By Cade Martin

As a kid, I spent many a dinner at a table surrounded by friends of my parents, an eclectic cast of characters — sculptors, writers, painters, creatives. That thread of creative community has remained in our offices, our teams, and our collaborations. But that thread feels thinner in this moment.

So I asked, with the purpose of sharing, and of supporting and caring for this creative community in its current, uncertain reality. I asked what people are doing, how they are feeling, how they are sparking creativity. It feels important to share what we do, when we can’t do all our doing.

Reaching out first to some of the talented people I’ve had the good fortune to profile though the Capitol Communicator portrait series.  It’s my version of a virtual dinner table of sorts. Grab a chair and listen in to my conversation with Todd Feldman, founder and president of The Rocket Factory in Richmond.

Todd, what, if anything, are you doing differently?

I enjoyed participating in the profile series. As we launched The Rocket Factory in late January, it was right on the doorstep of the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in economic collapse. While interest for our services is strong, we’ve shifted message to be more about helping, supporting and guiding.

 Are you staying creatively active?

In response to the economic downturn, I wanted to find a way to help our startup ecosystem and our small business community through fundraising and innovation. Together with Activation Capital, Elevation Advertising, the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation and Profit Optics, we created SparkJam 2020 and you can find out more about it here: sparkjam.therocketfactory.net. 

 How are you sparking yourself creatively?

Client work and SparkJam kept me pretty sharp. I love that we’re coming together to try and help be the “Spark” for our statewide economy!