Storycode.Org

One of the most impressive developments of the past eighteen months has been the growth of the transmedia Meetup.com group in New York City. When I attended my first event at the tail end of 2010, it was an informal gathering in a bar attended by twenty or thirty people. Since then, it has become vastly more organized under the stewardship of Aina Abiodun and Mike Knowlton, grown to over 500 people, and relocated to Lincoln Center. Mike, Aina and team have organized an ongoing series of varied presentations, endeavored to livestream events to the wider world where possible, and – in concert with the Los Angeles group – encouraged other cities to start their own meetups.

Now, the group is in the early stages of its most intriguing evolution yet, to a nonprofit company: Storycode.org. While the group will continue to offer presentations by industry leaders and independent creators (the first of the year, a Game of Thrones case study by Campfire creative director Steve Coulson was fully subscribed in a couple of hours), there also seems to be a heavier emphasis on exploring the intersection of technology and narrative. Aina and Mike have spoken of holding “hackathons,” where group members can leverage their skills – creative, technical, or both  - in a collaborative environment to build new storytelling platforms and generate novel narrative experiences.

Given the continuing explosion of “Silicon Alley” in New York, this seems to be a smart move. There is no doubt in my mind that the most interesting opportunities around at the moment – particularly on the East Coast – lie at the intersection of digital engineering and creative thinking. Storycode promises to act as a venue for members to learn new skills and build alliances that could potentially generate a wave of new startup companies. Given its non-profit status, there seems to be a natural synergy with philanthropic organizations and charities, many of whom are struggling with how best to communicate their messages in the digital age. Suffice to say, the discussions coming from Storycode could also strongly inform the kinds of digital marketing campaigns and social media approaches we see coming from Madison Avenue in 2012.

I also think that Storycode’s transition is a very savvy move from a branding perspective. It moves the group away from “another meetup group” very much under the auspices of another company, and gives it a defined identity as an independent entity. That will make it far easier for the organizers to attract press coverage for the group and its endeavors, as well as – naturally – rebranding themselves not merely as “meetup group organizers” but “founders,” a far more prestigious title. Who knows: in time, Storycode could evolve again into a formalized, for-profit company (though not without jumping through a few legal hoops).

The Storycode web site is currently a placeholder, so I suggest you head over to the meetup.com group page to check things out. Co-founder Jen Begeal also has further details on her blog. Unfortunately, the Game of Thrones presentation (which promises to be fantastic), is not being livestreamed, but I’m sure others will be. If possible, I’ll post some thoughts here.

Update: I’ve been informed that the web site will launch in February, so check back then.