Pop artist and ad hoc social critic Andy Warhol once proclaimed that in the future everyone would be famous for 15 minutes.
He never got to meet Laura Caprara.
Caprara, a full-time graphic designer and mother of two, is the CEO, creative spark, and den mother for an eclectic group of creative professionals who contribute to a new on-line site known as the Grand Rapids Social Diary, an ambitious idea that promises limitless face time for anyone willing to smile for a snapshot.
As its name suggests, the Diary is an ongoing record of Grand Rapids events and the people who attend them. The site regularly posts stories and photos from local gatherings that range from a zoo fund-raiser to theater and music performances to art open houses and festivals. The emphasis is on the audience as well as the performers; on putting faces and names to everyone who participates.
Up and running since late May, the Diary’s purpose is straightforward: generate interest and enthusiasm for what’s happening in Grand Rapids.
“We want to create relationships between the community and local businesses, between vendors and performers and other groups” says Caprara, 41. “We want to show people there’s a lot going on here.”
This also means there’s a lot going on for Caprara and the Diary team. The group — which currently numbers close to a dozen — meets every Monday to discuss events and plan direction. While there is no hard and fast criteria for choosing which events to cover, Caprara does have some basic guidelines.
“We usually look for events that have 25 or more people involved,” she explains. “We also try and cover new events and new venues each week. We try not to repeat.”
Caprara adds that not just any event will qualify for coverage.
“If someone is hosting a smaller gathering or a commercial event, we will consider it if they commit their proceeds to a local charity,” she says.
Getting Traction
So, what did it take to move the idea forward?...and did Grand Rapids really need a social diary?
Caprara didn’t think so, at first. Like many young West Michigan residents who came of age in the ‘90s, Caprara looked beyond the city for inspiration. In addition to her design work, Caprara raises and shows Bernese Mountain dogs and often travels with them to shows. She won an award at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2003 and the brighter lights of New York City seemed to have much more appeal than hometown Grand Rapids. But a chance meeting with the mother of a high school friend gave Caprara an idea.
“She had all these newspaper clippings from the 1960s,” Caprara recalls. “Pictures and stories of her and her friends at parties and events. I thought: ‘Why can’t we still do something like that here?‘”
Caprara believed the concept could be revived as an on-line vehicle and discussed the idea with friend and photographer Mike Buck, who agreed. Like Caprara, Buck has an entrepreneurial spirit. He was already on his own, but open to a new venture .
“It started with just Mike and me,” Caprara says. “He’d take pictures and I wrote down names.”
The duo chose their first event. The Winchester, a new East Hills restaurant, was hosting an art show featuring the work of former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh. Caprara and Buck worked an invitation and preserved the moment for one of the first postings on their new site.
Gaining Momentum
The Welsh event went well and other events were planned — the Bissell Blocktail party, a fundraiser for the Humane Society of Kent County; Randy’s Granola Funday to celebrate a new business opening; UICA Nosh Night; Rendezoo XX-Bizarre Bazaar, an event promoting the John Ball Zoo Society. And more, such as the Local First Street Party, a GRAM on the Green program, the West Michigan Pride Festival, and Independence Day celebrations including a water balloon fight in Rosa Parks Circle staged by area social event promoter Rob Bliss.
Along with the fun they were having, Caprara and Buck began meeting people who liked their idea and wanted to become part of the team. They attracted tech gurus — software developer Paul Jendrasiak and programming whiz Brandon Gohsman who helped put together the site and connect the Diary via Facebook. Photographer Tim Motley, a well-known concert photographer, came on board. Then marketing specialists Emily Horton and Chad Budja. Food maven Tommy Fitzgerald. Art gallery owner Rich App.
Why It Works
A good part of the appeal of the Diary is that the team also participates in the events they cover. Jendrasiak, for example, has more than 3,000 Facebook friends and gets invited to an event nearly every day. Buck and Motley are comfortable in virtually any setting and adept at getting people to play to the camera. Fitzgerald knows virtually everyone in the Grand Rapids area food business.
Then there’s the immediacy, which Buck says is critical to the Diary’s success.
“It will work,” says Buck. “Especially if we can continue to shorten the turnaround time. If it takes a week or more to get something on site, it doesn’t matter, but if people can see it a day or two after it happens, the excitement is still there.”
And still growing. Less than a month after its first mid-June posting, the Diary is consistently getting 50-100 hits per day, and many requests for copies of photos.
But There’s No Money In It....Yet
For now, at least, most everything the Diary does is free. The participants donate their time, although some have made contacts that have led to new business. Photos appearing on the site are available to interested buyers for a download fee or by contacting the photographers.
Advertisers, who currently earn a free ride, will soon be offered space at a set rate, Caprara says. She hopes to feature five or six banner ads as well as rotating event banners.
“It won’t just be things that have already happened, We’ll show what’s coming to these venues as well. We want people to see its value,” she offers.
Party Like It’s 2009
Dear Grand Rapids Social Diary supporters:
The fun is just beginning.
Mark your social calendar now. Diary is planning its official launch on October 15 at the Richard App Gallery. We expect a big turnout. We’ll be taking photos...and names.
For the record, Andy Warhol later revisited his famous line. His new take on the future became: “in 15 minutes everybody will be famous.”
Given the energy and enthusiasm generated by the Grand Rapids Social Diary, it may take less time than that.
G.F. Korreck is a free-lance writer, editor, and voice talent living in West Michigan.
Photographs by Brian Kelly - All Rights ReservedLaura Caprara, Emily Horton and Michael BuckRecent GRSM event photos by Tim MotleyBrian Kelly is managing photographer for Rapid Growth, a full-time commercial photographer and filmmaker. You can follow his adventures
here on his blog.