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April Luncheon General Meeting
APRIL 26th MEETING of the SPGA/Seattle Graphic Artists Guild

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APRIL 26th PROGRAM:
The Buzz on Blogs with Steve Broback

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 Luncheon
Time: 12:00 - 2:00
Where: Columbia Tower Club, Seattle Directions>>
Dress: Business casual, no denim, sports apparel

All Walk-Ins: $35 at the door (members, non-members)
Pre-Registrations: $28, members, $30, non-members.

Sign-up online>>

What is a blog? Do I need one? Will it help my business? How do I start? Steve Broback can help.

Steve is an expert on blogging and is the founder of the Blog Business Summit and the i3forum conferences. He is co-founder and current partner at Avondale Media. Broback also co-founded Thunder Lizard Productions, (a technology event production company), now a subsidiary of Fawcette Technical Publications.

At Thunder Lizard, Broback orchestrated some of the most successful technology events of the last 10 years. He also produced Web Design World, Macromedia Web World, and other events with thousands of attendees. Check out the buzz at: www.blogbusinesssummit.com

For more information about the SPGA/Seattle Graphics Artists Guild, or to get involved: info@seattleguild.org

March postcard and above illustration by Alexis Burroughs, Blazing Pixels Graphic Design, www.blazingpixels.net

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Interview with Steve Broback: April Luncheon Presenter on Blogs
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What do Boeing, General Motors, and a small bag-clip company have in common? They are all blogging about their business. Check it out in Steve Broback's new book, published through Peachpit. MORE>> Left: Steve Broback in Seattle

WE: Describe current position and/or business.
Steve: Owner of Avondale Media, which produces training videos for creative professionals, and owner of Parnassus Ventures, which produces technology conferences and events.

WE: What is your niche or target market?
Steve: For events, it’s primarily Web-savvy marketers.

WE: When did you first decide to enter this profession?
Steve: I entered the event business in 1991 when I co-founded Thunder Lizard Productions with partner Steve Roth. We began by hosting PageMaker conferences.

WE: How did you come up with your company name?
Steve: I’m a wino, and Parnassus is a mountain in Greece which was the site of worship of Dionysus, the god of wine.

WE: What type of education did you have and how has it served you?
Steve: Lots of art classes growing up, some time at Cornish as a kid, but ultimately graduated with degrees in economics and business from the University of Washington. The right-left brain mixture has been a great asset in terms of having enthusiasm for creative technologies and also being able to evangelize them to others.

WE: Who has been your greatest professional influence?
Steve: No one person stands out as a pre-eminent. There have been several who I use as models. My former partner Steve Roth was a big influence. A few are former bosses such as Joan Hudson (now with the March of Dimes) and David Hoffman (formerly of Ivey Seright). My dad has been quite influential as well.

WE: What are your plans for the future?
Steve: Short-term is to do my best to accelerate the acceptance of the new Web technologies that are emerging (Blogs, RSS, Microformats, etc.) Long-term I want to snorkel in the summer and ski in the winter. In between those two, I have no idea.

WE: How has serving on boards and done volunteer work helped you further your career.
Steve: Forged some good contacts, but most of the satisfaction comes from being able to help in key areas that are often neglected.

WE: If you have received awards, please mention them too.
Steve: Junior Magician of the Year, Seattle 1975...?

Steve Broback
Avondale Media

More About Steve: www.avondalemedia.com

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Thank you to Our SPGA/Seattle Graphic Artists Guild Sponsors:
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www.studiofile.net: software designed by illustrators for illustrators, to organize business. StudioFile offers 10% to Guild members.

emailHunter.net: hunts down, identifies and verifies email addresses for your contact list

FunctionFox Systems, Inc: time management tools for creative businesses

eRoi Inc: generate and capture qualified leads online through email marketing

Olympus Press: full service commercial printer

Peachpit User Group Program Member: essential books for the creative community

brandUNITY: branding, design, marketing