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"This post is part of Mashable\u2019s Social Media Hub Series, which shines the spotlight on local social media communities, companies and personalities. The series is supported by Virgin America.\nLos Angeles is the world's capital for entertainment, where anybody who's anybody goes to see and be seen. But the US's second largest city is also home to a social media and web scene that's bursting with innovation, tech savvy, personality, and of course a little of that famous LA glamour.\nWith a close-knit community of web-centric talent, The City of Angels has established itself as hub of social media activity, hosting socially savvy startups and networking events including Social Media Club, Digital LA and Barcamp LA. Should you find yourself in Los Angeles, here are the people, events, and companies to keep at the forefront of your mind.\nThe Men on the VIP List\n\nTim Street: Never to be seen without a pair of black shades, Tim Street [@1TimStreet] is the producer and creator of French Maid TV wherein the \"french maids\" teach viewers useful new skills like how to create a video podcast. Tim is also an active member of LA's social and new media scene, so you can find him out and about at Web TV meetups and social media mixers. Don't be surprised if he whips out his Flip cam and asks to interview you!\nTony Adam: A notable LA figure, specifically when it comes to SEO, Tony [@tonyadam] is the Manager of Search Traffic Acquisition for Yahoo, and organizes a number of exclusive invite-only SEO and social media events.\nSean Percival: Mahalo alum, Tsavo's Director of Content, and LA personality, Sean's [@seanpercival] so hip to the LA tech scene that he started lalawag \u2014 LA's tech gossip blog \u2014 to cover, promote and sometimes poke fun at all things Web-related in the land of the rich and famous.\nAndrew Warner: Mixergy founder, [@andrewwarner] is a Santa Monica resident with a flair for putting together buzz-worthy Web events like Lunch 2.0 and Happy Hour 2.0, and he's been doing so since 2004. Mixergy has shifted focus a bit to include original content and live interviews, which is helping to further establish Andrew as an educator and connector within the web/tech milieu. Andrew also occasionally contributes to Mashable as a guest writer.\nAlex Albrecht: The other half of Diggnation [@alexalbrecht] calls lala land home, where he's also involved in new media projects like the Totally Rad Show and Project Lore.\nJason Calacanis: Mahalo Founder and CEO, Jason Calacanis [@JasonCalacanis] is known for being a successful entrepreneur and online innovator. Jason often drops by to chat at major LA events.\nLA's Social Media Leading Ladies\n\n\nFelicia Day: Recent winner of too many Streamy awards to count, Felicia Day [@feliciaday] is the creator and lead actress in the Web's breakout hit and Best Comedy Web Series, The Guild. Felicia also has a starring role alongside Neil Patrick Harris in Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, the 2009 Streamy Award winner for Audience Choice. She's truly the other Hollywood's shining lady, and her hard work is helping to legitimize new media content creation.\nShira Lazar: Shira [@shiralazar] is a mainstream media darling \u2014 she's host of NBC's 1st Look and makes appearances on CNN and MSNBC.  In addition to her penchant for social media, her perpetual mobile lifestreaming landed her a partnership with Nokia. Shira's become the go-to-girl for hosting and moderating LA events, appearing most recently on the Streamy Awards pre-show.\nJackie Peters: If you're looking to grow your professional social media circle, the Founding Partner of Heavybag Media and leading lady behind the Social Media Club Los Angeles, Jackie Peters [@JackiePeters] is your gal. She's LA's unassuming and genuine social media influencer, people connector, and geek (but chic!) girl.\nNicole Jordan: Playing an integral part in creating and promoting events like Twiistup to connect LA social media professionals, Nicole [@NicoleJordan] has also made a name for herself as a PR and Marketing professional at the Rubicon Project.\nThe Day and Night Life\n\n\nTwiistup: Twiistup is the result of Mike Macadaan's vision to bring together like-minded individuals and create excitement around up-and-coming companies. Twiistup's latest event took over an airport hangar in Santa Monica and managed to draw a group of fantastic showoffs and hundreds of people.\nBarcamp LA: Barcamps are adhoc un-conferences where everyone's encouraged to present and participate in discussions of all varieties. LA's Barcamp (BCLA), which now has 6 well-attended events under its belt and is run by Chris Darbro, Jeremy Kitchen, Bronwyn Lewis, and Jason Cosper, has become a model event for bringing bright minds together for collective knowledge sharing. BCLA's next event should be formally announced in the next few days.\nDigital LA: Digital LA's recurring professional networking events bring together the social media, new media, marketing, advertising, and tech crowds typically for drinks at trendy hotspots in LA. The Facebook group boasts over 4,700 members and includes the who's who of LA's digitally savvy scene.\nDigital Family Reunion: Co-Producer Kurt Daradics put together LA's first annual Digital Family Reunion back in December. The event received rave reviews and hosted more than 1,000 members of LA's web/tech VIP scene. Daradics also puts on the monthly invite-only Meeting of the Minds for LA's tech crowd.\nHollywood Web TV Meetup: Drew Baldwin, Brady Brim-DeForest, and Marc Hustvedt are the boys behind Tubefilter, the blog dedicated to the new media scene, the first annual Streamy Awards for the best in web television, and the immensely popular Hollywood Web TV Meetup. Each month Web TV stars and wannabe film makers, including yours truly, come together to hear tried and true new media mavens share their wisdom. Events have become must-attend networking sessions for aspiring talent and so popular that they're pretty much standing room only. LA residents can hit up the next event on April 15.\nGirls in Tech: The LA chapter of the Girls in Tech community is a thriving group of strong women, led by Executive Managing Director, Robyn Cohen, who are making their mark in a male-dominated industry. Their most recent event took place at LIVE! On Sunset and included a fashion show, cocktails, and cupcakes, as well as guest speakers discussing past, present, and future web trends of the fashion and beauty industries.\nLA's Web Roots\n\nLos Angeles companies that are doing big things outside of the valley include notable names like Yahoo, MySpace, and Hulu, as well as hot startups like Mahalo and Stickam. A few more names worth noting are community software builder Userplane, video site Revver, and original e-invitation option for the masses, Evite.\n\nVirgin America: It\u2019s time to make flying good again. It\u2019s time to bring great service back to the skies. And while we\u2019re at it, let\u2019s not forget style, entertainment, and relaxation-all for an astonishingly reasonable fare. So every time one of our planes takes to the sky, it\u2019s proof that there is a better way, that people can expect more from flying, and their happiness is worth fighting for. We believe this is how air travel should be, that this is how to fly. Virgin America.\nHollywood image courtesy of iStockphoto, LPETTETTwiistup and Felicia Day photos courtesy of wmmarc on FlickrYahoo image courtesy of stevelyon on Flickr\n\n   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2009/04/09/los-angeles/>