@NatSlavin Nat lives in Chicago and many months ago @SarahRobinson suggested we meet because we both love a lot of the same things. Since then, I’ve learned that Nat loves food almost more than I do and that he has impeccable taste. The only problem with Nat is that he travels a ton so it’s hard to see him IRL. Which isn’t a problem for you, if you don’t live in Chicago. You can get to know him on Twitter!
@Big_Teeth I love, love, love Gregg! He has the best personality and he’s as cynical as I am about the same things. He is so much fun to talk to, he’s witty, and he’s VERY funny. He owns this video production shop that is going to be huge someday, mostly because he does great work, but doesn’t take himself too seriously. He was here for a wine:thirty a few weeks ago and we brainstormed a new title for him. Ask him what CMF means…it’ll be on his business card soon.
@DanielHindin Dan works with @big_teeth and is a great balance for the company. He’s smart and motivated, but he also puts up with us making fun of him constantly. Check out #embarrassdanielhindin to see what I’m talking about. Gregg started it and we all caught on and, I’m telling you, it’s FUN! He’s such a good sport.
@JuliBarcelona Juli is a vice president at Barcelona Creative and has embraced social media to help the company (which her dad started) grow into the Web 2.0 era. I’ve watched her blossom under my very eyes this year because social media has allowed her to meet people she’d never otherwise meet and she’s one of the few that goes to every event to meet those people IRL.
@foiledcupcakes Of course I first met Mari because her company DELIVERS cupcakes! I mean, that’s one of those “wish I’d thought of that” ideas. Next thing you know, she’s going to be taking orders for Starbucks lattes when she delivers cupcakes (it’s MY idea – don’t steal it!). But now I know her fairly well and she’s just a nice person who is really smart and VERY likeable. Plus her son is my new boyfriend. I LOVE him!
@angelica7641 I’ve known Angelica IRL for many years and Twitter allowed me to get to know her even better because she lived in DC until six weeks ago. BUT NOW SHE LIVES HERE! Of course, I was joking the other day that I talked to her more when she lived in DC. She is a woman who is competitive, has huge passion for growth, and is constantly learning. She’s a type A and one of our jokes is that we could beat each other. The truth of the matter is, if we’re on the same team, we’ll crush anyone in our way. Oh. Maybe I shouldn’t say that out loud. Watch out world!
@John_McB John is the other half of @angelica7641 and he is FUNNY! He’s a stand-up comedian by night. When you hear that, you automatically want them to be funny all the time and usually they’re not. But John is. He’s witty and cynical and has a great sense of humor that makes me speechless. He’s going to be famous someday and you will have heard it here first.
@hooshy Hooshy is one of those people you just love to love. She’s drop-dead gorgeous, she’s kind, and she’s very well cultured. She has a great sense of humor and wit that makes you giggle, but she never makes fun of people or is judgmental. She’s smart and she has zero ego, which makes her a lot of fun to be around.
@simasays I met Sima when she went out on her own and she was trying to decide if she should do that or go work for an agency. What was that, Sima? Two years ago? Now she does marketing and social media for some pretty big name clients, plus she blogs in multiple locations and she created a job board for other marketing people. She’s a go-getter and someone everyone should know.
@LenKendall I met Len earlier this year on Twitter and was so impressed with his social media acumen that I insisted we meet for coffee. He’s wicked smart, very witty, and his Constructive Grumpiness blog and occassional doodles are worth the follow just so you can laugh as hard as I do when I read him.
@pjdixon77 Patrick actually is in the office right next door to us and I met him on Twitter first! How crazy is that? Since then he’s participated in wine:thirty with us and I see him out at the occassional TweetUp, includning #epicmeetup. He’s in tech PR so if you know of anyone looking for a great pro, get to know him!
@JoeTheProducer Where to start with Joe? He wants to help people tell their story, and do it in a way that is interesting to the mass audience. He has an innate understanding of how things work and what people want to hear/see. He’s easy to talk to and he makes me laugh really hard.
@luiserpa I am fortunate enough to know Luis IRL fairly well. He is from Brazil and he has an accent that makes me laugh so hard. He pronounces Twitter as tweeter, which has endeared him to everyone at Arment Dietrich. I was at his house (in freaking Egypt) this past Saturday and his wife is his better half! They both are great people who are smart, funny, and Brazilian. He’s worth the follow just so you can meet him in person someday. He’s worth it!
@TanyaFlynn Tanya works with me and is one of the most creative and thoughtful people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I love that she’ll DM me and say, “I’m toying with an idea” and then say what it is. It always ends up being something really innovative that we implement immediately. She’s smart, she’s kind, and she’s funny (can you tell I like humor?). She’s worth the follow for her thoughtfulness and perhaps finding some dirt on me.
@dblazek Diane is our president and she runs the place. She is an eternal optimist and NOTHING gets her down. She gets excited over the same things that exite me and she’s 110 percent bought into our vision and culture. Plus she knows how to manage me and she knows how to put in process to achieve my crazy ideas. One of the things I love most about her is that she is a great example on work/life balance and watching her has taught me a thing or two about slowing down and keeping focus.
@brwney When I met Renee IRL she asked me if I know what she does for a living. I DIDN’T KNOW! She’s a trader, which (when you meet her) doesn’t fit her personality. She’s kind and soft-spoken so picturing her on the trading floor really confuses me. But she’s also a type A and very organized (she’s writing her wedding thank you notes before her honeymoon!) so I guess it kind of does fit.
@MichaelStern I’ve know Mike for 12 years, which I think is the longest I’ve ever been friends with anyone (because we moved a lot when I was a kid). I’ve watched him go from a new college graduate to a force to be reckoned with at large PR firms. If you ever have the opportunity to meet him IRL, I recommend it. His only downfall is his obsession with the KU Jayhawks.
@SyndeyOwen I didn’t get to chat with Sydney very long, but she’s this darling blond who interns at Weber-Shandwick, which is a pretty big deal when you’re a new college graduate. She blogs about new media, outside of her internship, which I always think is impressive. But you know why I like her most? She loves icea cream like me!
@aakomas I’ve actually gotten to know Amy pretty well in the past few months. I love her because she gets out at 6:00 in the morning and rides with me. There aren’t many people, period, who will do that and she does it with a smile on her face, even that early. Plus she has this accent that is to die for and is so much fun to listen to when she talks about school and her charges.
@thescottbishop July 24 was the first time I’d met Scott, which is weird because we have the same group of friends and I’ve seen him several times since then. Scott is a must follow because he’s one of the founders of #smbchicago, which is a social media breakfast that is handled better than any event I’ve attended. They do roundtable discussions with one moderator and one topic at each table. So it’s less people pontificating and more collaborative in learning and sharing. Get involved with this!
@PeteTheTapeWorm Of course, I don’t go anywhere without Pete and he was at #epicmeetup in full force. I swear he’s going to eat me out of house and home.