Good Gorilla

A Flexive Coworking Space for Creatives.

COVID-19 – Good Gorilla Temporary Closure

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COVID-19 – Good Gorilla Temporary Closure

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Dear Members,

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have been carefully monitoring the progression of the virus and closely following the advice of Canada’s public health authorities.

Due to current events, to help protect our community and do our part in mitigating the spread of the virus, Good Gorilla’s operations will be closed effective March 17th until further notice. Our members will have access to the space using their FOB until this Saturday March 22nd. Please take that time to pick up any of your necessities to work from home. After March 22nd doors to the space will be locked and emergency access will only be made by appointment via email, conditional to 401 Richmond’s own access restrictions.

As you know, this is a fluid situation that we will continue to monitor closely. We will also continue to provide ongoing updates and more detailed information for our community over the days and weeks to come, so keep your eyes peeled on your inboxes for updates from us. We understand that as freelancers, contractors and/or remote worker this can be an especially difficult time. We hope to continue to nurture our “remote” community on our numerous slack channels.

Regarding memberships, payments will be placed on hold as of Saturday March 22nd.

We are proud to have provided hundreds of freelancers with our warm atmosphere since we opened in 2016, and look forward to reopening our doors as soon as possible and welcoming everyone back. We would like to thank everyone for their ongoing patience and understanding, and extend our gratitude to all the members of our communities who are working tirelessly to respond to COVID-19.

In the meantime, take care of yourself and each other.

Good Gorilla Team

Thank you from the Good Gorillas

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Photo by Sarah Köhler

Last week at our 4th annual Holiday Dinner, Hugh represented the team to share our gratitude to the community:

“This dinner is a token of our gratitude in how much we appreciate our community. I can go on and on about how we value our community, although, for this evening I wanted to take the next couple minutes to do some notable mentions;

Shoutout to the members laughing in the phone booth. As sound-proof as you may think they are, we can still hear you. We are all jealous, we are all wondering…what is so funny in that conference call?

Shoutout to the member that takes the men’s washroom key and secretly returns it a week later. I can only imagine your reaction when you took things out of your pocket that evening.

Shoutout to Dungeon Master George, for organizing monthly video game nights and D&D campaigns.

Thank you to Salad Club for making sure our members eat their greens. Thank you Sarah for making sure we are carb-loaded from Big Trouble Pizza. Specifically during the Raptors championship run. Although, we are all aware that you’re a warriors fan…sorry I had to say it.

Shoutout to all Australians in the space. Of all the places you could travel and work from…we tricked you into believing there are gorillas in Canada.

Thank you Erin for all the design work you’ve done throughout your internship with us. I can only feel the pain, trying to get approval from 3 partners/designers.

Shoutout to the MVPs, the baddest b*tches of the space, Scotch, Penny, Rosie, and also the lone wolf Leon Musk. We love you, there’s more dogs in the space than countries in NATO, we even amended a dog policy for you.

Last but not least, we couldn’t have done it without our day-to-day warriors, George and Abby. The growth of our community wouldn’t happen without their incredible community engagement and commitment to the space. Although, I am sad to announce that Abby will be leaving us early 2020 as she will be joining Native Earth Performing Arts as their new Marketing Coordinator. Our loss is their gain. That being said, we wish you all an amazing 2020. And hope your businesses flourish in the new decade.”

Thank you,
The Good Gorilla Team

 

Spooked at Good Gorilla

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401 Richmond Building

When we get into something, we go all-in —including Halloween! Not only did we step-up our decorations and candy selection for the month of October, but we screened the 1984 classic, Nightmare on Elm Street. We also hosted a Whiskey Tasting on Halloween night to warm our bodies up for the upcoming snowfalls (blog post coming soon!).

Tell us about your horror stories when you stop by our space for other upcoming events such as Boardgames Night, Workshops, or our next $10 Drop-in + Community Lunch!

Dusk to Dawn with postmoderndisco

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postmoderndisco

October has arrived, which means Nuit Blanche is coming on October 5th! postmoderndisco will be gracing our space with music full of eclectic, soulful vibes.

The evening will feature three sets with a half-hour intermission between each. You can check out all the other amazing exhibitions and art installations in 401 Richmond throughout the breaks before coming back to jam with the band.

All are welcome. Get ready to vibe with us.

About postmoderndisco:
What began as composer/producer Mandy Woo’s solo project, postmoderndisco is now an eclectic all-girl trio with the addition of horn player Esther Khew and pop R&B vocalist Jennah B. Their influences play off each other to create atmospheric, cinematic beats fused with East-Asian influences and soulful melodies. The latest single, “Dusk,” can be found on Soundcloud and the EP “Chasing Memories” can be found on iTunes and all other media outlets. Their next EP is set to be released before the end of the year.

Saturday, October 5th | Dusk to Dawn
Set #1 – 7:45pm – 8:30pm
Set #2 – 9:00pm – 9:45pm
Set #30 – 10:15pm – 11:00pm

Good Gorilla Summer-ized

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Illustration by Hugh Langis

We’re not ready to let go of the heat and the sun! We’ve hosted many community events this summer and got our members more engaged — depending on what you consider active activities; SPARty Block Party, multiple board/video games nights, volleyball, Munch Squad, and the newly added Breakfast club. Along with this, we’ve also had our usual line up of Community Lunches, Dungeons & Dragons, and Book Club.

Hopefully, these continuous events will tie us over for the Toronto winter blues.

Member Musings: Lauren Rabindranath

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Get to know our members in their current season of interests and work.

Photo by Sarah Köhler

Lauren is a communications consultant and copywriter. She helps clients create effective communications, define and develop their brand voice, and share their stories with the audiences that need to hear them. She works across industries, including health care, tech, insurance, and real estate, helping clients simplify and share their ideas.

Recent Loves:
The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser, an excellent short article that explores gendered roles and relationships.

Barry and Fleabag, are both easy-to-watch, comedic shows.

Favourites:
Inspiration comes daily from the talented people in the space — it’s impossible to pick favourites, but I love sneaking a peek at Gracia and Vanda’s screens.

Otherwise…
Visually, Ryan Hewett‘s paintings
Texturally, Cecile Bahnsen‘s distinct use of fabrics
Melodically, Hiatus Kaiyote‘s tunes
Narratively, Carmen Maria Machado‘s words
Comprehensively, Mara Hoffman‘s collections and ethos

Kickstart Motivation for those perpetually exploring ‘what’s next’:
“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.”
– Joseph Campbell

Fun Fact:
Lauren has been part of Good Gorilla since our first year! She was our very first Community Manager.