Patrick Murphy remembers One Spark 2014 quite well.
That last day when he had trouble trying to wake up after a week he said had about five hours of total sleep.
The slow, stagger to the car afterward when his wife picked him up.
It was the end of One Spark 2014, but the beginning of One Spark 2015 for Murphy and the few full-time staff that put on the annual festival.
“We keep the spark going,” he said with a smile.
Murphy has been with the organization since the first festival in 2013, one of only two staffers who can make that claim. He’s the guy that brings the positive energy to the table, said Meredith O’Malley Johnson, the other long-timer.
The energy is apparent — Murphy is all smiles and when talking about the festival in his upbeat manner.
He’s the customer support manager, which means he’s the front man for any and all questions related to One Spark. His positive energy is perfect for someone dealing with the sometimes curious, unknowing public. Especially when the most common question three years later still is “What is One Spark?”
The answer is one he’s honed and can now recite seemingly almost like gospel. It’s the world’s crowdfunding festival that takes over 20 square blocks of Downtown and is home to the most unique and amazing projects one will ever see.
Outside of questions like that, there are inquiries from creators, curators and others. And if he can’t answer it, he finds someone who can.
In addition to that, he helps make the creators fit into their defined spaces after curators inform the festival of what projects they’d like in their areas.
For the third festival, he said, there will be a bigger focus on crowdfunding. Maybe even doubling last year’s $50,000 garnered through visitors and contributors.
Being involved for a third year also has brought some continuity. More people “get it” now.
He understands better now after never having been a part of such a system. He’s learned nuances of crowdfunding, discovered more about Downtown and become more engrained in festival culture.
“I had no idea then what I know now,” he said.
All of that experience will be on display for the public starting next week, when One Spark 2015 kicks off Tuesday and runs through April 12.
While he and others run a frenetic pace during the event, Murphy said he’s going to try something different this year. He’s going to invite his family — his wife, parents and 14-year-old brother — down to spend about an hour during Saturday’s festivities. No working. Just taking it in from the other side.
“Then I’ll get right back in there,” he said.
That final day of 2014 was his biggest challenge, but he said it also was the day of his biggest accomplishment. It was the feeling of success for putting on the show, seeing it through and finishing it after days of hard work.
Right now, Murphy said, is crunch time.
It’s just about time to do it all over again.
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