Last night I had the pleasure of seeing a great idea grow from a concept to a major networking event in Austin. The event is no other than Austin Film Meet, a film industry networking event that takes place the first Monday of every month at the Stomping Grounds (South Austin).
Here is how the event goes. At 7PM Cherdon makes announcements explaining how the open mike segment works. Each participant has 1 minute to promote themselves, their event, project or company. After everyone gets their turn on the mike, the network starts. Soon after musicians hit the stage for a evening of entertainment.
H. Cherdon Bedford, the group’s founder has burned the midnight oil for 6 years. Witnessing the group’s growth with such a large following is icing on the cake. Cherdon has created something very special in Austin, TX. I spoke with her last night and one memorable quote gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Here is what was said after asking her about the mission of the group- “it feels so great when you see two people who met at an Austin Film Meet event 5 years ago who were total strangers sit next to each other tonight and are collaborating on a project.”
There were two people present who I have collaborated with. One was Ben Snyder of “The Show,” and Sophie Rousmaniere was in attendance, the filmmaker of the documentary “Yellow Fever.” A film Austin Documentary Fans supported as a group. Sophie has big plans for Yellow Fever. Looks like it will be airing on TV in the fall.
Last night’s event was the largest I have ever seen. There are plans to move to a new location, since the Film Meet has grown larger than the capacity of the Stomping grounds. I am looking forward to new things Austin Film Meet has in store for the city of Austin.
Cara Harpole
Austin Documentary Fans 