I'm "Thinking" I can see a "Bear!" (Friday night parties continue)

In the midst of the season, Friday, December 17th, was a night of holiday cheering and jeering. Starting off at The Thinking Media's (TTM) party in their new spacious offices, I had a chance to see many familiar faces. Just a short while ago their offices held hundreds of cramped workers when it was the Doubleclick space. Bill McCloskey (Comet Systems, Evangelist) and Rich Media Sig, Chairman) was there enjoying some spirits with Marni Kotak and Arthur McKinley and Sharon Tolpin (of Solbright) (who was in cute leopard shoes). The elegant Catherine Winchester and Mark Lucente (Soliloquy) and Katherine Billings (Mail.com). David West Smith and Hee Yong were looking sharp and Mary Jo Fahey was once again wowing me with the news of her most recent article. She was busy chatting it up with Steve Jacobs (who's been with TTM for 4 days as a VP of Development).
Out in the main room, with holiday lights strewn about the joint and platters of meats, pastas and a bar full of strong martinis comin' atcha, I met up with some other lively folks. Allison Johnson, the VP of TTM, West Coast, offered up heaping amounts of enthusiasm as we talked about the scene out West. 

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Meanwhile, some heavy investors types were getting' into some heavy rap at the Bear Ventures launch party in their new raw space on Spring Street above Balthazar. Everyone there knew Philip Erdoes, CEO Bear Ventures, but not everyone was net-related. One woman dancing wildly just kept announcing she had the most beautiful baby and was married to "that attractive man over there." Another danced like no tomorrow with my photographer, Hugh. Adam Tejpaul (JP Morgan) and Ann Leibowitz (Trek Sikkim) were tamer, talking near the hors d'oeuvres. The only other familiar face was handsome Guillermo Suescum (Internet Plus). Philip's guests had lots of room to dance, as they didn't heavily promote the party. It's part of their whole philosophy: "we're quiet." They take their business seriously, but not themselves -- they work hard but like to have fun. And they don't promote themselves; they promote their ventures. That seems to make sense.