Andy Keil has some projects he just hasn’t had the time to finish.
So Keil, head of products at Handsome, launched Finish Up Weekend.
It’s an invitation-only event that takes place at Chicon Collective, a funky new co-working space in downtown Austin. The tag line for the event is “Let’s get shit done.”
Already, Keil has signed up 40 people to participate in Finish Up Weekend, which is sponsored by Rackspace and Vintage Heart Coffee.
Keil hopes to finish up a print magazine for his music site, Popstash.
“That’s just one of the projects I have in the works that isn’t yet complete,” he said. “I need help with the layout of the magazine from a printer.”
Keil moved to Austin from Chicago in November with whatever stuff he could fit in his car. He slept on a friend’s couch and after a couple of weeks he met with the CEO of Handsome and landed a job.
His inspiration for Finish Up Weekend is to get all of the right combination of skills in the right place to tackle unfinished projects. That means collecting Web developers, illustrators, copywriters, mobile developers, engineers, videographers, photographers and designers.
“I jokingly call it a selfish event,” Keil said. “We spend a lot of our time working on other people’s stuff this is our chance to work on our own stuff.”
Finish Up Weekend is not the place for someone who has a business idea to come and get free labor, Keil said.
“Some people are doing projects that have been years in the works,” he said. “Some people are just coming to work on their own projects. Some people are coming to only help other people.”
Finish Up Weekend is about collaboration and community, Keil said.
“We’re not giving out free help,” he said. “We’re building a community.”