Tech City - NYC

Have you read the cover story to the latest New York Magazine - Tweet Tweet Boom Boom by Doree Shafrir? What perfect, inspiring timing. It examines a major shift in New York culture. The focus and trust in financial institutions has nearly disappeared. Even those companies left standing after the crash are being scrutinized for their selfish, fraudulent behavior - finally. Intelligent college graduates are flocking to other fields, enriching our lives instead of riching their wallets. And marketing has shifted from a bottom up mentality, where the consumer has control over the brand and the product must live up to the brand. I've embraced social media for it's foundation of trust and bottom up mentality, reflected in the quote below.

"While consumerism is at the core of the business model for many of these start-ups, that’s only part of the point. The entrepreneurs behind them have a sense that the city belongs to the rising generation, not some Wall Street guy or old-media geezer or other antiquated gatekeeper. In a way that can, at times, seem overly idealistic, even naïve, they believe in a sort of golden rule of Internet behavior, one that chooses trust over suspicion, optimism over skepticism, hope over doubt. And for the time being, hope seems to be winning."

 There's a shift happening - fast.  Join the party or stand awkwardly on the sidelines.

"Go to a party for an “old” media company, and there can often seem to be a cloud of doom hanging over the proceedings. It can seem like half the guests have been laid off and the other half fear they still could be. The talk is of cutbacks and making do with less and paradigm shifts whose conclusions are, inevitably, the death of the industry."

“Madison Avenue ain’t gonna be the heart of New York anymore. Wall Street’s not going to be the heart of New York anymore. Media’s not going to be the heart of New York anymore,” he says. “New York is actually really hot. We’re inventing the shit that the world is using! This is a first.

The above is especially interesting considering the big agencies, owned by huge holding companies are all on Madison Avenue. While the more nimble, newer, digital agencies are all around the city - mostly in Soho or, most recently, in Hell's Kitchen far West. If your ready to jump in and have a thing for techies, stop by the Black Door on West 26th, hit up SPiN on 23rd, booze at Scratchers on East 5th or Destination Bar on Avenue A and 13th. Join Foursquare and learn what geographical social-networking means. See you on the flip side..