The Fifth Annual Brooklyn Blogfest, an event I created five years ago, is just around the corner (on June 8th at 7PM at the Brooklyn Lyceum in Park Slope). This year it’s going to be bigger and better than ever and that is, in large part, due to the involvement of Absolut Vodka.

When Absolut set out to capture the unique flavor of Brooklyn for its city-themed vodkas, inviting acclaimed film director and Brooklyn native son Spike Lee (Crooklyn, Do the Right Thing) into the mix was a slam dunk. And when it came time to settle on who should take the first sips the choice was just as obvious.

Brooklyn bloggers.

Alot of you are probably wondering how the collaboration came about. Here’s the story:

Note added June 10th 2010: Absolut got in touch with me in February about being a Blogfest sponsor. It sounded like an interesting experiment because I needed some kind of funding for the event, which is an expensive endeavor. Later on, Absolut also asked some bloggers to write a post defining stoop life in Brooklyn (literally or metaphorically) that would be posted on the day of Blogfest. They offered those bloggers a bottle of the  $29.99 vodka and a $129.99 Flip camera (and an invite to the consumer release gala). I’m not sure who signed on for this. Quite a few bloggers refused to get involved. These posts are not meant to be about the vodka but about the Brooklyn stoop. There will be a link to these posts on the Absolut Facebook page. It is important that these bloggers acknowledge this on their blogs and be completely transparent about this so that their readers understand that this transaction occurred.

This was the first year that the Brooklyn Blogfest had a paid sponsor. It was an experiment of sorts and a gamble. There is certainly a steep learning curve when you take on a sponsor and it’s a balancing act to retain the true essence of the event and not tip over into the promotional realm. I acknowledges that the inclusion of Absolut came with mixed results and plenty of mixed drinks. I loved the brilliant Lemon Andersen, a spoken word artist, who performed his ode to Brooklyn and was a big hit with the crowd. Spike Lee, who “collaborated” with the vodka company on the vodka, also spoke at the event. The party was lavish and fun. — Louise Crawford

By adding Brooklyn to the list of cities (Los Angeles New Orleans, and Boston), Absolut tapped into the same rich source of material and inspiration powering all the blogs that will be represented at Blogfest.

There’s a creative energy in Brooklyn and a sense of open-ended possibility. Blogs are just one of the many creative endeavors that have flourished here, but they’ve also been really important vehicles for getting the word out about these new ventures. That’s why it makes perfect sense that Absolut would choose the Brooklyn Blogfest as a medium for broadcasting the message about their collaboration with Spike Lee.

I’m proud to say that since it was founded in 2005, the Brooklyn Blogfest has established itself as the nexus of creativity, talent, and insight among the blogosphere’s brightest lights. This year will be no different as a panel of blogging’s best dissect the unique brand of creativity flourishing here (moderated by WNYC’s award-winning Andrea Bernstein). Also on tap: Lemon Anderson, acclaimed spoken word artist and performer, a video tribute to Brooklyn’s most visionary photo bloggers, special networking sessions for like-minded bloggers (i.e. Blogs of a Feather), the return of the ever-popular Shout-out, when bloggers are invited to share their blogs with the world, and a roof-raising after-party with ABSOLUT^® VODKA cocktails, food and music.