June 24, 2009

Podcast: Top100.cn - Gary Chen

If you missed Gary Chen, CEO of Top100.cn, guest speaker at our most recent social mixer (June 3) in Hong Kong, here's your chance to listen to the podcast.

I must admit that Gary was a quite challenge to interview as he held his cards very tightly to his chest. Nevertheless, it's worth a listen as - apart from hearing me speak Mandarin - Gary does admit to the difficulties being faced by music companies in China and explains how he sees Top100.cn's partnership with Google ("Google Music") becoming an advertising-driven role model for websites in other parts of the world. May they succeed!






A shout out to Henry Oh, for spending what little spare time he has to take this recording up a notch in terms of sound quality. Henry was a previous guest speaker at Web Wednesday Hong Kong and is the co-founder of Socialutions and the Hong Kong Start-Up Association.

Podcast: Freestyle Beatboxing - HeartGrey and Anton

We warmed up the crowd - and really got Victor going! - with two local lads who performed freestyle beatboxing at the last Web Wednesday social mixer in June.

At first sight, they looked like two normal, timid high-school kids but...with a microphone in their hands, they became the groovy artists, known as "HeartGrey" and "Anton".

Listen to their performance by clicking on the play button below.






Many thanks again to Henry Oh, for editing out all the background noise and making a recording in a nighclub sound so good. Henry was a previous guest speaker at Web Wednesday Hong Kong and is the co-founder of Socialutions and the Hong Kong Start-Up Association.

June 18, 2009

Web Wednesday - Social Mixer V26.0 (July 2)

Calling all Hong Kong Digerati and cartoon lovers!

Due to the public holiday on July 1st (Hong Kong Handover Anniversary), we'll be moving Web Wednesday to THURSDAY 2nd July.

Topic: "Ben 10: creating a new multimedia cartoon empire", interview with Benjamin Grubbs, Regional Head of Interactive Media for Turner Entertainment Networks Asia (owners of Cartoon Network Asia).

We'll be talking about online gaming, new forms of interactive education, user-generated cartoons, virtual merchandise and creative ways for content owners to work with advertisers online.

The night kicks off at 6:30pm and ends around 9:30pm, so you'll have plenty of opportunity to mix with the movers and shakers of our local Internet and global entertainment industries.

There will be an entrance fee of HK$100, unless you're a bona-fide student, in which case it's HK$50. This includes one complimentary drink. All other drinks are at Happy Hour prices. (We will issue a receipt, if you require one). In fitting with the theme, we will donate 10% of entrance fees to a children's charity.

Do invite fellow Generation Z marketeers to join the Asian Digerati on Thursday 2nd July at Volar Bar & Club, Basement, 38-44 D'Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong.

Sign up for the event on Facebook or on this blog.

Looking forward to seeing old faces and meeting many more new ones,

Napoleon Biggs
Founder & Host - Web Wednesday

June 16, 2009

Web Wednesday Goes Gaming in Cantonese

After two years of building a buzzing community of English-speaking Digerati who meet monthly for "Web Wednesday", I'm proud to announce our venture into the local creative community with a new spin-off event in Cantonese.

"First2Forward" is a fun idea that came from Brent Horner, Associate Creative Director of MRM Worldwide. (I kowtow to his fluent "Pak Hwa"!).

Here's our wall banner with it's Chinese slogan - “搶先傳世界”. (Do you get the pun?):


First2Forward is a fast-paced game show. Two top creative directors, battling it out over five rounds of competition. One event that reveals the freshest, funniest, and freakin' coolest stuff from around the Web.

First 2 Forward就是由城中兩位出色的創意總監,進行五個回合的激戰,誓要以最快速度,將網上最千奇百怪、搞鬼惹笑、怪誕瘋狂的網上資料公諸同好!

Join us the third Wednesday of every month to find out who's got the hottest links in Hong Kong.

比賽將於每個月的第三個星期三舉行,想知道哪一位參加者能夠找到最多網上人氣連結?立即參加就可以!

Match #1 features Thierry Halbroth, Sr CD, McCann Erickson Vs. Mark Ringer, ECD, TBWA\Tequila and will be held on June 17th at Volar, starting at 8pm (creative types like to go out later!).

Sign up on Facebook. (Below is the email we sent out to the Web Wednesday members as well as the HK4As member list).

I'd like to thank Adobe for their support and for providing their creative suite of design tools as valuable prizes: Adobe Creative Suite 4 Premium and Photoshop Lightroom 2. Great prizes from Adobe!

Let's get forwarding! 傳世界吧!

(Yes Victor, we've finally got there! Thanks for pushing for an event in Chinese and for helping get the word out on HongKongPhooey.wrodpress.com)

June 11, 2009

Web Wednesday Guangzhou Gets Catalysing

As Lonnie Hodge was away visiting fellow academics in Suzhou, Singaporean web consultant Junde Yu took it upon himself to host the catalyst night for Web Wednesday Guangzhou in May. By all accounts, the web business presentations went down a treat. Good job, Junde!

Above is a shot from the event to give you a taste of the atmosphere. You can read the full account of presentations that evening on Junde's blog.

June 9, 2009

Apple's Pulsating Wall of Apps

With the daily tsunami of data that we all endure, I'm becoming more and more fascinated by how creative ways to summarise it in a visualy captivating way.

At the recent WWDC event in San Francisco, Apple put together a video wall of over 50,000 apps in it App Store. As an app was purchased, it pulsated on the screen! Love it! (Thanks to TechCrunch for pointing this out and sharing the video below).


June 3, 2009

Remembering Tiananmen

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Tiananamen on June 4th, we will be donating 10% of the collected entrance fees from tonight's Web Wednesday social mixer to "Home Coming - 回家 ", a movement to bring Tiananmen exiles back to their home country, China. You can also donate directly here.

Freestyle Beatboxing - Made in Hong Kong

As tonight's Web Wednesday event is all about music, we're going to pump up the volume with two local beatboxers, "HeartGrey" and "Anton". [A massive "Thank you" to Kate Sullivan, a working actress and the producer of E.V.E.N.T., for putting us in contact].

This video shows the two guys at home on the sofa, giving it a go.



But my favourite is the setting for this one in his toilet! You gotta love the laundry hanging in the background! Good to see that "the throne" still remains a place of great creativity, even for hyper cool beatboxers!