The Meeting of Minds

If you’ve ever wondered why people attend user groups or what the benefits might be of meeting and collaborating with total strangers (no, it’s not just an excuse to drink beer!), here’s an awesome insight into a Flash user group in New York City in the USA.

FlashDen author cg219 (Clemente), a regular visitor to Down the Foxhole, mentioned in a recent post how he regularly attends a Flash meet-up. So what better way to find out more information than by asking Clemente a few questions about the user group he attends.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Clemente Gomez. I’m 21 and I reside in New York City. I’ve just got an internship as a Flash Developer at Marvel and am currently in school for Multimedia Art. I have been using Flash for about 3 years back when Flash MX was popular, but only recently (about a year and a half ago) got into the programming side of things using AS3. Prior to jumping into Flash, I was a heavy 3D Artist working a lot in 3D Studio Max. When I’m not in front of my computer, you can usually find me at the movies with my girlfriend or hanging out and making jokes with friends.

What’s the name of your user group, who organizes it, and how often do you meet?

NYC Flash Developer Happy Hour co-ordinated by Jesse Freeman, Mr. FlashBum himself. We usually meet once or twice a month.

Flash Meetup : http://www.meetup.com/nyc-flash-developer-happy-hour/
Locations : Radical Media | Whiskey Town

What topics of discussions do users typically engage in and what are some of the most popular presentations at a user group like this?

The topics vary but are always centered around a developers stand point. Topics such as streamlining your work flow, surviving in this economy as a Flash Developer, product reviews and demonstrations, etc. New to the line up is a meeting once a month where we all get together for some drinks and just relax and converse. It a great way to meet local developers, recruiters and make some new friends. This format has been very popular the past couple of months.

What kind of people attend this user group? Is there a mixture of skill sets?

The group is usually a melting pot of backgrounds, ranging from hardcore flash developers to beginners, to flash designers to people who don’t even use Flash such as PHP and front-end developers.

What kind of things are new members most interested in learning when they attend this meet-up?

Usually to learn something new and meet more flash developers like themselves. Jesse is pretty good at teaching us techniques and introducing us to people without turning it into a classroom. I do believe a majority of people come to network in a laid back setting.

Do you ever have door prizes or special sponsors?

Once in a blue moon there is. The last Meetup was an Intro to FDT by the guys from PowerFlasher, which is an External Actionscript Editor like FlexBuilder. They raffled-off 2 licenses and I was lucky enough to be one of those winners. The more people we can get to come to these meetups the more Jesse can get sponsors to give out more free stuff.

If you could introduce one new aspect to your meet-up, what would it be?

I think it would be cool if more of the members presented some work or a project they are currently working on. I think it would be a good way to learn how others are coding as well as a valuable way of getting some good feedback.

Apart from yourself, do you know if anyone at your meet-up is a member of FlashDen either as a buyer or an author?

Yes I know of one off the top of my head, dimumurray. I haven’t properly introduced myself to him yet but he did message me on Twitter about being at the meetup.

Do you think anyone at your meet-up would be interested in collaborating together to produce a Flash file for FlashDen?

I would like to think so. I’m not too sure how many developers there actually know about FlashDen, it has never been brought up. Flash Developers are usually friendly people who like collaborating, so I’m sure someone would like to.

For anyone reading this who has never been to your meet up or any other Flash meet up from around the world for that matter, how would you encourage them to attend a meet-up? What benefits would they get?

NETWORKING!!! The more people who know who you are, the easier it will be for you in this business. In addition to helping your career, it is also a good way to learn. I find learning hands on is better than learning from a book. Come to the NYC Flash Developer Happy Hour and meet fellow Flashers like yourself.

Many thanks again to Clemente for the fantastic interview, and congratulations on the internship, Clemente, at Marvel Comics! Aren’t our FlashDen authors a talented bunch?