DC is undergoing a cultural renaissance. I heard that rumor one too many times. I was skeptical; it seemed contrived, the product marketers trying to hype up a city with a reputation for being dry and boring. But recently, a slew of great events and brilliant ideas has swept me up and changed my mind. I believe.
Emblematic of the movement is Digital Capital Week, a festival of events bringing together designers, developers, entrepreneurs and social innovators. DC Week was created by iStrategyLabs—a creative and experimental marketing agency—and Tech Cocktail, a media company focusing on emerging technology and entrepreneurship. Expected attendance: 10,000. Sponsors include Ford, Microsoft and AT&T.
This year, the AU Social Media Club took part in the festival. On Monday, November 7, AU SMC hosted the No Profit, No Problem Film Screening, a featured DC Week event that gave a peek inside some of DC’s coolest non-profits. Members produced short films each focusing on a specific non-profit organization. AU SMC’ers set out to get the details on non-profits like Common Good City Farm, Best Buddies and Holla Back DC. The films were incredible and most importantly, they all included a call to action and gave viewers the tools and information they need to get involved. If you missed the event, you can check out the videos on YouTube.