This Week's Hi-5: Small moments, big connections
Alex Hillman
One of my favorite things is when seemingly small, disconnected moments converge into something bigger.
This week was full of those. Here are 5 quick things that made us want to share a high five:
1. Share What You’re Working On. It Pays Off.
Meg Masterson, one of our members, organized a Connect 4 tournament fundraiser for her nonprofit, the Spruce Foundation. She posted a flyer in the bathroom at Indy Hall.
The tournament winner? Danielle.
How did Danielle find out about it? That bathroom flyer.
But here’s the thing—Danielle wasn’t even a member. She was at Indy Hall that day as a guest. Her friend Cindy had invited her to our bi-weekly Reading Club.
So: Cindy invites a friend to Reading Club. That friend sees a flyer. That flyer leads to a fundraiser. That fundraiser leads to a winner.
None of this was planned. All of it happened because people shared what they were working on.
The lesson: Put up a flyer. Mention your project in Discord. Tell someone about it while grabbing a drink in the kitchen. Invite a friend to an event. You never know where those small decisions can lead.
2. Good Neighbors Hackathon Website is Live
Mark your calendars for Sunday, March 15th.
We’ve been cooking up something special: a one-day hackathon that brings together Philly’s creative and technical communities under one theme: Good Neighbors.
For the last several months we’ve been working with several meetup groups—some hosted at the Clubhouse, others who have homes across the city—to create an event that brings all of the groups together under one roof with a common goal.
For one day, we drop the silos and see what happens when we collaborate across communities.
Designers, developers, makers, and builders of all kinds welcome. Solo attendees and first-timers encouraged.
Check out the website and get on the notification list.
3. Springtime Reunion?
We’ve been noticing something lately: almost every week we see more familiar faces coming back through our doors.
Every time it happens, we say the same thing: we should get the crew back together.
So we’ve started thinking about doing some kind of Indy Hall reunion series starting this spring and running through our 20 year anniversary in September.
The best version of this would be a way for returning alums and newer citizens of Indy Hall to connect across their eras, and for everyone to see how far we’ve come.
Our question for you: what would make that fun?
We’d love your ideas—whether you’ve been here since the beginning, just joined last month, or somewhere in between.
4. This Old Dog is Learning New Tricks
Confession time.
I’ve never been a person with the instinct to pull out my phone and talk into the camera. I barely remember to take photos most of the time.
But as more people have been responding to our newsletters and essays, I’ve been thinking about ways to make the ideas available to more people.
So I enlisted the help of Vince and Taylor from SBX Studios, the team who runs our “Speakeasy Studio” for podcasting and video clips, to help me get better.
And I’ll be honest: it’s been really hard.
Vince’s coaching has been amazing—from helping me translate my writing skills into a drafting process that feels natural, to giving me notes like “do it like ‘The Dude’ from The Big Lebowski” when I’m talking too fast.
My first attempt is live on Instagram—a quick take on why we’ve always believed in collaboration over competition.
I’m still figuring this out, with more focus on pacing and delivery than video quality (which already improved in our next few videos).
But if you have feedback or encouragement, I’ll take it!
Watch on Instagram ・ LinkedIn ・ TikTok
5. KEEPING TABS: A New Lightning Talk Format
We launched a new event format called KEEPING TABS and the response has been incredible.
The concept is simple: pull up a browser tab you’ve been keeping open and talk about it for 5 minutes. No prep needed. No slide decks.
Share a hot take, an object of fascination, something you wish more people knew. And maybe, after sharing it, you can finally close that tab forever.
Don't miss our next post
Stories, insights, and community updates delivered to your inbox weekly.