Hub Coworking Hawaii

Hawai‘i's Best Coworking Space

Humans of Impact Hub

Meet our Host Team!

Impact Hub HNL has a group of dedicated hosts that work with us to greet new members and facilitate an awesome member experience. Learn more about our team here:

Lawrence Basha

Lawrence retired after a long Army career and is transitioning into something different as a second act. He is interested in organizational development, strategic planning, fitness & healthy living, and progressive politics in Hawaii.

 

Miguel Castrence

Miquel is a geospatial data scientist and managing partner at Resource Mapping Hawaii, a small, locally owned and operated company specializing in aerial imaging and geographic information solutions. He conducts research on wide range of conservation technologies for environmental monitoring over remote landscapes. His latest passion project integrates machine learning and citizen science for mapping marine debris throughout the main Hawaiian islands.

Holger Heine

Holger and his partner Suzanne started Topos Productions in 1996. We worked with clients specializing in corporate events and digital media. Today, Topos Media creates apps, websites and e-books and we help clients with marketing services.

 

Jenn Jiron

Jenn is a graphic designer, illustrator and founder of Waves in Color (a creative atelier). Waves in Color combines Jenn’s East meets West design background and focuses on conveying and creating a visual presence for a wide range of clients ranging from start-ups to established companies. The spectrum of the atelier is wide and includes: brand identity, print/product design, web design, digital projects, pattern creation, illustration and much more. Jenn’s passions include traveling, playing the guitar and helping out in the community.

Joe Heaukulani

Joe describes himself as a Random Citizen helping to transform Hawaii’s communities through enhanced engagement and enduring empowerment. My passions are Technology and Farming, and I am currently skill-building in Amazon Web Services, Machine Learning, Mobile Development, and a small dash of video production on the side.

Ruby Menon

“I have been a host and part of the Hub movement ever since we opened up our doors at the old ProtoHub location on Keawe St. In my day job, I am the Product Manager for a local tech startup, JamBios. In my company, BrainSmart HR, I work with social impact entrepreneurs to provide product design consulting using a behavioral science approach. I also teach Design Your Life by Creating New Habits classes at the Hub. A few years ago, I implemented an Inmate Art project called CARE that works with incarcerated women artists at WCCC. The CARE project promotes and sells their art and craft products so they can earn money for their transition back to the community. I am still involved in this social enterprise project and am always looking for opportunities to promote these talented women’s art work.

Danyale Thomas Ross

Danyale is Founder and Head Instigator in Charge and Mindset Practitioner at InstigateHer™. Her weekly podcast, InstigateHer™ features curated content of women thought leaders and self-help experts while delivering a message in just minutes. Danyale leads the Honolulu WomanSpeak circle, which can be best described as Toastmasters for conscious women a guided process that helps a woman discover her unique story and explores ways to be more fully expressed in the world for herself and her community. Through hosting various themed in person woman-centric events and spaces she encourages women to become a more sovereign version of themself.

Suzanne Savet

My background is in marketing, sales, meeting planning and special event management. My partner Holger and I started Topos Productions in 1996. Today, Topos Media creates apps, websites and e-books and we help clients with marketing services.

My interests include writing; travel; art; photography; film; music; food & wine; and sports, especially, golf, tennis and Formula One racing. As a pastime, I admit to spending too much time online watching hilarious animal (dog, cat) and healthy cooking videos.

Kat Uyemura

“I would be flattering myself if I called myself a Renaissance woman. But, I humbly wish to be an eternal student. I’ve always loved the study of the humanities, arts, literature and music. Anatomy and the fascinating human body has always interested me. I’m a yoga momma who loves travel, hiking, running and anything health related. I also have a great respect and curiosity for technological advances. However, though I believe that it’s integral to advance our society and world, I think what each person yearns for is the beauty of art and culture to transcend us to higher connections to each other, love and spirituality.” Kat says she can be found in any book store.

 

Member Spotlight: Christine Mai‘i Sakuda of Transform Hawaii Government

Our ongoing series of Member Spotlights highlights the great work that our members are doing across their fields in Hawaii. Christine Sakuda of Transform Hawaii Government (THG) is a local organization that seeks to improve and modernize the Hawaii state government.

You can learn more about the organization here:

THG has hosted multiple events here at Impact Hub HNL, and we look forward to hosting more of these interesting and progressive events about how to improve our government from the ground up! Follow our Facebook events page to keep up to date.

I chatted with Christine over email and asked her to tell me more about the work that THG is doing, and why it’s so important.

transform hawaii government

Andrea B (AB): Can you tell me a little bit more about Transform Hawaii Government?

Christine Sakuda (CS): Transform Hawaii Government (THG) advocates for modernization of state government services so that such services can be provided to the public, Hawaii businesses, and even government officials and employees themselves in an efficient, transparent, and meaningful way. Modernization also helps increase availability and access to electronic data, promoting data-based decision-making in shaping Hawaii’s future.

AB: Tell me a little bit more about you – how did this become your role/passion/career?

CS: I’ve been working in the technology transformation space since 1997, starting off in healthcare and recently transitioning to state government with THG. For 15 years, I’ve worked for non-profit organizations, being the first executive director for the most recent organizations: the Hawaii Health Information Exchange and THG. I do not have a formal education in technology but learned on the job, and believe that technology can be a powerful tool to help solve problems and deliver services.

AB: What are some of the biggest issues you see with our state government?

CS: State departments and agencies have traditionally focused on their own department goals in a decentralized manner. These departments matured during a time when technology was nascent, heavily customized, and not user-friendly. Since then, there have been huge advancements in technology that allows for more enterprise (statewide) planning and systems integration to occur; many of these advancements have brought data to the fingertips of mobile device users, but not yet to our government agencies. Citizens expect the state government to keep pace with these advancements and make best efforts to leverage new technologies to deliver services in more efficient and convenient ways.

AB: What can Hawaii citizens do to get more involved in government and transparency?

CS: THG encourages interested individuals to join the THG coalition through our website to stay informed on the state’s progress towards IT modernization as well as learn how to become more active, such as testifying in support of key legislation that advances these efforts.

AB: Can you tell me more about your events that you’ve hosted here?

CS: THG hosted a series of talk story sessions at Impact Hub Honolulu focused on key themes of state modernization: a state IT strategic plan, modernizing infrastructure, open data, cyber-security and more. Impact Hub HNL is an ideal, central venue to bring together subject matter experts and state leadership to discuss these topics to raise awareness of challenges and discuss opportunities for improvement potentially through public policy.

AB: What upcoming events can we look forward to in 2019?

CS: THG’s speaker series will be returning to Impact Hub HNL in the New Year. We are in the process of developing our 2019 calendar of events and will announce upcoming speaker series topics on our website and through our newsletter. We plan to raise our speaker series to the next level in 2019 by hosting more panel discussions that move these discussions forward. For more information on these events, including Facebook Live video of past presentations, visit our site and select “Events.”

Thanks, Christine, for taking the time to chat with us!

Humans of Impact Hub: Holger & Suzanne of Topos Media

Holger Heine and Suzanne Savet have been a part of our Impact Hub HNL community since we were in our ProtoHub location. Holger and Suzanne are dedicated Hosts, and you’ll see them behind the Host desk at least once per week – but sometimes more often! They are also members of the coworking community and you’ll see them around throughout the week.

I was really happy to sit down and learn more about their current business, their background, and how they ended up here in at Impact Hub HNL.


Currently Holger and Suzanne manage Topos Productions and develop digital apps and games. They originally chose the name topos, which means place, location, or opportunity in classical Greek, as the theme for theirSan Francisco.-based special event production and marketing business back in the 1990s. Today, Suzanne explains, instead of curating real-life events, their mobile and web-based app help create customized experiences in the digital sphere.

Over the years, their business model has shifted its focus on creating stronger social impact, aiming to make the world a little better, especially for digitally underserved communities.

One of their larger current projects is the development of an app for people with mild memory problems. The app aims to create a sense of connectedness and importance in people suffering from early Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In addition to reinforcing personal memories, the app connects people with memory problems to their friends and loved ones, helps them stay in touch, and allows them to express their love. Holger and Suzanne are developing the app together with a professor at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and they are currently looking for additional beta testers for the app. If you or someone you know is interested in beta testing the app, please reach out here.

But Holger and Suzanne have not always been app developers – both of them have pretty diverse backgrounds. Suzanne started her career in the meeting and event industry in Washington, DC, and Holger spent many years in the hospitality and transportation industry in San Francisco.

They met while working together at one of the leading destination management and corporate event production companies of San Francisco. In 1996, they took the leap and founded Topos Productions as a special event production company, curating everything from corporate conferences for thousands of people to small, exclusive VIP wine country tours and incentive travel experiences.

The transition to a digital media production and marketing company started early on: their clients started asking them to make websites for their special events and incentive travel programs. In the late 1990s, these were simple ‘brochure’ type sites, and this got Suzanne and Holger to work more often in the digital space. “We look at websites as interactive events, which allowed us to combine our event production skills with website design and online marketing services,” she said.

“Creating a website (or mobile app) is about creating an experience,” says Suzanne, “focusing on the experiential factor in website and app development led us to emphasize user experience as a key component of successful digital media design.” This movement into the digital space meant they could become ‘digital nomads’ in Europe (starting in 2002, before it was a THING!). In 2008, an opportunity for Holger to pursue a PhD by research at the University of Melbourne came along, and Holger and Suzanne left their beloved San Francisco for a four-year stay in Australia.

During their time “down under,” Suzanne worked at the U.S. Consulate General Melbourne and served in the U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Commerce, helping U.S. companies develop their business in Australia. After four more years of digital nomading, Suzanne and Holger have moved themselves and their business to Hawaii, providing digital media services with aloha.

We’re so grateful that this smart and interesting pair bring their social consciousness and their bright personalities to Impact Hub HNL everyday. Learn more about their business here.

Why I Teach: Civil Beat’s Speaker Series Featuring our Community Manager, Anne Weber

***Update: This event has been rescheduled to Friday, 9/28 due to Hurricane Lane. Tickets for this event will be valid for the new date.

It’s back to school time for many of us, and to celebrate this time of year, Civil Beat is hosting another Hawaii Storyteller event called Why I Teach.

This event features a group of local teacher leaders telling stories of how they became educators. We’re extra excited about this event because our very own Community Manager Anne Weber will be one of the storytellers!

Anne Weber Impact HubMost of you know Anne as the person that keeps Impact Hub HNL running smoothly on a daily basis, but she is also a writer and educator. Anne was a state teacher fellow and she serves on the Advisory Council for the Native Alliance Initiative for Teach for America nationally. Prior to joining Impact Hub HNL, Anne taught elementary school in Waianae at Ma’ili Elementary for four years.

About her calling to teach, Anne says “the work was more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. Teaching indigenous students is close to my heart because I never had native teachers growing up. Students that have teachers they can relate to and see themselves in makes a significant difference in their learning. The rest of the story you’ll just have to come next Friday and hear for yourself.”

Anne Weber Hawaii storytellers

This Hawaii Storyteller’s event, part of a larger series produced by Civil Beat, will feature a group of local teachers offering up a diverse range of storytelling experiences, with each storyteller sharing personal challenges, triumphs, and insights as to what makes teaching in Hawaii so unique.

The featured storytellers for this Moth Radio Hour-style show includes the following storytellers:

  • Hokulani Holt, Kumu Hula of Pau O Hiiaka and Director of Ka Hikina O Ka La and Coordinator of
  • Hawaii Papa O Ke Ao at the University of Hawaii Maui College
  • Douglas Kiang, Computer science teacher at Punahou School
  • Keil Oberlander, English Language Arts teacher at Waianae High School
  • Mahina Paishon-Duarte, Principal of Kanu o ka Aina New Century Public Charter School
  • Christina Torres, English teacher at Punahou School
  • Anne Weber, Community Manager at Impact Hub Honolulu and former teacher at Maili Elementary School

This event will be held at Arts at Marks Garage in Chinatown. Arrive at 6:00 p.m. to enjoy interactive activities and a no-host bar. The event will start promptly at 7:00 p.m. Register here for this event (registration is $10).

Humans of Impact Hub HNL: Hawaiʻi Women in Filmmaking

hawaii women in filmmaking

You can support creative endeavors for young women and girls by supporting Hawaiʻi Women in Filmmaking’s Summer Programs crowdfunding campaign!

Hawaiʻi Women in Filmmaking (HWF) is a dynamic team of women that creates opportunities for creative expression and skill-building in film for young women and girls. Their work is focused on amplifying the voices of women, sharing their stories, and providing an opportunity to express their own unique identities through the powerful medium of film. We are so happy to have this passionate team based at Impact Hub HNL!

HWF is made up of Executive Director Vera Zambonelli, Daní Ortiz Padilla as Development & Community Relations, and Valerie Narte, their Filmmaker in Residence.

As a non-profit, ensuring funding for their projects is one of Vera’s primary – and most challenging – tasks. Their current crowdfunding campaign is called Amplify Their Voices.

This crowdfunding campaign is a way to raise funds to support HWF 2018 Summer Programs for Young Women – Making Media that Matters and Reel Camps for Girls. About 90% of the campaign funds will go to scholarships for deserving young women; “Registration fees should never be a barrier for entry for any girls for either of our summer programs,” Vera says.

Making Media that Matters is a filmmaking program where young women develop the technical and critical-thinking skills needed to create both narrative and documentary films. Each session explores and examines social justice issues that impact the lives and communities of these young women.

Reel Camps for Girls is an intensive basic filmmaking and animation programming intended to introduce technical filmmaking skills to produce a short film. The participants are organized in production crews and work together to create films that interrupt gender stereotypes and change the way women view themselves, each other and our future.

HWF is also really clear about their goal: they want to create a safe and creative space for girls and young women to learn valuable technical skills and the tools needed to tell their stories. Film industry statistics regarding women’s involvement in the filmmaking and creative process are pretty dire, and HWF works to redress that inequity. HWF believes that more female involvement in the creative process behind-the-scene affects what we see in front of the screen. Moreover, HWF offers production services for other nonprofits and local businesses and hires HWF graduates. The young women are always paid for their work, and HWF has a policy of never asking the girls to volunteer their time – this allows them to gain marketable skills and earn income, ensuring that even at a young age, they understand the value of their work, time, and brilliance!

These filmmaking programs for young women have been underway for seven years and many former attendees have gone on to become mentors, and mentors to become teachers leading to a virtuous cycle of creative peer-to-peer mentoring.

The crowdfunding campaign culminates on Saturday, May 26 with a Movie Trivia Benefit Night. Register for the event here, learn more about Hawaiʻi Women in Filmmaking here, and if you feel inspired, you can donate to their campaign here.