*Stock Price Underwater? Go Take A Jump!
By Sam Rosales
Back in May, Peter Shankman, the president of public relations firm The Geek Factory, and his staff were sitting around their shrine to cool -- a five foot-tall stuffed Polar Bear -- and noodling possible ideas for company outings this summer. Picnic? Too tame. Feeling a bit wacky, Shankman suggested skydiving.
This Saturday, that idea will come to fruition along with a host of representatives from Silicon Alley, who heard about the outing and have decided to, well, jump in on it.
Shankman says about 100 divers are expected to board a bus headed for Sussex Airfield in New Jersey for the 8:00 am jump. He says after about an hour of training, such as what to do if you get sick on the way down, the jumpers will board the plane and take the plunge. They'll be in for a "tandem" jump with about one minute of free fall and six minutes of floating.
Why some a surge in interest? Shankman says, "anyone with the guts to start an Internet company, work 20 hours a day, straddle accounting and worry about funding, needs an adrenaline rush just to prove to them that yes, you are still that crazy, yes you can still have that much fun."
And, apparently, make some money, too -- a concept taking hold among some Alley stocks. The charge is $200 per jump, but Shankman says that should only be enough to break even on the promotion costs they picked up along the way.
As word of the jump spread the viral way, by word of mouth, Shankman started getting sponsors, media interest and the makings of an event.
Jumpers such as 26-year-old Josh Jitlitz of TheVault.com, say they're doing it because it's a great group activity. "I'd do this before bungee jumping any day. In fact having a picnic in central park is probably more dangerous than this," he says.
Adds Shankman, "Skydiving is scarier than any IPO you could ever have."
Sam Rosales (srosales at internet.com) is atNewYork.com's assistant editor