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It's an introspective digital/print/tablet portrait series, which encapsulates artists/brands/entities who embody the true essence of our publication- empowerment, equality, sensuality and most important of all, humanity within a global society.
Gambling addiction is real. Allow me to say that again– gambling addiction is a real thing. It’s not a lack of willpower. It’s an illness.
The medical community has four classifications to consider an illness a disease: it must be progressive, chronic, primary, and fatal. Gambling addiction fulfills all of the requirements.
You see, it’s an uncontrollable urge—a phenomenon of cravings that one gets from a “high”. It’s as normal and necessary as needing air for you and I.
Like a drug addict goes for a fix, or an alcoholic would thirst for that drink… the gambler chases the rush. That “rush” of dopamine is the same as a narcotic. Its an obsession of the mind that destroys families.
Those addicted are constantly increasing the amounts for the thrill. They lie and scam to get more money, jeopardizing their most important and sacred relationships. They’re always trying to win the money back, stop all together, or resort to low measures like stealing and other fraudulent behaviors to continue their addiction. When the feel restless, irritable and discontent, they use gambling as an escape from reality.
They may take it so far that it effects their physical health. Here is an excerpt from my book Lotsaholic: From A Sick To Sober Superman:
He lifted up his shirt and revealed a huge scar, from his upper belly across his chest and up into his armpit. “Three heart attacks. That’s how bad. I’m gonna die, kid, if I keep this up. That’s why I’ve been in here so long. I feel safe here.
I don’t trust myself out there, and I’m not ready to die.” As Tony reeled in his line, I noticed that he wasn’t wearing his fancy Rolex. Today he was wearing a simple Timex that carried the Caesars Palace logo.
“What’s with the new watch?”
He fiddled with his lure. “Tonight they take me outside for a Gamblers Anonymous meeting. Every time I go, I wear this watch. This is the most expensive watch I own. It cost me 1.5 million dollars. I gave Caesars my cash; they gave me a suite, champagne, and this beautiful watch. It’s my personal souvenir to remind me of how bad I get. It and the scar.” He bobbed his fishing rod up and down. “Say, you want to come with me tonight? I always go alone, but I sure would love the company.”
“Sure!” Where else will I get to experience a Gamblers Anonymous meeting with a former gangster?
The room was compact and dim. There was a small podium with a GA banner and about seventy old, wooden folding chairs. And the room was full. I enjoyed hearing Tony and the others share their stories. I realized how strong the high from winning is. On the wall opposite me was a giant banner listing the twelve steps of Gamblers Anonymous, which were almost identical to those of Alcoholics Anonymous, with just the slightest differences in wording.
Step 1: Admitted we were powerless over gambling—that our lives had become unmanageable. Next to the banner was a bulletin board that displayed meeting times for a list of various twelve-step programs, including Sexaholics Anonymous (SA), Cocaine Anonymous (CA), Overeaters Anonymous (OA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Co-Dependents Anonymous (coda), Heroin Anonymous (HA), and Al-Anon/Alateen, a group for friends and families of alcoholics. The list went on. It occurred to me that anybody in the world can use the basic approach of a twelve-step program to achieve freedom from addiction and greater connection to a higher power. I’d discovered a new world.
But there is help out there. Now, many treatment centers, like The Hanley Center and Future’s focus on gambling and treat it like any other addiction or mental illness. Gamblers Anonymous—the famous twelve-step community has had amazing results. The solution for these illnesses is truly spiritual. These obsessions lay in the mind. Once the spiritual malady is solved, the mind and body follow quickly. So, never lose hope.
360 Magazine is live at the NYBG KUSAMA Cosmic Nature Media Preview featuring Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The KUSAMA Garden and Gallery Pass include access to all of the outdoor and indoor installations (1-9), Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Tram Tour, and Garden grounds. The installations include:
Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity
Flower Obsession
Mertz Library Building Gallery
Paintings, collages, early sketches, other works
Walking Piece
Haupt Conservatory Galleries
Horticultural displays, tropical and desert collections
KUSAMA Garden Pass includes access to all outdoor installations (6-9), Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, and Garden grounds:
I Want to Fly to the Universe
Narcissus Garden
Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees
Dancing Pumpkin
In addition, Infinity Mirrored Room – Illusion Inside the Heart: Exterior now on view to all ticket holders; interior access planned to begin this summer; separate timed-entry ticket required for interior access. More information is available on the NYBG website.
Garden Navigator – Explore the one million plants across NYBG’s 250 acres and find what you want to see. Visit the website for the navigation tool.
Forest Bathing: A meditative audio experience – Be fully present on this self-guided tour. Bathe your senses in the sights, smells, sounds, and sensations of the Thain Forest.
Audio Tours – Look for signs with instructions at stops throughout the Garden to learn about specific plants, gardens, and collections.
My Day At The Garden: Family Guide – Embark on an adventure with their kids and family activity guide, available at any ticket window or on the website.
Spring For Nature – 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Kids of all ages can take a closer look at the wonders of plants and animals across the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden.
Bloomberg Connect App – Featuring audio tours, detailed plant images, and more; there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Free download available here.
Tickets Go on Sale to the Public on March 16, 2021, for The New York Botanical Garden’s Exclusive Presentation of KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature Featuring New Work by Celebrated Artist Yayoi Kusama
The exhibition, related programs, and accompanying publication reveal Kusama’s lifelong fascination with the natural world and its countless manifestations beginning in her childhood spent in the greenhouses and fields of her family’s seed nursery in Matsumoto, Japan. The exhibition includes works from throughout Kusama’s prolific career and multifaceted practice. By integrating seasonal horticultural displays, KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature further illuminates the power of nature that pervades the artist’s practice and dynamic body of work.
Multiple outdoor installations, including monumental sculptures of flora transform the Garden’s 250-acre landscape and the visitor experience. Her signature polka-dotted organic forms and mesmerizing paintings of plants and flowers are also represented. Recent vivid observations of nature, shown alongside earlier works that have never been publicly exhibited and those that are presented for the first time in the United States, trace Kusama’s connection to the natural world throughout her career.
Among the works created for and debuting in the exhibition are:
Dancing Pumpkin (2020), a monumental sculpture presented on the Haupt Conservatory Lawn.
I Want to Fly to the Universe (2020), a 13-foot-high biomorphic form presented in the Visitor Center; and,
Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart(2020), an outdoor installation reflecting its environs.
Spectacular seasonal displays complement the artworks on view, making each visit unique as new plantings, textures, and palettes are introduced. Glorious outdoor displays of tulips and irises in spring give way to dahlias and sunflowers in summer, and masses of pumpkins and autumnal flowers in fall. In and around the Conservatory, Kusama’s plant-inspired polka-dotted sculptures are nestled among meadow grasses, bellflowers, water lilies, and other plantings. Stunning floral presentations bring to life one of Kusama’s paintings on view in the Mertz Library Building through a seasonal progression of violas, salvias, zinnias, and other colorful annuals. In fall, displays of meticulously trained kiku (Japanese for chrysanthemum), one of that country’s most heralded fall-flowering plants) will create a dramatic finale for the Conservatory displays.
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature guest curator Mika Yoshitake, Ph.D., said, Kusama, cosmic nature is a life force that integrates the terrestrial and celestial orders of the universe from both the micro- and macrocosmic perspectives she investigates in her practice. Her explorations evoke meanings that are both personal and universal. Nature is not only a central source of inspiration, but also integral to the visceral effects of Kusama’s artistic language in which organic growth and the proliferation of life are made ever-present.
In the Garden
On the Conservatory Lawn, visitors encounter the monumental Dancing Pumpkin, a 16-foot-high bronze sculpture painted in black and yellow. Both playful and powerful, it is sited in an immersive landscape of river birches, flowering plants, grasses, and ferns. The setting is inspired by the sculpture itself and the birch forests near Kusama’s childhood home.
Visitors can marvel at the bright, purple-tentacled floral form with a vivid yellow primordial face of I Want to Fly to the Universe in the Visitor Center Reflecting Pool, and then behold Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees (2002/2021), where soaring trees adorned in vibrant red with white polka dots pop in the landscape along Garden Way.
Narcissus Garden (1966/2021), 1,400 stainless steel spheres each nearly 12 inches in diameter, is installed in the 230-foot-long water feature of the Native Plant Garden. The reflective orbs float on the water’s surface, moved by wind and currents, each mirroring the environment around them to captivating effect.
With interior access planned to begin this summer, Kusama’s new Infinity Mirrored Room will operate per New York State and City guidelines for social distancing and visitor safety. The installation, Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart (2020), responds to natural light through colored glass throughout the day and seasons. Reflecting the seasonality of NYBGߣs landscape, the exterior will be on view with the opening of the exhibition. A separate timed-entry ticket will be required for limited-capacity access.
In the Galleries
In Flower Obsession, visitors may apply coral-colored floral stickers to the furniture and household objects. Over the course of the exhibition, the accumulating stickers will transform the greenhouse. Through works like this, Kusama employs the repeating patterns and forms of flowers to represent the concepts of obliteration, infinity, and eternity.
Three galleries in the Conservatory feature a horticultural celebration of Kusama’s self-proclaimed biophilia. My Soul Blooms Forever (2019), colossal polka-dotted flowers made of stainless steel and painted in dramatic colors, greet visitors under the recently restored dome of the Palms of the World Gallery.
In the Seasonal Exhibition Galleries, the pink-and-gold mosaic Starry Pumpkin (2015) is featured in a woodland garden of foliage and flowers chosen to harmonize with the sculpture’s pink polka dots. Using Kusama’s vibrant painting Alone, Buried in a Flower Garden (2014) as inspiration, NYBG horticulturists have designed a living work of art to mimic the painting’s bold shapes and colors, with plantings changed seasonally. The patchwork of shapes in the painting reads as garden beds seen from above.
In the Conservatory Courtyard Hardy Pool, the exuberantly colored and patterned sculpture Hymn of Life Tulips (2007) depicting outsized, fiberglass flowers are positioned among water lilies and other seasonal aquatic plantings. The Courtyard also features plantings including an array of tulips in spring and colorful annuals in summer that complement the dynamic sculpture on display.
Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity (2017) comprises a glass cube reflecting an infinity of glowing polka-dotted pumpkins within it. The work, one of Kusama’s signature mirrored environments, is installed in the Visitor Center Gallery. Viewed from the outside, the installation changes over time as pumpkins illuminate and then fade to darkness in a meditative choreography. Kusama has said of pumpkins, My pumpkins, beloved of all the plants in the world. When I see pumpkins, I cannot efface the joy of them being my everything, nor the awe I hold them in.
On display in the Library Building, Kusama’s 1945 sketchbook reveals the 16-year-old artist’s keen eye for detail in some 50 drawings capturing the bloom cycle of tree peonies. This work is an early product of a lifelong connection with the natural world that has inspired her practice across mediums. It also portends avant-garde ideas she developed while living in New York City between 1958 and 1973, as a contemporary of Joseph Cornell, Eva Hesse, Donald Judd, and Claes Oldenburg, and continues to explore rigorously today.
The Library Building presentation also features examples of her botanical drawings, works on paper, biomorphic collages, assemblage boxes, sculptures, and paintings on canvas depicting flora and its limitless variety of patterns.
Kusama’s considerable body of performance works is represented in the Ross Gallery by a projection of Walking Piece (ca. 1966/2021), a performance in which Kusama walked the streets of New York City wearing a bright-pink floral kimono and carrying an umbrella decorated with artificial flowers. Art historians have analyzed Walking Piece as a carefully calculated representation of the artist’s ethnicity and gender, one that was intended to demand attention.
From monumental polka-dotted pumpkin sculptures to abstract paintings that resemble cells magnified thousands of times, Kusama’s works suggest the patterns that can be observed all around us. The self-guided Patterns in Nature Tour, featured on the Bloomberg Connects mobile app, examines the visible and microscopic patterns found in nature. Visitors will discover what the patterns of leaf placement, flower petals, and magnified laboratory specimens reveal about what makes species unique as well as how all living things are connected at the genomic level.
Karen Daubmann, Vice President for Exhibitions and Audience Engagement at the Garden, said, “We are delighted to mount this very special exhibition this year, having postponed it in 2020 due to the pandemic. Yayoi Kusama kindly shared a message with us. On March 6, 2021, she wrote, in part, Dancing through our universe are noble souls whose magnificent forms are saturated with mystery. I invite you to explore the endlessly expanding ode to the beauty of love that is my art. We look forward to sharing her singular vision at the nexus of art, nature, and the cosmos at the Garden site uniquely suited for this once-in-a-lifetime presentation.
Programs and Publication
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature is accompanied by a roster of public programs for all ages, including pop-up performances by musicians, jugglers, and puppeteers; self-guided Kids Get Cosmic; activities in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden; and more. Signature exhibition merchandise is available for purchase at NYBG Shop.
Coming in summer 2021, a fully illustrated exhibition catalogue, co-published with Rizzoli Electa, will include essays by KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature guest curator Mika Yoshitake, art historian Jenni Sorkin, curator Alexandra Munroe, and other contributors, including curators and a scientist from NYBG. The publication will focus on Kusama’s lifelong engagement with nature and the ways her interest in nature and plants has formed her career-long investigation of themes of the cosmos and the interconnectedness of all living things. Images of works displayed in The New York Botanical Garden landscape will be featured.
Ticketing
Since reopening July 28, 2020, the Garden has incorporated safety measures based on best practices and guidelines from health authorities and government agencies. Admission to the Garden is currently available through the advance purchase of timed tickets. Visit the website for more information.
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature has a new, limited, timed-entry ticketing system to stagger visitors arrivals and promote social distancing. Advance purchase of timed tickets is required and will be confirmed by e-mail with the option to print or download a mobile ticket.
The following options are available:
KUSAMA Garden & Gallery Pass includes access to all KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature outdoor installations across the grounds and access to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, installations in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building and Ross Gallery, as well as interior access to Flower Obsession and Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity in the Visitor Center Gallery, plus the Tram Tour and Garden features including the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and outdoor collections.
KUSAMA Garden Pass (Non-NYC Residents) includes access to all KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature outdoor installations across the grounds, plus Garden features including the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and outdoor collections.
KUSAMA Garden Pass (NYC Residents) includes access to all KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature outdoor installations across the grounds, plus Garden features including the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and outdoor collections.
A separate timed-entry ticket will be required to access the interior of Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
NYBG welcomes Bronx Health Care Heroes and Bronx Neighbors to KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature with complimentary tickets. Communities in the Bronx are among the most severely impacted by COVID-19 in New York City. Through these community access initiatives, the Garden seeks to acknowledge, with gratitude, the dedication, strength, and resilience of Bronx frontline health care workers and residents. Additional information about these initiatives is available at this website.
Visit NYBG for additional ticketing information and pricing and to sign up for e-mail alerts about the exhibition.
Exhibition on view April 10—October 31, 2021. Tickets available at nybg.org/kusama
Advance, timed tickets go on sale to the public on March 16 for The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) 2021 exhibition KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature, featuring work by internationally celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. NYBG is the exclusive venue for KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature. On view April 10 through October 31, 2021, the exhibition will be installed across the Garden’s 250-acre landscape, in and around the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building. Highlights include new works made especially for NYBG. Spectacular seasonal horticultural displays will complement the artworks and an array of programs and activities will make each visit unique. Pictured above, Hymn of Life-Tulips, 2007, will be displayed in the Conservatory Courtyard Hardy Pool.
Visit this website for additional ticketing information and information about NYBG’s offerings.
About The New York Botanical Garden
Founded in 1891, The New York Botanical Garden is the most comprehensive botanical garden in the world and an integral part of the cultural fabric of New York City, anchored in the Bronx. Visitors come to the Garden to connect with nature for joy, beauty, and respite, and for renowned plant-based exhibitions, music and dance, and poetry and lectures. Innovative children’s education programs promote environmental sustainability and nutrition awareness, graduate programs educate the next generation of botanists, while engaging classes inspire adults to remain lifelong learners. The 250-acre verdant landscape—which includes a 50-acre, old-growth forest—and the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory support living collections of more than one million plants. Unparalleled resources are also held in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, the world’s most important botanical and horticultural library with 11 million archival items spanning ten centuries, and William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, the largest in the Western Hemisphere with 7.8 million plant and fungal specimens. Committed to protecting the planet’s biodiversity and natural resources, Garden scientists work on-site in cutting-edge molecular labs and in areas worldwide where biodiversity is most at risk.
The New York Botanical Garden Announces Updates on Major Exhibition
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature, Featuring New Work by Renowned Artist Yayoi Kusama
New block of advance, timed tickets and separate, limited-capacity tickets to Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart for August 3–October 31 go on sale June 24
New richly illustrated catalogue documents landmark exhibition KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature on view exclusively at The New York Botanical Garden through October 31
The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) announces its release of a new block of timed tickets beginning on June 24 for admission to KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature from August 3 through October 31, 2021. The acclaimed exhibition features work by internationally celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, including four new sculptures and mirrored environments created especially for this presentation. The exhibition showcasing the artist’s lifelong fascination with the natural world is installed across the Botanical Garden’s landscape, in and around the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building and includes seasonal horticultural displays. NYBG is the exclusive venue for KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature, which is on view through October 31, 2021. Advance, timed, limited-capacity tickets for the landmark presentation are required and are on sale at this website.
The exterior of Kusama’s new Infinity Mirrored Room Illusion Inside the Heart (2020) has been on view since the opening of the exhibition, reflecting the seasonality of NYBG’s landscape. Interior access will begin on August 3, with separate limited-capacity tickets that will also go on sale on June 24. The immersive experience responds to varying natural light through colored glass throughout the day and seasons.
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature Catalogue
The hardbound, 176-page catalogue, KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature–published by Rizzoli Electa in association with The New York Botanical Garden–features essays, little-known work by Yayoi Kusama, archival images, and installation photography. It will be available at NYBG Shop beginning June 15, 2021. Edited by the exhibition’s guest curator Mika Yoshitake and Joanna L. Groarke, Director of Public Engagement and Library Exhibitions Curator, NYBG, contributors include Barbara Ambrose, Director of Laboratory Research and Associate Curator of Plant Genomics, NYBG; Karen Daubmann, Vice President for Exhibitions and Audience Engagement, NYBG; Alex A. Jones, writer and independent scholar; Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator, Asian Art, and Senior Advisor, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; and Jenni Sorkin, Associate Professor, History of Art & Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara.
La Grande Dame by Veuve Clicquot Partnership
NYBG announces its partnership with Veuve Clicquot, the French champagne house with which Yayoi Kusama has previously collaborated. In September 2020, Veuve Clicquot unveiled the results of their latest collaboration Kusama’s exceptional reinterpretation of the newly released La Grande Dame 2012 vintage champagne with her signature polka dot and floral motifs. The floral creation was reprised in My Heart That Blooms in The Darkness of The Night, a sculpture inspired by La Grande Dame champagne honoring Madame Clicquot, an industry visionary. Images of the collaboration are available here.
Following its presentation at NYBG’s annual Spring Gala on June 3, a large-scale version of My Heart That Blooms in The Darkness of The Night will be on view to diners in NYBG’s Hudson Garden Grill through the close of the exhibition on October 31. Veuve Clicquot’s La Grande Dame and Yellow Label champagne will be available for purchase.
“We are excited to offer special champagne and food pairings at the Hudson Garden Grill featuring Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame as part of the champagne house’s collaboration with Yayoi Kusama,”said Nelson Siavichay, Chef de Cuisine. “The vintage pairs beautifully with our farm-to-table cuisine and NYBG’s current exhibition showcasing works by Kusama.”
About The New York Botanical Garden
Founded in 1891, The New York Botanical Garden is the most comprehensive botanical garden in the world and an integral part of the cultural fabric of New York City, anchored in the Bronx. Visitors come to the Garden to connect with nature for joy, beauty, and respite, and for renowned plant-based exhibitions, music and dance, and poetry and lectures. Innovative children’s education programs promote environmental sustainability and nutrition awareness, graduate programs educate the next generation of botanists, while engaging classes inspire adults to remain lifelong learners. The 250-acre verdant landscape which includes a 50-acre, old-growth forest and the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory support living collections of more than one million plants. Unparalleled resources are also held in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, the world’s most important botanical and horticultural library with 11 million archival items spanning ten centuries, and William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, the largest in the Western Hemisphere with 7.8 million plant and fungal specimens. Committed to protecting the planet’s biodiversity and natural resources, Garden scientists work on-site in cutting-edge molecular labs and in areas worldwide where biodiversity is most at risk.
KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature is presented by:
Major Sponsors: Tom and Janet Montag; MetLife Foundation; and La Grande Dame by Veuve Clicquot
Generous support provided by: Citi and Delta Air Lines
Digital experience provided by: Bloomberg Philanthropies
Additional support provided by: E.H.A. Foundation, Inc.;
Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation; and the Japan Foundation
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts; and
The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature
Exhibitions in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory are made possible by the Estate of Enid A. Haupt.
Exhibitions in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery are made possible by the Arthur and Janet Ross Fund.
LuESTHER T. MERTZ CHARITABLE TRUST:
Providing leadership support for year-round programming at NYBG
The New York Botanical Garden is located at 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York 10458. For more information, visit this website. The New York Botanical Garden is located on property owned in full by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. A portion of the Garden’s general operating funds is provided by The New York City Council and The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The Bronx Borough President and Bronx elected representatives in the City Council and State Legislature provide leadership funding.
Today, Spotify’s global emerging artist development program, RADAR, has announced its latest artist partnership for the US: the Oslo-based pop sensation, girl in red, aka Marie Ulven. girl in red has also just announced her debut album, if i could make it go quiet, out April 30th, and released its accompanying first single, “Serotonin.” The result of a collaboration with FINNEAS and a huge pop anthem that speaks to Ulven’s struggles with mental health, the arena-ready tune can be heard HERE.
Following her breakout single, “i wanna be your girlfriend,” which has been streamed over 150 Million times on Spotify, girl in red’s music has adorned some of Spotify’s most popular playlists including New Music Friday, LOREM, Oyster, Ultimate Indie, Out Now, and many more — 364 playlists, to be exact! Her cover of Maggie Rogers’s “Say it” for Spotify’s Studio Oyster has been beloved by media and fans around the world, as well as by Rogers herself. With 7 Million monthly listeners on Spotify, her music has also been celebrated by press outlets around the world like The New York Times, Paper Magazine, NME, DAZED, Rolling Stone, Pigeons & Planes and more.
Today’s announcement is accompanied by new RADAR photos of girl in red located HERE and a blog post on Spotify’s For The Record newsroom blog HERE that includes a full rundown of the program, and a Q&A with the artist, which you should feel free to use for your own coverage. girl in red’s appointment to the RADAR program will include features in the RADAR playlist, a Spotify Singles recording, promotional support for her upcoming releases, a full suite of out-of-home advertising and on-platform marketing, and social promotion. girl in red’s RADAR campaign will also include a forthcoming mini-documentary to premiere later this year. Says Ned Monahan, Spotify’s Head of Global Hits: “We’ve been closely watching girl in red’s steady ascent over the past few years — she’s built a tight-knit community of devoted fans in a remarkably organic way, based on her self-assured songwriting and deeply personal lyrics — all as an independent artist. We’re beyond excited for her debut full-length, and look forward to helping with her global ascent via RADAR.”
When asked what she looks forward to about being a RADAR artist, girl in red says: “Taking over the world! That’s what I’m looking forward to. Having my music in people’s ears— that’s like the coolest thing ever. RADAR, then world domination!”
girl in red’s appointment as the fifth US RADAR artist follows the success of Spotify’s previous US RADAR artists Alaina Castillo, J.I The Prince of N.Y, The Kid LAROI, and Flo Milli, all joining 175 RADAR-affiliated emerging artists around the world. Last fall, Spotify celebrated the program’s six month anniversary with the launch of its global RADAR hub on-platform.
In an era that has been ripe for the gradual erosion of longtime social stigmas in seemingly every area of human activity, the emergence of Ambition Ladiez has proven to be quite timely.
Founded in 2018 by Easop Winston, the San Francisco Bay Area-based agency equally fills niches in the urban and women’s markets, both of which feature strong consumer and brand loyal bases.
From its inception, Ambition Ladiez established itself as an urban lifestyle model and marketing agency which specializes in various forms of media, including photoshoots, brand ambassadorships, event hosting, music videos, and television placements. Ambition Ladiez has also branded itself as a disruptive outlier in its industry, having a diverse roster of models — Women of Color ( or BIPOC) — represent the company in a refreshing and empowering manner that would provide a beacon of inspiration for upcoming generations of young women who aspire to work in the modeling world.
Although the company has made its mark on the industry as a model and marketing agency, Ambition Ladiez is currently evolving to be yet another trendsetter — this time venturing into the podcast space. Original programming such as “The Lounge,” the “Cooking With” series, and the “Conversations” series have proven to give viewers a smorgasbord of delectable content for their consumption.
Adding more gas to the blazing path that the brand is currently on, Ambition Ladiez has ramped up its digital footprint, now making it virtually impossible for its movement to be slowed down — or, for the sake of the brand’s most ardent supporters — ignored either. In the past couple of years, Ambition Ladiez was able to successfully launch its app, which includes its featured content (of all forms/genres) uploaded on to major streaming platforms, such as Apple, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore, Roku, Fire TV, and Android TV.
One of the more popular shows on the Ambition Ladiez digital platform — the “Cooking With” series — allows viewers to get a glance into their more redeeming sides of the models that supersede just their outward beauty by giving a glance of their cooking skills.
Another branch of the marketing and modeling agency’s ecosystem is its magazine. As of this writing, Ambition Ladiez Magazine has already successfully pressed and launched two issues of its quarterly publication, with more expected to be released by the end of 2021. The magazine remains true to its core demographic of longtime supporters and subscribers, providing written features on public figures, Bay Area-based artists, health, politics, and other hot topic social issues which peak the interest(s) of its target audience.
One of the magazine’s featured artists in mind is Yung Lott. A Bay Area Native and well-respected recording artist, Yung Lott’s alliance with the Ambition Ladiez brand has been solidified through him having Ambition Ladiez models featured in his music videos, as well as having a story written about him in the magazine. All of this is a testament to the agency’s reach and streamlined operations.
Prior to the widespread shutdowns of entertainment venues and live events due to the COVID outbreak of 2020, Ambition Ladiez models could be seen at such events, usually working as brand ambassadors, hosts of parties, or even utilizing their interpersonal skills to conduct red carpet interviews with VIP guests at many of the more premier events.
The events are not only relegated to the San Francisco Bay Area. Ambition Ladiez soon will look to extend its presence to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. These two cities would be an ideal accommodation for the fast-growing entertainment/media centered brand.
In light of the country’s progressive transition towards inclusion, diversity, and proper representation in all industries, Ambition Ladiez is writing the blueprint for how to construct an outlet that’s a great alternative to traditional modeling and marketing agencies by focusing on BIPOC models. The agency then uses its multimedia capabilities to highlight not only the naturally appealing ethnic features of its models, but it can also use its original series to profile them in a favorable light in which they may not have been if they worked elsewhere.
In spite of the company’s fast growing profile among industry peers, Ambition Ladiez has enabled enthusiasts of the brand to actually buy into what it stands for, having merchandise for sale. This helps to expand its already fast growing fanbase, and allows them to feel a sense of connectivity to the brand by donning Ambition Ladiez merchandise.
The movement that the brand is creating can be likened to a record-setting storm, and in the eye of ‘Hurricane Ambition Ladiez’ exists two powerful components yet to be mentioned in great detail: company Founder & CEO Easop Winston, and…the Ambition Ladiez themselves.
A Bay Area Native, Winston has always embodied the very essence of ambition. A man of tremendous vision and unmatched work ethic, he learned the ins and outs of the entertainment and media business as a recording artist. Touring the world, writing and recording countless music projects, and weathering the treacherous paths of ‘The Business’ has molded Easop into a seasoned veteran, and quite the entrepreneur. After witnessing misrepresentation and mistreatment of creatives in the industry for years, he has assumed the role of an emancipator of sorts, allowing individuals who want to step foot into the entertainment or media world a platform to let their light(s) shine. “As a young artist, I would have relished the opportunity to be signed to an agency that thoroughly cultivates its talent with care in the manner that Ambition Ladiez does,” he states. “Once I was in a position to impart the knowledge that I have acquired on to up-and-coming generations of talent, I did not hesitate. This is what compelled me to launch the agency.”
The lucky recipients of Easop Winston’s tutelage are none other than the ACTUAL Ambition Ladiez. This extensive assortment of young women who hail from different places, ethnicities, and skill sets have set the modeling industry’s bar higher for the precise blend of riveting beauty, natural talent, and marketable personalities. Holding true to its ethics as a modeling and marketing agency, Ambition Ladiez has managed to maintain an impressive retention rate — from one of its original ‘Day 1’ signees (Nicole), to one of its newest faces (Lulu). The agency does its due diligence to provide an adequate platform that will allow them placement for other opportunities, while preparing them for longevity in the industry.
The way in which Easop establishes leadership to his company is worth taking notes from. As Owner of Ambition Ladiez, he has built an operation that’s reminiscent of many of the same methods Barry Gordy used to successfully run the legendary Motown Records many decades ago. While from first glance, the business appears to move smoothly and emanates an atmosphere of fun and leisure, Easop gives us a friendly reminder of the figurative blood, sweat, and tears that go into all things Ambition Ladiez. “I preach punctuality (for both in-person and recorded appearances), dedication to excellence, and an open line of communication for the ladies signed to this team (agency).”
With such a strong and rich culture of opulence infused into the Ambition Ladiez brand, the agency could very well forge its own path into the history books as a shining example for industry peers to follow for many years to come.
Named Vice President for Community Belonging and Chief Diversity Officer at Pepperdine University
Dr. April Harris Akinloye will join Smith as assistant vice president for community belonging.
Press Release: The KAIROS Company for Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University announced today its long-anticipated selection of the University’s inaugural vice president for community belonging and chief diversity officer, Dr. J. Goosby Smith.
Smith will join Pepperdine on June 1, 2021, from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, where she currently serves as associate professor of leadership; associate professor of management; assistant provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion; and director of the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center.
Smith received her BS in computer science from Spelman College and her MBA and PhD in organizational behavior from Case Western Reserve University. She anticipates earning her master of divinity from Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2021.
“What an honor it is today to announce Dr. Smith is returning to the Pepperdine community,” said Pepperdine president Jim Gash. “I’m especially grateful to the Search Committee for identifying an amazing and experienced leader. I simply cannot wait to work alongside Dr. Smith as we chart a distinctively Pepperdine path forward addressing one of the great issues of our time. Our goal isn’t just to have a community of belonging but to train generations of graduates to create the same in their own communities.”
Smith is no stranger to Pepperdine having served previously as an assistant professor of organizational behavior in the Seaver College Business Administration Division from 2002 to 2006, and then as a tenured associate professor of organizational behavior in the same division from 2011 to 2015. She has also served as assessment coordinator for the Seaver Diversity Council and as an adjunct professor in the Graziadio Business School’s MBA program.
Smith will report directly to President Gash, serve as a member of the University’s Steering Team, and be a principal leader on the University Diversity Council for which she previously served as inaugural faculty co-chair in 2005.
The selection of a vice president for community belonging and chief diversity officer is one in a series of initiatives the University has been implementing to cultivate a community of deep belonging and to build and model a diverse, informed, loving, and unified community at Pepperdine.
Joining Smith in leading diversity and inclusion initiatives at Pepperdine will be Dr. April Harris Akinloye (’00, MA ’05), who will return to her alma mater as the assistant vice president for community belonging.
Harris Akinloye is a double alumna of Pepperdine, receiving her BA in speech communication and religious studies from Seaver College and her MA in education from the Graduate School of Education and Psychology. She earned her PhD in education with a focus on cultural perspectives from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Harris Akinloye will join Pepperdine from Social Good Solutions where she is currently a senior consultant for diversity, equity, and inclusion. She previously served as the chief diversity officer at Vanguard University.
“When I was a candidate to be Pepperdine’s eighth president, I made it clear that hiring a chief diversity officer would be among my top priorities,” said Gash. “Though we began our national search for a chief diversity officer, after getting to know these two extraordinarily qualified leaders, each of whom has a deep love for Pepperdine and our mission, we decided to hire a team—and what a team it is! Drs. Smith and Harris Akinloye will be a venerable force to help lead Pepperdine to a new level of inclusion, excellence, and genuine belonging, befitting the Pepperdine community’s unwavering commitment to radical Christian hospitality.”
AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM, REDEFINE FAMILY FUN IN NEW NBC GAME SHOW ‘FAMILY GAME FIGHT’
NBC Nabs Groundbreaking Series from Ellen DeGeneres And Warner Bros. Unscripted Television
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NBC tests brains, brawn and family bonds with a 10- episode series pick-up of the new one-hour game show “Family Game Fight,” with comedy duo and married couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard serving as both hosts and competitors.
Marking the first time Bell and Shepard will team up for a television project, each episode of the entertaining series will see the twosome part ways and be “adopted” into a family of four as they compete in a series of insanely fun games with a big cash prize up for grabs.
“Family Game Fight” is inspired by Bell and Shepard’s antics on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“For one of our first dates, I invited Dax over for a game night at my house with a bunch of friends,” Bell said. “He said he fell in love with me there because I was a very tiny person bossing everyone around. I fell in love with him too because he’s a very large person who could boss everyone around, but chooses not to. I’m so excited to host ‘Family Game Fight’ and play all day with my best friend.”
“Kristen is my favorite human to work with,” Shepard said. “She’s the most consistently funny, playful and joyful scene partner I’ve ever had. She’s also incredibly fun to look at.”
“NBC is thrilled to be the network bringing Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard together to host a game show for the first time,” said Jenny Groom, Executive Vice President of Unscripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We’ve been wanting to work with them as a duo for years. Their energy is infectious, their comedic sensibility comes so naturally, and their transparency about their relationship is what makes them so relatable and loveable. ‘Family Game Fight’ was born out of the true competitive, yet playful and loving spirit Dax and Kristen have toward each other. We’re excited to work with them as on-camera talent and side-by-side as producing partners.”
Mike Darnell, President Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, said, “Kristen and Dax are simply magnetic when they’re on screen. They’re a spontaneously funny and loving couple that are also surprisingly competitive in this fast-moving family competition. They are pure magic together.”
“Family Game Fight” is now casting, and NBC is looking for family teams of four. To submit your story or nominate a friend, co-worker, or family member, please visit www.Venertainment.com.
The series is executive produced by Ellen DeGeneres, Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner, Derek Westervelt, Noah Bonnett, Dan Norris, Joel Van Rysselberghe, Jeff Kleeman, Mike Darnell and Brooke Karzen, in addition to Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. The series is produced by A Very Good Production and Warner Bros. Unscripted Television’s Warner Horizon division, in association with Telepictures.
ABOUT WARNER BROS. UNSCRIPTED TELEVISION
Warner Bros. Unscripted Television is the leading producer of unscripted television in America with over 50 series totaling some 2,500 hours of programming annually across broadcast, cable, streaming, digital, and first-run syndication, as well as high-end documentaries. Led by Mike Darnell, President, the division produces major franchises that include the long-running, powerhouse franchise of ’The Bachelor,’ ‘The Bachelorette,’ and ‘Bachelor in Paradise’; multiple Emmy winning ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ and the primetime hit ‘Ellen’s Game of Games’; the multi-Emmy winning blockbuster ’The Voice’; the Fox hit ‘The Masked Dancer’; the Emmy winning ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ returning to NBC; ’The Real Housewives of New York’; ’The Bradshaw Bunch’; ’Extra’; and ’The Real’; plus, the Greg Berlanti produced signature documentaries ’Helter Skelter’ for EPIX and ‘Equal’ for HBO Max, among others. The unscripted unit also recently announced ‘The Wheel’, BBC’s number 1 game show launch in over a decade, coming to NBC; the upcoming hybrid alternative-scripted series ‘True Story’ with Ed Helms and Randall Park; ‘Ellen’s Next Great Designer’ for HBO Max; the Ava DuVernay produced ‘Home Sweet Home’ coming to NBC; and the highly anticipated ‘Friends’ reunion coming to HBO Max.
ABOUT A VERY GOOD PRODUCTION
A Very Good Production (AVGP) is the Emmy® Award-winning television and film production company of producer/writer/actor/host Ellen DeGeneres. Based at Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) with an exclusive multiyear deal, AVGP produces the nationally syndicated daytime talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and develops television projects for all divisions of WBTVG, including scripted and unscripted primetime series for network and cable, as well as additional syndicated fare. AVGP is currently producing a wide range of television, including NBC’s fan-favorite game show “Ellen’s Game of Games,” NBC’s hit series “Little Big Shots,” “Green Eggs and Ham” for Netflix, and many more. AVGP also produced the film adaptation of “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase.” In September 2019, Ellen announced HBO Max has ordered four original series including “Ellen’s Next Great Designer,” “First Dates Hotel,” “Little Ellen,” as well as the docu-series “Finding Einstein.” Jeff Kleeman serves as President of A Very Good Production.
Some people planning for retirement may do most of the right things in terms of saving and investing. But they don’t have a crystal ball and cannot foresee exactly how much money they will need in their non-working years – or for how long.
That uncertainty – magnified by the financial effects of COVID-19 – is one reason why it’s important to always keep the distant future in mind when planning and to consider all options that address those potential needs, says John Smallwood, president of Smallwood Wealth Management and author of It’s Your Wealth – Keep It: The Definitive Guide to Growing, Protecting, Enjoying, and Passing On Your Wealth.
“Too often, people are siloed in their view of their financial plan rather than focusing on the big picture,” Smallwood says. “Sometimes, it’s because they believe in a pitch that one magic product or investment is going to save their retirement.
“The pandemic causes some people to look for fast solutions, but there is no magic wand that you can wave and save your financial plan. The ‘magic’ that is going to help you is to put multiple products and multiple strategies together in an integrated way that is unique to you.”
Smallwood says those either starting or reevaluating a financial plan should consider these points:
Avoid cookie-cutter solutions. Because every person’s circumstances are different, a one-size-fits-all approach in financial planning doesn’t make sense for the future retiree, Smallwood says. “Whether it’s a mutual fund, insurance policy, annuity, a stock option, 401(k), or something else, the truth is that banking entirely on a single product or type of investment is setting you up for financial failure,” Smallwood says. “There are always popular products being pushed, but cookie-cutter solutions don’t take into account that every client has different financial pressures. Single products are often focused tightly on rate of return, but they don’t look at everything that’s happening in a person’s life or at erosion principles, which are actually taking away more wealth than is being accumulated in many cases.”
Know how to minimize market volatility. Smallwood says having measurable goals and a realistic view are important to success with a financial strategy. And part of that strategy includes understanding and minimizing the impact of market volatility on your money. “One way to make a sense of it all is to know the difference between average rate of return, sequence of returns, and actual return,” he says. “Average rate of return is over the life of an investment. Sequence of returns is the order in which your investments provide you with a return. Actual return is the actual amount of money gained or lost during a quarter or year compared to the initial value of an investment.”
Don’t get caught up in chasing returns. “Financial success does not come from chasing returns or selecting a magic product or asset class,” Smallwood says. “It comes from having a balanced plan, and then stress-testing that plan for weak areas to see how taxes, feeds, inflation, medical expenses, market volatility, college expenses and other variables can impact wealth potential. People who chase returns typically buy an asset class, or they buy a fund based on its past performance. If it doesn’t do well, they sell it, and they buy the next hot-performing fund. That’s how they fall into the trap that keeps eroding their wealth.”
“To be successful with your retirement plan,” Smallwood says, “you need to keep an open mind, understand your uniqueness, and not follow the crowd in terms of what are the right solutions for you.”
About John L. Smallwood, CFP®
John L. Smallwood is a senior wealth advisor (www.johnlsmallwood.com) and president of Smallwood Wealth Management and affiliated companies, providing investment consulting and financial plan design for corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals. He is the author of It’s Your Wealth – Keep It: The Definitive Guide To Growing, Protecting, Enjoying, And Passing On Your Wealth, and a previous book, Five Ways Your Wealth is Under Attack.
When COVID-19 hit, there was an instant collective response of panic. People rushed to fill their pantries with nonperishables and toilet paper. Schools closed, businesses closed, and lives were flipped upside down as our routines were disrupted by lockdowns and uncertainty. In a moment in which we most needed comfort and connection, we were forced to isolate for fear of spreading the virus to our loved ones. I remember countless sleepless nights where I obsessively checked the dashboards and reviewed the little data provided on how this virus operated, who was being affected, and the odds of survival. I called my parents frequently to remind them to “stay home, wash your hands, wear your masks”. I knew then if my father were to become infected, he would not survive. He was elderly and his lungs had much damage from decades of exposure to dust and cement as a mason.
My father was the humblest, hardest-working man with the biggest faith I’ve ever known. He taught me patience, integrity and to never take life seriously as it is but a journey in the span of our existence. As an emigrant from Mexico with an 8th grade education, he faced adversity with relentless courage, and boundless humor. When he contracted COVID in July 2020, my heart shattered and my heart plunged into agony. Even then, Dad persisted: “no te preocupes mija, todo va estar bien” (don’t worry, my daughter, all will be well.) And yet, on July 27th, he passed.
How can things be “well” when our world is shattered as we face our worst fear? Grief is the price of love. Years of working with trauma survivors as a clinician have allowed me to see that not all people can withstand the weight of tragedy and loss. Grief rips away our sense of normalcy, leaving us feeling broken, raw, and exposed. Many people lapse into survival mode to weather grief, a constant battle of managing misery and pain. Unresolved anguish, like unattended mold, can weaken our body structure, infect our attitude with anger, cloud our vision with resentment and spread toxic spores of bitterness towards others. And yet, there are those who rise up in the midst of adversity, seemingly fueled by the pain, and transformed to a more resilient, truer self. Like steel, refined through the fire. But how?
Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” The human race has continued to thrive through plagues, war, genocide, famine and tragedy. Death is not the only loss we experience; we also grieve the loss of hope, health, relationships, or such as in this pandemic, loss of “normalcy.” Loss creates change. Change is only constant in life and outside of our control. It is in the acceptance and embracing of change that we can refine and solidify the core of what defines us. Even in the face of death, my father’s courage did not relent as he reaffirmed his identity: “I am a soldier and I will fight till the end – bruised and battered, I will fight until I am called home.” And fight he did.
Just like many other ‘essential’ workers, my sisters, both of whom are nurses, and I had to return to work. With the raw pain of loss, we found ourselves facing others in the midst of the tragedy we had just endured. I had never felt such gratitude for the tool that had become my specialty: Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), an evidence-based technique that enables clients to reframe their memories of troubling events. Without ART, I could not have held space for the grief many clients brought to my office. When we experience severe emotional events, the memory is imprinted into our subconscious mind through images. It is this deeply-rooted, emotionally-laden memory that causes our body to experience reactive responses such as extreme fear or panic long after the event has passed. Talking about painful memories can sometimes exacerbate symptoms since we cannot reason our way out of the pain. The subconscious does not speak in words; it speaks in images. Thus, metaphors are the language of emotion.
Clients often share an inability to forget the image of their loved one’s death as it haunts them both in their waking life through flashbacks. ART targets these images through a brief, succinct process called voluntary image replacement. Grief work enables us to redefine the connection to our loved ones through memories of their life, rather than their death. ART helps to facilitate that process. It has enabled me to transform my suffering to fuel my purpose as I help others navigate through the process of healing and post-traumatic growth. Post-traumatic growth is an undergoing of a significant shift in one’s relation with the self and the world. It’s the ability to extract wisdom from suffering, create purpose from the pain and become more of our truest, most powerful selves as we break through perceived limitations. It leads us to acceptance of reality and enables us to feel more connected to our own humanity and that of others as we embrace our vulnerability.
Through ART, I now hold the memory of my father in a space full of love and resoluteness. I see him sitting in my sister’s living room, watching his children chat and grandkids play with a look of blissful pride on his face. It brings comfort to the void left by his departure, a reminder that life is finite. And every time a client returns to my office after an ART session and tells me “The images are gone – all I see is my mother’s smile,” my heart is filled with hope.
For additional information on Estefana Johnson go here.
Rhonda Vetere, Chief Information Officer, Herbalife Nutrition
When the world shut down due to the pandemic, everything changed, especially for small businesses. Suddenly, the ability to connect to customers became even more critical, and the safe way to do so is through technology. While companies have long relied on email or text messaging to communicate, many entrepreneurs found they needed to expand their technology toolkit, becoming more creative and resourceful with how they conduct business and compete effectively. As a technology expert who advises more than 3.4 million entrepreneurs around the world on technology solutions that can help them serve their customers and manage their business, I recommend the following tech tips to help you power your business.
Customer service
We are living during a time of tremendous technology transformation. Gone are the days when people waited for what seemed an eternity to send or receive a message. Time has sped up, and with it is the demand from customers for immediate attention. According to recent research, 82% of consumers expect a quick response from brands. Keeping up or ahead of customers requires staying on top of technology trends and ensuring that you have the tools to compete in the digital age.
For website support, many entrepreneurs use a live chat tool that can help customers with basic questions. Many of these tools can be used on social media as well. If paid chat options are price prohibitive, there are also useful and free tools, including Zoho Desk.
Communication and collaboration
Video conferencing and video chat applications grew exponentially during the pandemic. In March, video conferencing apps saw 62 million downloads. Entrepreneurs are using video apps for connecting with customers, partners and vendors. While these tools are excellent for meetings, they are also useful for maintaining connections with industry organizations and networking groups. Many of the tools allow break-out rooms for a small meeting within a session, creating an intimate and collaborative space.
As you continue to build your reputation as an expert in your industry, video conferencing can also be used to host a webinar for existing and potential customers. Many entrepreneurs are hosting panel discussions, bringing in other partners and collaborators. These sessions can be taped and repurposed as content for your social media channels, website and email marketing. There are many video conferencing options, including, Joinme, which has a free plan that lets you invite up to 10 video participants
Social media
Social media is not just for sharing videos and memes – it is a top business tool. Your customers are on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, and Instagram. Once you identify which channels you want to use, you need to post engaging content. These can range from news about products, sales and impactful information. Posting across several channels every week can be daunting. Thankfully, many social media tools help you schedule and publish your content that can be calendared and posted automatically. These tools range from Hootsuite (which has a free option) to Zoho Social to Buffer.
Slack
More and more brands, companies and entrepreneurs use Slack to communicate with their customers. It’s a great place to provide relevant updates, tips and advisement, and new product announcements. It also gives your customers a place away from social media to share stories and entrepreneurs a place to connect with their team more visibly easily.
Storage
There is a lot of discussion about the term “the cloud.” Think of the cloud as an off-site storage locker, where all your critical information is safe and secure – and easily sharable. Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft Sharepoint safeguard your backups and allow users access from any location. Moving your work to the cloud not only benefits you to work from anywhere and any device, but it also makes it easy to share content with your customers.
Email Marketing
Your marketing toolkit may contain a variety of options – one of which is email marketing. Sending professionally designed, informative newsletters to your customers is a great way to keep in touch. One of the most popular companies in the business is Mailchimp. Even better, If your company sends fewer than 12,000 email messages per month to fewer than 2,000 subscribers, you can take advantage of Mailchimp’s Forever Free plan.
E-commerce
The pandemic has changed how we shop. Overnight, people began to purchase everything from groceries to furniture online and in record numbers. Customers now expect to buy their products online. They expect the experience to be easy and fast. There are many great e-commerce platforms out there, such as Shopify, a one-stop-shop for setting up your e-commerce store, to Amazon’s beyond popular platform. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, and you can use it to chat with customers online, track orders and send invoices.
One final note. As a technologist, I remind everyone that interaction with your customers is up to you. Nothing supplants human interaction and connection. With limits on our in-person meetings, it is even more essential to find ways to build businesses. Mix up how you connect with others – pick up the phone, or schedule a Zoom, to call a handful of customers every day. Don’t forego a personal email that is not meant to sell a customer or colleague – but to check-in with them and see how they are doing. Technology is a fantastic tool that helps small businesses act big. The challenge is to make the technology connections feel more three-dimensional vs two-dimensional. Technology can help us be more efficient and productive, and while it can enhance our communication, it will never replace the incredible power of the human relationship. That part is up to you.
The Golden Globes have kicked off the 2021 awards season despite the many production disruptions in television and film in 2020 due to the CoronaVirus pandemic. For those who may not be familiar with the Golden Globes, the globes are a film and television award show that happens once a year run by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The awards were done remotely and hosted in tandem from opposite coasts by comedy powerhouses Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Instead of the usual stacked audience of the biggest names in Hollywood, the members of the in-person audiences were front-line workers and first responders while celebrities watched from the safety of their homes via zoom. Fey and Poehler did not pull any punches during their opening monologue, which you can watch here. The HFPA, a group of 87 international journalists from around 55 countries, does not have any black members. Fey commented on this almost immediately in the opening monologue saying, “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is made up of around 90 international, no-black journalists.” Throughout the night different personalities commented on the lack of representation, including “Schitt’s Creek” co-creator Dan Levy who said “in the spirit of inclusion, I hope that this time next year this ceremony reflects the true breadth and diversity of the film and television being made today because there is so much more to be celebrated,” during his acceptance speech for Best TV Series. More critically, Sacha Baron Cohen, who won multiple awards including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” and said in his acceptance speech, “Thank you to the all-white Hollywood Foreign Press.” One of the biggest snubs of the night was the lack of nominations for “I May Destroy You,” a British-American series starring, written, co-directed, and executive produced by Michaela Coel for BBC One and HBO. Many people are frustrated by the fact that “Emily in Paris,” which is a story about a white woman navigating Paris as an American, garnered nominations over “I May Destroy You.” Deborah Copaken, a writer for Netflix’s “Emily in Paris,” spoke to The Guardian and explain how much she believes “I May Destroy You” “deserves to win all the awards.” She speaks about how well the show “takes the complicated issue of a rape – I’m a sexual assault survivor myself – and infuses it with heart, humor, pathos.” You can read the rest of her take on “I May Destroy You” here. Additionally, the film “Minari” won Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language, you can watch director Lee Isaac Chung‘s acceptance speech which features his daughter here. “Minari” was left out of the Best Motion Picture category supposedly because portions of the film were not in English, although the film is the story of a Korean-American family set in Arkansas. This created very similar dissent to last year’s exclusion of “Parasite” written and directed by Korean Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, from the same category at the Golden Globes, which went on to win four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. You can find more information about “Minari” and where to watch it here. On a more positive note, many deserving producers, directors, screenwriters, actors, actresses, and more were recognized for the high caliber of content produced this past year. One of the most heart-wrenching being Chadwick Boseman, who won his first Golden Globe for Best Actor in a motion picture, drama for his performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” His wife, Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman, accepted the award on his behalf and gave a beautiful acceptance speech which you can watch here. It’s highly anticipated that Boseman may go on to win a posthumous Academy Award for his performance. History was made in many categories throughout the evening. Chloé Zhao is now the first woman and the first Asian woman to win Best Director. She won Best Director for the film “Nomadland“. Of the five individuals nominated for Best Director, three of them were women, Chloé Zhao, Emerald Fennell, and Regina King. This is the first time the HFPA has recognized more than one female director. You can see Zhao’s acceptance speech here. You can read more about this historic moment for women in film here. Andra Day won Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her role in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” She is the second black actress to win the category since Whoopie Goldberg won for “The Color Purple” 35 years ago. You can see her ecstatic reaction alongside her family and her acceptance speech here and read more about her thoughts on her win here. After his Best Screenplay, Motion Picture win for “The Trial of The Chicago 7,” Aaron Sorkin is now tied with Quentin Tarantino and Robert Bolt who respectively have three wins in the screenplay category. His past two wins were for “The Social Network” (2010) and “Steve Jobs” (2015), but he has received multiple other nominations for screenwriting in the past. You can watch his acceptance speech here.
The official video for the Golden Globes and critic’s choice-nominated song was “Fight For You” by H.E.R., as featured in the original motion picture film, “Judas and the Black Messiah.”
Netflix, with 42 nominations and 10 wins, Amazon, with 10 nominations and three wins, and Apple TV, with four nominations and one win, took home huge victories for streaming services. Netflix’s limited series “The Crown” and “The Queen’s Gambit” were hugely popular and won a variety of accolades. For Amazon and Apple Tv, their ringers were “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and “Ted Lasso” respectively. You can see the full list of winner’s here.
