My Failed Social Media Experiment

Last Wednesday, while laying (or is it lying?) in bed thinking about my sister having to put her dog Curtis to sleep the next day, I had an idea that made me feel much better – how cool would it be if I could create a viral campaign whereby people the world over would tweet about pets they have loved and lost with the hashtag in memory of curtis? I don’t think my sister is even on Twitter so I don’t know if it would have been a consolation for her but I loved Curtis too and I envisioned it being the perfect way to honor his memory, along with a recognition of the power of animals in our lives (full disclosure: I am obsessed with dogs and cats).

So how would I go about creating this viral campaign when by its very nature, viral is something you can’t control? Not to mention that I am a Twitter novice who is still just trying to figure it all out. Enlisting the help of Liz (a social media enthusiast), I set about my mission. First I signed up to follow some of the biggest Twitter influentials, from Ashton Kutcher and Ellen Degeneres to Pete Cashmore of Mashable and Drew of #BlameDrewsCancer and asked them all to encourage their followers to use my hashtag – no response. Next, I asked all the JS2ers to RT my request in the hope that their followers would catch on – nothing (thanks for trying Liz, Gina, Jamie, Amy and Amanda). While I gained followers throughout the day, not one even acknowledged my request. And then it all went to hell – Farrah Fawcett died, followed by Michael Jackson and sweet Curtis didn’t stand a chance.

While it didn’t go viral (not even close), it was a valiant effort. I guess if I knew what made something go viral, I would be a millionaire, sought out by corporations the world over to consult on their marketing initiatives. But I don’t and I don’t believe anyone does. So at least it made me feel better about the passing of sweet Curtis – RIP little boy, you will be missed.

Remembering What Really Matters

On a rainy Thursday last week, I attended the UNICEF Annual Meeting and even after working with the organization for three years, the content was compelling. I already knew the heartbreaking statistic of 25,000 children dying a day die from preventable causes but sometimes a number is just a number and you can’t really get your head around it. That’s why a few of the stories of the day stood out:

- Cynthia McFadden told a story about a girl in a yellow dress standing day and night by her mother’s bed as she lay dying. She then played a segment from Nightline that aired in February in which she traveled with UNICEF ambassador Salma Hayek to Sierra Leone (yes the one where Salma Hayek breastfed a starving baby but more importantly, the segment that showed a seven-day old baby taking her last breath). Even so, the most poignant part of her speech came at the end when she said she would keep doing whatever she could to help children in honor of the girl in the yellow dress – it gave me chills.

- UNICEF Field Officer Silvia Gaya spoke about sanitation efforts in Chad but it was later when I got to speak to her one on one that I learned that she had been critically wounded in Chad while working there several years ago. Despite a more than three-year recovery, she longs to go back as she simply feels that it is her mission to be out there helping children.

- Finally, Pernille Ironside spoke about the atrocities in Darfur. Pernille was captivating – she seemed exhausted by what she has seen and done and yet so calm and matter of fact about her work. Over a slideshow of her own pictures in the background, Pernille talked about reuniting children with their families after they had been captured and made to be child soldiers and sex slaves. After she finished, the session was opened to questions but there were none as the audience seemed shell-shocked by what they had heard.

A day like that reminded me that no matter how rainy it is in NYC or how bad the economy is in the U.S., that nothing feels better than putting a smile on a child’s face because they have a full belly.

My Network

After 12 years working in the public relations industry, I finally got my act together last year and joined a professional organization, New York Women in Communications. I didn’t know much going in except that my former boss Joan Cear (managing director at G.S. Schwartz), a woman I respect and admire very much, was very involved and got a lot out of it so I figured if it worked for her, it might work for me. Joan suggested I start by joining a committee so I looked through the options and settled on Integrated Marking and Communications, which seemed most closely related to my experience. This was indeed the best way for someone like me, a mingling-averse homebody, to get involved in a professional organization – I quickly and painlessly got to know several women who could serve as “security blankets” for me at industry events. Rather than fighting my usual instincts to run and hide in a corner, I could now attend events that I was interested in and easily mingle with ladies I already knew.

As the year went on, I became more involved in the committee, regularly writing articles for the monthly newsletter and even getting the opportunity to interview one of the winners of the Matrix Awards (the Oscars of women working in communications fields) for the Matrix Journal (thanks Leslee Dart). In fact, the outgoing VP and Director recently asked me to take on the role of incoming Director, to which I readily agreed.

I also, at Joan’s urging, signed up to become a mentor and this past Monday met my mentee, who happens to be adorable. I never had a formal mentor/mentee relationship but like many of the successful women in the room at the orientation, I have worked with several women throughout the course of my career who supported my professional development and I wanted to pay it back. I look forward to seeing what will come of it.

As I reach the end of my first decade in business, I have learned so much but know there is so much more knowledge out there to be had. As things change at a deliriously fast pace, I can now benefit from wise women who came before me, who have seen it change before and lived to tell the tale.

One Year Post Grad

As spring fades and summer heats up I realize it has been exactly one year since I graduated from college. Last May I was a proud graduate of Adelphi University with a Bachelor’s Degree and barely a clue of my future. Like many graduates I packed up my dorm room and headed back to my hometown to figure out my next move. But after I unpacked the last four years of my life and settled into my parents’ house I realized that after four years away from home the last place I wanted to be was there.

So with an updated cover letter and resume I hit the career websites. After about a week of in-person interviews and countless emails correspondence, I realized it wasn’t necessarily the jobs I wasn’t interested in, it was the location. A small town in New Jersey is no place for a girl with big PR dreams and New York is where I wanted to be. Luckily I had met a really great mentor and friend while interning in college who saw my potential and began to make calls on my behalf. Within a few days she gave me  JS² Communications’ contact information and I emailed Alissa. After a short phone interview I was offered a paid internship for two days a week and I took it! 

The following Monday I arrived at JS² Communications’ New York office and dove right into work. What happened next is completely a ‘right place, right time’ situation – on my second day at JS² I was offered a full time internship with the possibility of becoming a full time employee! I definitely hit the internship/career jackpot on that one. By August I was a full time Account Coordinator and almost one year later I’m an Assistant Account Executive.

Of course not all career beginnings are as successful but I’d like to think there is just as much hope and opportunity for the Class of 2009. The key to finding and making a career is to be driven and never give up. It may take weeks or even months after graduation before landing the perfect opportunity, but I promise it is worth it. In my case I took a chance with a part-time internship in my desired field, hoping that it would turn into something more.

Currently at JS² Communications we have two fabulous interns with a world of potential; Jennifer Rodstrom in the New York office and Sheri Holt in the Los Angeles office.

Congratulations to the Class of 2009! 

First day on the job!

I think it was when my dorm room windows began to frost around the edges and the sculpture garden at the National Gallery opened an outdoor ice skating rink that I decided I had better begin my job hunt for the summer. The economic downturn made my prospects look grimmer and grimmer each day I searched. Luckily, my parents did not expect me to find a paying job, especially under the circumstances, but rather something in which I could explore a new interest. After many emails, a phone interview, and a quick in-person meeting, I was thrilled to be offered a summer internship at JS2 Communications.

Today is my first day! It was hard enough moving back to Los Angeles after nine months of living on the east coast, but then to be thrown into a new office, with new people, new technology, and new rules—needless to say, I was a sea of emotions and nerves. Yet, after a mere four and a half hours of being on the job, I have been welcomed into the JS2 family more warmly and more whole-heartedly than I could have ever imagined. Though I fully expect (and even look forward to) the typical intern roles (e.g. making coffee, getting the paper, making lunch runs), I cannot wait to throw myself into the job. What I’ll be doing for the next few months I can’t know, but I’m excited to find out!

Hit of the Week: San Fernando Valley Business Journal

As a result of an earlier placement we garnered for our client Doug Pick of DAP World, who was honored for his work with a non-profit called New Horizons, San Fernando Valley Business Journal reporter Mark Madler reached out to see if Doug would be interested in being interviewed for an entrepreneur profile - of course he was! The resulting placement was fabulous, highlighting Doug's business trajectory over the past 17 years - a start in children's marketing at A&M Records, a few product misfires along the way (like a device that alerts guys to put the toilet seat down) and the founding of DAP World 17 years ago.

Lululemon we love you!

We are all big yogis and yoginis here at JS2 and one of our favorite brands related to the practice is Lululemon. We thought it would be very cool if Lululemon expanded into a national yoga studio since it is such a trusted brand with a strong company philosophy and aesthetic. Taking it a step further we paired up and began to brainstorm the most innovative ways to launch this endeavor if it ever came to fruition.

We were given the following parameters to get us started:

• Same day multi city launch in NY, LA and SF
• Align the launch with an appropriate charity
  
• Stay within a reasonable budget
• Incorporate a strong guerilla marketing strategy
• Garner mass media attention by hosting an innovative event
• Message a strong commitment to being green in all media events and communications

After much debate, the teams brainstormed their creative approaches and came up with the following ideas:

Guerrilla Marketing

• Have a branded mobile yoga flat bed truck in each market. The truck will park in front of a large office building around lunch time and offer free mini yoga tutorials, using the flat bed truck as a stage.

Simultaneous launch in all three cities

• Coordinate group yoga pose freeze with people wearing lululemon branded yoga wear in big public parks in each of the three cities all on the same day and exact time.
• Host free public yoga session in the parks of all three cities to encourage people to sign up for memberships and learn more about the lululemon studios and classes

• Timed communal meditation and/or Om chant

• Held at major parks in yoga studio markets (i.e. Central Park, Golden Gate Park and Griffith Park)

• ‘Moonlight meditation’ – 9pm PT/ 12pm ET

Green Event

• Urban gardening – planting trees (urban gardening to turn into a long term relationship within in all communities LA, NY & SF since food health is such an important aspect of the yoga practice)
• NYC - partner with MilltionTreesNYC.com program
  

Namaste!

Bold Names

It occurred to me as the fascinating albeit terrifying story about the so-called Craigslist Murderer began to unfold this week that Philip Markoff has something in common with Scotland’s Susan Boyle: Instantaneous, world-wide name recognition in the blink of an eye. For two very different reasons, both Markoff and Boyle became over-night sensations whose Q ratings (the rating of one’s overall “fame”) blasted through the stratosphere like a NASA Space Shuttle.

Sadly, the public is introduced to people like Markoff through real-time, mass media obsession with much more frequency than to the Susan Boyles of the world: For every Miracle-on-the-Hudson hero like Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger, there are 20 Bernie Madoffs. And it seems that when a true hero like Captain Richard Phillips pops onto the scene, the public is given a kind of gift; an opportunity to identify with someone who seems just as regular as you or me but for a specific set of circumstances that results in mass awareness and genuine admiration.

Here is the thing about Susan Boyle: Her story is authentic. Despite what some of my more cynical friends have to say about her, there is no way, despite all the PR and marketing savvy entertainment companies have developed over the years, that Susan Boyle could have been manufactured. And because of the massive growth of media portals over the past decade, we all came upon her in ways that seemed tailored to our individuality: YouTube and the New York Times; Twitter and The Today Show; FaceBook and CNN.com. Another interesting by-product of the Susan Boyle phenomenon is that her story sometimes connected us with people who were not previously on our radar. I have a friend who heard about Susan in the beauty parlor by the client of her hairdresser who had recently had a baby and was feeling very sheltered and disconnected from the world until she found Susan on the internet. According to my friend, the woman’s enthusiasm in sharing the news of Susan Boyle’s astonishing audition for “Britain’s Got Talent” was just as powerful as the evidence of Susan’s talent itself. Even Simon Cowell would be impressed.

When I heard about Philip Markoff earlier this week, I knew to prepare myself for the hundreds of follow-up stories that would be filed in the days to come. Sure enough, the media, in all their shark-in-the-water frenzy, sliced and diced the story with cold precision. There was the reporting of stolen underwear and the Gray’s Anatomy textbook-cum-automatic pistol hiding place; the preppy image of a pre-med fiancé juxtaposed against the portrait of a woman-hating psychopath killer. The coverage overwhelmed the senses and demanded that we PAY ATTENTION! Even as we wanted to look away, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster gives and eloquent defense of the website’s safety policies in an interview this morning with The Today Show’s Matt Lauer.

So, we are left to wonder when the next heroine or villain will bump Markoff and Boyles off the proverbial front page and what that will feel like. It seemed as if Susan’s 15 minutes were about to be challenged earlier this week when another “Britain’s Got Talent” contender, 12-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi, came along and was christened by the world media in interview after interview. Not so fast! – a new video has suddenly (and miraculously?) emerged of Boyle performing 20 years ago pumping new life into the Susan Boyles news cycle. Similarly, today’s Markoff news was about the 24-hour suicide watch under which he has been placed has propelled his story into its sixth day. Let’s hope the next overnight sensation will be more Boyles and less Markoff; we could all use some more of that right now.

Posted by Jeff Smith, CEO

Explore-A-Story: A Celebration of Books

On Sunday, April 19th, more than 700 guests attended “Explore-A-Story: A Celebration of Books,” a family festival and fundraiser celebrating The Wonder of Reading’s purpose: to inspire in children the love of reading. ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood was transformed into a carnival-like atmosphere complete with celebrity readers (Shia LaBeouf, Jesse McCartney, Madison Pettis, et al), children’s book authors (Hope Anita Smith, Ann Whitford Paul, Elisa Kleven, et al), walk-around book characters, food from California Pizza Kitchen, art activities, book signings, and a book fair by Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

Other entertainment included the Invertigo Dance Theatre, which performed a dance to Where the Wild Things Are; music by Mariachi Cielo Nuevo; the Guild Opera Company, which performed Little Red Riding Hood and David Prather.

Despite the heat, children and their families had a terrific day and supported a wonderful organization.

Posted by Amy Fuller, Assistant Account Executive

Hit of the Week: Restaurants using Twitter in Reuters

As more people jump on the Twitter bandwagon, it becomes increasingly difficult to stand out in a crowded space. The goal, as media relations-focused PR professionals, was to figure out how to leverage our clients’ presence on Twitter to get them placed in a story that highlights them as being innovative and successful at what they do.

We worked with Reuters to develop a story about how restaurants are using Twitter to help boost their business, reach out directly to their customers on a more personal level and establish their brand. Inspired by the Kogi BBQ phenomenon here in Los Angeles, we gave the journalist a list of different types of restaurants and chefs who Twitter well, pitched how Twitter is a powerful direct to consumer communication tool for small business like restaurants, and hooked her up with some restaurant marketing and advertising gurus. The result: an amazing article that featured three of our clients - Tender Greens, Rush Street and Maggiano’s - alongside major companies like McDonald’s, Burger King and Starbucks as trendsetters and examples of restaurants that are creatively using Twitter.

Reuters is a business news syndicate that is distributed to 15.3 million outlets internationally. This article was picked up by more than 35 online business, technology, lifestyle and food outlets in the U.S. and internationally including Yahoo! News, Forbes, Money.CNN.com, WashingtonPost.com, Portfolio, ABC News, PC Mag and more. The story resulted in an instantaneous increase of followers for each of our clients, large amount of Twitter chatter, re-tweets with links to the article, and interest from other media and experts in the industry.

To read the Reuters article, click here: http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE53I11Z20090420?sp=true

To see the Twitter chatter and people linking to the article click here: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=Reuters+twitter+restaurants

Posted by Christina Wong, Account Executive

The State of the Cocktail in Paris

Paris is known for many things – romance, art, food, wine, literature – but it has never been known for cocktails. And why should it be? Parisians have all that wine to drink; though only the size of Texas, France produces more wine than any other country in the world. Many of France’s traditional cocktails include wine as a main ingredient (Kir Royal, etc.) or consist of sweet apertifs, not meant for an evening of imbibing. I’m not a big cocktail drinker myself; I enjoy the occasional margarita or Manhattan, but I don’t do much barhopping these days. Though when I was in Paris for my Honeymoon last week, I couldn’t help but be distracted by the budding cocktail culture there. “Budding” may be a bit generous. Most of the cocktail lists I saw at bars consisted of drinks you can find in nightclubs in Tijuana. It was truly hilarious to see these hip, well-healed Parisians drinking “Sex on the Beach” and “Blue Hawaiians.” I’m not sure how this happened and the hangovers these types of drinks cause surely give the French yet another reason to despise Americans.

There were, however, a few happy exceptions. I didn’t get a chance to go there, but right before I left the New York Times did a great piece about a bar called L’Experimental Cocktail Club which takes its cocktails as seriously as we do in LA. We did go to an American/British themed bar called Sir Winston not far from the Arc de Triomphe which had a decent selection of whiskeys and scotches and a very cool candlelit basement bar. Our last night in France, we stayed at the new Phillip Stark designed hotel, Mama Shelter, and had dinner at the restaurant there. We were very tempted by the cocktails after dinner – all the same types of cocktails you would find at any high-end restaurant in LA – but alas, too much champagne and red wine and a too-early wake-up call the next morning got in the way of a taste-test. Next time!

Posted by Amanda White, Account Supervisor, Newlywed

Hit of the Week: Sircuit Skin in America Spa

This February, Sircuit Skin Cosmeceuticals, an advanced anti-aging skincare line, partnered with JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa to be the signature skincare line offered at the award winning, AAA Five Diamond/Five Star resort. Rated as one of the top resorts and spas in Mexico, the exquisite Cancun hotel offers an exclusive Mayan-inspired spa featuring 35,000 square feet of spiritual revitalization, making it a perfect fit for Sircuit products and treatments.

This week’s best clip comes from American Spa magazine, a publication designed for day spa owners, managers and personnel. The Sircuit Cosmeceuticals and JW Marriott Resort & Spa relationship was announced in the Industry News section.

By expanding globally, people around the world will be exposed to a skincare line that is not only good for the skin and body, but contributes to overall well-being and skin health. With a presence in Australia, China and Europe, the JW Marriott Cancun in Mexico is a welcome addition to the Sircuit family.

Posted by Amy Fuller, Assistant Account Executive

Explore-A-Story Returns

The Wonder of Reading’s annual event Explore-A-Story: A Celebration of Books takes place this Sunday, April 19^th at ArcLight Hollywood. It is an incredible day of readings by children’s book authors and illustrators, performances, arts-and-crafts, movies, and a book fair with book signings…all inspired by great children’s literature. This year’s celebrity readers include Shia LaBeouf, Jesse McCartney, Jane Kaczmarek, Madison Pettis and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The event celebrates and supports The Wonder of Reading’s mission: to inspire in children the love of reading. Since 2004, The Wonder of Reading has played a key role in opening nearly 200 new libraries in public elementary schools in the Los Angeles area, as well as training more than 4,000 volunteers to read one-on-one with youngsters each week. Currently, more than 130,000 children are enrolled in partner schools and are benefiting from the libraries the Wonder of Reading has helped renovate and restock.

Posted by Amy Fuller, Assistant Account Executive

Grilled Cheese Month

April is Grilled Cheese Month and here at JS² Communications HQ we are obsessed cheese fanatics.  Melted together between hot, buttered slices of bread and it's almost a little piece of heaven.  Our clients Patinette, Ivan Kane's Café Wa s and Rush Street serve a darn good grilled cheese sandwich and we recommend them to anyone looking for a bite of gooey goodness!

For lunch, the best grilled cheese in close proximity to our office in West Hollywood is at Joan's On Third.  We all dream about it at our desks and argue over whether we should get it with bacon, slices of tomato or ham.  My personal favorite is a fresh slice of heirloom tomato with the rationale that adding a slice of tomato then makes the grilled cheese sandwich healthier.

Our chef's swear by the type of bread that makes their grilled cheese the best.  Chef Glen Ishii of Noé Restaurant & Bar at the Omni Hotel Los Angeles uses Asian bakery bread, easily found at 99 Ranch or any other Asian-owned bakery, which give his grilled cheese sandwiches a soft, pillowy texture. Chef Alex Reznik from Ivan Kane's Café Wa s makes his with slices of house made brioche grilled with truffle oil and stuffed with French Emmenthaler and Morbier cheeses.

Here are our tips for how to make the best grilled cheese sandwich:

• Use nice quality bread!  A more dense bread gives your sandwich a heartier quality whereas a lighter, softer bread from an Asian bakery is almost light as air

• Kraft Singles American Cheese slices are just not right!  It may be a part of everyone's childhood but a fine gourmet chunk of cheese really makes the difference in flavor. Use a nice blend of cheeses

• Use real butter.  Not Pam, margarine, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, or fake butter substitute.  Real butter adds real flavor and gives the bread a nice crunch

• Do add bacon

• Grill on low heat so the cheese will melt without burning your bread

Happy Grilled Cheese Month to all!

Posted by Christina Wong, Account Executive, Foodie

JS2 Client Clip Cornucopia

Are you a SPAM lover or hater?

Does your face crinkle with disgust or light up at the thought of canned salty, meaty joy?  In honor the first day of ticket sales for the wildly popular musical “Spamalot,” the Center Theatre Group hosted a SPAMapalooza event and we refused to be outdone at JS² Communications!  Together with our client partner, The Patina Spotlight Café, we featured a SPAM-errific lunch including spam tacos and mead.  The event took place on April Fool’s Day which added an extra flair of showmanship!

We successfully secured several key placements for The Patina Spotlight Café, but our favorites are hits on NBC Los Angeles and Grubtrotters.  

UNICEF's Tap Project highlights World Water Week

UNICEF recently held its annual fundraising campaign, the Tap Project, a grassroots initiative to provide clean water to children around the world that asks individuals to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free at participating restaurants. The Tap Project took place this year during World Water Week, March 22 – 28, 2009 with more than 1,500 restaurants participating nationwide.

This year’s Tap Project kicked off with two Water Walks taking place in New York City and Chicago. Each consisted of a one-mile walk in which children and families carried one gallon of water in a gesture of solidarity with those who must collect and carry water on a daily basis. The Walks brought the communities together to kick off an amazing week of philanthropy.

Now in its third year, the Tap Project expanded in 2009 with additional efforts in Canada and Puerto Rico. UNICEF Ambassador Joel Madden, lead vocalist of the band “Good Charlotte,” served as campaign spokesperson, following his field visits to the Central African Republic in October and November of 2008. Additionally, celebrity chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Tom Colicchio continued their support of the campaign as additional spokespeople.

The Tap Project is such a simple way to reach people by asking them to donate during their meal at a restaurant. The donation doesn’t necessarily have to be a large monetary amount as UNICEF stresses that just $1 can supply a child with safe drinking water for 40 days! Our nation has been so focused on our current economic issues that we sometimes forget that there are individuals around the world who aren’t able to access the things we take for granted, like the most basic need of clean drinking water.

We are thrilled to have supported Tap since its inception and look forward to many more years working on the campaign and with UNICEF to further its goal to reduce the number of needless child deaths to zero. 

Posted by Liz Castoro, Assistant Account Executive

“For Never Was a Story of More Woe Than This of Juliet And Her Romeo”

At JS2, we are constantly pushing ourselves to be better PR professionals and to that end, we recently instituted a bi-weekly creativity project. For our first project, the staff teamed up in pairs to develop a story pitch around William Shakespeare’s classic love story, Romeo & Juliet. Once the creative was in, we were thrilled to realize that each team had used a different angle to pitch – Gina and Christina suggested plant-based natural remedies as an alternative to expensive doctor visits, offering Friar Lawrence as spokesperson; Liz and Amy used the opportunity to talk about the alarming statistics of teen suicide and what we as a nation can do to combat the epidemic, Chris and I promoted To Be or Not To Be Nurses, tailored childrearing services for Elizabethan parents and Carlos and Amanda provided a crisis communications statement from Ye Olde Dagger Company, unfortunately caught up in the tragedy as the weapon of choice for poor Juliet.

Click on the link below to view all entries:
http://www.docstoc.com/batch/oOTBAwOM19Z9LTCTXRf-WA==/vanessa-kristal/2009-03-27

Posted by Vanessa Kristal, Account Executive

New Product = Funny Times

In April, our client Trigg Laboratories, Inc., the leader in personal lubricants and sexual wellness products, will debut a new product, Wet® together™. With the understanding that two is better than one, Wet together offers couples a titillating experience that benefits each person in its own unique way. Intended to enhance a couple’s intimacy, his warms and hers cools but when they come together, couples experience an amazing tingling sensation.

The photos above show Carlos and me testing out Wet Together on our hand – not how the product is intended to be used, but surely in a way that is office appropriate!

Posted by Amy Fuller, Assistant Account Executive

New Horizons Honors Douglas A. Pick, Founder of DAP World, Inc.

On Friday, March 20th, New Horizons, a non-profit organization that helps adults with developmental disabilities, honored our client, Douglas A. Pick, President of DAP World, for providing jobs to over 220 clients in New Horizons’ workshop program at its 55th Anniversary Gala. Typically, New Horizons recognizes volunteers and staff members for their endless hard work at these annual galas but this year, for the first time, a customer was honored for his exemplary commitment and dedication to the program.

The theme for the evening, held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, was the roaring 50’s! The room was filled with laughter and excitement as scenes from classic movies played on the big screen. A highlight of the evening occurred during dinner when New Horizons’ Bright Lights, decked in 50’s attire, hit the dance floor to perform several dance routines. Finally, the time came for the honorees to receive their awards.

Doug Pick: Partner of Independence Award
Susan Stearns: Fredrick J. Weitkamp Service Award
Rose Weiss: Dignity, Love and Compassion Award
Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes: Partner For Brighter Futures Award

Doug Pick’s career as an entrepreneur began in 1992 with the inception of his HEAROS line of ear plugs and since that time, his company has grown to become the national leader in retail ear plug marketing. By efficiently tapping into the multitude of resources of New Horizons, Doug services the nation’s largest retailers with remarkable precision and execution as a “one man show.”

“I’m thankful and appreciative of the long standing relationship DAP World has established with New Horizons. It’s a total win-win!” says Doug Pick. “As I’m living my entrepreneurial dream, I’m proud to be able to embolden the lives of so many special needs adults to help fulfill their dreams.”

Congratulations, Doug!

Posted by Carlos Torres, Senior Account Executive

Welcome To The Great Pit Ball Las Vegas

The Great Pit Ball, which took place this past Saturday, March 14 in Las Vegas, was an amazing charity event to benefit the Villalobos Animal Rescue Center, the largest rehabilitation and placement facility for abused pit balls in the world.

Our client, Ralph Perrazzo, an award-winning pastry chef formerly of Bradley Ogden and Jean George, who recently founded his own restaurant group, Rare Concepts Group, organized the event with his friend Brandon Bond, who is a world-famous tattoo artist. Both are huge dog lovers and Brandon had in fact just filmed a documentary called Vicktory to the Underdog, a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of rescued Pit Bulls, which premiered at the Great Pit Ball.

The all-day event featured an art show, musical performances and VIP parties but the stand-out was certainly the chef’s dinner headlined by Ralph and some of his favorite Las Vegas chefs. Joining him for the dinner were Rick Moonen of RM Seafood (Mandalay Bay), Joe Elevado of Social House (Treasure Island), Gene Bernardo of Nove, Barry Dankake of N9NE Steak House and Kerry Simon of Simon Restaurant & Lounge, all at the Palms Hotel and Casino.

Animal Planet even filmed the event as the season finale for “Outlaw Dogz,” a program currently in production scheduled to air in 2009. The six episode series, based on Villalobos Animal Rescue Center and its work saving Pit Bulls, is being filmed on location at Villalobos with its operator, Tia Maria Torres, and her family. It also features celebrity cameos and many of the more than 200 Pit Bulls who call Villalobos home.

We are still waiting to hear exactly how much money was raised but early reports say the turnout was amazing!

Posted by Gina Sisco, Account Executive