January 18, 2012
Did you ever fly a kite in bed?
Did you ever walk with ten cats on your head?
Did you ever milk this kind of cow?
Well, we can do it. We know how.
If you never did, you should.
These things are fun and fun is good.
- Dr. Seuss, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Dr. Seuss is a marvelous example of great impact through fun and experimentation. Using the power of storytelling, Seuss tackled both collective global challenges, from environmental destruction to genocide, and profound personal moments, like learning to read, experiencing resilience and practicing integrity.
At HopeLab, courageous experimentation and joy are in our DNA. We believe in the power of play and science with heart. In fact, the introduction to our 2012 strategic plan we presented to our board was a riff on Horton Hears a Who, entitled HopeLab Hears a Hey. Delightful AND informative!
The images in this post are from our first staff meeting of the year, where our team gathered to share and discuss priorities for our work in 2012.
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September 30, 2011
I had the immense privilege of shooting Zamzee Co’s team photo in September. Of the one photo that was selected of each person, there were plenty that had to be passed over and I just couldn’t let them collect dust in my photo archive. The photos are here, but I’ll be sharing about the process and some things I learned about creativity, vision, and execution in a follow-up post. In the meanwhile, click “Read More” to enjoy the behind-the-scenes photos of this wacky group of hard-working, talented, passionate people!
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August 30, 2011
Our IT Manager of 7.5 years, Mike, moved his family to Texas recently, so to send him off, we did a bit of a western themed photo shoot. I have to say that one of the best aspects of my job is that HopeLabbers will always put on their best game face when we have the occasional photo shoot. (And surely costumes help.)
I laughed so hard during this shoot and definitely had one very long #momentofjoy.
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July 31, 2011
As many of you know, HopeLab is celebrating its 10th year in 2011. So during a recent visit, our founder and board chair, Pam Omidyar, joined the HopeLab team for a “fireside chat.” It was lovely to have Pam share with us the origins of our organization and to learn fun tidbits about her.
This picture is of Pam describing the book Surfers Code, after Pat asked her to describe some of her current passions: surfing and bollywood. Pam also shared her deep commitment to building peace and advancing human freedom, through her work with Humanity United, and her excitement for the work of Omidyar Network.
Although we weren’t gathered around a real fire for the conversation, the glimpse of the fire that fuels Pam was inspiring truly inspiring!
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June 30, 2011
There were way too many to choose from this month. But I think the picture below has to be my favorite for June. Karen’s one of our past Zamzee user testers. At the Zamzee milestone party, she showed us all how a real hula hooper does it … with THREE hula hoops! Rad…
To see more fun pictures from the celebration, click here.
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May 27, 2011
We made a "How-to" video for our kid testers, to explain all the features of the Zamzee device. So naturally, we needed to create a GIANT rendition of the device. This is just snippet of behind-the-scenes in the creation of the video. We'll post the final product soon. Keep an eye out!
This is the first of a new monthly column sharing one great image from inside HopeLab. We hope you like it!
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November 1, 2010
When I hear about really creative companies, I always wonder what the company culture is like, what the space looks like, and who the people are. Because those are all factors that contribute to creativity and innovation. You might equate it to looking through someone’s closet or the fridge; it’s just plain interesting! I think that we’re able to do what we do at HopeLab because of all the little behind-the-scenes events that shape who we are as an organization. Take a look.
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January 4, 2010
In 2009, we spent a lot of time talking – and listening – to kids, parents, partners, and experts on the development of gDitty. We’ve been documenting our journey and want to share some images of the people who have helped shape our work.
Take a look at our gDitty Flickr stream. (And while you’re there, get a glimpse of our life at HopeLab.)
(PS. Happy New Year from all of us at HopeLab!)
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July 2, 2009
Thrilling, humbling, inspiring – in the afterglow of Tuesday’s event at the White House, all three words still apply. It was fun, for sure – how could it not be, with all the energy and personality 12-year-old Richard Ross brought to the stage? I have a few reflections, though, on some behind-the-scenes moments that really stand out for me.
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May 27, 2009
We’re hard at work on a new product to get kids moving! Here’s a look at our journey with Denis Bohm of Firefly Design and the team at Daylight Design to take gDitty from concept to real-world, working prototype for testing. Check out our Ruckus Nation program page on hopelab.org for more about the project.
Wondering when you can get your hands on your very own gDitty? We’re currently testing it with kids and in the process of improving the device and website experience, based on their feedback and the results of our pilot studies. This is not the last you’ll be hearing about our work with gDitty. Stay tuned!
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