On the last day or two of WWDC, there are lots of blog posts written. Some people talk about the more technical things that they have seen during the week, and some post about how their WWDC experience has made them feel.
I attended my first WWDC in 2013. So 2016 marks my fourth trip to San Francisco. In 2013, I had just joined Dan Benjamin’s 5by5 network, and was beginning to move my existing shows there. Stephen Hackett and Matt Alexander were pretty much responsible for me in that first year. They had both attended events like Macworld in the past, so they knew a little about the area, and had helped plan out some events and activities during the week.
One of the things that I will never forget on this trip was a party/podcast recording that iMore was hosting on the Monday evening of the week. This event was hosted at 111 Minna Gallery, and as well as trying Google Glass for the first time, I met a lot of people that would later become friends and colleagues.
I have vivid memories of being at Minna and seeing Marco Arment, John Siracusa, Dan Benjamin, John Gruber, Jason Snell, Merlin Mann, and others walk in to the event and spend time talking to people. I introduced myself to everyone, and even had some pictures taken, which Google Photos reminded me to take a look at a couple of days ago. (I had met Casey Liss the night before at the Chieftan, but he doesn’t remember this.)
That night at Minna was the realisation of a dream that began in 2005. After I got my first Mac, I was totally sucked in to the world of Apple blogging and podcasting. Like so many people I voraciously consumed Apple news and articles, hoping that the things that I was writing at the time could some day live up to this. Up until 2010, I had tried and failed many times to make writing a habit, but it never stuck. But starting my journey to become a podcaster was one that really felt right.
From 2010 to 2013, I worked to try and establish myself as a podcaster in the Apple space, and I had luckily started to make connections with the people I admired; the same people that I ended up meeting for the first time at 111 Minna that night.
Fast forward to 2016. This week we held the first ever RelayCon WWDC. This is an idea that we’ve been working on to try and host live shows and meetups wherever we can, with the first being in Atlanta. WWDC week is the perfect time to have an event like this as so many of our hosts, friends, and listeners are in town.
Stephen did a fantastic job of arranging the event. The logistics of a thing like this are way more than you would expect, but he managed it perfectly. When I walked in to the room I was totally blown away. The stage was set up at the far end of the room, with rows of seats stretching out from there. There were strings of lights spanning the ceiling, and a stocked bar at the side. The space was perfect.
It wasn’t until I stood on the stage and looked at all of this, that it dawned on me that the room I remember so fondly at 111 Minna Gallery was next door to the space we were in. I knew that we were in the same venue of course, but I hadn’t yet put the significance of the two things together in my mind.
Our event was pretty close to perfect for me. It was so much fun to be able to take to the stage with my co-hosts and friends, and also to drop some surprises too. Considering this was our first event of this size and scale, I think we did a pretty good job.
This whole week has felt very different to me than any other year. By now, I’m really happy with how Relay FM has grown to become an important part of the tapestry of the industry that I have loved for so long. It’s been so much fun to meet those who enjoy the work that we do. People from all over the world, from all walks of life. This is one of the reasons I’ll always keep coming back to San Francisco in June.
On this trip I have had the pleasure of being the guide for some of my friends, in the same way that Stephen and Matt were for me. This was the first time that Federico Viticci and CGP Grey had made the trip to WWDC. And being able to plan out events and activities for us all, has made for some truly special moments that I’ll never forget. As time has gone on, I have found myself in a situation that the majority of my closest friends are spread out across the world. Events like this allow for me to spend time with the people I care about most, on top of being able to make new connections, and meet the people who enjoy what I do.
It’s been a really strange road for me over the last few years, but strange in the best possible way. I consider myself to be a very fortunate person. I have worked hard to get myself here, but I know that there must be a combination of these things.
Turns out™, that 111 Minna Gallery is always going to be a special place for me.
(My thanks to Marco Arment for the amazing photos of RelayCon linked in this post)
