We would love to meet with anyone interested! Email Amber Heffner and come to our next board meeting.

• Join a committee: We welcome volunteers for all of our programs! You don’t have to be a board member to join a committee. Contact the Committee Chair for more information.

Pecha Kucha: mary.bumiller@bangor.com

Build Green Maine: georgemcallas@msn.com
Juice Boxes: kimberlycallas@mac.com
Monthly Networking: jasiecostigan@yahoo.com
Juice 3.0: aheffner@littleharbortech.com
Fundraising: skip.bates@bangor.com
Social Networking: jasiecostigan@yahoo.com

What Is The Creative Economy?

By: George Callas

The 2009 Juice 2.0 Conference: Building Maine’s Innovation Networks brought together a great cross section of Maine’s leadership under the banner of the Creative Economy. We at the Midcoast Magnet have been buzzing about the roles that creative types can play in developing our state’s future, ranging from gubernatorial candidates and legislators to artists, bankers to technologists, builders and preservationists to dancers, educators to social networkers and so on, The connections and hats worn vary and run the gamut.

The Creative Economy, like the weather, is something that everyone seems to have an opinion about. With vague notions about what it actually is, it is hard for individuals and organizations to coordinate activities and commit resources towards its advancement.

The first level attempt to define the creative economy is deciding who makes up the creative class; the economic agents of creativity. Right out of the gate, we tend to think of the artists, isn’t all of their work creative? But in the core, the artists are also joined by the scientists, engineers, architects, designers, and software developers, along with those in the entertainment, education and music fields. However, another tier to the creative class is the broader group of creative professionals in business and finance, law, government and healthcare. Anyone who has followed stories around hedge funds, Ponzi schemes or Enron has some idea just how creative people in these disciplines can be. Finally, the third tier to the creative class is one not typically associated with creativity at all; factory and service workers. We all can attest to circumstances and stories where people in these positions went above and beyond to create solutions to customer problems. Tapping the creativity of workers in repetitive task positions has helped many firms excel in productivity and profits.

While there are traditionally defined creative-types in the economy, virtually any person in any kind of job can help further the creative economy cause. The conclusion is that creativity is “the ultimate economic resource”, but it draws crucially on our ordinary abilities. In this light, perhaps the ubiquitous buzz from Juice was to be expected, everyone was excited in their own way about their own field.

The crucial point and question here is if Maine wants to redefine itself along the lines of the creative economy does that mean we have to create certain kinds of jobs? Well yes, and no. On the one hand, having more scientists doing more research certainly helps. On the other hand, cultivating the creative potential in people throughout Maine’s economy also helps. This is where the Juice Conference comes into play; if nothing else it keeps alive creativity by “frequent and random collisions of people and ideas.” But, it is more than that, during the Perfect Pitch competition at this year’s conference over 40 Maine start-ups connected with bankers and venture capitalists, while honing their presentation skills.

If the creative economy can be developed both by developing “creative” jobs and by actively cultivating the creative capacity of ordinary people, what then can help Maine distinguish itself? This gets to the heart of the Creative Economy question and the answer turns out to be a traditional one: Place. It turns out that creativity flourishes in socially stable environments that nonetheless provide opportunities for random inspiration and the display of quality work. While this tends to be more available in major metropolitan areas, where individuals can circulate through social circles and following veins of attraction or inspiration, many come to Maine because they want to be in Maine. It is harder here to move in quasi-anonymity, alone with inspirations, without running into several people you know.

From a classical Creative Economy perspective Maine may not be socially great for the creative type. But, this is where organizations like the Midcoast Magnet come into play. The Magnet brings together people in decidedly creative vocations around its core activities, we don’t just hang out, we do stuff. And the stuff we do! Pecha Kucha, that funky Japanese creative showcase has attracted over 1,000 participants thus far around the Midcoast region, introducing leading-edge creative economy practitioners in a wide array of fields. The Juice Conference provides a concentrated form of creative stimulation across many fields and regions, from both inside and outside of Maine. The Magnet’s Juice Box events represent a scaled down version of this function across specified vocational fields. And all these events inspire participants to more deeply plumb their creativity storehouse and actively cultivate that precious economic resource.

Perhaps here we practice a more mature brand of the creative economy. What we may lack in streetscape fluidity and anonymity, we make up for with landscape beauty and endurance of engagement among creatives. Perhaps being in relationship with people whose creativity is on the go and growing more than compensates for the chance to substitute friends and stimulations. While big investments to create decidedly creative jobs is a fine thing, growing indigenous creative networks will probably in the long run do more to remake the face of Maine’s future economy.

Submitted By: George Callas - Midcoast Magnet Treasurer and President of Build Green Maine

Collaboration is Key

Written By Amber Heffner
From Little Harbor Technology's Blog

I had a meeting today in Augusta on behalf of Midcoast Magnet with our partners for Juice 2.0. This was our wrap up meeting to identify success but maybe better opportunities for improvement. The meeting started off with a bang with Donna McNeil from the Maine Arts Commission (MAC), a true whirling dervish of a force, said "we are in for Juice 3.0 with the same resources and financial commitment." What a great way to start our meeting.

In attendance was a good crew from Midcoast Magnet, also a good crew from MAC and then the Maine Development Foundation or more specifically Ed Cervone. We talked about what worked with Juice 2.0 and where were the opportunities to make the next Juice even better. We focused in on goals, opportunities, quality, and direction. Excellent points were made as to how to hone in and produce a better quality conference in 2011.

As much as I suspect we all need a break from Juice, the positive energy around the conference was such that we are all willing to jump on board now. That is amazing to me. And even if we don't each have the drive personally right this second, together Juice 3.0 will be more than amazing. That is energizing, rewarding, and something to look forward to.

Thanks to our Juice partners. Thanks to successful collaborations. Time flies, look for updates for November 11 & 12, 2011.

Juice 2.0 - A Statewide Success!

Creative economy focus of Juice 2.0 conference in Camden

By Abigail Curtis

BDN Staff

CAMDEN, Maine — If the enthusiasm and the crowds at the Juice 2.0 conference over the weekend were any indication, Maine’s creative economy is alive and well.

“We need creative people in our businesses to take the economy to the next level,” Skip Bates, chair of the Midcoast Magnet board, said Saturday evening at the Camden Opera House at the close of “Building Maine’s Innovation Networks.”

More than 800 people participated in some aspect of the event, which took place in several downtown Camden venues, Bates said. It included a “PechaKucha” Friday evening, in which artists, designers and other creative individuals shared 20 images, with 20 seconds for each image.

The Rockland-based networking organization comprises more than 500 graphic designers, architects, bankers, software programmers, dancers, musicians and engineers.

Juice 1.0, “Powering the Creative Economy,” took place in 2007.

The intervening two years have included a painful global recession, but Bates and other organizers and attendees believe that taking an innovative approach to traditional businesses and encouraging new creative endeavors are integral to the future of Maine.

Presenters at Juice included everyone from potters to politicians, from fishermen to digital media pioneers and from economists to entrepreneurs. Over the course of the weekend, communities shared their experiences in downtown revitalization, and the event wrapped up Saturday evening with bankers being encouraged to let their hair down with the help of the nationally known Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.

For graphic designer Monique Bouchard, of Old Town, Juice was an eye-opener.

“When you’re working, it’s like you’re walking and you’re always looking down, because you’re getting it done,” she said. “Something like this makes you stop and look up. It’s amazing, what I’ve seen when I looked up.”

Susan MacKay, president of clean technology start-up Zeomatrix in Orono, said she relished the chance to practice her “elevator pitch,” a five-minute presentation about her company, aimed at possible investors.

“The problem: Production of biofuels is too expensive,” she said in the Maine Clean and Green Technologies break-out session. “The solution: Reduce biofuels production costs.”

It was an easy entry to a scientific spiel about Zeomatrix’s “nano-filtration membrane,” which works to separate biofuel from biomass on a microscopic scale, she said.

The break-out session was moderated by Jake Ward, assistant vice president of research, economic development and government affairs at the University of Maine. He said there are about 1,000 clean-tech related companies in Maine, covering everything from research and development in renewable power to the creation of “green chemistry polymers” like those at Zeomatrix.

The creative economy is a “huge opportunity” for Maine, Ward said.

“In many ways, Maine was the original creative economy,” he said, citing the traditions for hard work and innovation.

“You may not have high per-capita income, but there are many opportunities in this state for people to carve their own niche,” Ward said. “I think of the creative economy as basically an individual’s opportunity to create their own destiny.”

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/129550.html