I just received this and had to post it.

First ever iD Tech Camps staff trading cards. Macalester Week 5 limited edition.

Macalester staff and campers, you are getting mad props today! Your tech camps looks awesome and the iD Spirit is tangible. Nice job!!!

Hope you guys are having fun!

Keep up the fine work and keep the spirit flowing!

-Pete

Enjoy these pictures from Friday!

Arrived to campus!

Camp Director signs-out parent

Mom and son duel at Guitar Hero at Family Showcase

Rock on!

Mom, you rock too!

Still dueling at Guitar Hero!

The whole family shows up for Family Showcase

Happy camper, mom, and cousin

This is me with a future CEO of some big, great company!  Intern at Apple?

Rockin with mom

Taking on the staff

Guitar Hero with Auntie

Staff in our Gaming Courses

We’re your biggest Fans!

During Diploma Ceremony

Green Hair Day?

Reading Diplomas

The guys at iD

Love the shoes!

The UNREAL winner!  Nice job!

Camp Director in action

Check out my video game!

All–it was a blast to meet you and I thank you all for your hard work, commitment to fun, and overall camp spirit and great attitudes.  Have a great summer.  Be safe out there!

-Pete

Here are a few photos of the visit. Thank you, iD Tech Camp at Fordham University! You guys rock!

The view from Penn Station. Not bad!

Arriving to Fordham

The big dog on campus!

“iD Tech Camps, how can I help you?”

I LOVE this picture!

Gotcha!

Heading back to New York City

Chu Chu

Thanks for showing me such a cool tech camp, guys and gals! It was awesome to see this summer camp in action and I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the summer. Have fun. Be safe!

-Pete

Hi Pete! This is Pickles, Director of iD at Colorado College.

I’m thrilled to be working with iD this summer, and I want share why working at iD Tech Camp is the Best Job Ever! I’ve compiled a collection of photos to illustrate my point.

Reason #1 - Stunning Students and Staff: The campers at iD Tech are astounding! They’re enthusiastic, hard-working, and crazy fun! Our campers jump into learning and master advanced concepts with ease.

The instructors are experts in their subject and quickly adjust their curriculum to accommodate the innovate ideas that our campers have. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to spend my summer with.
I’m not sure why Justin has a roboquad on his head in this picture�?� but he has a big smile and a sweet game that he’s making on the computer!

Reason #2 - Cool Campus: I love spending the summer at Colorado College! The campus is beautiful, the weather is perfect, and the food is yummy! With a view of the sunny weather and Rocky Mountains out our lab windows, we’re always looking forward going outside for intense games of capture the flag on the lawn. Our dorm rooms could be at a hotel�?�complete with bedding, towels, fridge and microwave! I usually enjoy cooking for myself, but I would be thrilled to eat at CC forever! The campers love the pizza, burgers, fries and soft-serve ice cream�?� but I go for the salad bar and custom stir-fry creations!

Reason #3 - Stupendous Software: Good job Pete (NOTE: I DO NOT TAKE THE CREDIT FOR THIS, BUT THANKS). Someone is working hard because the software you’ve chosen for us to use is outstanding!

Camp is like computer heaven for me�?� every tool used by the pros has been installed on all the machines and it’s at my fingertips! I routinely sneak extra lab time after campers go to sleep to play with all the awesome stuff we have! Our campers use nothing but the best, and it shows. Their projects look professional, because they’re using professional tools. I included a screen shot of a website by Caitlin W, but the picture doesn’t do it justice. Caitlin draws a fox character called Kitsune. The website she made at camp is outstanding, and it even includes a dress-up Kitsune Flash game that will knock your socks off. Please check it out:
http://www.myidproject.com/cc/June_29/Caitlin_W

Reason #4 - Stellar Support: This is my fourth year with iD Tech, but my first year directing. I was so excited when I was asked to be a director that I did a happy-dance jumping around shouting “Yes!”

After the initial excitement, the weight of the job hit me. I’m responsible for the safety of all our campers and ensuring that they have the best week of their lives. It’s a HUGE task! However, I’m not alone. My regional manager is always a phone call away to offer advice for tricky situations. Friendly folks from the main office call to ask if we have any questions about the gaming tournaments or camp setup, and the forums online have answers to every question imaginable! I’m known for being a very organized individual�?� but I can’t beat the system that you’ve set up for me. A list of tasks for every day is ready and waiting for me, health forms are quickly printed and filed alphabetically in the red binder, and you’ve even provided a sample voicemail message for the camp cell phone. I couldn’t ask for more! I included a picture of the director backpack, because I love it so much. This bag is permanently attached to me for the whole summer and includes everything I need camp emergencies�?� a first aid kit, medical records, the sign-out clipboard, a roll of green tape, a deck of cards, a Frisbee and a whole roll of tickets!

Reason #5 - Fabulous Fun: A stuffy office job or iD Tech Camp? The choice is easy. Camp is amazing for so many reasons, but above all�?� it’s just really fun! We have Wacky Wednesdays (note the bird hat I have on), attack each other with water guns, sing in the cafeteria, play Apples to Apples until we collapse with laughter and have frequent random dance breaks. Basically, we have an incredible time and so do our campers. It really is the best job ever!

As we finish our last week of camp at Colorado College, I’m saddened this summer camp season is coming to a close but I know I can look forward to next summer. Every year camp gets better and better and I always anxiously wait to hear what’s new. Thanks for working so hard to create an amazing experience for me and our campers. You rock!

-Pickles
Colorado College Summer Camp Director

OK, let’s get this party started.

I wanted to share this cool email I just got from one of our summer camp staff. This is a former camper that is now working for us. As I travel the country, I see more and more staff that once attended our computer camps as students–it makes me feel older–but quite proud.

From: Mike (Last Name Withheld)
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 11:05 PM
To: Pete
Subject: Seton hall - youtube of backflip

Pete,

I just wanted to first off say what a great weekend that was at Seton
Hall. I really had a great time meeting all of the staff and I really
wish I would get to work with each and every one.

It was also great to meet the staff that make this happen. I was
really impressed to see you, the CEO, all over camp, taking pictures
and even blogging about us. I went to the camp nearly 7 years ago,
the first year of camp at Villanova University. I took video editing
and absolutely loved it. The following year I took 3 weeks of
Programming, and now i’m back to teach 3D Game Design 1 and Game Modding 1 at
Villanova University.

I hope I can make camp as fun for these kids next week as
the staff did the years I went to the summer computer camp. This company really has
grown from something that was awesome to something even more
extraordinary.

Anyway, I imagine you’ve heard during one of the sessions we were
playing Kung Fu Hustle and a staff did a backflip to impress everyone.
I was surfing youtube the other day and apparently someone had a
camera. Sorry if they already sent you this but I
couldn’t resist!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0rGA5m4AHbA

With instructors like this there’s now way the kids could be
disappointed!
Thanks!

-Mike

It was so nice to finally meet you this weekend. I just wanted to reiterate how impressed I was with the training. It really shows how much the company invests in their employees which is well beyond what I have experienced in the past. Everything we needed to learn was very well organized, concise and to the point. Breakfast was great, and it’s awesome to know you guys have a good sense of humor and are passionate about what you do.

Ok, so let’s recap training from the past weekend and show some pictures:

I took the red eye to Newark. I worked from Starbucks all day and figured out how to get to the Seton Hall, New Jersey Campus.

Yep, I arrived safely!

Training started nice and early. Ms. Kate was armed with her bagel and Starbucks.

Let the paperworkpalooza begin!

Check out Amelia extolling her wisdom on her new team of instructors.

As we walked to lunch, the clouds rolled in, the skies opened up. This is the most creative umbrella I’ve ever seen.

Later in the day, the sun came out again. The Seton Hall Campus in really beautiful.

Here are a couple of iD Tech’s finest. These are three of our Camp Directors.

Walking to lunch–all 150 of us!

Amelia and Josh in the dining hall!

Back at training doing in a “hands-on” teaching session.

Another picture of campus.

Soaking it all in!

A visit from Somer’s Uncle and beautiful baby Santo!

And we ended the final day with a trick on the summer camp staff! We intentionally short-changed the coffee and bagels and cream cheese. We had reinforcements and plenty of food and coffee, but they didn’t know it until the prank played itself out.

OK, our summer tech camps are now upon us! It was great to meet all the staff who will be fanning out across the country. Good luck to you fine group of guys and gals!

-Pete and the iD Team

It probably seems like all your friends are way too organized for the summer. They have every detail for the next three months meticulously planned out–vacation plans: check. Summer schedule. check. Summer Camp. check. What about you?

I can’t help you with your vacation plans or your summer schedule, but as a parent of two, and as the president of iD Tech Camps, I know a thing or two about what questions to ask when selecting summer camps. How do you get started? Here a few ideas that might help you out.

1. Who owns and manages the summer camp?

As a parent, you want to gauge their qualifications, expertise, years in the business, reputation, and commitment, year over year, to their camp business. Are they still involved, or are the owners operating a web based business from Tahiti?

2. How long has the summer camp been in operation?

If it is a new camp, you can bet that the organization is still working through a lot of bugs. Look for a camp with an established track record. I’d prefer to find a camp that has been operating for five seasons or more. This proves the camp is not a fly by night operation.

3. Does the summer camp specialize in a certain educational area?

People come to iD Tech Camps because we specialize in technology. We have the hard-won reputation for being the best computer camp in the business. So, when you select a summer camp, make sure the camp specializes in a certain area: sports camps, language camps, computer camps, science camps…you get the idea. I’d even recommend doing a Google Search on the summer camp type of your choice to see what’s out there.

4. What is the commitment to safety and risk management of the summer camp?

Many camps are ACA Accredited (American Camp Association). This means they follow many rigorous safety and operational guidelines and are audited by ACA staff. I can assure you that a camp that has taken the (difficult) steps to become ACA Accredited has a greater awareness for the risks its summer camp will face. iD Tech Camps is ACA Accredited in California and each of our locations nationally follows the same risk management practices.

5. Who are the camp counselors?

Every summer camp claims to have the best counselors. But how do you really know? As an example, we only hire adult staff. They are trained in-person. We have very small ratios, averaging just 6 students per instructor. A lot of camps claim to have small ratios, but what you should ask is this…”What is the maximum number of students that will be assigned to the counselor?” This will give you peace of mind–and you’ll know what to expect. Of course, you need to go deeper with questions regarding the staff. Are they background checked? How are they trained? How old are they? Are counselors-in-training going to be supervising your kids? How are the staff trained? What is the staff retention rate? Who manages the staff? Are they evaluated frequently?

OK, are you ready to go select a camp? Good luck. Have fun! Camp is about sending your kids off to a fun, stimulating environment where they learn a new skill, make friends, and have a blast. Most camps still have a few spaces left for the summer, so make sure to see what’s still available. You might even find that waiting to register for camp, unlike those ultra-prepared friends of yours, has its benefits.

Until the next time, iD Nation!

-Pete

It’s that time of year. Yup, it’s May! Cinco de Mayo is behind us. Camp is in front of us. It’s an exciting time for us at iD Tech Camps. We’ve hired over 500 elite staff to extol their knowledge on the teen and tween tech gurus of tomorrow.

We train our summer staff in many ways. Of course you’d expect a robust online training–which happens. But you might not know that we have in-person regional trainings beginning in New Jersey, Illinois and California where our staff come from all over the country to learn from our amazing, experienced team of Regional Managers.

In our staff trainings, we focus on a variety of topics that ensure we run successful programs from coast to coast. As we’ve grown over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to mentor some smaller summer camp programs. Here is a top 10 list of tips you might find helpful when thinking about building your own summer camp training programs.

Top 10 Areas of Focus When Training Summer Camp Staff:

1. Risk Management. We must drill this point home. At iD Tech, we bring in real-world scenarios to create the atmosphere of what camp is like. We role-play these scenarios so our staff can envision how the outcomes should play out. Staff have to participate. This can’t be just a big PowerPoint presentation with one-way communication.

2. Visuals. A training program that lasts multiple days can get boring fast. We can “lose our staff” if the content isn’t relevant, fun, snappy and visual. Camp Videos, Photos, Testimonials…these are a must.

3. The Basics. Any summer camp can go so far into the details at training that the camp staff can get lost quickly. We train our staff on the details–but also the basics: Check-in times. Check-out times. First impressions. Group management. Do’s and Do Not’s. Professionalism…

4. Mission. This ties in with the point above. The entire organization–from trainers to camp staff to the marketing and accounting folks back at home base have to rally around the mission. If the staff at home base are on board, but the overall mission is fuzzy to the summer camp staff–ugh oh! Create simplicity and clarity.

5. Write it Down. In the digital age, note taking is becoming a seemingly dying art. Encourage your staff to write down what they’ve learned. Then circle back with them. Call on them. “What is the top thing you learned from this slide?”

6. Boil it Down. There are a million competing priorities when running a summer camp. How do you ensure your staff will tend to all of the details? In reality, some of the experience can only be gained by actually “doing.” So, you have to create simulations at training. But, you also have to carefully balance your priorities and make sure to boil it down: Learn more by learning less. Cramming everything you know into your training programs will most likely not be effective.

7. Fun. Remember you are running summer camps! Trainings have to be fun. Camps are about the kids–building self confidence, teaching new skills, ensuring the well-being of the students.

8. Start on time. If your trainings are unorganized, a bit sloppy, start a few minutes late…what signal is this sending to your camp staff? In reality, everything we do will be emulated. If your organization truly cares about the details–then you have to walk the walk. Start everything on time.

9. Evolve. Training programs can get stale quickly. The programs should evolve from season to season–this helps address the “been there done that” mentality of your seasoned, returning camp counselors. We must also remember that camp trends change. The world changes. The training programs have to change too. A good place to start is by attending some of the regional training sessions put on by the American Camp Association.

10. Summarize and Verify. How do you ensure that the information being presented is “sinking in?” You must verify! Circle back on the crucial elements of each lesson. Verify the information is indeed sinking in.

Our summer camp trainings for staff are now underway in Illinois, New Jersey and California. We are looking forward to making the best summer camp staff in the business even better. The above are a few ways we will accomplish that important responsibility.

-Pete

But beyond our summer camp staff, and beyond the computer jobs and counselor jobs we offer at each camp, we’ve got an amazing crew of talented, energetic, dedicated and FUN people who work for our company full time, year round. It’s not possible for you to be here in the office with us to see us in action, but we have tons of pictures hanging on our walls–and the photos center around our campers and our employees.

Our company is nothing, and will be nothing, without our people. I want you to meet a few of our people who make iD happen. In this photo set, we asked a few of our employees to pose with a prop that would help paint the picture of who they are and what they do…the pictures then get hung in the office so we can celebrate what they do–and be reminded that, at the end of the day, this is a people company.

Regional Manager for our Summer Computer Camps in New York and New Jersey. She works from her beach office in the Dominican Republic. Yeah right! Like we’d ever allow that!

Heads up Strategic Programs in the main office. Oh, and her name really has “Schreck” in it.

Operations Manager for our summer computer camps in Southern California. Can you say spirit?

Client Service Rep. here in the main office. Talks to thousands of parents a year and answers questions about our summer technology programs.

Web Design and Creative Manager. Loves birds too. Who would have thought?

VP of Camp Operations. Been working for iD since 2000. That is our first brochure ever.

Operations Manager. Tons of energy. Spearheads trainings across the country for summer staff.

Director of Payroll. She can count, but BOY can she sing. Whoa!

VP of Marketing. Can you juggle more than one thing at a time. How about 20?

Manager of our Application Development team. The Kermit reference? A long story…

Strategic Programs. Do a little bit of everything–but do it ALL well!

Program Manager, iD Gaming Academy. Got game?

I want to thank the team, both in our main office, our SoCal office and Seattle office–and our people spread out across the country. This one is for you! Thanks for making iD different. I hope to post more pictures down the road, as they come in.

-Pete

Former iD Tech Camps employees Andrea Ajemian and Jon Artigo, who honed their producing skills in their management roles with the iD Tech Camps, are closing in on securing 3 million dollars to finance their upcoming feature film, a teen comedy “We Got the Beat.” The duo have collaborated on three award-winning feature films during the past six years, working with other iD Tech Camps colleagues including Kevin Painchaud, Chad Meserve, Jill MacDonald, and Julie Fletcher. Ajemian is currently in negotiations with executive producers who would include “We Got the Beat” with a slate of films pitched to investors for a total of 50 million dollars.

�??We could not be happier for Andrea and Jon. They are fabulous people and we take pride in knowing iD Tech Camps played a role in supporting their creative careers over the years�??, said Pete Ingram-Cauchi, president and CEO of iD Tech Camps.

They say it�??s a small world.
While on a conference call, Ajemian was telling an executive producer about her former employment with the top technology camp in the country. When she mentioned “iD Tech Camps,” the executive producer burst out, “I have their brochure right here on my desk in front of me! My son is ten years old, loves creating video games and really wants to go to the camp next summer. I�??m thinking of sending him to the Stanford Computer Camp.”

�??I couldn�??t believe it�??, said Ajemian. �??Here I am knee deep in negotiations and iD Tech Camps comes up. It�??s another reminder of how small the world is and how our lives interconnect. Of course, I told him of my experiences and how I feel iD is the best camp for his son.�??

The teen comedy Ajemian and Artigo have written demonstrates they have a unique pulse on today�??s youth. Both credit �??being in tune�?? to their professional experiences with iD Tech Camps. They spent time with and around young people–giving them fodder for their creative inspirations in their own teen movies.

Artigo and Ajemian�??s latest film “Still Green,” a teen drama set along the gulf coast of Florida, just began it’s festival run. Just weeks after premiering the film at the 32nd Annual New England Film and Video Festival in Brookline, it took top honors winning the Best Narrative Feature Award. �??Still Green�?? won the Spirit of Independence Award for Best Ensemble at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. As they wait to hear from upcoming festivals regarding acceptance, they are in negotiations with a sales agent who will then represent the film to both international and domestic distributors. The film stars Sarah Jones (HBO’s Big Love, Showtime’s Huff), Noah Segan (Brick, Cabin Fever II), Ryan Kelly (Mean Creek, Stolen Summer), and Douglas Spain (HBO’s Band of Brothers, But I’m a Cheerleader).

iD Tech Camps was one of the first nationwide technology programs to offer movie camps and film camps to young students ages 10 to 17. They have been offering cutting-edge courses to students in digital movie editing since their inception in 1999. Their curriculum incorporates professional�??grade Apple® Final Cut Pro® in which they have seen significant progression in the software�??s capabilities over the years.

In 2008, iD Tech Camps launches the iD Film Academy at UC Berkeley in California. The teen movie camp offers intensive study in filmmaking and post-production. Students in this teen film camp learn from top-tier instructors who have an insider�??s knowledge of the industry and film festival circuit. Surely, one of these students will be pitching their own movie project someday.