"Since it's being broadcast on CTN I'm looking forward to seeing how many FCC violations I can break in one evening," jokes Al McWilliams, founder and owner of
Quack! Media and guest MC for tomorrow night's
Entre-SLAM. "If all goes well I should get their license revoked in roughly five minutes.
Williams will be the entertainment glue that holds together an evening of entrepreneurial story-telling. If you're at all familiar with poetry slams or the
MOTH Story Hour, then you're halfway to understanding the concept behind Entre-SLAM.
"As far as we know, nothing like this exists," says co-organizer and CEO of
Knowledgecrush Christa Chambers-Price. "Jeannie Ballew, invited me to the Moth. We both thought it was cool, which got my entrepreneurial brain churning, 'why not do something similar for entrepreneurs?'
The result was a story competition for the entrepreneurial set. The event makes its debut tomorrow night (March 29th) from 7-9pm at
Zingermans Events on Fourth (415 N. Fifth - formerly Eve, The Restaurant). There, 10 volunteer "slammers" will have five minutes to wax poetic on the evening's theme: "Going Against the Grain: how thinking out of the box or doing things radically different really paid off." Competitors are not permitted to use notes and all stories must be true. Otherwise, all bets are off and may the best told tale win. The audience acts as judge.
Co-organizer Ballew is no stranger to the world of literary events. As the owner of
Edit Prose she is a professional book coach and editor. She also facilitates the Ann Arbor Writers Workshop and has been involved with a pair of monthly poetry readings -- "Poetry at the Center" at the Cottage Retreat Center in Jackson, and as co-facilitator of New Millennium Poetry at Sweetwaters in Ann Arbor.
"I love nothing more than a great story," says Ballew. "I guess it goes back to my mom reading to me at bedtime when I was a kid. I never wanted those evenings to end."
Knowing that every good show needs a good host, the Entre-SLAM organizers invited McWilliams to act as the evening's cruise director. "The truth is, I think they wanted
Davy Rothbart to host but because he couldn't do it I was the consolation prize," says McWilliams. "It should be a pretty fun time on a Thursday night - which is literally why I'm doing it. Plus it's a way for busy people to let their hair down."
Ballew and Chambers-Price were generous enough to answer a few questions about their yarn-spinning brainchild.
What inspired the idea behind Entre-SLAM? How will it be different than other story slams?
We both know a lot of solopreneurs and entrepreneurs, really bright, creative people who don't fit the MBA track style of doing business. These folks are lone wolves for the most part, often plugging away in isolation, hanging on to their dreams against all odds. We wanted to create a whole new kind of event that would allow all these types of business owners to come together with other more traditional entrepreneurs in a way that makes everyone feel connected and comfortable. We wanted to break down some of the superficial walls that have divided us, because when it comes down to it, we have more in common than we may realize. As founders, launchers, "starter-uppers," if you will, we are all creative, bright, risk-takers who are exceptionally good at communicating and inspiring others with a vision. The purpose of our story slams are not just to entertain, though that is certainly at the heart of it, but to build community and to provide an organic, authentic, natural kind of support for all different kinds of business owners.
So, what makes for a good "entrepreneurial" story?
The same qualities that go into any great story, but, specifically, it must be true, not just factually but emotionally. It must have that kind of raw honesty that leaves an audience feeling like it has gotten inside the skin of the storyteller. We really want to discourage folks from simply using this as an opportunity to "pitch" their business. Ideally, we hope to hear about some of the "hidden" challenges and struggles of being an entrepreneur, as well as the really juicy, exciting moments when it all comes together. Otherwise, a good story should have a clear beginning, middle and end with some type of climax that indicates a change in attitude or behavior, stick to the given theme, be spoken not read, be within the five minute time limit, and just be downright entertaining.
How do you pick the month's slam "theme"?
We are shooting to have a balance between the "darkest hour before the dawn" type stories, which, let's face it, make for great storytelling, and more positive, upbeat stories in which folks get to show off their brilliance. The last thing we want is for this to become is a maudlin, group therapy session in which we are all bitching and moaning about how tough things are for the "little guy." On the other hand, we want people to be willing to share honest, authentic moments. The other thing we are going to do is to run a mini contest at the end of every slam asking audience members to mobile text us their theme ideas. We very much want to get people as involved and interactive as possible.
The first topic is "Going Against The Grain" Do you think that's enough of an "outside the box" theme to inspire "outside the box" tales?
Absolutely! We expect to hear stories of brilliance, creativity, and innovation along with inner questions like, "Am I crazy to try and do this?" and "Is this really going to work?" We decided on this theme for the first slam because we wanted to set a tone that is uplifting and inspiring.
This first one may not be as challenging or "out of the box" as later ones will be, but that's ok. This is a whole new concept, and the format itself will pose its own kind of edginess. After all, not everyone has the courage to get up in front of a group of strangers and share something personal. In the end, it's all a grand experiment. Just like our anticipated storytellers, we ask ourselves some of the same questions named above.
Honestly, we really don't know what's going to happen. But like every intrepid entrepreneur, we mix a little inspiration and a lot of hard work with blind faith and then take the grand leap.
So, which kind of story do you prefer - one that makes you laugh until you cry or one that simply makes you cry?
CHAMBERS-PRICE: Personally, I'm a sucker for any story where the odds are incredibly stacked but somehow, someway, at the last minute, the least likeliest hero saves the day. At that point, I'm sure to drop a tear because I can connect and identity with the rawness of the journey.
BALLEW: I love a story that makes me both cry with laughter and then touches me to the core. I want a story that is so artfully told that I feel like I am right in the middle of the action, yet makes its way into my heart such that it echoes within me for days, leaving me with ongoing questions like, “Why did she do that?” or "What if that had been me?" When a story sticks with me and pesters me for days ... yep, that's a good one.
When that last question was put to Al McWilliams, he answered in his typically irreverent manner. "I want a story that makes me crap my pants."
We assume he means that metaphorically.
Jeff Meyers is the managing editor of
Concentrate and
Metromode. He is also an award-winning film critic for Detroit's
Metro Times.