From college volleyball, I’ve learned that you play, you are promoted, you are given a position because of your running tally of two events: opportunities taken and opportunities missed. When you take advantage of those opportunities, your reliability is noted and often rewarded. When you miss them, you fail the test.

With the steep decline in advertising revenue for hard copy newspapers and increase in expenses, the world of journalism is undergoing massive changes in short order including the advent and surge in hyperlocal news. As everyone from the largest of media companies to independent local hyperlocal news sites seek to capitalize on the $30B local advertising market, which hyperlocal business models are succeeding and why? How will hyperlocal news change the world of journalism?

Our third OC meeting at the extraordinary and historic Wave Hill Gardens in Riverdale promises to bring inspiration and opportunity for deep conversation as we delight in nature’s beauty. The themes of how nature and art can inspire, teach and connect us will be the doorways into intimate conversations about our relationships to others, to our work and to our selves.

The most powerful creators have the ability to hold their vision and live with the tension of knowing that what they are creating is not yet complete. We can learn the process of creating and the importance of starting with a blank slate. If we can empty our minds of assumptions and preconceived notions, the vision of what is possible will arise gracefully of its own accord.