Build the future you want here today – Prairie Roots August 2021

You don’t need permission to launch something new. You don’t need to wait for someone else to come along and give their approval. You just need to start building the future you want to help the people already here.  That’s the theme for the August issue and, in fact, the whole concept of Prairie Roots.…

You don’t need permission to launch something new. You don’t need to wait for someone else to come along and give their approval. You just need to start building the future you want to help the people already here. 

That’s the theme for the August issue and, in fact, the whole concept of Prairie Roots. As we bring this summer content series to a close, we celebrate the people here in Nebraska who took the initiative to make things better where they live. 

Jonathan Rhoades realized there was no gathering spot in the Grand Island area for builders, doers, and creators. So he reached out to people around him to share an idea and from those conversations came CoFound in the Hedde Building. (For more, check out SPN’s article on Rhoades and CoFound here.)

Since January of this year, CoFound has gathered people from the region on a regular basis to partake in Ideastorm sessions. And out of that came a new company, Yo.City, which seeks to give local communities a digitally savvy way to promote local businesses and events in a manner that connects with the younger consumer.

Picking up on the younger talent set vibe, there’s something completely new emerging in Lincoln around the high school experience, shifting from the traditional to the participator. Mike Smith and Andrew Norman from Rabble Mill have partnered with Lincoln Public Schools and Nebraska’s business and charitable community to launch Bay High

Focused on the emerging creators, Bay High will open its doors next year to “prepare and equip students to be innovators in the progressive world of entrepreneurship, emerging technology and content creation — rooted in the creative disciplines of skateboarding, music, fashion and digital art.”

These are but two of many examples of Nebraskans thinking big and taking action. Just look at what’s happening in Valentine, Norfolk, and others towns across the state.  

Weaving these features together are original works by Southeastern Community College grad Brieanna Kroeger and UNL Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts students Annie Wang and Say Wah. You can peruse Brieanna’s portfolio website, Annie’s works on Vimeo and her portfolio website, and Say Wah’s instagram account. Keep your eyes on all three of these highly talented creators. 

Many thanks to our sponsors Nebraska Tech Collaborative, NMotion/gener8tor, Nice Healthcare, and EKI Digital. As well as our community partners IO Summit, Nebraska Angels, Turbine Flats, and UNL Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts.  

Want to be part of Prairie Roots? You can subscribe for free and become part of the Prairie Roots Crew. It is a pirate crew of sorts. Because if Nebraska has a navy, we certainly can have pirates. We’re taking a respite from the monthly video magazine to map out the next treasure hunt. Look for our signal when the time comes to gather again.

Scott Henderson is the Prairie Roots executive producer and NMotion Accelerator Studio managing director for gener8tor. 

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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