Cindy Seip, Director of Book Design
Born with a crayon in one hand and a camera in the other, Cindy Seip has never ventured far from her creative instincts. Through the years, her creative side took hairpin turns but always finished with a checkered flag.
As an “A+” student in art, it was her 12th-grade art teacher, Mr. Popovitch, that set her on a professional course in design, introducing her to the Ft. Lauderdale Art Institute. There, she would earn her degree in Advertising Design.
She began her career at the Miami Herald Tropic Magazine and later started her own design + underwater portrait photography business.
Over the years, Seip has amassed an impressive client list with some high-profile names like Sony, Nasdaq, Ericsson, Blue Cross Blue Shield, AvMed, Miami International Book Fair, Breakthrough Miami, and many more. Her accolades reflect her keen eye for design.
Seip resides in sunny Miami with her husband, Miami Herald Photojournalist, Al Diaz, two great kids, and a cute Wheaten Terrier named Amanda Bubbles.
BACON IS MEAT CANDY BLOG, February 9, 2009 — A blogger whose motto is, “Bacon in meat candy,” recently found the recipe by Chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez, owners of the Delaware Market House, for Filet Mignon with Red Wine Reduction — and was blown away. He wrote: Recently I was contacted by the Delaware Market House website which is a funky 100+ year old establishment that is in the heart of historic Gladwyne, PA and is owned by Chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez — a nice Jewish gal and wonderful Guatemalan man who jokingly call themselves Kosher Salsa. All joking aside they have a fabulous menu and have won dozens of awards from pubs ranging from Philadelphia magazine to Main Line Today. I asked if Chef Alvarez would be willing to share with us how he might prepare a Filet Mignon Steak.
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Continental Airlines magazine, February 2009 — In an article published in this month’s issue of Continental Airlines magazine, reporter Robert McGarvey quotes our client Steve Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg.
In an entitled, Smarten Up: New-style education initiatives prepare savvy executives to master the tough times ahead, McGarvey says …
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Newsletter by Hope Katz Gibbs with Peter Noonan
Design by Michael Gibbs
Fairfax County Public Schools
Fall 2008: BEST PRACTICES
Click here to read the entire Winter issue of INSIDE
“We stand at a unique point in the history of U.S. education — a point which the potential for truly meaningful school reform greater than it ever has been,” write educators Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock in their classic textbook, A Handbook for Classroom Instruction that Works.
Their research has been synthesized in the 378-page book, including the nine
categories of useful instructional strategies proven to improve student achievement:
1. Identifying similarities/differences
2. Summarizing and note taking
3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
4. Homework and practice
5. Representing knowledge
6. Learning groups
7. Setting objectives, providing feedback
8. Generating, testing hypotheses
9. Cues, questions, advance organizers
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Michael Gibbs has been a freelance illustrator and designer since attending Pratt Institute as a photography and illustration major in the mid-70s. His award-winning artwork has appeared in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Worth Magazine, Consumer Reports, Harvard Business Review, and publications for United Airlines, Verizon, IBM, Sears, American Airlines, CitiGroup and Oracle. He has also illustrated the covers and features of dozens of alumni magazines including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, the University of Chicago and American University.
His illustrations have been recognized by prestigious art publications such as Communication Arts, 3×3 Magazine, Print, and Spectrum. His work has also been exhibited at a variety of museums and galleries including the Society of Illustrator’s Museum of American Illustration in New York City, the Billy Shire Fine Arts Gallery in Los Angeles, and in Washington area at the Corcoran Museum of Art, the Sumner School Museum, Montgomery College Gallery and the University of Maryland Gallery.
View Michael’s portfolio at www.michaelgibbs.com
Discover his award-winning alter ego M Glenwood at www.mglenwood.com.
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News Channel 8, January 15, 2008 — Just days before Barack Obama’s Inauguration, luxury handbag designer Laura Lee Williams, owner of Laura Lee Designs, was featured on the noon broadcast of Washington DC’s ABC Affiliate News Channel 8 about the best accessories to carry for the big event.
Options, said the Northern Virginia-based designer, include her collection of styles, ranging from the M Bag, which measures 8×3 inches and has 3,500 beads — perfect for carrying make up, money and a cell phone — to the Positively Pink bag, which is like the M Bag and created to support breast cancer research. She also brought along her higher-end Sitting Pretty bag, a signature purse that’s big enough to handle all the goodies a woman might need to carry.
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Human Resource Executive, January 2009 — In the HR News section of this month’s Human Resource Executive magazine, reporter Scott Westcott interviewed Dr. Alice Waagen, president of the leadership development firm Workforce Learning, for his article, “Layoff Landslide.”
Westcott wrote: “With the economy in an official recession, HR leaders unfortunately will get plenty of practice to hone their skills in presiding over reductions-in-force.”
Dr. Waagen commented: “In HR, we’ve been through this before so there should be lots of lessons learned in how to handle layoffs in a humane and dignified way. The key tenet is massive amounts of open and timely communications — both for the employees leaving and those staying.”
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Washington DC, January 11, 2009 — Why do you fall in love with one person rather than another? That’s the question biological anthropologist Helen Fisher will address one month from today when she speaks about her new book “WHY HIM? WHY HER?” at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 11 at 6pm.
Dr. Fisher’s new book — the fifth from the world-renown Research Professor and member of the Center for Human Evolutionary Studies in the Department of Anthropology at Rutgers University — stems from her current work as Scientific Advisor to the Internet dating site, Chemistry.com, a subsidiary of Match.com. Her data and ideas are based on her analysis of patterns of attraction among 28,000 men and women, as well as data from genetics, neurochemistry and personality studies.
Dr. Fisher has developed a personality test that reveals some of the basic biological aspects of who you are, your temperament. And using data from her new book, “WHY HIM? WHY HER?” she discusses four “natural” personality styles that stem, respectively, from activity in the neural systems for dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and estrogen/oxytocin.
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Washington Business Journal, January 9, 2009 — In this week’s Washington Business Journal, HR expert Sharon Armstrong is quoted in an article on page 13 entitled, “Gotta make a plan for inaugural day madhouse.”
Armstrong said executives and human resource professionals have a joint mission: “Communicate, disseminate information, anticipate and get the word out.”
_Work with your human resources team to keep your staff informed of our plans (“We’re closed,” “We’re open, but you can take a vacation day,” etc.) and what’s going on around them. Put together a contact sheet or online list of links to public information about inaugural activities, such as road closing locations and times, suggestions for travel and the like. Get the information to your staff as soon as possible. Then follow up with reminders leading up to Inauguration Day.
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Washington DC, January 4, 2009 — Anyone who understands the importance of micro-lending as a means to end global poverty will want to join Hooks Book Events when it hosts a special event with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. on at the Lisner Auditorium on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
The Grameen Bank founder and managing director will be speaking about his latest book, “Creating a World Without Poverty,” which outlines his vision for a new business model that combines the power of free markets with the quest for a more humane world. He’ll share the inspiring stories of companies that are doing this work today.
This event is open to the public. A portion of proceeds from book sales will benefit the Grameen Foundation. Tickets to event are $25 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. For more information visit www.hooksbookevents.com.
About Dr. Muhammad Yunus
A native of Bangladesh, Dr. Yunus was educated at Dhaka University and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study economics at Vanderbilt University. In 1972, he became head of the economics department at Chittagong University. He is the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank, a pioneer of microcredit, an economic movement that has helped lift millions of families around the world out of poverty. Yunus and Grameen Bank are winners of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.
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WEBSITE — Hooks Book Events
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
*About Hooks Book Events *
Hooks Book Events is a DC-based company that believes in the power of new ideas. This minority women-owned business specializes in providing low-cost book and author events for U.S. government agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, trade associations, and corporations of all sizes.
“We know that by bringing the most important authors of our age into your organization, employees and constituents will be stimulated and inspired to develop new insights on important topics,” says Perry Pidgeon Hooks, who co-founded HooksBookEvents with Loretta Yenson in 2007, and since has arranged and organized hundreds of book events and given thousands of people the opportunity to listen to, talk with, question and applaud the world’s top thinkers — all in the comfort of their own offices.
In December 2008, Hooks Book Events hired Inkandescent Public Relations to update its website — just in time for a feature article to be published in The Washington Post Magazine.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the new site, and are so glad that Hope, Mike, and Max moved fast enough to get it launched before The Post article hit newsstands,” Hooks says. “We have gotten a ton of compliments.”
January 4, 2009, The Washington Post Magazine — In today’s issue of The Washington Post Magazine, reporter Elizabeth Chang profiles Hooks Book Events owners about their growing book events business. “Perry Pidgeon Hooks and Loretta Yenson say Washington is the perfect base for a business that brings books and ideas to public and private organizations,” she writes. Says Perry: “Washington’s kind of the central place for thinking and thought production.” Read the article here.
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WEBSITE — Hooks Book Events
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About Hooks Book Events
Hooks Book Events is a DC-based company that believes in the power of new ideas. This minority women-owned business specializes in providing low-cost book and author events for U.S. government agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, trade associations, and corporations of all sizes.
“We know that by bringing the most important authors of our age into your organization, employees and constituents will be stimulated and inspired to develop new insights on important topics,” says Perry Pidgeon Hooks, who co-founded HooksBookEvents with Loretta Yenson in 2007, and since has arranged and organized hundreds of book events and given thousands of people the opportunity to listen to, talk with, question and applaud the world’s top thinkers — all in the comfort of their own offices.
In December 2008, Hooks Book Events hired Inkandescent Public Relations to update its website — just in time for a feature article to be published in The Washington Post Magazine.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the new site, and are so glad that Hope, Mike, and Max moved fast enough to get it launched before The Post article hit newsstands,” Hooks says. “We have gotten a ton of compliments.”
Celebrate Gettysburg magazine, January 1, 2009 — “His voice resonates with vibrant passion,” writes reporter Adam Kulikowski in the January-February issue of Celebrate Gettysburg. “It fills any room he presides and fills the minds of those in attendance. At 6 foot 3 inches, The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg President Steven Wiley’s stature in business and in person commands attention.”
And so begins a thoughtful article about the successes and failures that helped Wiley learn firsthand about what it means to be a true leader in the world of business. For as those who have heard Wiley speak know — his first company, an exterior restoration business, grew from a $50,000 start-up to a multi-million-dollar organization with more than 130 offices in three countries. But in 1989, he lost $4.5 million.
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WASHINGTON, DC, January 1, 2009 — Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg president Steven B. Wiley is featured in a new book released this month, “42 Rules™ for Driving Success With Books,” by Mitchell Levy, publisher of Happy About, a quick2print publishing company based in Southern California.
Wiley writes: “I have had the great honor of being invited to speak at some of the biggest organizations and Fortune 500 companies in the world to make presentations based on a book I wrote during the toughest period in my life. It is called ‘The Human Side of High Performance,’ and I am thrilled to say that its message has resonated with some of the most famous, and infamous, leaders of our time who have hired me to speak to their sales teams and managers.”
“I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide I wanted to be a celebrated author and speaker who helps people be more productive and effective as sales and business professionals. I began by trying to help myself.”
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PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC, January 1, 2009 — Insight into how her three books have helped HR expert Sharon Armstrong’s business is featured in a new book released this month entitled, “42 Rules™ for Driving Success With Books,” by Mitchell Levy, publisher of Happy About, a quick2publish book publisher based in Southern California.
“The authors in this book wrote content that allowed them to demonstrate innovation, share their marketing strategy, improve client retention, and share tricks and techniques on using a tool or service,” Levy explains. “The fact that they put this content in a book gave their ideas weight and increased their credibility and reputation. Having the books show up on Amazon, BN.com and other bookstores as well as personally delivering their books to clients/prospects really helped to drive the impact of their message.”
Armstrong is the author of three books: The Essential HR Handbook, 2007, Stress-Free Performance Appraisals, and Healing the Canine Within. For Levy’s book, she contributed the text for Chapter 25: Get Immediate Credibilty.
She writes: “I hadn’t planned on writing ‘Stress-Free Performance Appraisals’ back in 2002. But when an agent at Career Press read my first book … she liked it, and thought I could write another one for her. The next one was for HR professionals, and right up my alley … “
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Download Sharon Armstrong’s white paper: 100 Best Behavioral Interview Questions
Washington DC, January 1, 2009 — Released today is a free gift from HR expert Sharon Armstrong, “100 Best Interview Questions,” a guide that will help job candidates master a tried and true interviewing technique called behavioral interviewing.
“Behavioral interviewing is defined as a technique used by employers that asserts that past performance is the best indicator of future behavior,” Armstrong explains. “More and more employers are using this approach to make solid hiring decisions.”
How can you best present yourself during a behavioral interview — when it really matters? Armstrong admits these 100 questions can be tricky to master. “With the economy in the doldrums, I wanted to give job candidates a leg up on the interviewing process,” says Armstrong, who suggests job seekers practice answering the 100 questions on pages 2-5 of her guide by:
• Thinking of examples when you have cut costs, introduced a new approach, increased productivity, and encouraged teamwork.
• Giving concrete examples of the technical skills and competencies required for the position.
• Responding to answers using the CALL format:
C = Circumstances: What were you tasked with doing and why.
A = Actions: Explain what steps you took.
LL = Lasting Legacy: Explain the result you achieved.
“Potential employers aren’t trying to trick candidates,” Armstrong assures. “They just want to be sure to match the right person with the right job. These questions help them see inside an applicant and in the end this process assures everyone wins.”
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PLACED ARTICLE
WASHINGTON, DC, January 1, 2009 — Insight into how her three books have helped HR expert Sharon Armstrong’s business is featured in a new book released this month entitled, “42 Rules™ for Driving Success With Books,” by Mitchell Levy, publisher of Happy About, a quick2publish book publisher based in Southern California.
“The authors in this book wrote content that allowed them to demonstrate innovation, share their marketing strategy, improve client retention, and share tricks and techniques on using a tool or service,” Levy explains. “The fact that they put this content in a book gave their ideas weight and increased their credibility and reputation. Having the books show up on Amazon, BN.com and other bookstores as well as personally delivering their books to clients/prospects really helped to drive the impact of their message.”
Armstrong is the author of three books: The Essential HR Handbook, 2007, Stress-Free Performance Appraisals, and Healing the Canine Within. For Levy’s book, she contributed the text for Chapter 25: Get Immediate Credibilty.
She writes: “I hadn’t planned on writing ‘Stress-Free Performance Appraisals’ back in 2002. But when an agent at Career Press read my first book … she liked it, and thought I could write another one for her. The next one was for HR professionals, and right up my alley … “
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WASHINGTON, DC, January 1, 2009 — Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg president Steven B. Wiley is featured in a new book released this month, “42 Rules™ for Driving Success With Books,” by Mitchell Levy, publisher of Happy About, a quick2print publishing company based in Southern California.
Wiley writes: “I have had the great honor of being invited to speak at some of the biggest organizations and Fortune 500 companies in the world to make presentations based on a book I wrote during the toughest period in my life. It is called ‘The Human Side of High Performance,’ and I am thrilled to say that its message has resonated with some of the most famous, and infamous, leaders of our time who have hired me to speak to their sales teams and managers.”
“I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide I wanted to be a celebrated author and speaker who helps people be more productive and effective as sales and business professionals. I began by trying to help myself.”
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December 2008 — As one can imagine, there was a desire to unite, celebrate, and honor the fallen soldiers during the Christmas of 1863 — especially in Gettysburg where people were still reeling from the incredible loss of thousands of husbands, sons, fathers, and kin.
Traditions we hold dear today — such as Christmas cards, carols, special foods, holding winter dances — all date back to this time. New traditions were also born, such cutting down fir and pine trees that were brought into the home. Unlike today, the trees were tabletop size and arranged with greenery and mistletoe — items thought to bring good luck to the household.
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Produced by Inkandescent PR for our client Golden & Cohen, this YouTube video was created by our videographer Zach Starr. Click HERE to watch!
Gaithersburg MD, November 2008 — The much-anticipated DC Health Summit drew more than 100 business leaders interested in the future of health insurance reform to a packed the ballroom at the Mandarin Hotel. They were eager to hear what health insurance company executives, physicians, hospital administrators, and politicians had to say about how workplace wellness programs can lower insurance rates.
“This was a groundbreaking event,” moderator Andy Hines told the crowd. “For the first time, decision makers and players from every industry that impact the cost of health insurance gathered in one room. Fortunately, no chairs were thrown, and we had a very interesting discussion.”
That was the goal for Stephanie Cohen, CEO of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen, who hosted the event.
“I have been in the trenches of the health care insurance industry for more than a decade, and what I see happening to my clients when they try to collect on their benefits not only disturbs me as a business owner — it infuriates me as a U.S. citizen and a mother,” Cohen says. “That is why my partners and I at Golden & Cohen decided to host the DC Health Summit. Our goal is to bring the decision makers together—politicians, health insurance company executives, physicians, academics and hospital administrators—so we can start to come up with workable solutions.”
To hear some of their remarks, view a video of the event on YouTube.
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Gaithersburg MD, November 24, 2008 — The much-anticipated DC Health Summit drew more than 100 business leaders interested in the future of health insurance reform to a packed the ballroom at the Mandarin Hotel to hear what health insurance company executives, physicians, hospital administrators, and politicians had to say about how workplace wellness programs can lower insurance rates.
“This was a groundbreaking event,” moderator Andy Hines told the crowd. “For the first time, decision makers and players from every industry that impact the cost of health insurance gathered in one room. Fortunately, no chairs were thrown, and we had a very interesting discussion.”
That was the goal for Stephanie Cohen, CEO of the health benefits firm Golden & Cohen, who hosted the event.
“I have been in the trenches of the health care insurance industry for more than a decade, and what I see happening to my clients when they try to collect on their benefits not only disturbs me as a business owner — it infuriates me as a U.S. citizen and a mother,” Cohen says. “That is why my partners and I at Golden & Cohen decided to host the DC Health Summit. Our goal is to bring the decision makers together—politicians, health insurance company executives, physicians, academics and hospital administrators—so we can start to come up with workable solutions.”
To see the event’s highlights, view a video of the event by Inkandescent PR’s videographer Zach Starr on YouTube.
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Word Processing/Document Preparation
• Assemble text
Text may be provided in electronic or hard copy form, handwritten or typed
Cut-and-paste from several sources
Insert tables and graphics
Prepare cover page and table of contents
Ensure consistent formatting throughout the document
Create boilerplate text and checklist for repetitive documents
Prepare single and multi-recipient letters, using mail merge when possible
Convert documents to PDF format
PowerPoint Presentations
• Prepare basic slides
Text may be provided in electronic or hard copy form, handwritten or typed
Cut-and-paste from several sources
Insert graphics
Add animations
Use client provided template or create using client logo
Proofreading/Editing
• Read for typographical and grammatical errors
Use Microsoft Word “Track Changes”
Read for clarity
Use “Comment” feature when suggesting changes to text
Ensure consistent formatting throughout the document
Spreadsheets
• Create and maintain simplified database in Microsoft Excel
Sort and filter data based on client needs
Use as database for Microsoft Word “Mail Merge” functions
Prepare spreadsheets for statistical analysis
Customized Support Services
• Calendar management – access to client’s calendar is necessary
Arrange appointments and reservations
Confirm and re-schedule appointments as needed
Manage and maintain document library
Interface with others on behalf of the client
Arrange delivery of documents via local courier or FedEx
Contract for professional printing and binding of documents
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Assemble client provided materials for individual or multi-recipient mailings
Prepare and process bulk mailings
Maintain supply of client materials at S.E.D. Services
Small Event Planning (100 attendees or less)
Pre-event activities
Arrange location
Menu(s), if needed
Room set-up, AV equipment
Invitations
Send electronically or via US Mail
Monitor responses; record registrations
Send reminders
Attendee materials
Prepare nametags, if needed
Prepare handouts for distribution
On-site activities
Interface with private event/catering staff
Staff registration desk
Assist client with set-up, if needed
Research
Research target contact information using the Internet and other sources such as the Washington Business Journal “Book of Lists,” the Washington Post “Post 200,” etc
Establish and maintain a database of contact information
Provide initial contact via phone or email on behalf of client
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Remote Receptionist
Mailboxes
Voice mail
Conference Rooms
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The Mom Entrepreneur, Nov. 22, 2008 — While surfing through the hundreds of reporter queries that I daily field for my PR clients, I saw a request for “Lemons to Lemonade” stories for a terrific new blog called The Mom Entrepreneur. I responded, and the blog founder Traci Bison and I began a wonderful conversation that became her Lemons to Lemonade Feature Number 8, which went live this week.
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Illustration by Michael Gibbs
In celebration of Barack Obama’s election
Nov. 4, 2008
Medium: Digital
Size: 13 × 19 inches
Signed prints available on his website.
To view Michael’s entire portfolio, visit www.michaelgibbs.com
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Washington Business Journal, November 21, 2008 — What are the biggest challenges facing human resources departments in 2009? A reporter at The Washington Business Journal asked five HR experts, including Sharon Armstrong, owner of Sharon Armstrong & Associates and co-author of The Essential HR Handbook. Her response was featured in the piece issue published today.
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Design by Michael Gibbs
Concept and Writing by Hope Gibbs
Image: Shutterstock.com
Goal / Solution: What does your family serve for the holidays? Although some may say turkey or ham, a juicy filet is a favorite of clients at the Delaware Market House. So for the Holiday 2008 menu, designer Michael Gibbs decided to focus on what is most popular on the Main Line.
Results: “When I saw this image it made my mouth water,” says Chef Edgar Alvarez, owner of the Delaware Market House. “And it just goes to show the power of suggestion, because this holiday our orders for filet doubled after we started circulating the menus. Steak, anyone?”
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Design by Michael Gibbs
Concept and Writing by Hope Gibbs
Image: Shutterstock.com
Goal: With pocketbooks tightening due to the financial crisis, Chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez were hoping customers would still turn to them to cater their Thanksgiving dinners. The goal of this menu was to make their clients know that not only would a meal catered by the Delaware Market House be delicious — it would be affordable, too.
Results: “We really pushed our Thanksgiving menu this year, thanks to the beautiful design by Michael Gibbs of Inkandescent Public Relations,” says Chef. “We put 8000 into the local newspaper to be distributed three weeks before the holiday, and then with the remaining 2000 we had printed proceeded to circulate them to every store in the area. We also gave them out to every customer who shopped with us. With the holiday still a few weeks away we’re not sure how it’ll go, but from the response we’ve gotten so far things are looking great!”
We’ll keep you posted.
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Blog by Illustrator Michael Gibbs
http://perceptiion.blogspot.com
Michael Gibbs’ blog, perceptiion gives readers insight into how an award-winning illustrator thinks and looks at the world.
Recent postings included an announcement that his work was featured in Novum, a German magazine covering the work of designers, illustrators and photographers. “Each year it publishes a special Illustration issue. The current issue (October 2008) features “a selection of illustrators worth seeing:” nine illustrators from around the world (USA, Italy, Canada, Finland, Denmark, Japan and three from Germany),” he wrote. “I am proud to be one of those nine illustrators. The article, which is essentially an interview prefaced by some truly flattering comments from the editor, can be found on my website.”
Another entry, entitled Here’s the Catch, talked about Gibbs’ struggle to know what’s best for his son: team sports or art class.
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Gettysburg, PA, November 18, 2008 — CEO Steve Smith and his team of executives graduated last month from the three-day Transformational Journey from Gettysburg, a leadership training program designed by nationally-renown motivational speaker Steven B. Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg.
“Part of being a good leader is listening and learning from other Leaders,” realizes Smith, who has participated in Wiley’s Transformational Journey three times in the last several years. “My company, Charlotte Valve and Fitting Company, is a distributor of Swagelok, and we are always learning from the experience of the leaders at Swagelok. They challenged us to improve our leadership skills and management skills to become an industry leading employer, and Steve Wiley’s program fits in perfectly with our goals.”
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Ethical Human Resourcing, Nov. 13, 2008 — Alice Waagen, PhD, owner of the leadership training firm Workforce Learning, was featured prominently in an article posted Nov. 13 on the Organic Home website. She talked to reporter Scott Westcott about how HR departments are handling bleak jobless reports.
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Design by Michael Gibbs
Concept and Writing by Hope Gibbs
Image: Shutterstock.com
Goal: Catering is the focus at the Delaware Market House, so our goal was to provide a quality menu that was enticing and looked as high-end and sophisticated as the dishes Chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez prepare.
Solution: Following the same branding, quality, and approach of previous menus, Michael Gibbs designed a 4-panel catering menu that on the inside features Party Platters (breakfast and brunch, lunch and dinner, business meetings and office parties), hot and cold Hors D’oervres, dinner entrees and side dishes, and bakery items. The back panel (shown here) features other catering / market items such as appetizers, salads, super-sized sandwiches and sides.
“Our customers were blown away by this new catering menu,” says Chef Edgar. “We used to run off black and white copies of our menu, which worked but didn’t really inspire their imaginations. This new menu is gorgeous and really impresses the high-end customers that we want to serve.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington DC, November 8, 2008 — Inkandescent Public Relations, a new Northern Virginia PR / publications / media relations / marketing firm that helps small businesses get the visibility they need, launched it’s new website today: www.inkandescentpr.com.
Journalist Hope Katz Gibbs founded the company in 2008, and is excited to get the word out about her growing agency.
“Like the company’s name suggests, our goal is to make our clients shine,,” says Hope, whose clients to date include authors and chefs, national speakers, leadership and HR experts, health care professionals, and school districts, among others. “We accomplish that with the help of our ur award-winning team — including award-winnng illustrator and designer Michael Gibbs, photographer Steve Barrett, web developer Max Kukoy, videographer Zach Starr, and book editor Kristin Nauth.”
Hope says her ideal client is an entrepreneur who is an expert is their field that is looking for bold, exciting ways to get the word out about his or her company, and isn’t afraid of being in the limelight. “We then wrap our creative ideas around their goals, and help them get to where they want to go in terms of media outreach , the speaker’s circuit, books, events, and more.”
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Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About the DC Health Summit
On October 29, more than 100 guests were part of an exciting discussion about the role that health promotion and worksite wellness programs play within the workplace — and the potential that such programs have on the direct and indirect costs associated with health and productivity.
“For the first time, leaders from the health insurance industry, hospital administrators, physicians, politicians and corporate leaders gathered to discuss the future of health care in the U.S.,” says Stephanie Cohen, owner of the health benefits company Golden & Cohen, who is hosting the 2008 DC Health Summit.
“My goal was to open a discussion about how increasing workplace wellness can impact health care costs,” she explains. “Although this is only one aspect of the debate on the future of health care, it is a start to what I hope will be a continuing dialog between policymakers, doctors, insurance companies, doctors and the business community. I hope every business leader and health care professional we invite has the opportunity to attend this important event.”
The keynote speaker was workplace wellness expert Dr. Steven Aldana, who talked about how corporate wellness programs can positively impact a company’s bottom line.
Following him was Barack Obama spokeswoman Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin Ph.D., who shared key points of the Obama / Biden health care plan with the audience.
The attention turned to an all-star health care panel including Virginia Senator George Barker, Kaiser Permanente’s Director of Population Care Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, Neurosurgeon Dr. James Melisi, the National Rehabilitation Hospital’s VP Dr. Paul Rao, Maryland’s former Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, and UnitedHealthcare COO Dr. Sanford Cohen.
The event was moderated by futurist Andy Hines, director of customer projects at the futurist research and consulting firm Social Technologies.
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Writing and Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
Art director: Mary Argodale
Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Challenge: Promote the GWU School of Engineering and Applied Science a unique look but with common elements to make all the promotional materials cohesive.
Solution: Hope hired illustrator Michael Gibbs www.michaelgibbs.com to create one painting for each of the programs. Each had specific theme (such as the giant computer chip, pictured here on the cover of the catalog for the School of Engineering and Applied Science).
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Writing and Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
Art director: Mary Argodale
Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Challenge: Promote the GWU School of Engineering and Applied Science a unique look but with common elements to make all the promotional materials cohesive.
Solution: Hope hired illustrator Michael Gibbs www.michaelgibbs.com to create one painting for each of the programs. Each had specific theme (such as the giant computer chip, pictured here on the cover of the catalog for the School of Engineering and Applied Science).
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Writing and concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Art director: Mary Argodale
Challenge: Promote the 10 programs within the University’s School of Science, giving each a unique look but with common elements to make all the promotional materials cohesive.
Solution: Hope hired illustrator Michael Gibbs www.michaelgibbs.com to create one painting for each of the programs. Each had specific theme (such as the microscope, pictured here on the cover of the Science catalog).
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This first annual DC Health Summit is being sponsored by United Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, Coventry, and LifeWork Strategies.
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Gaithersburg MD, October 23, 2008 — Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin Ph.D. will speak at the 2008 DC Health Summit, a meeting that is bringing together 100 of the top minds in the health care industry on Oct. 29 from 11 am to 1 pm at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington, DC www.dchealthsummit.com.
Dr. Buntin is a health economist and researcher who focuses on health insurance benefit design, health insurance markets, provider payment, and the care use and needs of the elderly. Her current projects include a study of the effects of consumer-directed health care on health care access, costs, and quality and a study of the effects of Medicare payment changes on post-acute care costs and outcomes.
She has also worked on projects and published in the areas of disease management, the market for individual health insurance policies, Medicare physician payment rates, the financing of end-of-life care, and Medicare managed care plan design and payment.
Dr. Buntin graduated from the Ph.D. Program in Health Policy at Harvard University where she concentrated in health economics and specialized in the economics of the Medicare program, and is currently a volunteer surrogate speaker for the Obama campaign, and says she’s excited to participate in the Oct. 29 DC Health Summit.
Although a representative from the McCain campaign was also invited to attend the DC Health Summit, Amber Johnson, director of scheduling for the campaign, declined due to an overwhelming number of events surrogates need to attend at this time.
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Gaithersburg MD, October 15, 2008 — Futurist Andy Hines will be the moderator at the 2008 DC Health Summit, a meeting that is bringing together 100 of the top minds in the health care industry on Oct. 29 from 11 am to 1 pm at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington, DC (www.dchealthsummit.com).
Hines will ask and field questions of an all-star health care panel including Kaiser Permanente’s Director of Population Care Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, Neurosurgeon Dr. James Melisi, the National Rehabilitation Hospital’s VP Dr. Paul Rao, Maryland’s former Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, and UnitedHealthcare COO Kevin Ruth — and Virginia Senator George Barker, who prior to taking office last November worked for 30 years for the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia where he helped contain skyrocketing health care costs, promote quality of care, and ensure access to medical care for all Northern Virginians.
The Future of Health Insurance
Based on his decades of experience as a futurist, Hines has developed strategic insights of his own. As the director of custom projects at the global futurist research and consulting firm Social Technologies, he and his colleagues have worked on several projects that explore the future of health care in America.
Hines says some big issues ahead include:
• Societal views on personal responsibility — As Americans, will we lean toward accommodation or a more punitive approach such as saying obesity is either a disease beyond one’s control or “it’s their fault?”
• The implications of a deeper move to holistic wellness — To what extent will innovations like support groups be covered by health insurance?
• The buck stops where? — Ultimately, who will be responsible for a person’s health and wellbeing? The individual, employers, or the government?
• From the institution to the individual — How fast and extensive will the shift to consumer-centric health care take place?
• Incremental vs. transformational approaches — Will changes in our approach to health care happen in slow, incremental steps? Or will an event occur that causes changes to occur rapidly?
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Contact: Hope Katz Gibbs, Inkandescent Public Relations
email / Phone: 703-346-6975
Golden & Cohen
704 Quince Orchard Road, Suite 250
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Workplace wellness expert will address 100 top health care industry leaders about the positive impact of wellness programs on waistlines and the organization’s bottom line
Gaithersburg MD, October 6, 2008 — Dr. Steven Aldana will be the keynote speaker at the first annual DC Health Summit, a meeting that is bringing together 100 of the top minds in the health care industry on Oct. 29 from 11 am to 1 pm at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington, DC.
A former professor of lifestyle medicine in the College of Health and Human Performance at Brigham Young University, Aldana is a nationally recognized scientist and teacher on the topic of health promotion in the workplace. His keynote, “The Truth About Return on Investment and Worksite Health Promotion Programs,” will serve as an introduction to a broader discussion among Summit panelists and attendees about the future of health insurance in the United States.
“Companies are always looking for ways to reduce employee-related expenses and many corporations and organizations are using health promotion programs as a reactionary effort to curtail ever-increasing, employee-related expenses of health care and lost productivity,” Aldana explains. “Dozens of published scientific research articles have evaluated the cost-benefit of worksite health promotion programs and the majority show a clear and positive ROI. Yet, many companies are hesitant to spend any money on employee health promotion efforts, raising the question as to why most health and wellness programs still struggle to get funding and support.”
Aldana insists that health promotion in the workplace won’t just have a positive effect on your employees’ waistlines — it will have a positive impact on your organization’s bottom line.
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Contact: Hope Katz Gibbs, Inkandescent Public Relations
email / Phone: 703-346-6975
Golden & Cohen
704 Quince Orchard Road, Suite 250
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Politicians, health insurance company executives, physicians, academics and hospital administrators come together to discuss the future of health care and importance of workplace wellness
Gaithersburg MD, September 15, 2008—On October 29, 2008 the health care benefits company Golden & Cohen is hosting the first annual DC Health Summit, a meeting of some of the top minds in the health care industry who will discuss and debate the future of health care in the United States.
“Research by the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that in 2006, more than $2.1 trillion was spent on health care in the United States,” says Stephanie Cohen, (pictured right) CEO of Golden & Cohen. “That represents 16% of the Gross Domestic Product. By 2017 the amount of money spent on health care is expected to increase to nearly $4.3 trillion, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that by then health care will account for about 20 percent of GDP.”
These increasing costs mean policymakers, insurers, and the public are going to face some difficult decisions about the way health care is delivered and paid for, she adds.
“I have been in the trenches of the health care insurance industry for more than a decade, and what I see happening to my clients when they try to collect on their benefits not only disturbs me as a business owner — it infuriates me as a U.S. citizen and a mother,” Cohen explains. “That is why my partners and I at Golden & Cohen decided to host the DC Health Summit. Our goal is to bring the decision makers together—politicians, health insurance company executives, physicians, academics and hospital administrators—so we can start to come up with workable solutions.”
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Design by Michael Gibbs
Concept and Writing by Hope Gibbs
Image from Shutterstock.com
Goal: With a successful, affordable, and more elegant holiday menu already in circulation weeks before for the Rosh Hashana holiday, chefs Kim and Edgar hired Inkandescent to create another menu for Yom Kippur.
Solution: Following the same branding, quality, and approach of the Rosh Hashana menu, Michael Gibbs designed an equally beautiful Yom Kippur catering menu — this time with a bit more color. The response was amazing.
“We did the same thing as before, distributing 8000 in the local newspaper and mailing out the remaining menus to our clients,” says Chef Kim. “I couldn’t believe how many calls we got. I think we definitely found the right marketing strategy by working with Inkandescent PR.”
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Design by Michael Gibbs
Concept and Writing by Hope Gibbs
Image from Shutterstock.com
Goal: Delaware Market House owners Kim and Edgar Alvarez had been going to Kinkos to have the holiday menus printed, but in 2008 decided to upgrade their brand and hired Inkandescent PR to create elegant, high-end menus for upcoming holidays.
Solution: Starting with the Rosh Hashana catering menu in September, 8000 menus were inserted into the local newspaper and an additional 2000 were mailed to current customers. The cost to print and distribute the upscale menus was exactly the same as it had been when simple black-and-white menus were previously used.
Click inside to see what was cooking.
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Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
Design / Illustration by by Michael Gibbs
Photos by Steve Barrett
CLIENT: Tony Simon, owner
The Fun Company for Kids
Fairfax, VA
ASSIGNMENT: Create brochure, letterhead, business cards, prize tickets for children’s party / play place in Alexandria, VA
TARGET AUDIENCE: Kids, teens, parents
CHALLENGE: Tony bought the Fun Company in the summer of 2003, and spent months upgrading the play place. He wanted the look of his marketing / promotional materials to reflect the new energy and offerings.
SOLUTION: Mike and Hope came up with a large format three-panel brochure full of color, photos by Steve Barrett. The theme of balls, balloons, and birthday party fun dominated.
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Design by Michael Gibbs
Writing by Hope Gibbs
Client: Terri & Kate Clothier
Challenge: A beautiful outfit for sale at the high-end Great Falls, VA boutique Terri & Kate Clothier was featured in an October issue of InStyle magazine. Owner, Terri Parent, wanted to celebrate the press mention and share the information about the outfit with current and potential clients.
Solution: With permission from the photographer who shot the InStyle image, and the magazine as well, designer Michael Gibbs scanned in the image then worked his magic to make the wool tweed skirt from the manufacturer Supply & Demand — for sale at Terri & Kate’s for $174 — pop out on the glossy white card.
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Writer: Hope Katz Gibbs
Design: Michael Gibbs Illustration & Design
Client: Alexandria City Public Schools
Challenge: Create a marketing piece to encourage parent participation in student’s lives. The community that attends the Alexandria City Public Schools is highly diverse, so the piece needed to be simple and appealing so parents would want to pick it up when it was handed out at Back to School night.
Solution: Hope and Michael Gibbs created this colorful refrigerator magnet that offered 20 ways parents can take a more active role in their child’s school lives. We had the same text translated into Spanish, and created a second magnet for ESOL families.
Click inside to see the magnet translated into Spanish.
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Design by Michael Gibbs
Illustrations by Becky Heavner
Challenge: To create a brochure that provides information about Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, one of several magnet programs in the Alexandria City Public School district. T
Solution: Designer Michael Gibbs hired illustrator Becky Heavner to create several illustrations in her famously whimsical style. By combining the artwork with elegant type in a fold-out brochure style, the goals of the project were met.
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Writer: Hope Katz Gibbs
Designer: Michael Gibbs
Client: City of Fairfax Schools
Each of the four City of Fairfax Schools has a special focus, and this brochure outlined what makes each school unique.
Providence and Daniels Run Elementary: Focus schools for math, science, communication arts, and technology. Plus, Latin is taught at both schools, and starting in 2007 Chinese classes begun for 1st graders. Each year, another grade level will be added. University affiliations and business partners include George Mason University, Costco, and the IRS.
Lanier Middle School: SmartBoards in each classroom and three foreign language programs (German, French and Spanish). University affiliations and business partners include Lyceum, Oracle, George Mason Univ., and Lockheed Martin.
Fairfax High School: More than 18 Advanced Placement classes, inclusive honors in all areas of study, and an award-wining music program. There’s also the Academy for Communication Arts, and more than 28 boys and girls sports teams. University affiliations and business partners include George Mason University, George Washington University, and BTG Business Partnerships with scholarships for seniors.
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Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
Design / Illustration by by Michael Gibbs
CLIENT: Bobbi Katz, interior designer
Philadelphia, PA
ASSIGNMENT: Create brochure, letterhead for new interior design business for children’s rooms.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Parents, grandparents
SOLUTION: Fun and colorful, but sophisticated design dominates the look of this package.
CLIENT FEEDBACK: “I felt Hope and Mike accomplished the goal of illustrating the fact that I’m running a kid-focused company — but one that offers elegant, high-end interior design,” Bobbi said. “I am very proud to hand out these brochures. I have gotten several clients since I the materials printed, and the feedback from customers — and my vendors — has been incredibly positive.”
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Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
Design / Illustration by by Michael Gibbs
Photos by TaranZ
CLIENT: Hope Katz Gibbs, president and founder
Great Handmade Gifts, Inc.
Clifton, VA
ASSIGNMENT: Create sophisticated corporate look for e-commerce gift company that mostly functions online.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Shoppers, with focus on women (busy ones — and moms, in particular); and male / female artists and artisans to join the network
CHALLENGE: Although she launched in September 2001, Hope took several years to perfect the image and goals of her company. When she launched her website in December 2003, she wanted to have marketing materials ready get the word out in a bigger way. But she needed them to reflect the high-end gifts she sells on her website, www.greathandmadegifts.comBecause part of her business plan is to attract artists and artisans who make handmade gifts, it needed to be inviting for that arts audience, as well.
SOLUTION: Mike and Hope came up with a cover image for the brochure (three stalks of lucky bamboo, signifying happiness) that suggest the company is holistic and creative, but grounded. Inside the three-panel brochure are images of the assortment of gifts offered on the website’s nine “shops:” art gallery, books & music, home & garden, jewelry, clothes, babies & kids, brides & grooms, chocolates & treats, and wine & dine.
The colors of the brochure, and accompanying letterhead, thank you notes, and business card are warm olives and greens, which reflects the colors of the website.
CLIENT FEEDBACK: “I felt the entire package worked and the hit the mark I was going for: sophisticated, elegant and practical promotional materials,” says Hope. “These reflect the image I was trying to project for the company as a whole. I have only gotten positive feedback from the clients who shop with us and the artists / artisans who have joined the network.”
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Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
Design / Illustration by by Michael Gibbs
Photos by Steve Barrett
CLIENT: Tony Simon, owner
The Fun Company for Kids
Fairfax, VA
ASSIGNMENT: Create brochure, letterhead, business cards, prize tickets for children’s party / play place in Alexandria, VA
TARGET AUDIENCE: Kids, teens, parents
CHALLENGE: Tony bought the Fun Company in the summer of 2003, and spent months upgrading the play place. He wanted the look of his marketing / promotional materials to reflect the new energy and offerings.
SOLUTION: Mike and Hope came up with a large format three-panel brochure full of color, photos by Steve Barrett. The theme of balls, balloons, and birthday party fun dominated.
CLIENT FEEDBACK: “I loved the way it came out because you really get the feeling that the Fun Company is a great place to have a birthday party or bring a play group,” Tony said. “But you also can tell that we have a cool snack bar and arcade, which makes it a good place for teenagers to come and hang out. I felt these promo materials really hit the mark.”
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CLIENT: Michael Gibbs, Michael Gibbs Illustration & Design
Editing by Hope Katz Gibbs
Design by by Michael Gibbs
ASSIGNMENT: Create promotional portfolio of artwork that is easy to mail and affordable to print.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Art directors, fine art buyers
CHALLENGE: Because Michael has created literally thousands of illustrations over the course of his 30-year illustration career, he was having trouble deciding which pieces to put into his promotional portfolio.
SOLUTION: We decided he should focus on the editorial pieces he’s won awards for in the last 3 years for the first half o the brochure. In the back, we opted to include the posters he was commissioned to create for The Virginia Opera (pictured here), and other theater companies. These, too, have all won awards.
CLIENT FEEDBACK: “I am always slightly nervous to put my work out there, but this brochure proved to be especially effective as a means of drumming up business,” Mike says. “As always, I appreciated Hope’s feedback in choosing the pieces to include, and also in the editing of the copy. This was another nice joint effort.”
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CLIENT: Michael Gibbs, Michael Gibbs Illustration & Design
Editing by Hope Katz Gibbs
Design by by Michael Gibbs
CLIENT: Michael Glenwood, illustrator
M. Glenwood Designs
Fairfax, VA
ASSIGNMENT: Create promotional portfolio of artwork that is easy to mail and affordable to print.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Art directors, fine art buyers
SOLUTION: Hope and Mike helped M. Glenwood select the best images to put into the brochure, then assisted in the design of the pages and editing of the text.
CLIENT FEEDBACK: “I really wanted this promotional piece to show off my best work, but be as elegant and simple as possible,” M. Glenwood said. “I think we accomplished that goal.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New family-friendly, family-owned Italian restaurant opening in Del Ray
Alexandria, VA, April 1, 2008 — If you love Northern Italian cuisine, get your taste buds primed for La Strada, a new restaurant opening this month in the heart of Del Ray.
The executive chef is Stephen Scott, the former maestro of the kitchen at such D.C. area dining icons as Zola, Argia’s, Primi Piati, Galileo, and I Matti. His parents Stephen and Diana, and sisters Courtney and Kristen, will be managing the restaurant.
Stephen’s grandmother, Argia Balboni, knew early in Stephen’s life that he was destined to become a chef. As a little boy, he would sit in her kitchen every Sunday and watch her fix the traditional weekend brunch: a roast of beef, braised chicken, Italian meatballs and handmade tortellini.
Also special was Argia herself, who emigrated to the U.S. from Italy in 1917. Putting family and good food first was always her priority. In fact, most of the ingredients for the family feast came from her garden — a giant yard in suburban Boston.
“Argia taught me the essence of Italian cooking, and it makes me proud to carry on her traditions in my restaurants,” Stephen says today, noting that La Strada is certainly about “la familia” —but not just because it’s family owned.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington DC, November 1, 2008 — In these tough economic times, HR professionals and managers alike need a guide to help them create and keep positive relationships with employees, and develop attractive and fair compensation packages.
That’s why Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell’s new book, “The Essential HR Handbook,” is the perfect gift this holiday season. It’s the perfect time to buy a copy for yourself — and your employees.
“Human resource professionals are not only charged with resolving labor issues,” explains Mitchell, who worked for Marriott Corporation and several technology firms in the Washington DC area before launching her own company — The Millennium Group International — n 1998. “We also help acquire, train, appraise, and make sure employees are fairly compensated, while attending to their concerns about labor relations, health and safety, and fairness.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington DC, September 8, 2008 — In 14th-century England, masons, carpenters, leather workers, and other skilled craftsmen organized themselves into guildsAithe first unions that were used to improve their work conditions. With the Industrial Revolution came divisions of labor, negotiable wages and hours, and challenging work conditions, and the owner was replaced by a new character, the boss, who was solely focused on getting the job done fast and right.
Conflict ensued and so the human resources industry was born to help set things straight, explain authors Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell in the introduction to their new book, The Essential HR Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager or HR Professional.
This 250-page reference guide, published in the fall of 2008 by Career Press, is a must-have for everyone who deals with employees on a daily basis, believe Mitchell and Armstrong. They wrote the book because, as human resource professionals with decades of experience, they wanted to shed light on the issues that keep managers up at night.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington DC, September 8, 2008 — In 14th-century England, masons, carpenters, leather workers, and other skilled craftsmen organized themselves into guildsAithe first unions that were used to improve their work conditions. With the Industrial Revolution came divisions of labor, negotiable wages and hours, and challenging work conditions, and the owner was replaced by a new character, the boss, who was solely focused on getting the job done fast and right.
Conflict ensued and so the human resources industry was born to help set things straight, explain authors Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell in the introduction to their new book, The Essential HR Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager or HR Professional.
This 250-page reference guide, published in the fall of 2008 by Career Press, is a must-have for everyone who deals with employees on a daily basis, believe Mitchell and Armstrong. They wrote the book because, as human resource professionals with decades of experience, they wanted to shed light on the issues that keep managers up at night.
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Created for human resources experts and authors Barbara Mitchell and Sharon Armstrong, “The Essential HR Handbook website is an easy-to-navigate site that focuses on the benefits of their backgrounds and useful guidebook.
The site also serves to illustrate the knowledge that both experts have developed in the field of human resources through articles and blog postings.
Additionally, the site helps to serve as a resource for those looking for HR experts to assist at their firms, for it profiles other professionals each month who work with Sharon Armstrong through her HR brokerage firm, Sharon Armstrong & Associates.
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Blog by Hope Gibbs
http://trulyamazingwomen.blogspot.com
Hope Gibbs’ blog, Truly Amazing Women profiles one woman each week who stands out in a crowd. She may be the head of university, her own company or have won an Emmy award. She may have written a book, started a nonprofit organization, or just done a wonderful act of kindness.
Truly Amazing Women are doing all sorts of wonderful things each day. And even though Hillary won’t be the first woman president — this year — we’re all proud that smart, savvy women are plugging ahead to break down barriers for us all.
The blog will ultimately become a book by the same title to be published in 2009.
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Blog by Hope Gibbs
http://theparentdiaries.blogspot.com
Hope Gibbs’ blog, The Parent Diaries features weekly articles about issues that impact parents and kids.
From how children responded and perceived the 2008 Presidential election to helicopter parenting and the obsession of teen text messaging, Hope tries to tackle current and interesting topics.
The blog will ultimately become a book, “How to help your child succeed — without going insane,” which will be published in 2009.
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Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Client: Self published
That one — gets my vote! Obama 2008
Prints available on www.mglenwood.com.
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Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Client: CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Article: This provocative piece asks: Why are schools limiting students’ ability to talk about religion on campus?
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Illustration by Michael Gibbs
Client: University of Idaho
Article: From Gibbs’ stock illustration website, www.stockillustration.com, this illo was the cover of UI’s literary magazine.
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CLIENT: Michael Gibbs, Michael Gibbs Illustration & Design
Editing by Hope Katz Gibbs
Design by by Michael Gibbs
CLIENT: Michael Glenwood, illustrator
M. Glenwood Designs
Fairfax, VA
ASSIGNMENT: Create promotional portfolio of artwork that is easy to mail and affordable to print.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Art directors, fine art buyers
SOLUTION: Hope and Mike helped M. Glenwood select the best images to put into the brochure, then assisted in the design of the pages and editing of the text.
CLIENT FEEDBACK: “I really wanted this promotional piece to show off my best work, but be as elegant and simple as possible,” M. Glenwood said. “I think we accomplished that goal.”
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CLIENT: Michael Gibbs, Michael Gibbs Illustration & Design
Editing by Hope Katz Gibbs
Design by by Michael Gibbs
ASSIGNMENT: Create promotional portfolio of artwork that is easy to mail and affordable to print.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Art directors, fine art buyers
CHALLENGE: Because Michael has created literally thousands of illustrations over the course of his 30-year illustration career, he was having trouble deciding which pieces to put into his promotional portfolio.
SOLUTION: We decided he should focus on the editorial pieces he’s won awards for in the last 3 years for the first half o the brochure. In the back, we opted to include the posters he was commissioned to create for The Virginia Opera (pictured here), and other theater companies. These, too, have all won awards.
CLIENT FEEDBACK: “I am always slightly nervous to put my work out there, but this brochure proved to be especially effective as a means of drumming up business,” Mike says. “As always, I appreciated Hope’s feedback in choosing the pieces to include, and also in the editing of the copy. This was another nice joint effort.”
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By Hope Katz Gibbs, Managing Editor
Change)Waves newsletter
Client: Social Technologies
Topic: The Future of Virtual Worlds
Book review: Making Money in the Metaverse
In addition to working as the managing editor of this quarterly newsletter for the futurist research and consulting firm Social Technologies, also wrote several articles in each issue including this book review of “Making Money in the Metaverse,” by Daniel Terdiman.
What is the metaverse? Read more
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
Photos by Steve Barrett
Design by Michael Gibbs
Cover Story, May-June 2007
INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE FOUNDATION YEARS
What students need to know by the end of kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade
Since 2002, writer Hope Gibbs, designer Michael Gibbs, and photographer Steve Barrett have been creating the City Schools Close-Up newsletter, a publication that circulates to 14,000 residents and business owners in the City of Fairfax, Virginia.
The information in Close-Up helped pass a $86 million bond to rebuild Lanier Middle School and Fairfax High, and also has won six awards to date from the National School Public Relations Association.
For more, visit www.fairfaxva.gov/school/CloseUp.asp
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gladwyne PA, April 15, 2008 — Delaware Market House was chosen from a list of a dozen Main Line catering companies to prepare a feast for the Hillary Clinton fundraiser held April 11 in Penn Valley.
Chef Kim Alvarez got the call a few weeks ago from Marjie Katz, co-chairman of the fundraiser.
“We picked the Delaware Market House to cater this important event because of its excellent reputation for serving delicious food, and also for being an incredibly easy and enjoyable company to work with,” says Katz, who worked with Chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez to choose the menu.
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Photo by Steve Barrett
www.stevebarrett photography.com
Photojournalism is Steve Barrett’s passion, and when he has the opportunity to put his subjects in their natural environment he always jumps at the change. Such was the case when he photographed chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez in their shop, the Delaware Market House.
“We were just about to start preparing the food for a Hillary Clinton fundraiser, and we were a little crazed,” admits Kim, who felt immediately calm when Steve came into the store with is camera and lights. “He let us go about our business, yet managed to capture great shots amidst the chaos. I absolutely love what he came up with.”
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Photo by Steve Barrett
www.stevebarrett photography.com
Alice Waagen decided in the Spring of 2008 that the time had come for a make-over of her corporate image for her 11-year-old leadership development company, Workforce Learning. So the entrepreneur called Inkandescent PR. Before we sent out her first newsletter, she had Steve Barrett take new portraits — photos that ultimately became the basis of her new website.
“I absolutely love how Steve captured my image on film,” says Alice. “Now, when a client asks for my picture for a brochure or flyer, I am proud to send it along.”
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
Photos by Steve Barrett
Design by Michael Gibbs
Cover Story, November-December 2006
INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE FOUNDATION YEARS
What students need to know by the end of kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade
Since 2002, writer Hope Gibbs, designer Michael Gibbs, and photographer Steve Barrett have been creating the City Schools Close-Up newsletter, a publication that circulates to 14,000 residents and business owners in the City of Fairfax, Virginia.
The information in Close-Up helped pass a $86 million bond to rebuild Lanier Middle School and Fairfax High, and also has won six awards to date from the National School Public Relations Association.
For more, visit www.fairfaxva.gov/school/CloseUp.asp
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Newsletter by Hope Katz Gibbs with Peter Noonan
Design by Michael Gibbs
Fairfax County Public Schools
Fall 2008: DATA-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION
Click here to read the entire Fall issue of INSIDE
“When it comes to maximizing student performance, concepts like data-driven instruction are often bandied about in education circles as the ‘new thing,’ writes Fairfax County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Peter Noonan in the Fall 2008 issue of INSIDE, a quarterly newsletter for his Instructional Services Division. “This suggests that perhaps the idea isn’t sound, or it will likely go out of favor when another educational fad becomes more popular.”
Nonetheless, he adds, he has long been a proponent of this concept, and knows that with technological tools such as eCART principals and educators can successfully use data to help all students master the curriculum. “A tool like eCART helps educators thoroughly and concretely understand where students stand in the core subjects so they can intervene in the areas where kids are struggling, and enhance learning opportunities in the areas that they have already mastered,” he explains.
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Newsletter by Hope Katz Gibbs with Peter Noonan
Design by Michael Gibbs
Fairfax County Public Schools
Summer 2008: AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Read this issue of INSIDE
This newsletter is a quarterly publication for Peter Noonan, assistant superintendent of instructional services at Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). Its mission is to share thoughts and ideas about curriculum and assessment that are fundamental to the work that principals and teachers are doing to improve student achievement.
This first issue, entitled “Staying Ahead of the Curve,” was published in the summer of 2008. It focused on how three FCPS principals adopted strategies from the cutting-edge book on assessment (by the same name) edited by education expert Douglas Reeves.
“The 268-page hardback, published last year by Solution Tree, features essays by a dozen authors who I consider to be the greatest minds in assessment,” says Noonan, who selected three chapters to have his principals focus on.
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Newsletter by Hope Katz Gibbs with Peter Noonan
Design by Michael Gibbs
Fairfax County Public Schools
Fall 2008: DATA-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION
Read this issue of INSIDE
“When it comes to maximizing student performance, concepts like data-driven instruction are often bandied about in education circles as the ‘new thing,’ writes Fairfax County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Peter Noonan in the Fall 2008 issue of INSIDE, a quarterly newsletter for his Instructional Services Division. “This suggests that perhaps the idea isn’t sound, or it will likely go out of favor when another educational fad becomes more popular.”
Nonetheless, he adds, he has long been a proponent of this concept, and knows that with technological tools such as eCART principals and educators can successfully use data to help all students master the curriculum. “A tool like eCART helps educators thoroughly and concretely understand where students stand in the core subjects so they can intervene in the areas where kids are struggling, and enhance learning opportunities in the areas that they have already mastered,” he explains.
Read More
Newsletter by Hope Katz Gibbs with Peter Noonan
Design by Michael Gibbs
Fairfax County Public Schools
Summer 2008: AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Read this issue of INSIDE
This newsletter is a quarterly publication for Peter Noonan, assistant superintendent of instructional services at Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). Its mission is to share thoughts and ideas about curriculum and assessment that are fundamental to the work that principals and teachers are doing to improve student achievement.
This first issue, entitled “Staying Ahead of the Curve,” was published in the summer of 2008. It focused on how three FCPS principals adopted strategies from the cutting-edge book on assessment (by the same name) edited by education expert Douglas Reeves.
“The 268-page hardback, published last year by Solution Tree, features essays by a dozen authors who I consider to be the greatest minds in assessment,” says Noonan, who selected three chapters to have his principals focus on.
Read More
OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Fairfax, VA, July 2007 —School Board Chairman Janice Miller got the good news on June 18 that, for the second time, the City Schools Close-Up newsletter has won an Award of Excellence from the National Schools Public Relations Association (www.NSPRA.org).
There were 1121 entries in this year’s contest, and only 125 publications from school districts around the country received this prestigious honor, Miller explains.
The issues submitted for consideration included the May-June 2006 cover story featuring Fairfax High’s graduation speaker Colin Powell, as well as four cover stories that were part of a series entitled “Building Blocks: Insights Into Education K-12.”
“We knew we had a great story to tell when General Powell spoke at graduation last year, but I believe the reason we on this award is due to the Building Blocks series that we published from November 2006 to June 2007,” Miller explains. “Our editor, Hope Gibbs, interviewed more than a dozen teachers, and in the articles they explained to our readers exactly what kids need to know by the end of each grade.”
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
photos by Steve Barrett
design by Michael Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
Cover Story, May-June 2007
*INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS
What students need to know by the end of 12th grade*
FOURTH in a four-part series
This cover story marks the last in our four-part series to help parents prepare for their child’s future by having them “Begin at the End: 12th grade.”
That is the advice of Superintendent George Stepp, who retires June 30 (see page 5 for details). His outgoing wish is for students to work as hard as possible and take the most challenging classes.
“My hope for every City School student is that they take at least three Advanced Placement classes in their four years at Fairfax High,” he explains. “To do that, they need to have worked hard in elementary and middle school, and developed excellent study skills. I promise, though, that their hard work will pay off.”
Fairfax High Principal Scott Brabrand says students also need to be highly motivated. “Many students think of high school as an ending, but it is truly the beginning of independent inquiry and thought. In reality, high school is the end of learning for school’s sake and the beginning of learning for life’s sake.”
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
photos by Steve Barrett
design by Michael Gibbs
Cover Story, March-April 2007
INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS What students need to know by the end of 7th and 8th grade
THIRD in a four-part series
In the last two issues of Close-Up we have offered guidelines to help parents prepare for their child’s future by having them “Begin at the End: 12th grade.”
With that goal in mind, we started our discussion at the beginning. In the November-December issue we talked about the Foundation Years: Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades, and teachers from Daniels Run and Providence Elementary provided tips on what children need to know as they head into 3rd grade.
Then, in the January-February issue, we described the Formative Years: 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, and teachers discussed the milestones students need to hit by end of elementary school. In this issue, we embark on the critical Middle School Years — when students get their first taste of independence and responsibility. On the following pages, the chairs of the science, math, English and social studies departments at Lanier Mi
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
photos by Steve Barrett
design by Michael Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
Cover Story, May-June 2007
Cover Story, January-February 2007
INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE FORMATIVE YEARS What students need to know by the end of 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Grade
SECOND in a four-part series
Superintendent George Stepp wants to help parents Begin at the End. So in the last issue of Close-Up we offered some guidelines by reviewing The Foundation Years: Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. In this issue we’re tackling the Formative Years: 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.
“The ultimate goal is to keep every door open for students,” Stepp says, and suggests parents do this by envisioning what their kids will be doing the September after their senior year of high school — then start planning accordingly.
“The elementary school years set the stage for how well children will do in the critical middle and high school years,” he says. “They need to be able to read well and they need to have mastered the basics of math. With those skills under their belts, I am confident they’ll be able to take honors and Advanced Placement classes.”
On the following pages, you’ll meet teachers from Daniels Run and Providence elementary schools who offer insights into what children need to master by the time they finish elementary school.
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
Cover Story, November-December 2006
INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE FOUNDATION YEARS
What students need to know by the end of kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade
FIRST in a four-part series
In the last issue of Close-Up we talked about the importance of Beginning at the End. For no matter what grade a child is in today, Superintendent George Stepp believes parents need to start thinking about the courses that child will be taking in 12th grade.
“Parents need to envision what their kids will be doing the September after their senior year of high school and start planning accordingly now,” Stepp explains.
To help families accomplish that goal, this article and following three cover stories of Close-Up will focus on Building Blocks: The milestones children need to hit by the end of each grade so they can successfully move to the next level — and eventually take the toughest courses they can handle in high school.
We begin with the first of four Building Blocks: Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade. On the following pages, you’ll meet terrific teachers from Daniels Run and Providence Elementary schools who offer insights into what children need to master.
Each one also suggests a practical tip that parents can try with their children at home to help keep them on target.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington DC, July 2, 2008 — What are guys’ lives like today? What is important to them and how can we better relate to them? That was what Spike TV asked the Washington DC-based futurist research and consulting firm Social Technologies to help the network find out.
As the home of everything “men,” Spike TV commissioned the study to gain a deeper understanding of the many facets of men, according to Kimberly Maxwell, senior director of brand and consumer research.
“We wanted to check the pulse of American guys to be better able to understand their lifestyles, their daily habits, and values,” she says, noting that the research builds upon Spike’s 2004 “Guy’s State of the Union,” which delivered a wide-ranging overview of guy’s lives.
Maxwell worked with Social Technologies’ senior analyst Chris Carbone (pictured above) to investigate how men aged 18 to 49 feel about fatherhood and family, politics, relationships and women, role models, work and stress, technology, and more.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington DC, June 28, 2008 — Consumers have long hoped that medical and pharmacological research would lead to a so-called “fat pill,” an easy-to-use pharmaceutical answer to the growing scourge of obesity.
Social Technologies’ analyst Christopher Kent recently considered this possibility as part of our series on discontinuities (those sudden, sharp breaks that can strike consumers, business sectors, nations, or the world with disruptive force).
“The ideal solution would allow consumers to continue their regular eating and lifestyle behaviors without gaining weight,” Kent explains, noting two drugs in development, Rimonabant and Alli, offer some benefits of an anti-obesity pill, but neither is 100% effective–and both may have serious side effects.
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By Hope Katz Gibbs, Managing Editor
Change)Waves newsletter
Client: Social Technologies
Topic: The Future of Virtual Worlds
Book review: Making Money in the Metaverse
When Daniel Terdiman set out to write a book about Linden Lab’s virtual world Second Life (SL), the award-winning CNET News.com reporter was hoping to answer
one basic question: Can you really make money in the metaverse?
The answer is yes, and Terdiman proves how in his 309-page glossy trade book published last October by Wiley. In 11 chapters, he offers a multitude of ideas about what it takes to become a successful cyberpreneur. He also covers the history and economics behind Linden Labs, and even offers case studies and business plans.
But Terdiman doesn’t sugar coat the reality of making money in the land of avatars and sims. “Despite some breathless press reports that suggest that making money in Second Life is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel, that really isn’t true,” he insists. “The reality is that conceiving and running a Second Life business is, in many ways, very much like doing so with any kind of business. Those who do well are the ones who come up with a plan, commit to it, put in the time required, and are willing to be flexible as conditions demand.”
How exactly does all this work and what is the future of Second Life? Change)Waves managing editor Hope Katz Gibbs recently interviewed Terdiman about that and other aspects of his book.
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By Futurist Andy Hines
and Hope Katz Gibbs, managing editor
Change)Waves newsletter
Client: Social Technologies
Topic: The Future of Youth Happiness
The question intrigued us: What makes 12- to 24-year olds happy today and going forward into the future? We had some basic ideas—we figured that friends and technology would be important to this group. But how did they feel about religion, their parents, fame, and money? We were eager to find out.
To set the stage, our team at Social Technologies read everything we could find about what scientists and psychologists know about happiness. Merging this with our understanding of youth trends and behaviors allowed us to create about a dozen hypotheses about youth happiness.
Then, along with a team from MTV, we sat down with about five-dozen young people at Starbucks coffee shops in Atlanta, Phoenix, and Philadelphia, and began to explore our hypotheses in these informal focus groups.
Soon after, MTV enlisted the Associated Press to add a quantitative component to our qualitative findings. Their researchers polled 1,280 more youths in the 12-to-24-age range, and in late August 2007, published a series of press releases based on this data.
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By Hope Katz Gibbs, managing editor
Change)Waves newsletter
Client: Social Technologies
Topic: Premier Issue
Anthropologist Helen Fisher on WHY WE LOVE
What is love? Why do we choose the people we choose? How do men and women vary in their romantic feelings? Is there really love at first sight? How did love evolve?
For decades, Rutgers University anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher has been working to answer these eternal questions. The 62-year old has traveled from the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa to Tokyo, Moscow, and back to her home in New York City to determine if one culture perceives love differently than another.
“My research has proven to me that everywhere, people fail into romantic love,” she explains in her current book, Why We Love. “And I have come to see this passion as a fundamental human drive. Like the craving for food and water and the maternal instinct, it is a psychological need, a profound urge, an instinct to court and win a particular mating partner.”
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WEBSITE — Delaware Market House
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About the Delaware Market House
Originally built in the early 1900s, the Delaware Market House long been a go-to-spot in Gladwyne, PA. Hungry residents came looking for a good meal, a hot cup of coffee, and some warm conversation.
Award-winning Philadelphia Chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez bought the Market in 2004 and continue the tradition by catering luncheons, parties and holiday meals, and serving up gourmet meals, fresh produce, baked goods, the finest cuts of meat, and providing customers with all the supermarket necessities of lifefrom cartons of fresh milk and bread to laundry detergent and diapers.
Kim and Edgar launched the Delaware Market House website in the summer of 2008, and credit it with attracting more customers to the shop — and their catering business. Featured on the site are Recipes of the Month, Holiday Catering Menus, and their year-round catering menu, which features hot and cold appetizers, mouth-watering entrees and side dishes, sandwiches and salads, and rich chocolate desserts.
WEBSITE — Delaware Market House
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About the Delaware Market House
Originally built in the early 1900s, the Delaware Market House long been a go-to-spot in Gladwyne, PA. Hungry residents came looking for a good meal, a hot cup of coffee, and some warm conversation.
Award-winning Philadelphia Chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez bought the Market in 2004 and continue the tradition by catering luncheons, parties and holiday meals, and serving up gourmet meals, fresh produce, baked goods, the finest cuts of meat, and providing customers with all the supermarket necessities of lifefrom cartons of fresh milk and bread to laundry detergent and diapers.
Kim and Edgar launched the Delaware Market House website in the summer of 2008, and credit it with attracting more customers to the shop — and their catering business. Featured on the site are Recipes of the Month, Holiday Catering Menus, and their year-round catering menu, which features hot and cold appetizers, mouth-watering entrees and side dishes, sandwiches and salads, and rich chocolate desserts. The company closed in May 2009.
In December 2010, Chefs Kim and Edgar opened Avenida Restaurant, which was another website Inkandescent PR designed for the restauranteurs.
WEBSITE — DC Health Summit / Golden & Cohen
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About the DC Health Summit
On October 29, 2008, more than 100 guests were part of an exciting discussion about the role that health promotion and worksite wellness programs play within the workplace — and the potential that such programs have on the direct and indirect costs associated with health and productivity.
“For the first time, leaders from the health insurance industry, hospital administrators, physicians, politicians and corporate leaders gathered to discuss the future of health care in the U.S.,” says Stephanie Cohen, owner of the health benefits company Golden & Cohen, who is hosting the 2008 DC Health Summit.
“My goal was to open a discussion about how increasing workplace wellness can impact health care costs,” she explains. “Although this is only one aspect of the debate on the future of health care, it is a start to what I hope will be a continuing dialog between policymakers, doctors, insurance companies, doctors and the business community. I hope every business leader and health care professional we invite has the opportunity to attend this important event.”
The keynote speaker was workplace wellness expert Dr. Steven Aldana, who talked about how corporate wellness programs can positively impact a company’s bottom line.
Following him was Barack Obama spokeswoman Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin Ph.D., who shared key points of the Obama / Biden health care plan with the audience.
The attention turned to an all-star health care panel including Virginia Senator George Barker, Kaiser Permanente’s Director of Population Care Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, Neurosurgeon Dr. James Melisi, the National Rehabilitation Hospital’s VP Dr. Paul Rao, Maryland’s former Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, and UnitedHealthcare COO Dr. Sanford Cohen.
The event was moderated by futurist Andy Hines, director of customer projects at the futurist research and consulting firm Social Technologies.
WEBSITE — The Essential HR Handbook
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About The Essential HR Handbook / The Essential Performance Review Handbook
Created for human resources experts and authors Barbara Mitchell and Sharon Armstrong, “The Essential HR Handbook website is an easy-to-navigate website that focuses on the benefits of their backgrounds and useful guidebook.
The site also serves to illustrate the knowledge that both experts have developed in the field of human resources through articles and blog postings. And, the site helps to serve as a resource for those looking for HR experts to assist at their firms, for it profiles other professionals each month who work with Sharon Armstrong through her HR brokerage firm, Sharon Armstrong & Associates.
Both authors say they are pleased with the site and the effectiveness of the Inkandescent PR campaign.
“The best business decision I made this year was to call Hope Katz Gibbs. She listened, asked relevant questions, then offered expert guidance that reflects her wealth of knowledge about PR,” Sharon Armstrong says. “She offered invaluable recommendations to help my co-author and I get the word out about our new book and my consulting practice. Her work for us has resulted in increased book sales and more referrals for my business. Hope is creative, practical, and a delight to work with. She has terrific writing skills and incredible insights into an industry I knew nothing about. We couldn’t have done it without her.”
WEBSITE — The Essential HR Handbook
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About The Essential HR Handbook / The Essential Performance Review Handbook
Created for human resources experts and authors Barbara Mitchell and Sharon Armstrong, “The Essential HR Handbook website is an easy-to-navigate website that focuses on the benefits of their backgrounds and useful guidebook.
The site also serves to illustrate the knowledge that both experts have developed in the field of human resources through articles and blog postings. And, the site helps to serve as a resource for those looking for HR experts to assist at their firms, for it profiles other professionals each month who work with Sharon Armstrong through her HR brokerage firm, Sharon Armstrong & Associates.
Both authors say they are pleased with the site and the effectiveness of the Inkandescent PR campaign.
“The best business decision I made this year was to call Hope Katz Gibbs. She listened, asked relevant questions, then offered expert guidance that reflects her wealth of knowledge about PR,” Sharon Armstrong says. “She offered invaluable recommendations to help my co-author and I get the word out about our new book and my consulting practice. Her work for us has resulted in increased book sales and more referrals for my business. Hope is creative, practical, and a delight to work with. She has terrific writing skills and incredible insights into an industry I knew nothing about. We couldn’t have done it without her.”
WEBSITE — Alumni Magazine Group
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About the Alumni Magazine Group
Tthe Alumni Magazine Group provides photography, writing, and illustration services to the nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges. Clients include Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, and The George Washington University, among others.
This website was created for journalist Hope Gibbs, illustrator Michael Gibbs, and photographer Steve Barrett. All three have worked for years in this niche, but when they targeted the publications as a group, each generated more assignments.
WEBSITE — Freelance Writer Hope Katz Gibbs
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About freelance writer Hope Katz Gibbs
“I wanted to be a writer since I was 8 years old,” says journalist Hope Katz Gibbs, a freelance writer who made her dream come true. “As a kid I always loved to write poems and short stories. Then one day my dad read something I had written for him and said, ‘boy honey, you really have a talent for this.’ That support was all it took to set me on my path.”
After graduating from the Annenberg School of communications at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986, Hope worked on the staff of a handful of publications (including working as an assistant editor / writer at The Miami Herald and an associate editor / writer at New Miami magazine).
In 1991, she went back to grad school for a degree in educational leadership at The George Washington University, and upon finishing launched her freelance career. Her articles appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, The Washington Times, Crystal City magazine, Global Business magazine, and dozens of other business, education, alumni, and general interest publications.
Website — Freelance writer Hope Katz Gibbs
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About freelance writer Hope Katz Gibbs
“I wanted to be a writer since I was 8 years old,” says journalist Hope Katz Gibbs, a freelance writer who made her dream come true. “As a kid I always loved to write poems and short stories. Then one day my dad read something I had written for him and said, ‘boy honey, you really have a talent for this.’ That support was all it took to set me on my path.”
After graduating from the Annenberg School of communications at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986, Hope worked on the staff of a handful of publications (including working as an assistant editor / writer at The Miami Herald and an associate editor / writer at New Miami magazine).
In 1991, she went back to grad school for a degree in educational leadership at The George Washington University, and upon finishing launched her freelance career. Her articles appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, The Washington Times, Crystal City magazine, Global Business magazine, and dozens of other business, education, alumni, and general interest publications.
Writing and concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
Art director: Mary Argodale
Client: GWU
Challenge: Inspire more incoming freshmen and sophomores to apply for GWU’s Honors Program.
Solution: Our team decided to get the student’s attention with an oversized blue / yellow brochure (school colors) with red accents. We came up with a slightly challenging headline: “Think you’re smart?” Inside it read, “So do we.”
In smaller print we painted a picture about what it is like to be an Honors student at the collegiate level. Then used large and smaller type to accent key points [a precursor to today’s bubble clouds]: imagination, excitement, creativity, unconventional, choices, powerful, uncommon.
Outcome: Calls to the guidance department about the rigor of the Honors Program rose dramatically in the weeks following the mailing of the brochure.
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
Senior Publications Coordinator
Office of Enrollment Management
The George Washington University
Art director: Mary Argodale
Spring 1993
Challenge: Create a brochure that will inspire students to apply for the GWU Presidential Arts Scholarship.
Solution: In collaboration with the art department, created a unique artsy two-fold brochure. Bold colors were muted to suggest the intensity of the program. With a photographer, I traveled around the university to capture the students and faculty in motion. Quotes from successful performers in all the discipline areas (dance, drama, music, fine art) were used throughout.
Examples:
“I do everything I know how in a dance.” — Twyla Tharp
“Drama is life with its dull bits cut out.” — Alfred Hitchcock
“Music is the arithmetic of sounds, as optics is the geometry of light.” — Claude Debussy
“ … the artist has only to trust his eyes.” — Auguste Rodin
Outcome: Applications were up by 10% for the Presidential Arts Scholarship in 1993 than in any year before.
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WEBSITE — DC Health Summit
Click image for larger view Illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Website coding / database by Max Kukoy
Writing / Concept by Hope Katz Gibbs
About the DC Health Summit
On October 29, 2008, more than 100 guests were part of an exciting discussion about the role that health promotion and worksite wellness programs play within the workplace — and the potential that such programs have on the direct and indirect costs associated with health and productivity.
“For the first time, leaders from the health insurance industry, hospital administrators, physicians, politicians and corporate leaders gathered to discuss the future of health care in the U.S.,” says Stephanie Cohen, owner of the health benefits company Golden & Cohen, who is hosting the 2008 DC Health Summit.
“My goal was to open a discussion about how increasing workplace wellness can impact health care costs,” she explains. “Although this is only one aspect of the debate on the future of health care, it is a start to what I hope will be a continuing dialog between policymakers, doctors, insurance companies, doctors and the business community. I hope every business leader and health care professional we invite has the opportunity to attend this important event.”
The keynote speaker was workplace wellness expert Dr. Steven Aldana, who talked about how corporate wellness programs can positively impact a company’s bottom line.
Following him was Barack Obama spokeswoman Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin Ph.D., who shared key points of the Obama / Biden health care plan with the audience.
The attention turned to an all-star health care panel including Virginia Senator George Barker, Kaiser Permanente’s Director of Population Care Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, Neurosurgeon Dr. James Melisi, the National Rehabilitation Hospital’s VP Dr. Paul Rao, Maryland’s former Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, and UnitedHealthcare COO Dr. Sanford Cohen.
The event was moderated by futurist Andy Hines, director of customer projects at the futurist research and consulting firm Social Technologies.
EMPLOYMENT CROSSING, Nov. 1, 2008 — “Know when — and how — to hire the right staff,” is a placed article by Alice Waagen, PhD, president of Workforce Learning. It appeared as the featured HR article on the website Employment Crossing, one of the leading job-opening research companies in the world and the go-to website for executives, administrators, managers, assistants and entry-level workers, providing access to thousands of lucrative job openings in the human resources field.
Alice’s article describes the three steps to hiring success: Know when it’s time, determine what type of help you need, and decide if you should go the full-time-employee or contractor route.
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MAIN LINE TIMES, November 1, 2008 — Main Line Today magazine named the Delaware Market House “Best Gourmet Meals To Go 2008” today, the 13th award for the Gladwyne, PA gourmet grocery store owned by chefs Kim and Edgar Alvarez. “We are really excited to have won this award,” says Chef Kim, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, who has been a chef at such 4-star restaurants as the Striped Bass. “We won it for the first time in 2006, and are so happy to have this beautiful plaque grace our counters again.”
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