Elton Rivas Quits One Spark

[Murder_me_Rachel]

http://jacksonville.com/breaking-news/2016-01-11/story/one-spark-founder-and-ceo-elton-rivas-resigns

[whyisjohngalt]

Submissions are down and he was either asked to leave or asked to make more "bold" claims and wasn't going to continue being a charlatan.

Or he saw numbers and ran before board sees them.  Thing is, with ER, everything has spin on it and we may never know the truth.  I'd be interested to know his real thoughts on the experience, what he wishes he did differently and if he actually believes 320,000 people came to the event last year.  What were the unique # of voters?

[whyisjohngalt]

Maybe 1 of the Epoch guys will come over to put back on track?

[thelakelander]

From my email this morning:

Good morning.

Thank you for your support over the years. It has been an honor to lead this journey from idea to reality and I am proud of what the individuals, employees, volunteers, sponsors, and all the supporters of One Spark have done to bring together something that has been called "the most important event in the city of Jacksonville to ever happen."

I have chosen to resign from One Spark and wanted to provide you with the appropriate contact information for future dealings.

To help with any transition items, for any future requests with One Spark, please contact Chris Byers at chris@onespark.com.

If you need to reach me directly for any personal items, you can do so at elton@zeroconfines.com.

Again, thank you for your support of One Spark over the years and I hope that you will continue to do so for many years to come!


Truly,

[blfair]

I'm not sure how to feel. Part of me really liked the idea of one spark, but the last time I went (maybe my timing was bad) it felt like people were mostly excited about the opportunity to be drunk in public. The first one definitely had a different/more optimistic energy to it. Many of the entrants at the last one seemed to just be going through the motions.

[Local Artist]

This thing seems like it was doomed from the start.

R.I.P David Bowie and One Spark

[Local Artist]

After calling around, I think its plain that the original team (who ALL left over the last two years) that actually did all of the work would be willing to step back in and resuscitate the festival.

You mean now that Elton is gone?

[Local Artist]

After calling around, I think its plain that the original team (who ALL left over the last two years) that actually did all of the work would be willing to step back in and resuscitate the festival.

You mean now that Elton is gone?

Yes.

Do you think it's actually plausible?

[UNFurbanist]

T-U is reporting that he was asked to resign. From what I have heard I think this is for the best. http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2016-01-11/story/board-member-one-spark-founder-and-ceo-elton-rivas-was-asked-resign

[whyisjohngalt]

Is it worth considering that maybe the festival experience wasn't positive or of value for the majority of "creators" so they aren't willing to come back?

And, basically, we ran out of "creators" because of the actual festival results.

You can blame Elton for the expectations being too high but don't blame him for the fundamental issues.  The results of a festival for "wannabees" not actualizing their goal (with a few hundred $ or less) vs the ArtPrize festival of actual "Doers" isn't even in the same realm of possibility. 

"Most important thing to happen to the city of Jacksonville ever?"  We should be insulted.

[Tacachale]

It should be possible to save One Spark. It shouldn't be difficult to take the bones and build it into something more like ArtPrize or a music festival that would bring revenue. I always thought the big weakness of One Spark's model was that too much of the prize money went out in too small amounts. At ArtPrize, the prizes total something like $500k - much less than One Spark last year, but $200k of that goes to the top winner. That means they draw some serious talent, which in turn has made their fundraising a lot easier. Alternatively, a ticketed music festival could make its own money if they draw serious acts. Considering how much of a crowd this thing draws, it shouldn't be hard to make it work.

[spuwho]

I think OneSpark has been good for the community to help recognize ourselves, but its influence outside Jax in the US is negligible.

In my travels when I bring up OneSpark to people who have an interest in these things, they are like "huh?"

So let it improve itself organically and not worry about how everyone outside Jax thinks it should be. Make it what we want it to be.

[tufsu1]

http://jacksonville.com/breaking-news/2016-01-11/story/one-spark-founder-and-ceo-elton-rivas-resigns

One Spark was always smoke and mirrors. This is not surprising at all.  That ship is sinking fast.

not saying I disagree....but just curious...what positive contributions do you make to the city MMR?

[whyisjohngalt]

Chris Byers was the name Elton listed but Chris Carter was the name in the TU.

Why would Elton send this email first thing Monday AM?

Why didn't the organization send it like they did when Joe Sampson or the rest of the crew was released?  Were they planning to but this was a "preemptive" move by Rivas?  Doubt we'll ever really know and I doubt Elton will ever return to this city.

Hubris. Smugness.  Like rain on a welding day.

[Captain Zissou]

Can we still have one spark in April with no creators?  The beer stands, food trucks, music, and people are the main reasons I go and Mike Field can set those up at a moment's notice.