Last week I posted about the launch of Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE)–a new project from Wieden + Kennedy and a loose collection of local technology innovators–after reading about it on Silicon Florist.
Behind the scenes I also asked Renny Gleeson, W+K’s digital ninja, what was up and invited him to comment here. He chose to write about it on his blog, Ouroboros, instead.
So why hasn’t W+K made a lot of noise about it? That’s my fault. Believe it or not, I’d rather talk about what comes out of the space than what MIGHT come out of the space. I am sick of bombastic claims of the “new better different” bilge that agencies crap out regularly. Show me, I say. Don’t talk – demonstrate.
For another thing, it’s not owned by W+K – PIE is a collaborative that everyone inside will participate in. Hopefully it will foster interconnections between previously disparate groups and corresponding quantum leaps in thinking.
So no, there hasn’t been an official press release, and no I haven’t dropped hints in my twitter stream or blog. Because until people were inside, there wasn’t anything but a neat idea.
Gleeson adds that PIE is an opportunity for W+K “to learn” and “help our clients make leaps.”
I don’t know if Gleeson’s words will appease the detractors on the ground in Portland, or help build trust between the parties, but it’s a step in the right direction.