✨ Tickets now available: Hot Source Lightning Talks 2024 ✨

📅 December 19, 5pm
📌 Chambers Cocktail Company
🎟️ £FREE

The massively popular lightning talk night is back for another year! Come and join us for an evening of festive fun, inspiring and funny talks, and a lovely night of chattering with new and old friends.

It's free, there's a drink included for the first 50 tickets, and you can submit a talk idea too!

If you've never done one, it's a great way to practice your public speaking and tell a story about something you're passionate about, a project you're involved in, or whatever else you like that fits the topic...

Talks are 5 minutes long, with 15 slides, and NO OVERTIME ALLOWED.

Come and join in the fun!

What’s the topic?

This year’s topic is:

Obviously Christmas is traditionally ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’, but you can interpret this however you like.

• What was your Most Wonderful Time?

• Can we help others have their Most Wonderful Time?

• How do we design things in the world to provide people with the Most Wonderful Time?

Submission deadline: November 18th

Got an idea, but not sure if it fits? Want to talk about the event, or have your questions answered? Give me a shout at hi@hotsourcetalks.com if you’d like to talk about it, otherwise, you can send your talk idea here and I’ll let you know by November 15th if you’re chosen to give your talk.

We want to squeeze in as many talks as we can, so if you're not sure, send your ideas anyway! If you think it's interesting enough for Hot Source, it probably is.

What are Hot Source Sparks?

Every Christmas for the last few years we’ve held a lightning talk night, where we invite you to talk about anything you like on a topic. We’ve had talks about all kinds of things - from recovering after a stroke, rescuing hedgehogs, making kid’s story books and even living with someone with depression.

The format is easy!

• Each talk is only 5 minutes long

• You can make 15 slides

• Your slides will automatically progress every 20 seconds

And that’s it!

What makes a great Hot Source Spark?

Talking in front of people can be daunting, but we’re a welcoming crowd and we want you to be great and enjoy yourself too!

To make your talk the best it can be, it should be:

• Super interesting. Think about a new innovation, something you've worked on, or a topic that you know lots about

• Creative. We don't want boring, bland presentations with lots of data. Your talk should be a story, taking us all on a journey of discovery, not a list of facts and figures.

• Unexpected. Sure, AI is all the rage and we're all worried about the state of the economy - so tell us about the time you learned how to be a UFC fighter for a dare, or an adventure in rescuing hedgehogs in your garden and what it taught you about life.

It doesn’t need to be all three, but it should be at least one of the above! If you’re not sure about it, just email hi@hotsourcetalks.com and I can help you work out the best bits of your story, and how to tell it.

FAQs

What kind of person is this for?

We have people of all kinds come along to Hot Source, and the Sparks are no different. You’ll probably meet:

• Business owners and entrepreneurs

• Freelancers and contractors

• Filmmakers, journalists, techies, and designers

• Artists and writers

• Free thinkers and free spirits

• People from all walks of life, all ages, genders, races and religions

And everyone in-between! The Hot Source community is incredibly welcoming and warm, encouraging and friendly.

Can I just watch?

Yes! Tickets will be available to buy very soon once we’ve finalised the dates.

I’m nervous. What if people are mean? What if they laugh at me?

We’ve done Hot Source Sparks for years, and not once has anyone ever been laughed at, and it won’t start now. The Hot Source community is really supportive and lovely. You will have a great time.

5 minutes isn’t much time! Can I go for longer?

Nope. It’s a strict five minutes, and then the crowd’s applause will finish up your talk. You’ll be able to chat with people after your talk about your ideas, though.

5 minutes is too long! Can I shorten it?

Nope. The format is the format. But people have done fun things like silences to illustrate a point, or combined slides together.

I’m not good at design. Can I get help with my slides?

Of course! Just let me know and I can make sure you get some help.

I’ve never spoken in public, can I still do a talk?

Yes! In fact, you definitely should! It's the perfect way to practice public speaking, presentation and clear communication, and a lovely way to meet new people that might love your idea or want to talk more about rabbit adoption/the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Can it really be about anything?

As long as you’re interpreting the topic somehow, yes! We've had talks about living with someone with depression, how dating companies use your data, surviving cancer, and lots more.

That’s it for now! If you’d like to speak, get submitting those ideas. If you wouldn’t, then just grab a ticket and come along to hear some really cool stuff.

And if neither is for you, consider sharing this email with a friend that might fancy it.

See you soon!

Tom Haczewski
Organiser, Hot Source

We’ve been quiet this year - 2024 has not been kind to my calendar - but we’re back in 2025 with a couple of inspiring, connection-making, brain-zapping events in the pipeline starting with a fabulous collab with the team at Artlist.

In the meantime, though, we can’t finish the year without inviting you to the funnest, most festive of events - Hot Source Sparks, our lightning talk series inspired by PechaKucha.

We’re announcing the venue and date very soon, but in the meantime, here’s a bit of info.

What’s the topic?

This year’s topic is:

Obviously Christmas is traditionally ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’, but you can interpret this however you like.

• What was your Most Wonderful Time?

• Can we help others have their Most Wonderful Time?

• How do we design things in the world to provide people with the Most Wonderful Time?

Submission deadline: November 11th

Got an idea, but not sure if it fits? Want to talk about the event, or have your questions answered? Give me a shout at hi@hotsourcetalks.com if you’d like to talk about it, otherwise, you can send your talk idea here and I’ll let you know by November 15th if you’re chosen to give your talk.

We want to squeeze in as many talks as we can, so if you're not sure, send your ideas anyway! If you think it's interesting enough for Hot Source, it probably is.

What are Hot Source Sparks?

Every Christmas for the last few years we’ve held a lightning talk night, where we invite you to talk about anything you like on a topic. We’ve had talks about all kinds of things - from recovering after a stroke, rescuing hedgehogs, making kid’s story books and even living with someone with depression.

The format is easy!

• Each talk is only 5 minutes long

• You can make 15 slides

• Your slides will automatically progress every 20 seconds

And that’s it!

What makes a great Hot Source Spark?

Talking in front of people can be daunting, but we’re a welcoming crowd and we want you to be great and enjoy yourself too!

To make your talk the best it can be, it should be:

• Super interesting. Think about a new innovation, something you've worked on, or a topic that you know lots about

• Creative. We don't want boring, bland presentations with lots of data. Your talk should be a story, taking us all on a journey of discovery, not a list of facts and figures.

• Unexpected. Sure, AI is all the rage and we're all worried about the state of the economy - so tell us about the time you learned how to be a UFC fighter for a dare, or an adventure in rescuing hedgehogs in your garden and what it taught you about life.

It doesn’t need to be all three, but it should be at least one of the above! If you’re not sure about it, just email hi@hotsourcetalks.com and I can help you work out the best bits of your story, and how to tell it.

FAQs

What kind of person is this for?

We have people of all kinds come along to Hot Source, and the Sparks are no different. You’ll probably meet:

• Business owners and entrepreneurs

• Freelancers and contractors

• Filmmakers, journalists, techies, and designers

• Artists and writers

• Free thinkers and free spirits

• People from all walks of life, all ages, genders, races and religions

And everyone in-between! The Hot Source community is incredibly welcoming and warm, encouraging and friendly.

Can I just watch?

Yes! Tickets will be available to buy very soon once we’ve finalised the dates.

I’m nervous. What if people are mean? What if they laugh at me?

We’ve done Hot Source Sparks for years, and not once has anyone ever been laughed at, and it won’t start now. The Hot Source community is really supportive and lovely. You will have a great time.

5 minutes isn’t much time! Can I go for longer?

Nope. It’s a strict five minutes, and then the crowd’s applause will finish up your talk. You’ll be able to chat with people after your talk about your ideas, though.

5 minutes is too long! Can I shorten it?

Nope. The format is the format. But people have done fun things like silences to illustrate a point, or combined slides together.

I’m not good at design. Can I get help with my slides?

Of course! Just let me know and I can make sure you get some help.

I’ve never spoken in public, can I still do a talk?

Yes! In fact, you definitely should! It's the perfect way to practice public speaking, presentation and clear communication, and a lovely way to meet new people that might love your idea or want to talk more about rabbit adoption/the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Can it really be about anything?

As long as you’re interpreting the topic somehow, yes! We've had talks about living with someone with depression, how dating companies use your data, surviving cancer, and lots more.

That’s it for now! If you’d like to speak, get submitting those ideas. If you wouldn’t, then look out for tickets and come along to hear some really cool stuff.

And if neither is for you, consider sharing this email with a friend that might fancy it.

See you soon!

Tom Haczewski
Organiser, Hot Source

Thank you for signing up to get news from Hot Source.

This is the first Hot Source News, so I would love your feedback. Please drop me an email and let me know what you think!

And if you’re working on something interesting, launching a new product, or in need of some help, let me know at hello@hotsourcetalks.com.

Projects

Liam Bailey launches new photobook

Liam Bailey, Norwich photographer and founder of photocrowd.com, launched his new book last month and it looks fantastic.

Glastonbury is the striking distillation of over 30 years’ unprecedented photographic access to the world’s largest green-field music and performing arts festival. In over 120 memorable images, Liam Bailey invites us to share his experiences of being among its diverse tribes.

After The Tide highlights coastal erosion in Norfolk

The conversation is growing around Norfolk, and it’s courtesy of a documentary produced by Norfolk independent filmmakers Evie Calaby and Joseph Harrington.

The film explores the pressing issue of coastal erosion and how the idyllic village of Happisburgh is threatened by a new wave of government policy.

I haven’t been able to make a screening yet but from the trailer, the film looks poignant and affecting. Check it out below and follow Evie and Joseph on LinkedIn to get yourself to a screening.

Newfangled Games releases latest game, Paper Trail Norwich-based Newfangled Games, founded by Henry and Frederick Hoffman, hit multiple platforms in May and has an average 75% review on Metacritic. If you have Netflix, you can check it out there - otherwise it’s available on Playstation, Xbox, Switch, Steam, iOS and Android. Check it out

Norwich-based In Development studio worked with Sony Pictures on feature film I’ve not heard of Robotech but was excited to learn of this project by In Development. The team worked on a deck for Rhys Thomas (Marvel’s Hawkeye), to demonstrate his vision for a feature film based on the sci-fi anime series from the 1980s. Looking forward to seeing it on screens soon!

Welcome to Norwich, Lobster Copy
Rob Lowton launches Lobster Copy, a new business to help companies with their messaging.

Trett Films completes feature horror movie, Dial
This looks seriously good. Filmed locally, with local cast and crew. Check out the trailer

On His Majesty’s Secret Service
Also from Trett Films, this launch trailer for the Charlie Higson book is fantastic. Have a look

The next Hot Source event

Innovate & Grill: Summer BBQ
6pm, July 11
https://ti.to/norfolkdevelopers/innovate-and-grill
A joint event with Norfolk Developers, SyncNorwich and Norfolk Game Developers, it’s one you can’t miss.

The next season of Hot Source will start in August. Tickets will be available next week, so keep an eye out on Meetup here!

Other events

Drink ‘n’ Draw
Last month, there was a ‘Psychology of Creativity’ event which looked awesome - join the Meetup here and look out for the next event

Nor(DEV):con
Feb 26-28 2025
https://ti.to/norfolkdevelopers/nordevcon-25/
Tickets are now on sale for East Anglia’s premier developer conference

Projects in need

Can you help bring the Chocolate Festival back?

Back in 2015, Lynn Lockwood founded the Norwich Chocolate Festival which saw 4,000 visitors explore the world of chocolate through seminars, workshops, exhibitions and film, and elevated the voice of cocoa-growing communities.

“In the last ten years, I have become increasingly aware of the lack of equity and equality for cocoa farmers who often live in poverty and rarely have a voice in the industry,” said Lynn, who has returned to get the festival up and running once more.

“The impact of climate change and deforestation and the horror of the abundant use of forced child labour cannot be ignored. Green and ethical washing has become the norm and consumers struggle to make informed choices.

“This event will be an opportunity to bring these global issues to the forefront, to learn together from people living in cocoa growing communities from different countries. We hope to bring discussion and the opportunity to collaborate and work together to create positive change.”

Lynn is looking for sponsors, partners and volunteers to help run the event. If that’s you, email her today: lynnlockwood70@icloud.com

Help Laura to raise money for Gorleston Pavilion Theatre

Laura North (now Haczewski 🎉) is running 47 miles later this year to raise £4,700 to help repair the roof at Gorleston Pavilion Theatre.

This incredible theatre is a well-beloved local institution and such an important part of the community, and you can help to maintain it where local public funds simply aren’t available to help.

Plus, 47 miles is a ridiculously long way and surely it deserves £20 of your cash, right?

Norwich Repair Cafe is fundraising

The Norwich Repair Cafe is a community-driven initiative that aims to reduce waste and promote sustainability by hosting monthly events where volunteers repair items for free and teach people new repair skills.

They’re raising money to pay for venues, tools and parts, and to market the event wider. Help them reach their goal to get more people to reuse what they own, rather than having more tech ending up in landfill.

GoGo Safari needs artists and sponsors

Summer 2025 will see five new sculptures from the African Savannah making their way to the streets of Norwich. It’s a really fun hunt across the city and raises a huge amount for this important charity working with vulnerable children to give them the best start in life.

If you’re an artist, Break are looking for your submissions! It’s a great way to showcase your skills, kickstart your career, and help to raise money too.

If you’re a business that wants to sponsor one of these magnificent sculptures to promote your company and support Break, check out how to sponsor

.

Grants & opportunities

Thanks for reading! Remember, if you’re working on something interesting, launching a new product, or in need of some help, let me know at hello@hotsourcetalks.com.