License to Pill

Flavorpill is a Silicon Alley survivor.

Lewis and Clarke had Sacagawea. The Donner Party had Lansford W. Hastings. In other words, not all guides are created equal.

Flavorpill was born as an e-mail newsletter in the summer of 2000, covering cool cultural events in New York. In the twelve years since, Flavorpill has expanded to nine cities, survived a boom and bust or two, and found itself the subject of an adulatory profile in The New York Times Magazine.

But of course a tour of local culture is only as good as the guides themselves. "A lot of the people that we hire are fans of Flavorpill," co-founder Mark Mangan told us. "We only write about things that we like. So if people aren't into culture, and interesting things in New York, then it really isn't a fit."

The site is launching a major overhaul of its listings this fall. The new Flavorpill will feature an open platform that allows anyone to add events to the calendar, follow the calendars of other tastemakers, and share plans with friends.

For Mangan, the measure of the site's success is more than just page hits. "The ultimate success for this product is when people have turned it off," he said, "go out and enjoy themselves."

Feeling Sherpa-esque? Flavorpill is currently hiring three full-time developers and also looking for five interns.

Now go forth (and get yourself a guide).

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