Nearly Impossible Conference
Dreamed up over tacos with friend + former studiomate Rusty Meadows, the Nearly Impossible conference is a multi-component event is aimed at fostering education + authentic conversations within the product-making community. After a huge response in 2013, our little pie-in-the-sky side project went bi-coastal bringing Nearly Impossible from Brooklyn to the Bay Area.
Undoubtedly, California is home to some of the most exceptional product makers in the US including our SF host, Heath Ceramics. For the West Coast one-day event, we took over the factory floor and brought together over 250 makers with speakers from leading companies such as Schoolhouse Electric Co., Google Ventures, Everyone, Ban.do, Sugar Paper, and Poketo. As a nod to our host’s heritage + the movers, shakers, and makers of the California Modernism movement, we infused the look and feel with mid-century design elements—from the factory’s Stan Bitters sculptures and House Industries’ Eames type to the space-age props alongside Danish lounge furnishings. We carried this look to our Brooklyn conference where we again hosted more than 250 makers and speakers from industry leaders including Harry’s, West Elm, Kate Spade New York, Land of Nod, and Rifle Paper Co. in a beautifully renovated industrial building.
“Don’t undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible.”
Edwin Land, co-founder of Polaroid
CO-CREATOR Rusty A. Meadows
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Megan Soh, Jenna C. Gibson, Tim Gibson, and countless amazing volunteers
PHOTOGRAPY Laure Joilet
