sMoRTy71.com: #9 SXSWi moment: Leo and the Gnome (2010)

#9 SXSWi moment: Leo and the Gnome (2010)
The great thing about SXSWi is that there are multiple parties every night of the conference and those parties often run late into the morning. Of course, after 3 days of that, old folks like me tend to get tired.


Even Gnomes get thirsty -- photo by Gargi Patel

Last year, Jim Storer (and his Red Sox Gnome), Adam Cohen, Gargi Patel and I decided to avoid the crowds and have a more relaxed evening at the Fogo de Chao bar. It was the perfect spot because there was absolutely no one else in the bar area.


Chuck Hemann and me -- Photo by Jim Storer

Throughout the week, Jim had been using his Red Sox Gnome as a photo meme and had gotten lots and lots of folks to pose with it.


Kevin Rose and Aaron Strout -- photo by Jim Storer

Because we were sitting alone in the bar, we had to find more creative ways to use the Gnome, so we convinced our bartender to place him among the more expensive liquor bottles.


A little Gnome Perignon -- photo by Jim Storer

A few minutes later, a door to a private dining room opened and out walks Leo Leporte, Jeff Jarvis and Robert Scoble. Not one to miss an opportunity for the gnome, Jim approaches the group and asks if they would snap a couple of photos.


Leo and the Gnome -- photo by Jim Storer

It turns out that Leo was livestreaming at the time, so he decided to ask Jim a few questions about the Gnome and share his thoughts on Fenway Park before posing for some photos. Jeff Jarvis joined in as well.

It was an unexpected way to end the evening, but a great example of how you never know who you'll bump into in Austin for SXSWi. See all of Jim's photos from that evening.