Maker Faire Veterans Reminisce About the Past 10 Years

2015 marked the 10th annual Maker Faire! There was a lot to see and many people to listen to. This year, a panel of Maker Faire veterans gathered on the Center Stage to discuss faires of the past. They shared their favorite moments and their opinion on the many ways that Maker Faire has changed their lives.

The panel was moderated by Lenore Edman of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories and the speakers were Sylvia Todd, Jim Newton, Jeri Ellsworth, Fritz Grobe, and Stephen Voltz.

Here’s some information on the speakers:

Lenore Edman is a co-founder of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. Some of her making accomplishments include designing and sewing her own wedding dress, overhauling a mid-century Hawthorne ladies bicycle, and popularizing edible origami. Nowadays, she works with Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories and strives to “[make] the World a Better Place, One Evil Mad Scientist at a time.”

“Super-Awesome” Sylvia Todd‘s first Maker Faire was in 2006 when she was only 5 years old. Though she didn’t present at that Faire, she was inspired to go out and make. She ended up creating and hosting her own show called, “Sylvia’s Super-Awesome Maker Show.”

Jim Newton is the founder and chairman of TechShop. He had a table at the very first Maker Faire where he talked to people about his desire to create a place where people could get together and make. Though he only had a card table and paper sign, he went on to open up TechShop later that year and has been bringing together Makers everywhere ever since.

Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz are the mad scientists that make up EepyBird. They first attended the Faire in 2007 and haven’t missed any since. When they were first at the Faire they had jus a small show, but now you’ll easily spot them on the big stage putting on impressive displays with Coke & Mentos. Their show is always a hit and they’ve also made appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, Ellen, The Today Show, and Mythbusters.

Jeri Ellsworth first found out about Make: and the Maker Faire when Make: magazine published an article about a toy she designed. Not long after the article came out, people started asking her to come to Maker Faire and show off what she’s done.

She began pursuing making as a career when she left high school and started her own business. She started being recognized when she designed a complete Commodore 64 emulator and put it in a joystick. It could play 30 classic C64 games.

Don’t forget to check out the video of Maker Media founder and executive chairman Dale Dougherty talking about the last 10 years of Maker Faire.