One of the great things about getting out of the dimly lit edit room (or bay or suite or closet or whatever you use to describe where you spend 85% of your life) and going to places where your peers are gathering is that you — gasp — meet your peers! And some of those peers become — bigger gasp — FRIENDS!

So allow me to introduce you to a friend of mine: Joel Yeaton. I followed Joel on Twitter for a long time and we exchanged baked goods* a few times before meeting at Editfest NY in 2012.

(*Some of us on Twitter Editors occasionally exchange baked goods with one another. It’s not as weird as it sounds. I think.)

Joel is attending the Southeast Creative Summit in October, so I figured I would stop telling you why you should go and let him tell you why he’s going.

What conferences have you attended in the past?

I hadn’t been a part of Twitter for that long before I got connected to #postchat (where I’m more of a lurker than anything else) but @Dr0id mentioned Editfest and on a whim one day I decided to buy a ticket to Editfest NYC 2012.

What have you gotten out of educational classes and workshops that you couldn’t get out of online training?

I’ve gotten so much more out of workshops than I ever have out of online training. Online training is alright and has its place, but it is unfortunate only ever talking about the WHAT or the HOW and never talking about the WHY. Educational classes and workshops like the Southeast Creative Summit are the places you go to learn about the WHY. Also — and even more importantly — because of workshops, over the past few years I have gotten connected to a community of editors and post talent who are amazing people doing inspiring work all around the country.

Why did you decide to come to the Southeast Creative Summit?

I decided to come to the Southeast Creative Summit because I had such a great experience with EditFest in 2012, and unfortunately they didn’t have another east coast workshop in 2013. But then the Southeast Creative Summit came and filled the gap that I was missing, and I’m so excited for Oct 25th — the 27th to come.

Why do you think it’s important to learn in person?

Anyone can learn the WHAT of something, but the WHY of something is the most important and the hardest to learn. When you learn online, you can only learn from one person at a time, but at workshops and conferences like the Southeast Creative Summit, not only are there so many excellent teachers scheduled for workshops during the weekend, you can learn so much from the knowledge base of the other editors that are there learning along side of you. By going to these events, you are increasing your opportunity for connection and collaboration. Chance favors the connected mind!

What do you hope to learn at the Summit?

I currently work for a large PR firm as an editor, but my role is slowly transforming to more of a producer/editor so I’m really excited about all of the production/pre-pro workshops. I have also been playing on some jobs with Mocha and will hopefully get to sit in on one of those workshops as well.

What kind of people would you like to meet at the Summit?

I just want to meet old friends and new. I love meeting people and am very excited to get to be in the same building with the vast talent pool that Walter and crew have assembled. Tweet me if you decide to go! My Twitter handle is @joelyeaton.

What tips do you have for people attending classroom-style workshops?

I don’t know if I have any great tips for people that @kyl33t hasn’t put in her blog post, but I would just say be open, be friendly, and just decide to go and see what happens!

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I swear I didn’t tell him to say any of that stuff. Or link to me. But hey, that’s okay with me. Thanks Joel!

Look at that, you already know at least TWO people at the Summit, so you may as well register already. Use the code trackmatte2013 to get a limited discount – $449 for a ticket.