PodCamp Pittsburgh 1

November 2006: After attending the original PodCamp in Boston (September 2006), Pittsburgh social media explorer Justin Kownacki brought the “unconference” concept home to share with other content creators. With the help of over a dozen volunteers, Kownacki and co-founder Dave Mansueto (of Liberated Syndication) converted the Pittsburgh Filmmakers school into a 2-day haven for over 180 attendees from New York to Vancouver. These bloggers, podcasters,
photographers and other interested parties were all united around one common theme: a driving curiosity about this emerging field called “new media”.

Highlights included:

An “open source” schedule created by the attendees themselves on a public wiki
A greenscreening lesson by former Star Wars animator Alex Lindsay
Profiles of both popular and underground blogs and podcasts – from the venerable Rocketboom and Tiki Bar TV to the locally produced Something to Be Desired and the groundbreaking Alive in Baghdad
An “official toast” at the Tiki Lounge by Dr. Tiki, Johnny Johnny and Lala from the irreverent Tiki Bar TV

Perhaps most importantly, this was the event that taught dozens of social media creators in Pittsburgh that they were not alone. The contacts and relationships formed at the first PodCamp Pittsburgh laid the groundwork for all future social media events in Pittsburgh, including BootCamp and PCPGH2 (and beyond).