Official Movement Bash Poster (Click for Large Version)

DES MOINES, Iowa (October 8, 2009) – Impromptu Studio plays host to movers and shakers from across the Midwest at the first ever Movement Bash on Thursday, October 22. A select group from Des Moines’ growing tech and creative communities are joining forces to celebrate entrepreneurship with free food, free beverages, and free entertainment. Organizers are creating a casual networking evening for entrepreneurs and creatives from the Omaha, Kansas City, and Des Moines metro areas coming to town for Highlight Midwest.

“There’s a lot of good energy in Des Moines right now, and it’s connected in a big way to the same energy that’s growing across the whole Midwest,” said Dan Shipton, an organizer of the event and co-founder of Impromptu Studio. “Movement Bash will be a great way for big brains and big ideas to come together, network, and have a good time. No presentations, just conversations.”

To keep the event free and open, organizers tapped 18 19 different local businesses for support including tech start-ups, law firms, and creative agencies.

“Everyone I called was really excited,” Shipton said. “[Our sponsors] are a broad mix and involve a lot of businesses that are part of this movement of genuine innovation in flyover country. Events like Movement Bash, BarCamp, BIG Omaha, Ignite Des Moines, Advance Week…they’re tied to the new platform that real movers and shakers in the Midwest are building.”

Organizers are encouraging Movement Bash attendees to cut loose and come share their passions over food, drink, and activities. Rock Band, social games, an anonymous “suggestion box” for entrepreneurs, conversation-sparking nametags and other activities will help prevent wallflower-ing and keep the evening lively, Shipton said.

Movement Bash is being presented by Paragon IT, BitMethod, Law Offices Of Brett J. Trout, P.C., Public Relations Project, Grand Consulting, Click! Photography, Internet Solver, Napkin Sketch, Tweetup Badges, Test of Time Design, createWOWmedia, Market Street Media Foundry, Catchwind, 25 Connections, 48Web, Spindustry, SmartyPig, Olde Main Brewing Co. and Mars Café.

An RSVP is requested but not required and available at http://movementbash.eventbrite.com. Impromptu Studio is located at 300 SW 5th St, Des Moines IA 50309.

First, A Small Disclaimer

It is time to start putting the world on notice. Des Moines is ready to step up.

Don’t let Des Moines’ polite people and little big city atmosphere fool you – it’s home to a tech savvy, hard workin’, ass kickin’ crowd of creative workers with opportunities to spare.

As local social networking consultant Nathan Wright puts it: “Des Moines is the greatest city in the world because you can make epic shit happen here, period.”

Des Moines is home to TweetUp Badges, the Sarah Lacy Square, a butter cow, 80/35, Market Street Media Foundry, and, of course, Impromptu Studio – the first (and most badass) coworking joint in the Midwest ran by Daniel Shipton. Des Moines has grown a lot in the two years since Fast Company proclaimed it “The Hippest City” in 2007 and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Locals work hard and play harder, so we had to celebrate our first anniversary as part of Advance: A Week to Move Forward!

Advance: A Week to Move Forward

cultivate:dsm is launching with a week dedicated to collaboration, inspiration and Moving Forward. A partnership of Impromptu Studio and Market Street Media Foundry and the brainchild of Dan Shipton, cultivate:dsm is dedicated to providing a platform for big thinkers to rally the support they need to act big.

Advance will be held July 20-25 with events at Impromptu and Market Street. All Advance events are free and open to the public. The program is designed for creative and business professionals alike with useful, casual events encouraging people to work together and get to work.

Wednesday’s events will anchor Advance week with conversation, learning, and socializing. Acclaimed author Tara Hunt (The Whuffie Factor) will lead a presentation and Q&A about using social capital to build your business. A social meetup with conversation and karaoke led by local and national coworking and arts leaders will conclude the evening. Other Advance: A Week to Move Forward events include the Ignite Des Moines Remix luncheon, Your Baby’s Ugly aesthetic critique night, Rewrite copywriting workshop, Freelancer Friday, Expert Mode, and Market Day.

Bring on the Whuffaoke!

Did someone say Karaoke?  HELL YES.  Wednesday, July 22nd the Whuffaoke crew are helping us celebrate our one year anniversary in style!

“Shortly after the successful release of Tara’s book The Whuffie Factor, Tara desperately wanted a way to have the time and space to write her next book and continue to travel around. Taking a look at her current situation, she knew that, in order to do that, she would need to quit her job and move back to Canada (where she is a citizen). She picked Montreal, because it’s awesome and beautiful and incredibly affordable to be a writer in. Within minutes, it dawned on her that this was the PERFECT opportunity to pursue her dream of karaoke-ing across America. Why just move when you can move AND bring karaoke happiness in the process?” – via the Whuffaoke site

More information and the full schedule for Advance Week can be found the cultivate:dsm site.

Tuesday March 24th Ben Stone of RPO Consulting hosted his ribbon cutting and a general celebration of his brand new company at Impromptu Studio.

Ben had a great crowd with lots of local business professionals, consultants and freelancers. Ben treated all to amazing food and beverages and the party lasted well into the evening.

We are so excited that Ben has decided to call Impromptu home and look forward to watching his business grow.

Gabriel Glynn and Michael Libbie

Gabriel Glynn, Asset Protection Specialist founder, and Michael Libbie, President of Insight Communications, were at Impromptu Studio for Part 4 of our “What Now” series for entrepreneurs. They gave us some great advice about bootstrapping and how to get your business up and running for less. Check out who was there in the Des Moines Register .

Check out Part 5 of our WhatNow series this Friday, March 20th and listen to Brett Trout, Law Offices of Brett Trout, and Adam Steen, 25 Connections, discuss “Character: Don’t be an @$$hole”  Sign up for your tickets today!

There is an epic party on the horizon so start digging through your closets. Admission into the party is simple: wear an Ugly Christmas Sweater. It is happening Thursday, December 11th from 6pm – 9pm here at Impromptu Studio.  There is a link at the bottom of the post to RSVP for the party.

We will have Killer Sandwiches from B&B Grocery, beer donated from Olde Main, Live music by Jason Walsmith of The Nadas, and most importantly FUN. We owe the idea to Dallas Moore who is helping us organize and throw what we hope will be a huge bash!

In the spirit of the season we are also asking that people bring donations for the Central Iowa Shelter.  Doug Mitchell and Dan Shipton are helping to put on a New Year’s Eve dinner for the Central Iowa Shelter and will bring the donated items from the party to the shelter.

The list of items to bring for donation to the Central Iowa Shelter:

• Both male and female hygiene items/personal grooming supplies (shampoo, shaving cream, soap, you name it)
• Both male and female clothing
• Detergent
• Blankets
• Socks

Follow @danielshipton and @mrdallasjmoore on Twitter and check out Dallas Moore’s blog to keep up with whats happening and to vote on the beer for the evening. Please use the hashtag #uglysweaterparty when referencing it on Twitter.

We hope to see you and your friends there!

Justin Brady of Test of Time Design presented at our Ignite Des Moines event on “Networking for Nerds”. We felt that this was especially important because so many of us “nerds” have trouble with this vital business skill. Justin provided us with a list of easy ways to get started at a networking event.

1. Wear a name tag dang it

2. Camera + Photos + Business Cards = Web Traffic

3. Piggy Backing

4. Picking off the Lone Ranger

5. Wear an “Ask me about” tag or pin

6. Be the First to Arrive

7. Be the Last to Sit

8. Bring paper Forget the Pen

9. Ask. Ask. Ask.

10. Get their Card, Follow Up!

Watch his full talk and download the pdf with a BONUS tip!

We are so excited to be welcoming the Big Dream Gathering to Impromptu Studio. The Big Dream Gathering is put on by Mitch Matthews and his wife Melissa and their team. They know how hard it is to make your dream come true when know one believes in you. That’s why they started the Big Dream Gathering in order to provide a safe and fun atmosphere for people to share their dreams and take that first step toward making them a reality. Here at Impromptu Studio we are providing that same type of atmosphere and community for these dreamers and entrepreneurs to continue to realize their dreams. We couldn’t imagine a better match and we want to thank one of our coworkers Chris Punke for introducing us.

The Big Dream Gathering will be at Impromptu Studio on November 5th and 12th from 6-8 pm both nights.

To celebrate our grand opening, Impromptu Studio is hosting an open coworking day, followed by a reception and open house on Thursday, August 28. Come by the space early with your laptop to enjoy a full day of coworking. Then, after a full, productive day, stick around for some fun and networking at our open house. The open house and reception will run from 5pm to 8pm, with a few remarks at 6:30pm. For those who will be unable to come, the reception will be streamed, allowing you to join in on the festivities from afar. And while refreshments will be provided at the reception, those watching the stream from another location will have to provide their own. After the reception has concluded, the celebration will move to a local establishment. Please RSVP to these events on Upcoming. We hope to see you there!

Impromptu Studio Grand Opening Flyer

Unlimited coworking. $50 a month. Seriously.

Yup, it’s true. Unlimited coworking at Impromptu Studio for only $50 a month. Check out our plans to see what we have to offer!

Location, location, location.

You’ve got to see the views from this place. Don’t let the “SW” in SW 5th street scare you, we’re right in the heart of downtown. Art 316 are our next-door neighbors and the Science Center and Whiteline Lofts are just across the street. Impromptu is easily accessed via the MLK parkway and is walking distance from great places like Hessen Haus, El Bait Shop, Capital Square (meaning FedEx and USPS), Court Avenue Brewing Company, Principal Park, and many more.

People people.

Impromptu is first and foremost a community. That means we make decisions based on what’s best for our coworkers. Dollars and egos and resumes are at the bottom of the priority pile. Being around great people creates a powerful energy that makes working more productive and more fun

Impromptu Studio will be Des Moines’ Premiere Coworking Office for Shared Workspaces.  Office residents will enjoy all of the comforts of a regular office without the "pain" of living in cubeland.  We take care of the office and it’s amenities. You take care of your business while gaining many potential interoffice connections with business owners just like you.

We see Iowa’s brain drain as a serious problem and are offering up Impromptu Studio as one part of the solution.  Young professionals can grow their own business by tapping into the resources we offer.  Young professionals no longer have big obstacles in joining the social and business community, a reason that many young people leave now.  Social interaction and networking opportunities that have young people are moving out of Iowa can be found within our environment.

Impromptu Studio aims to foster local business connections and interactions.  Our members will also have a diverse pool of services to offer each other. This dual pronged approach of community integration allows our members to become acquainted at multiple levels with individuals and businesses that can help them succeed for the years that follow.
Born out of need, Impromptu Studio will be a permanent home for Redship Technologies who will serve as the workspace’s host.