|
The All
Access Group
P: 408.257.6155
|
|
||||||||||
|
© Copyright All Access Group 1997-2004. All Rights Reserved. | |||||||||||
The All Access Group
14510 Big Basin Way
Suite 246
Saratoga, CA 95070P: 408.257.6155
F: 408.257.6134
TollFree:866.257.6155
[ About ] [ Clients ] [ Services ] [ Testimonials ] [ News ] [ Home ]
[Current Clients] [Past Clients/Projects]
Past Clients / Projects
Apple Computer
Akimbo Systems
BASOC's "Winning Bid" Event
BowieNet/Ultrastar
California Music Awards
Chairs that Care
Create the Business Breakthrough
DV Expo
EnterMedia Network
EnterTech '99 Conference
eStar.com
G8 Wave
Game Developers Conference
Global Music One -- aka GMO
Herring on Hollywood
HiFinity Systems
Innovative Music Foundation Documentary Series
Idealive
IUMA
Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration
Greg Kihn "anthology" project
Kai Mana
New MBC
Paul McCartney Tribute CDMy Reputation
Philips
Portland Creative
MoreCars.Net
MusicBiz 2005
NARAS Music & Technology Evening
NBC.com
"Open Hearts Clear Mines" Benefit Event 2002
PatroNet
Pollstar Awards
RecordLab.com
Sharecomm
SmartNav Systems
SphereMedia
Storymail
Tapwave
Tech TV
TVdoTV
Urban Campfire
VolunteerMatch
Webby Awards 1999
Wipro
Webnoize Conference
World Wide Webport
Apple Computer
http://www.apple.com/Being something of an anomaly as a true Cupertino native, I watched Apple Computer literally rise from seeds in the orchards behind my house to become the enormous entity it is to this day over the past three decades. And owing to the passion it inspired in me very early on, I knew that someday I would want to become an active part of it. Little did I know how much of a part of myself would become enmeshed in the company and its culture during my ten years as an employee.
Starting with the Music Marketing team in 1987 (fresh from my couple of years at a record label in Los Angeles), I ended up full circle as Market Development Manager for the Music and Entertainment Industries by the time I left in December of 1997. While at Apple I produced and/or participated in a wide ranging suite of activities which included: producing events/trade shows, ads, seminars, broad-reaching campaigns, marketing materials, sales tools, media production, product launches, sponsorships, artist relations, PR, strategic alliances, and business development efforts. I worked as a member of several prestigious groups within the company over the years ranging from consumer marketing to business marketing to product introductions to segment marketing -- though often wound up performing a similar set of activities in each (as described previously). Apple also put me through a full-blown MBA program during my tenure there which proved extremely beneficial.
Akimbo Systems
http://www.akimbo.com
Akimbo distributes a wide variety of niche and mainstream programming to consumers in the U.S. via its broadband-enabled set-top box television product. Akimbo was founded by one of the creators of Tivo-precursor, ReplayTV, and other seasoned execs from Macromedia, My Simon, and Apple Computer -- and is well-funded by Silicon Valley venture capital firms such as Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Sprout Group, Zone Ventures, and others.
Akimbo is the first company to deliver DVD-quality special-interest video content to any television via a broadband internet connection. With Akimbo, consumers can purchase the box, plug it into their TV and broadband connected home network, and then choose from a wide variety of premium niche programming to download on demand.The Akimbo Service and Akimbo Player let consumers choose from thousands of hours of programs that are specifically suited to their tastes, so they can watch what they want whenever they choose (regardless of cable provider programming schedules).
I was brought in to do content acquisition deals on behalf of Akimbo in the areas of music, film, cable TV channels, and branded specialty categories. This included mainstream artists (for 24/7 branded channels), major record labels and film studios, top TV production companies, as
well as content aggregators in cable TV and on the Internet, branded cable channels, and other leading brand providers in niche content categories. Highly rewarding.
BASOC's "Winning Bid" Event
http://www.winningbid2012.org/and http://www.basoc2012.org/The Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee (BASOC) is a non-profit organization committed to bringing the 2012 Olympic Games to the San Francisco Bay Area. Their goal is to enrich the lives of Bay Area residents and to create a legacy for youth through the support and organization of athletic activities. The Winning Bid was a gala event which took place at the di Rosa Preserve in Sonoma in August 2002; it was a celebrity fundraiser to help influence selecting San Francisco as destination for the Summer olympics in 2012.
I was requested to invite celebrities and notable athletes who reside in the San Francisco Bay Area to attend this important fundraiser and auction in support of the goal for San Francisco to host the 2012 Olympics.
BowieNet/Ultrastar
http://www.ultrastar.com/, http://www.davidbowie.com/UltraStar builds, manages and develops Internet communities based around a passionate set of fans or members. A pioneer online, UltraStar uses a revenue model that combines subscriptions, advertising and e-commerce coupled with affinity group content, community and interaction. UltraStar's current success lies in its ability to allow music fans to interact with a specific artist and enable the members of its communities to become involved in the creative process of that artist. UltraStar's communities also allow fans of an artist or music genre to interact with each other in a convenient and compelling way. The company provides virtual gateways to the private and public lives of celebrated music properties like David Bowie (a company founder), teen-sensation Hanson, and Christian Gospel phenomenon Bill Gaither. Leveraging the company's personal relationships with each of its client partners, UltraStar secures exclusive input, content and materials for its online properties and Web-based user groups.
A couple of years ago, I was asked by my long-time colleague and Ultrastar president Bob Goodale to assist him in reaching out to relevant strategic alliance partners in support of the next phase of growth for Ultrastar (including BowieNet).
California Music Awards
(formerly known as the BAMMIES)
http://www.californiamusicawards.com/The "Bay Area Music Awards" (aka "The BAMMIES"), traditionally known as one of the premiere San Francisco events of the year, became the California Music Awards in 1998 -- and now accepts statewide nominees. Founded by Executive Producer (and publisher of BAM Magazine) Dennis Erokan, the show has been in production for more than 20 years now. I was involved with the show myself for nearly 20 years as associate producer and talent coordinator. This was a volunteer position but one which I truly looked forward to each year because of the camaraderie that developed between myself and other members of the production staff, the effortless flow of the production process we established, and giving back to the music community which has been such a foundation of my career. It was something I truly enjoyed.
Create the Business Breakthrough You Want: Secrets and Strategies
from the World's Greatest Mentors.
"Powerful, perceptive, practical advice from some of the best business minds today."
-Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager® & The On-Time, On-Target Manager
Business Gurus' New Book Helps Transform Your Life
If you want to create a business breakthrough, then this is the book for you. It gives you the tools and confidence to overcome challenges associated with today's superheated world so you can take quantum leaps forward in your business and financial development. In each chapter you:
Discover powerful strategies, systems, and insights in five areas you must master to thrive in today's new economy.
- Get the time-tested resources you want:
Learn from the best: Meet 61 of the world's most savvy and trusted business and financial mentors -- all in one compact volume. Benefit quickly and easily: Gain maximum insights in minimum time from brief, specially formatted chapters. Special Bonus: Get access to each mentor for those situations when you need more help. 6" x 9"/312 pp/softcover/Business Development/Business Leadership/2004 ISBN 0-9749618-0-9/
Author's Special Edition/$19.95US
"A remarkable book for business owners and executives
alike. Apply it and prosper."
-Harvey Mackay, author of the #1 New York Times best-seller,
Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive
"Exceptional insights into how to create business and financial leaps forward. I highly recommend it!"
-Tony Allessandra, PhD, author,The Platinum Rule and Charisma
Millions of executives, business owners, and professionals have had breakthroughs thanks to the mentors in this book. Buy it now and let them start helping you, too.
Buy now online at Amazon.com,
or at major bookstores nationwide
Chairs that Care (in support of the Habitot Children's Museum)
http://www.habitot.org/Over the past four years, Ethan Allen, Inc., the national manufacturer and retailer of quality home furnishings, has raised more than $350,000 on behalf of children's charities in cities across the country through its unique Chairs that Care program. Chairs that Care recruits celebrities to apply their creativity and imagination in decorating a pint-sized upholstered chair donated by Ethan Allen. These one-of-a-kind masterpieces, complete with celebrity signatures, are then auctioned off at an annual gala fundraising event.
Habitot Children's Museum (www.habitot.org), located in downtown Berkeley, California, was selected by Ethan Allen to be the beneficiary of the Chairs that Care fundraising benefits in Northern California during the past couple of years. The annual Chairs that Care Benefit supports Habitot's on-going program of unique hands-on art and exploration exhibits that prepare thousands of young children for a lifetime of learning. Habitot's members and visitors are culturally and geographically diverse, with more than 60,000 people coming to the museum each year from all over the Bay Area.
Habitot's board asked me to approach a wide range of celebrities with ties to the Bay Area, including some of the industry's biggest musicians, actors, and sports figures. In a very short period of time in 2003, we were able to secure participation for this worthy project from Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chris Isaak, among others. Each agreed to decorate a chair, and each commanded high prices at the auction. In 2004, we're fortunate to have chairs being decorated by India Arie, Naomi Judd, Tony Hawk, Smashmouth, Pixar & Lucasfilms.
During four days of in-depth instruction from the industry's hottest talent, this perennial annual conference teaches the skills and techniques to shoot, edit, and deliver the most captivating digital video content.
I was asked to help secure the Keynote speaker for the event in 2002, and we were lucky enough to get Douglas Trumbull -- visionary filmmaker, innovator, and entrepreneur -- who delivered a terrific presentation to a satisfied audience.
EnterMedia was formed to provide audience information to the Internet Broadcast marketplace -- a market that has frequently been besieged with high production costs and unprofitable business models. EnterMedia was organized to solve these twin dilemmas through proprietary technology, low-cost production processes, and audience information services.
The distinguishing feature of EnterMedia was its low-cost production system and suite of services designed to "empower" the creation of interactive broadcasts in a scheduled program format. EnterMedia's technology gathered information by arranging and presenting carefully crafted questions and synchronizing them into a scheduled program. These questions and their responses were recorded and catalogued during a broadcast through EnterMedia's powerful database information system. EnterMedia offered its clients training, production, and/or broadcasting services based on the unique set of technologies and services it had developed.
I was originally brought into EnterMedia Network as the co-producer of an early online program series developed in-house entitled "Music Nexus" (hosted by Todd Rundgren) in 1997.This program became a pilot for the emerging technologies simultaneously being developed by EnterMedia, and was an early hit in the Internet broadcasting market. I was subsequently retained by the company to support its strategic marketing and PR efforts, to participate in business development efforts and strategic alliance opportunities, as well as to seek out prospective sponsors and funding sources. Unfortunately the company didn't pull through.
This high-end event, which took place at the LaCosta Resort in Carlsbad, CA in April 1999, was designed to bring together world class leaders in entertainment and technology to lay the foundation for how these industries could best collaborate in the areas of production, post-production and distribution. This Forum united top studio executives, CTOs, executives within production and post-production facilities, as well as producers and directors, with senior executives within the technology community to explore issues, emerging trends and technologies, and to share concepts and ideas that would further cement a solid foundation between them. The event was sponsored and produced by IDG Conference Management and ublications.
I was brought in by the organizers to help secure sponsors for this inaugural event. As a first-year event, it was a challenging task -- however we were successful in securing several top sponsors. The event was heralded as a success, with many significant deals being closed on-site.
In mid-1999, a new celebrity website emerged called eStar.com. It offered celebrities a high-quality world-wide communications outlet with rich content that they could help direct about themselves. Focusing exclusively on the lives, careers, passions, and interests of individual celebrities, eStar was one of the most comprehensive source of official and authorized celebrity information contained under one Internet address at the time. The site promoted media appearances, book signings, or sales of any of a celebrity's endorsed products through links to other websites or retailers.
Additionally, eStar had a merchandising department that could create licensed products for celebs that could be marketed via the site to their fans, with a royalty paid on every sale. It was an opportunity to increase the public's awareness, and/or generate additional revenue for a fave charity. In addition to celebrity profiling, eStar was also an on-line publication with live audio and visual interviewing capabilities, celebrity news stories, promotional e-mailings to fan base, chat rooms, etc.
My participation was as celebrity relations agent to musicians for eStar. I approached over 50 leading artists inviting them to make use of eStar's services in support of promoting their careers, activities, and favorite charity causes.
G8wave is a division of the People2People Group, which was founded in 1988 as the interactive communications division of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group, a thirty-eight year old regional media conglomerate with interests in newspapers, radio stations, magazines, printing and integrated media products. The People2People Group is made up of four companies, including G8wave. The company created the voice personals business in 1988 and combined across its four divisions, it is the world's largest provider of fully-integrated, relationships services to media companies.
Under the G8wave brand In the UK, the company is one of only a handful that offer SMS gateways through every mobile carrier. They deliver millions of text and photo files to mobile phones and PDA9s every month, and operate one of the world9s largest text-chat services developed for the SMS market. Additionally in the UK/Europe they offer premium text, text/web services, text pay services and other direct marketing products that have been proven over the last couple of years to generate significant revenue from each user. In the US, they offer their UK-created SMS products as well as integrated mobile products that link with their IVR systems and payment mechanisms, as well as automated call-out technologies, premium rate processing, aggregation of their clients' 800 and 900 numbers, custom IVR/voice products and integrated web/mobile products.
Millions of people use the P2P Group's services everyday via products and services delivered to newspapers (80% of the newspapers in the US use its integrated services), radio stations (nearly 90% of the radio stations in the UK use its radio products), and to mobile devices.
I was brought on board to do outreach to established artists who may be interested in making use of the companies' services to enable closer communications with their fans, and to derive incremental revenue streams for their brand assets with minimal demands on their time.
The Game Developers Conference defines the future of the $9 billion game industry and shapes the next generation of entertainment. In nearly 20 years since its inception, the conference provides an independent forum for expert developers from around the world to share ideas, build skills, and learn about the latest tools and technologies. Attendees are the technical, creative and business talent behind today's and tomorrow's hottest games. They are game designers, artists, animators, programmers, producers, sound designers, and above all, pioneers. They employ a broad tool set, including hardware, software, and services, to create applications that entertain over 100 million people worldwide. Their work is responsible for the emergence of games as a major market force, surpassing box office receipts in revenues.
I've been asked to secure Keynote speakers for the past several years. As a result, some of the luminaries we've procured for GDC have included: Jon Labrie, Digital Systems Architect and former CTO for Weta Digital(Peter Jackson's special effects arm based in New Zealand responsible fort he effects used in the "Lord of the Rings"
trilogy).
* Bill Kroyer, Senior Animation Director for Rhythm & Hues. Bill was behind some of the earliest computer animation technology with "Tron" in 1982, and has since broken ground repeatedly in the marriage of animation and technology. He's also done a lot of work with computer-generated animals,including Scooby Doo, the Coca Cola Polar Bears, dinosaurs for "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas", and the film "Cats & Dogs".* Ron Moore, Creator, Writer & Executive Producer of the wildly successful re-imaged "Battlestar Galactica" series for the Sci-Fi Channel. Prior to that, Moore was Co-Executive Producer on both the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager" TV series'. He's a multi-Emmy nominee.
GMO (aka Global Music One) was an early adopter in innovating and developing new entertainment marketing and distribution systems that took full advantage of emerging technologies, as with its 'a2b music' distribution platform in the late 90's. In December 1996, GMO launched its prototype "Electric Record Player" system with a series of public beta trials. Based on the success of these trials, AT&T chose to take over the development of the distribution platform, freeing up GMO to focus on conceiving new interactive marketing applications to draw customers to online music.
For example, one of GMO's cross-marketing products was the company's Virtual Music Festival (VMF) concept, a networked record promotion campaign that was debuted in support of the 21st BAMMIES (the California Music Awards, January 1998). Web site clustering an online audience to a rich, content-driven Web experience that generated dozens of media stories, 400,000 hits per day and the first real-time Top-20 Song Download Chart. Many other innovations followed such as "audio postcards", as well as GMO's proprietary "ROMSongs" program wherein a repertoire of compressed songs was distributed on CDROMs that were bundled and shipped out with a variety of popular consumer magazine titles. The decryption keys and licenses to these songs were purchased on the Web and the songs were saved to and activated on the buyer's hard drive or burned onto a blank CD. Many other innovations followed.
I was retained to work with/for CEO Anthony Stonefield at the end of 1997 to spearhead GMO's Marketing and PR efforts. We worked on a wide range of activities together during 1998 including developing a strategic Marcom plan, putting together the BAMMIES "Virtual Music Fest" (and approaching all other major music fests to do VMFs with them!), ensuring GMO presence at all major industry shows and events, and approaching artists and labels to license their songs in support of the company's "ROMsongs" CD bundle concept. I also brought in a PR agency, and supervised a small Marcom team to execute against our priorities.
Herring on Hollywood
(produced by Red Herring Magazine)
www.redherring.com/events/Herring on Hollywood (HOH) was Red Herring's exclusive invitation-only executive business summit on the business of entertainment. Because it was a "closed" event, their audience was comprised of CEOs of public and private companies, studio execs, VCs, angels and institutional investors, as well as members of the professional services community. Attendance was usually 850 - 900 people. HOH was Red Herring's highest-level strategy event focusing on the people, technologies and business models that changed the way the entertainment industry did business. Through a combination of keynotes by industry luminaries and roundtable discussions on everything from music to venture capital, HOH analyzed and dissected the most contemporary and pressing business strategy issues to move business forward. I was recruited to help procure top celebrities to participate as keynotes or panel speakers.
HiFinity was an emerging company in 2001 that developed a solution around the 'celestial jukebox' enabling delivery of music-on-demand services directly from a server in the cloud into the home stereo via a thin client set-top-box bypassing the PC (major record labels had expressed strong interest as the music is streamed not downloaded, security protocols were in place, and all the intelligence resided at the server end making it very easy to update and add new features). The system required that the consumer have broadband access in the home.
I was asked to spearhead HiFinity's US Business Development efforts, and to act as a resource and conduit to the music industry, as well as to leading broadband and name music services customers. We made terrific progress during the first half of 2001. The company is temporarily on hold pending the return of a more robust US economic climate.
Innovative Music Foundation Documentary Series
Combining the freedom of digital backpack journalism with the stringent demands of academic documentation and the sensibilities of the digital auteur, the Innovative Music production team seeks to preserve and reveal musical evolution as it is taking place. Each musical genre-based feature-length documentary will be taken through the film festival circuit and will also be released on DvD. Each also provides an introduction to subsequent performance DvDs within the series. The first DvD in the series, "Five Conversations About Soul" was released through Image Entertainment in the Fall of 2003.
I was brought in as co-producer by founder Scott Kominski. Together we are developing each individual documentary, with my main role pivoting around talent procurement/participation.
Idealive was creating the premier global online marketplace for investing in intellectual property and idea-based products. This marketplace would enable artists, inventors, and owners of intellectual property-based products to raise capital for the development of their products through an efficient and regulated process. Idealive combined the capabilities of the Internet and leading edge personalization technologies to develop and manage a sophisticated global market with community building. Idealive believed that the Internet is providing the opportunity to enhance the way artistic projects get financed; they were creating the infrastructure to allow artists to raise money to help market their existing works (and provide development funds to cover the costs of preparing new projects), by creating a mechanism for fans to invest in their favorite artist's success.
I was brought in by the founder and company president to approach leading edge artists (including top musicians, filmmakers, and other notable artists) to participate in this concept, and also to advise the company on marketing and promotional strategies for visibility. Unfortunately the company did not survive.
The Internet Underground Music Archive (IUMA) was the first and largest music site to empower the independent musician through a reinvention of the music industry online. IUMA's mission is to offer independent musicians a viable means to showcase, market and distribute their music online, creating a unique way for fans to discover and experience music like never before. IUMA's pioneering efforts have built a music destination site featuring thousands of independent artists from every corner of the world, in addition to providing sites for many independent record labels. Each month, the site receives over 1.5 million page views and adds hundreds of new bands.
By leading a new era in music distribution, IUMA artists are able to circumvent the traditional route of building their audience through a record label. Instead, IUMA provides an alternative means of digital distribution which enables artists to reach a universal audience that includes everyone from record label executives to radio station programmers to college students and music fans worldwide.
I was brought into IUMA in mid-1998 as a senior strategy consultant to oversee marketing, industry relations, and PR efforts for the company. I hired a PR firm and supervised their efforts to ensure appropriate media coverage for IUMA, speaking opps, and presence at key shows and events. They also utilized my skills in the areas of business development, artist/label/industry relations, production of events & supporting sales tools, project and resource management, and facilitating key alliances within the online music arena. We launched a new product called "Band-2-Web" (joint venture with Digidesign) at the Webnoize Conference (11/98), and published a noteworthy white paper on the future of Music & the Internet (delivered at the same event). IUMA was acquired by EMusic.com during the summer of 1999 (subsequently acquired by Vivendi Universal, subsequently acquired by NBC), & remains active.
In September 2001, Michael Jackson presented a special concert event "Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, The Solo Years" (the second show of which was performed the night before the 9/11 disaster). Michael reunited with his brothers Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Randy. This was the first time in over 20 years that Michael and his brothers performed together. During the show, he also performed the first single from his long-awaited CD "Invincible". CBS Television broadcast the primetime special globally in November 2001. It was one of the highest rated draws during the entire year.
My collaborator Fred Meyer and I approached the producers in August of 2001 to offer our services in procuring leading sponsors for this event, and we approached nearly 100 of the biggest brand name companies in technology and consumer goods. Our challenge was that Michael was seeking a certain minimum fee, and we were operating under very tight time constraints with minimal lead time relative to the budget planning cycles these big companies typically operate under.
I've been an avid admirer of the writings of Shakti Gawain since someone left a copy of her bestseller "Creative Visualization" on my car in a parking lot over two decades ago. They have profoundly influenced my life philosophy and the paths I've chosen -- including my decision to re-locate to the island of Kauai for a time (where Shakti had established a B&B called "Kai Mana"). After several years of studying her works, I finally had the chance to establish contact with Shakti at a workshop she led in Los Angeles -- and have attended many others since.
I was led to continue our dialogues and seek out ways in which I might support her efforts more directly over the years. Finally when I was making plans to reside on Kauai in 1997 we agreed that I would assist her in marketing and promotional efforts to bring increased awareness (and visitors!) to her lovely B&B "Kai Mana" located on a breathtaking cliff above one of Kauai's most private and spectacular coastlines. Working with the property managers and the webmaster, we were able to develop an elegant and informative web site focusing on the property itself -- which enabled visitors to explore Kai Mana and the surrounding
areas, and then to register directly online. We also did a media outreach inviting selected writers and editors to stay at Kai Mana as our guests to encourage them to experience it for themselves (and hopefully write about it in their magazines, newspapers, and guidebooks). Unfortunately, Shakti no longer owns and operates Kai Mana.
Greg Kihn "anthology" project --
http://www.kufx.com/airstaff/greg_kihn/I became acquainted with Greg Kihn at several junctures in passing throughout my career in music and high tech; an avid Macintosh user and proponent, at one point he came to Apple Computer to have lunch with me. We discussed the breadth of his current career efforts, and decided that there might be some ways in which I could support some of his projects -- most specifically in the near-term, an anthology of short stories that he wanted to compile among a list of select rock stars. These could be high-school essays, poetry, or anything that would demonstrate their writing talents aside from purely musical lyrics. During the Summer/ Fall of 1998, I approached over 50 of these artists directly to participate in this project on Greg's behalf. Most were interested, and several were ready to sign up outright, however the project hit a few snags with the publisher causing it to be put on hold. Greg subsequently released the book, "Carved in Rock", in 2003.
New Media Broadcasting Company is a venture run by veterans in the digital entertainment space led by Scott Page (formerly of 7th Level and of Pink Floyd fame) and Russ Lujan. Their focus is to be the de facto marketing entertainment arm of Fortune 1000 companies looking to exploit the Internet's ability to create powerful customer interactions that build brands, facilitate a direct response, and capture customer-specific data. To help companies accomplish this, NewMBC's innovative studio is made up of the top talent in the industry and leading edge media technology.
The Studio creates, deploys and tracks broadcast-quality commercials and top tier marketing communications. Their solution, "[in]box Theatre" is an interactive production that surrounds and elevates key message points with dialogue-driven animated characters and an entertaining "Script, Screen & Score" paradigm. Having previously worked with the company founders, I was asked to seek out and manage key artist deals for New MBC.
What New MBC are doing dovetails strategically with where I left off in my work with the "Masters of Media" initiatives while at Apple Computer (where we pioneered concepts like Cross-Media Authoring and Digital Brand-Building many years ago for applications like this).
McCartney Tribute CD
http://www.tributellc.com/html/buzz.htmlProduction of two Paul McCartney tribute CDs, "Listen to What the Man Said: A Tribute to Paul McCartney", and "Coming Up" were completed when the two CDs were released in October 2001. McCartney contemporaries were approached to participate in this project by contributing a cover of a post-Beatles McCartney song.
The two main goals of the project were:
a) To create a product that showcases the solo works of Paul McCartney (post-Beatles) by artists who respect his work and may also want to contribute to the project because of its charitable intent, and
b) To contribute a significant portion of the proceeds from the sales of the CD to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation in Linda McCartney's memory.
My primary responsibility as one of the project's co-producers was to secure top musical talent who might be inclined to participate in this effort, and essentially "A&R" it. We approached roughly 100 leading artists, many of whom were selected by McCartney fans as those who they felt might be most appropriate. I also worked closely on marketing/promotions to help drive sales alongside Oglio, the record label -- especially with innovative online promotional efforts.
click here for The McCartney Tribute press release
My-Reputation's basic emphasis is to serve as an Internet Bodyguard for celebrities (looking out for cybersquatters, bootleggers, and ne-er-do-wells who would otherwise purloin the celebrity's name/likeness to draw traffic to porn sites). They also seek incremental revenue streams for
established celebrities through a broad range of traditional and non-traditional activities and opportunities harnessed for a given artist or celebrity.
I've acted as their US-based head of artist relations as a consultant (they're headquartered in the UK) since 2001. My job has been to do outreach to platinum level artists, to create awareness for these services, and to encourage them to engage the My-Reputation team to handle all of this for them; bringing incremental revenue streams to artists is always a main goal.
As one of the world's leading consumer electronic companies, Philips launched a series of Connected Home devices in 2000. The first of these products was a mini home stereo shelf system featuring built-in access to Internet Radio channels worldwide, artist information, and the ability to stream MP3s from a PC hard disk to the stereo via a home network connection. Significant features and improvements have been deployed across a broad range of audio and video products introduced over the years (see web site above for specifics).
This product line offers a unique opportunity for content distributors and aggregators to broaden their reach in support of Philips' leadership with this market. I was brought on board both to create an artist outreach program to involve high profile musicians in this fantastic promotional opportunity, and perhaps even more significantly to establish key strategic alliances with profile branded content aggregators including top online music companies, major portals, and specialty content distributors in areas like film shorts and adult entertainment. Essentially any company who wanted to stream content through these new Philips device as an adjunct to their current distribution strategy to reach more consumers.
For a time, the Portland Creative Conference was the only U.S. event dedicated to exploring and celebrating creativity in film, television, advertising and interactive media. It was an "idea oasis" where imaginations flourished. Fellowship thrived between artists, actors, directors, composers, editors, writers, and others who simply wanted to experience the fun. People from all over the country attended. I worked on their final series entitled "Backstage Pass".
Backstage Pass was a series of "Evenings With" events featuring leading minds in the imagination business -- including writers, directors, actors, composers, musicians and cinematographers selected for the variety and depth of their body of work. Each evening was an in-depth exploration of the role creativity played in a guest's work, and in their world.
Given my access to notable talent and exemplary creatives, I was asked to do outreach to a range of well-known creative professionals to come and speak in Portland as a part of this groundbreaking series. Unfortunately, funding ran out in early 2003 and the series wrapped.
MoreCars.net was an online "garage" portal for housing informative, entertaining, useful and engaging material on all things automotive, from the daily driver to museum collections, to all manner of enthusiasts. MoreCars.net had a vast wealth of content from at least three areas to manage and distribute on its site.
First, MoreCars aggregated individual contributions of members worldwide who maintained garages on the site. Members had the option of submitting video, stills and data from their collections. Second, there were institutional content providers, such as manufacturers, museums, collectors, auctioneers, and dealers. MoreCars served these groups by making their content more accessible to a wider, more targeted audience. Third, there were huge troves of footage, both contemporary and historic, to entertain and serve the automobile enthusiast.
MoreCars' compendium of knowledge, expertise, information and resources was a panacea for both the amateur auto enthusiast and professional alike. The company has since ceased operations.
I was brought in by one of the founders and company president who I'd known from his days as a leading Hollywood visual effects producer. My contributions were two-fold. My primary responsibilities were to lead initial marketing and promotions efforts, strategic alliances, and in addition I participated in helping to secure finances for the company's operations.
MB5 was a new breed of conference focusing on the rapid changes in the music and recording industry. It was designed as a futurists' gathering that explored the perspectives of a breadth of music industry leaders, including artists, managers, producers, technologists, label execs, publishers, software and hardware manufacturers, attorneys, investors, educators and Internet venture capitalists.
The premise of MB5 involved these music business visionaries projecting five years into the future and sharing their previews and predictions of the resulting music industry landscape -- expected by many to be the most dynamic five-year period in the history of the music business to date.
As co-producer and co-founder of this event (held in October 1999 and September 2000 at the prestigious Ex'Pressions Center for New Media in the SF Bay Area), my responsibilities included shaping the scope of the event, developing the panel topics, lining up speakers and sponsors, and basically ensuring that all participants had a great experience! We had a highly successful two-year run that was very well attended, and met with positive accolades from attendees, speakers, sponsors, and media alike. A solid career high point for me!!
In July of 1998, the LA chapter of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) presented an evening symposium focusing on "Downloadable Music on the Internet". The speakers included well-known creative artists, representatives of both major and independent labels, along with representatives of the technological community that created the hardware and software to implement the emerging downloadable music market (including a first-time industry apperance by Michael Robertson who would become CEO of MP3.com launched shortly thereafter).
I was brought in to co-produce this seminar by my colleague Jeff Weber, a long-time NARAS member and award-winning record producer. I was responsible for securing a select group of leading speakers and sponsors to participate in the event, and was a contributing member of the strategic planning committee. The event culminated in a sold-out, standing-room only evening seminar at a top Beverly Hills hotel. It received laudable media attention -- and was heralded as a huge success by NARAS, and by the speakers, sponsors and attendees alike.
NBC.com is NBC's website for its entertainment properties. Launch Media is a partner of NBC.com, and a leader in music promotion (both on - and offline) and online entertainment/music. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1 is one of NBC's most heavily trafficked websites. In the summer of '99 during the downloadable music frenzy, NBC.com wanted to invite an artist to provide a "new song" (not yet commercially available elsewhere) to perform the song on the Tonight Show in conjunction with making it available for free download on Launch.com As part of their appearance, Jay Leno would announce the availability of this "Internet Only" song which folks could download -- and a portion of the proceeds would then go to a charity of the artist's choosing via Launch.com (charity would also be promoted on Tonight Show).
I was brought in to help line up a top charting artist who might be willing to participate in this promotion. I approached approximately 25 select artists however unfortunately the timing was such that those who were most sought after were prevented by their labels from making a song available for download in this context. Results might be different today!
"Open Hearts Clear Mines" Benefit
(in support of the Adopt-A-Minefield organization)
http://www.adoptaminefield.orgAdopt-A-Minefield. engages individuals, community groups, and businesses in the United Nations effort to resolve the global landmine crisis. Designed to move beyond the political and policy debates typically associated with banning the use of landmines, the Campaign serves two main purposes: (a) to help save lives by raising funds for the landmine problem.
A fundraising benefit event was held in Los Angeles in September 2002, emceed by Jay Leno and featuring appearances by Heather Mills-McCartney as the organization's goodwill ambassador, and pivotal performances by Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, and Stephen Stills. I was brought in as co-producer of this benefit event, and primarily focused my efforts on handling talent relations for the evening. The event was deemed a success on all fronts!Many years ago when I was led to pursue a career in the music industry, I quickly became frustrated with the way things were getting done and how slowly and inefficiently everything moved within it. I envisioned technologies being developed that would radically alter the way consumers could enjoy music, and more direct ways for artists to reach their fans -- and yet it would be years before that illumination became anywhere near a reality. I had been aware of one other individual with similar visions swimming in a parallel stream; this was a multi-talented, multi-faceted record producer and musician who kept pushing the envelope. I knew that somehow, someday our paths were fated to align.
In the mid-90's, I co-founded and developed a business venture with rocker partner Todd Rundgren -- Waking Dreams, Inc. Waking Dreams was focused on the development and licensing of original or undervalued ideas into marketable content, services, merchandise, and technologies. As a partner of this collective, I wore many hats. One of the company's primary areas of focus was development and delivery of a service that would become known as PatroNet (www.patronet.com). PatroNet is a suite of services that enables content creators (of all media types -- musicians, novelists, filmmakers, game developers, etc.) to craft, promote and fulfill offerings of their work to the public, principally through the Internet. These offerings may take the form of time-deliverable subscriptions, pay-per-view events or other models. The final products may be delivered digitally or through traditional means.
Pollstar Awards
http://www.pollstaronline.com/cic2007/Awards/awardsindex.htmFor over a decade, the Pollstar organization has been the premiere resource to the touring side of the music industry, and they host an annual awards show in conjunction with the Concert Industry Consortium to honor everyone connected with the biggest tours. Nearly every talent buyer in North America of significance was in the audience this year from arena-level promoters, to nightclubs, casinos, and fairs. Quite a large number of international talent buyers from around the world also attended -- as did many top agents, artist managers, and attorneys. The event is also a benefit with proceeds donated to the Bobby Brooks Foundation.
As co-producer of the annual Pollstar Awards event for the past several years, I've been responsible for assembling a unique cast of eclectic celebrity presenters -- and to ensure that the show flows smoothly inproduction. The Awards have been deemed a rousing success, and we very much
look forward to continuing to produce future shows with this organization.More details about the event are available for review on the show site..
Prior to the formation of the now defunct Tonos.com, recordLab.com was an Internet music destination site dedicated to the life, liberty and unfettered pursuit of music creation by the millions and millions of amateur musicians in the US and abroad. Regardless of their current skill level or their ultimate professional aspirations, recordLab.com was positioned as THEIR place on the Internet where amateur musicians embarking on or continuing their musical journey could find the tools, information and expert advice they seek from those who have made it, inspiring them to make and record better music.
I was brought in to support content acquisition efforts, including approaching leaders in producing, songwriting, arranging and performing to share their unique experiences and advice with aspiring musicians. In addition, I worked with management to facilitate strategic alliances in support of recordLab's efforts to anchor themselves in this important niche. Unfortunately, the company folded due to lack of funds.
Peer-To-Peer Meets Community. ShareComm was the provider of extremely powerful, yet enormously simple to use, mass market-enabled peer-to-peer technologies that combined global communications, unparalleled media searching and information sharing with virally spawned user communities. ShareComm's technology provided a robust solution for business-to-consumer and business-to-business delivery and promotion of digital media to their target audiences with unprecedented cost savings and efficiencies.
I was invited to act as virtual Director of Artist and Label Relations for ShareComm. My primary responsibilities were to do outreach to individual profile artists (who controlled the distribution of their own content -- or wanted to), and to forward-thinking record labels, to evangelize the opportunity that ShareComm offered them both in terms of expanded global distribution of their content and to tap into a range of incremental revenue streams.
SmartNav22, Inc. ("SmartNav Systems") was a software development company whose proprietary systems architecture and products radically improved the authoring, dynamic manipulation and delivery of rich media content on any platform or browser.
On interactive platforms, such as Internet portals (e.g., Yahoo, Excite@Home) and interactive television ("iTV"), SmartNav's technology enabled advertising agencies and content providers to develop, deploy and manage ad media, so that it could be rendered, monitored and modified in real time, through a unique control panel, to target any demographic audience. For closed databases, such as Web sites, Intranets, and knowledge management systems, the technology empowered content providers and end-users to create, deploy, organize and navigate rich media content (i.e., all known media) in context, in real time. SmartNav's software applications were all server-deployed, making them compatible with current delivery platforms and standards, as well as future broadband solutions.
I'd worked with the management team behind SmartNav in previous incarnations, and was asked to work on both business development efforts as well as to help secure Series B financing. Unfortunately, the company folded in 2001 due to lack of financing.
SphereMedia's domain, www.firstbuzz.com, was developed as an online destination that would serve as both a cutting edge resource for music fans that wanted to hear and review pre-release music, and as an invaluable, real-time market research source for record labels. Through "firstbuzz.com", music fans would have an exclusive opportunity to access the cutting edge in music via advanced Internet audio streaming technology. Pre-release music and the ability to offer input to record labels put music fans in the driver's seat, allowing them the power to influence label decisions.
Music fans would enjoy exclusive privileges, including discounts to retailers, free concert tickets, & music sales prediction contests. For record labels, "firstbuzz.com" would provide a marketing research source for a fraction of the cost and time of offline solutions, not to mention more detailed information and more qualified listeners. Labels could get immediate, cost-effective, one-to-one record buyer market research and information online 24 hours, 7 days a week. They could then prioritize their album budgets and develop customized marketing and promotion plans.
Finally, labels could utilize real-time user feedback to determine which songs to release as singles to generate greatest album sales, and which specific songs would have the greatest consumer appeal for promotional campaigns.
I supported efforts around marketing and promotions to consumers. I also leveraged my relationships within the music industry to facilitate strategic alliances with compatible organizations and record labels. We worked very hard for several months in Spring/Summer of 1999 to establish SphereMedia and make some solid connections for the fledgling company, but unfortunately they were unable to secure funding to enable operations to continue - and ceased operations during the last half of 1999.
Storymail enabled e-mail marketers to easily create and deliver dynamic, ultra-rich messages containing graphics, audio, video, special effects, navigation and user interactivity -- directly into a user's in box. The Storymail technology hadgreat potential and could be used to effectively help promote film trailers (within an e-mail!), new album releases, new video clips, tour highlight clips, and 30 second commercials encouraging purchase or a call to action, among other things. All applications were designed to be delivered directly to the subscriber's in box, eliminating the need to link to the web or wait for streaming media for the message. In addition, all Stories could be forwarded, allowing for viral campaigns reaching beyond a client's existing database. Basically, the Storymail solution offered an innovative and evolutionary paradigm in the creation and reception of e-mail and messaging content that features rich media (without frustrating or penalizing the user).
During the first half of 2001 I served as virtual "Director of Entertainment Alliances" for Storymail. I helped them to secure meetings and engage in dialogues with many of the leading film studios, record labels, and TV shows (like Millionaire and Survivor) to enable deployment of their technology as visibly and broadly as possible with these key customers. The company was sold in 2002.
Pioneers of a new product category called 'mobile entertainment gear', Tapwave's goal was to change the way people manage their lives, play and interact on the go. Founded in May 2001, Tapwave is a privately funded company in Mountain View, CA led by Silicon Valley veterans who hail from Palm, Apple, HP, and many other pioneering companies known for breaking new ground.
Through a wealth of consumer electronic experience and strong partnerships, Tapwave is developing a portfolio of innovative, media-centric products that combine the power and function of advanced handheld computing with the fun of a console-quality entertainment experience. The Zodiac console not only provided an unparalleled mobile entertainment device with analog control, 3D graphics, stereo sound, vibration effects, and wireless multiplayer gaming, but also everything required for a rich multimedia experience including music, pictures and video.
I was tapped to help Tapwave with strategies to broaden their reach beyond games into other realms of entertainment, including music, film, video, sports and other categories. In addition to optimizing strategies in entertainment, I also worked on securing deals for Tapwave with some of the bigger content brands within these additional genres.(including Virgin Digital, iFilm, and others).
Tech TV
Audiofile" show
www.techtv.com/audiofile/AudioFile established a solid niche in the media by presenting in-depth artist profiles, news, and segments focusing primarily on the intersection of music, entertainment, and technology. Simply put, TechTV has access to technology savvy viewers and music enthusiasts who are hungry to learn more about what's going on behind the scenes from the artists themselves. These fans tend to want to know more about an artist's process ("under the hood") and any hands-on tips and techniques that may arise during the course of the interview. Audiofile provided an unparalleled opportunity for reaching this audience at a level that the mainstream media does not frequently delve into, and this of course offered a much richer viewing experience.
I was brought in to help book "Tier A" artists to be interviewed for segments of the show. Many expressed interest in participating on relatively unique program, however management shake-ups and economic realities caused personnel changes which disrupted my ability to continue on behalf of the show about six months after we started (in the early '00s).
TVdoTV
http:/www.tvdotv.comTVDOTV was developed to create a substantial new revenue stream and increase global market reach for content owners based on its User Programmed Online TV Network (very similar to Joost).
The revolution is at hand for TV viewing on the Internet, and TVdoTV offers a turnkey solution to make it painlessand profitable. Its objective was to extend reach and revenues for existing content.
I was brought in by the CEO to handle business development and content acquisition in the Fall of 2006, however the venture wound down when the team were unable to raise the funding to grow the company past concept..
Urban Campfire* was an integrated media brand that fused pop culture, music and socially relevant content into a dynamic, multimedia entertainment experience. Urban Campfire* was developed by New World Culture (NWC), a San Francisco based media development company. Urban Campfire Live*, the first-ever-touring talkshow/concert event for teens, drove the Urban Campfire* brand. At Urban Campfire Live, young people interacted with the hottest celebrities and each other to address social values, personal and family relationships and the challenges that they faced. Urban Campfire synthesized mainstream pop culture and entertainment while creating the venue for young people to engage and share their thoughts, feelings and ideas.
Urban Campfire* was infinitely more than merely an entertainment property -- it is an omni media network. The Urban Campfire Omni Media Network* linked together web portals, radio and television distributors, record labels, artist management companies, advertising agencies, corporate sponsors, youth organizations, educational conduits and schools. This phenomenal new concept was a breakthrough business model that allowed UC's business clients to leverage the strengths of other businesses while gaining access to an unprecedented distribution solution. Through the already established network, businesses licensed access to distribute through UC's network of popular web sites, educational catalysts, record companies, talent agents, advertising agencies and public relations firms to reach the youth audience.
NWC engaged me to help them secure investors, strategic partners, sponsors, and name celebrities in support of spreading the word and effectiveness of the Urban Campfire initiative.
VolunteerMatch
(Impact Online)
http://www.volunteermatch.org/Volunteerism, one of the oldest and most humanistic pursuits, is enjoying a strong boost from the online world -- through VolunteerMatch. The Web-based VolunteerMatch service from nonprofit ImpactOnline makes it quick and easy for nonprofit organizations and potential volunteers to find each other. The service offers the largest database of volunteer opportunities, with more than 20,000 volunteer listings from approximately 10,000 national, regional and local organizations. The result? VolunteerMatch has connected more than 260,000 volunteers to date with nonprofits at no cost to either the volunteer or the nonprofit.
This phenomenal match rate is based on two factors. First, the service makes it easy for an individual, who may have only an hour, an afternoon or a day each week, to find a volunteer opportunity that matches his or her time, skills and interests. And secondly, VolunteerMatch makes it possible for nonprofits to more easily and cost effectively find
enthusiastic, capable volunteers. By harnessing the power of e-commerce technology for charitable purposes, VolunteerMatch effectively puts the volunteer together with the need. The service works to assist disaster victims, children in need, people who are hungry, endangered animals, the environment -- anyone or anything that benefits from the services of volunteers. Specific opportunities include on-site volunteering, such as feeding the homeless or building trails, and virtual volunteering, including writing a brochure for a nonprofit or tutoring kids via the Web.
I was recruited by one of my colleagues (a board member with ImpactOnline) to do celebrity outreach to make celebs aware of VolunteerMatch and to recruit them to do PSAs or lend their support by any other means -- including tie-ins to organizations they may currently support.
The Webby Awards unites the global online community in honoring the best and the brightest web sites more than 20 categories. Dubbed the "Oscars of the Web" The Webby Awards event embodies the full energy and creativity that characterize San Francisco's most explosive industry: Digital Media. The Webby Awards is a community-building event that attracts the best new media, minds and mindshare, and is the largest, most respected, and far-reaching awards ceremony on the Internet. The annual Awards event has generated tremendous buzz over the past couple of years, and reaches a diverse and influential audience via local, national, and international press.
After attending and being very impressed with the 1998 event, I approached producer Tiffany Schlain about getting involved with the 1999 show. She invited me to participate in procuring sponsors and celebrity judges for the event, and I subsequently spent several months during the Fall of 1998 approaching a broad range of candidates on behalf of the show.
Webnoize, the leading authority on music and new media for years, was the company behind the successful annual Webnoize conference , a three-day music and technology event designed to examine the music industry's rapidly evolving new media strategies in relation to both technology and alternative industries and markets.
Webnoize took place annually each Fall in Los Angeles, and united leaders from converging facets of the music, technology, media and financial communities. The conference objectives were to delve into music's changing relationship with the music consumer, and the industry's role in the inevitable convergence of the entertainment, information and technology industries. The three-day conference offered a mix of engaging keynotes and panel discussions; informative presentations on market shifts and new media trends; technology, product and service emonstrations; and emerging company showcases. Special evening events and two days of exhibiting complemented the Webnoize '98 agenda, which addressed several topical issues.
My role with the Webnoize conference was to procure speakers, sponsors and exhibitors for the event, and to offer strategic insights to ensure its optimal success. We accomplished our objectives and procured participation from companies such as Apple Computer, IUMA, Cognicity, EdgeNet Media, GEO Interactive, EMusic, and Xing Technologies among many others. The event was nearly always a sell-out, and quickly established its place in the day as one of the primary annual "must-attend" conferences for the music and technology crowd.
Wipro Technologies are among the best in their field in terms of providing stellar business and IT consulting services to some of the largest and best known corporations around the world. Wipro has the most mature Six Sigma program in the industry which ensures that 91% of its projects are completed on schedule (the industry average is 55%). This has enabled many of these clients to report that Wipro was able to save them 25% to 40% -- and allowed them to go to market much faster.
During 2002 and 2003, the Wipro team had me spearhead their efforts in terms of making their services and solutions known to the biggest entertainment companies in the U.S., including conducting outreach to primary IT decisionmakers at all of the major record labels, film studios, and broadcasters. We were successful in connecting with all of them, and in increasing Wipro's presence with each. In parallel, we developed optimized strategies for delivering maximum value to these customers via core messages, seminars and events, et al.
World Wide Webport
http://www.wwwebport.com/WebPort is the brainchild venture spearheaded by founder and CEO Jai Hudes. WebPort is a creative think tank that focuses on research and implementation of innovative network building tools and templates -- but also reaches out to support global community building, and seeks out ways to unite the two missions through compelling and engaging projects that are fun, visually stimulating, and media rich. One of the things Jai's driving is the promotion of world peace through a new media "Think Global" network that focuses on bringing attention to third world countries -- and getting technologies into the hands of those communities to offer them a chance to improve their economic viability, and to allow them to become better educated, and more self-sustaining. (See "www.peaceportal.com").
Several years ago, I was invited to do some consulting work with Jai to advise him on optimal organizational alliances and marketing strategies to help give his ideas life and credibility within the business world. We worked on getting participating sponsors involved in a MacWorld (NY) "Living Album" CD project during the Spring/Summer of '98 -- however the primary partner sponsor was unable to fulfill its obligations and the project was postponed.
© Copyright All Access Group 1997-2004. All Rights Reserved.
