As The Leaf Turns :: February 2004

February 2004

To us, of course, October is a special time. While yes, like many of you we do our budget stuff and attempt to plot out the year ahead to the best of our professional abilities, we also throw one hell of a party (at least that's what our guests tell us). Our fourth annual networking reception continued the tradition. Taking place at Maggiano's Little Italy, familiar faces and new acquaintances from the greater Denver and Colorado environs met, mingled, and swapped stories, with great food, wine and truly excellent Sinatra singer Danny Wein providing a fabulous backdrop, heavy on the atmosphere, baby. This year's party favor, an October Strategies-etched, amber-rimmed GIANT martini glass, not only captured the buzz but also inspired a couple of our guests to find them clever, utilitarian purpose: First, journalist and serial traveler Tom Kerver uses his the conventional way - as a drink vessel - and sent us this fine recipe for "a most hearty libation" (designed not to get one "snockered"):

Amateur Alchemist Kerver with his wife Nancy at the October reception.

Fill the glass to the brim with ice.
Put in two or three drops of dry vermouth.
Add gin or vodka according to preference. BUT, do not use premium stuff, as it is 94 proof. Instead, use a regular 80-proof product. You'll find that you need only about 3-4 oz. to get the liquid level just below the brim of the glass.
Let it sit for at least 15 min. (preferably longer) so the ice can begin to melt before you start drinking it.
Sip slowly. It took me nearly two hours to sip this one. By that time, all the ice had melted.

Former journalist and financial advisor Jeanie Stokes reports she used hers (along with the appropriate amount of fruit) as an autumnal dinner party centerpiece. Finally, Lela's mom, Marian Cocoros, offered up hers to her condo's reception area as a candy dish, but reported recently that it disappeared from the lobby sometime around the holidays. Hmm?Thanks again to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to make merry with us. We're already planning this year's event.

Pundit Paul Maxwell and The Cable Center's Susan Greene enjoy the autumnal sunset from the patio.

Lela, LaRae and Datria's party namesake Anthony Martini.

Cohorts' Warren Zeller and Encore International CEO Michelle Sie Whitten share stories.

Another favorite fall note comes from the annual "Running of the Wieners", a Daschund race put on by the Platt-Duetsche Society as part of its German Heritage Days in Grand Island, Nebraska. Not only was the event covered on the front page of the Grand Island Independent as its record-breaking 130 canine entrants posed for photos, the story made the Associated Press wire and ended up in the Fort Dodge, Iowa Messenger as well. Dogs competed in three divisions: Little Smokies (for those under 1 year old), Frankfurters (1 to 5 years old) and Senior Sausage (over 5 years old). A new feature this year - "The Running of the Big Dogs", a costumed foot race for the dog owners -- led hot-dog clad Ben Murphy to the finish line with a time of 7.22 seconds. Congrats to all who participated!

Publicity hounds for sure, the race was a surprisingly "pupular" news story

November was a blur of travel and work, work, work as the holiday season approached. On another trip to Tokyo we returned to Tokyo City, where on a previous trip we'd attempted to watch a "besi-baru" game of hometown pros, the Yomiuri Giants (ATLT #5). This time, however, given off-season status, we went there solely to check out the latest at a nearby toy and novelty store, emerging with some really cool plastic monsters. We also watched those braver than ourselves ride the giant, twisted roller coaster that is actually integrated into the design of a nearby building (Las Vegas take note!). Yikes. Evenings were more laid back. We had a chance to enjoy a nice dinner at the New York Grill at the Park Hyatt, now famous for being a major setting in the wonderful Bill Murray-Scarlett Johansen film, Lost in Translation.

The Tokyo City roller coaster - watching from the ground was just fine, thanks.

Speaking of being lost in translation, LaRae's grandmother Lydia came up with a doozy. Trying to explain to a neighbor what October Strategies does, Lydia combined her knowledge of our successful sock promotion last summer with our regular visits to clients in Japan, and concluded that we are selling socks to the Japanese. Go figure! The week following Japan, Lela hit the road again and headed to West Virginia by way of Chicago. Not checking her itinerary closely enough before leaving town, she discovered that she landed at Midway but had to connect through O'Hare. Luckily the layovers were generous and the CTA trains ran smoothly?but the "schlep" is not recommended.

Meanwhile back in Denver, LaRae hit the stage in a "Gidget"-meets-Harley Davidson stage show to parody the cable industry and raise a record-breaking $111,000 for Cable Positive, the cable industry's AIDS education and awareness group, "Beach Blanket Broadband" drew out the musical and comedic talents of several industry players, including: Dance Captain Rodney Veatch from iN DEMAND, Inspiration Network's Jim Dickson, Universal's Bridget Farley, co-chair Debbie Barackman, Time Warner's versatile Tom Feige, digital engineering guru Charlie Kennamer, Sam Klosterman, Kim Smith and the "better late than never" talents of Comcast Division President Brad Dusto and Adelphia's Cathy Fogler. LaRae even stayed in her leather biker garb well after the show!! The writing and timing talents of Erica Stull and Paul Braun put together another gem (complete with rhyming thank you notes to the cast), and October Strategies' personal thanks go out to Eagle Direct's Joel Susel for being a willing audience dance partner. Spotted in the crowd were Ron Cooper, Sue Hamilton and Michael Adams, along with Kent Gibbons, who came all the way from New York for the show. One side note: It's great that the cable industry still backs a forum like this to laugh at itself; we just wish that more people got the joke.

Of Bikers and Beach Babes -- song titles including "Watch Like a Man", "Wasting Away Again Here in Anaheim", and "Fun, Fun, Fun till Accountants Take the Budget Away" made the campy show a hit.

By the way, October Strategies raised $4,250.00 for Cable Positive through its wacky bobblehead project (ATLT #8). A tip of the (cowboy) hat to Paul Maxwell, our indomitable subject, and to Cable Positive's Steve Villano, Nancy Schadoff and Thomas Dima, who were extremely supportive in our efforts.

And talk about theatrics, much applause to community theater enthusiast Jim Honiotes of International Channel Networks. Whenever he's not expanding the diversity of multicultural cable programming, he's literally singing a different tune as part of the Main Street Players in Littleton, CO. The fall production, GI Jukebox, featured a variety of tunes from the 40's and 50's, and a particularly enjoyable rendition of the "Who's on First" comedy routine. Next up, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas - wonder what Jim will get to play in that one??!!!

Serenading the audience were (from left) Abby Apple, Jim Honiotes and Carol Gartner of Littleton's Main Street Players.

Grant and Jayden Marsik shake feathers with a triumphant Eagle mascot.

Leaving the theater scene behind, temperatures in Colorado were cold and icy, but that didn't stop the crowds from turning out for a recent Colorado Eagles game at the Budweiser Event Center in Larimer County, Colorado (an hour north of Denver). Part of the CHL (Central Hockey League), the Eagles play a near-NHL type game with a slightly different twist. It's less expensive for hockey fans to satiate their hunger for a live games, they actually have cheerleaders (yes, sports fans, the "Eagles' Chicks" come out and dance/gyrate at center ice between periods), and fans are encouraged to throw things on the ice for the chance to win money (the "Chuck a Puck" promotion was a hoot!). October Strategies visited thanks to great tickets from one of the team's investors, and will definitely return if given the chance - though we might be out of luck. The 5,300-seat arena is regularly sold out and, despite the lack of television or sports page coverage, the Eagles have a dedicated and enthusiastic fan base.

The week before Thanksgiving, work took us to a rainy New York for a week of meetings. A birthday barbecue dinner at Blue Smoke in Chelsea in honor of Lela's college chum, writer Bruce Bernstein, started things off with a savory bang. Also in attendance was communications consultant Liana Hawes, who has been working on some interesting community event projects around the city, such as concert series "Global Beat of the Boroughs: Colombia and Peru" and the Atlantic Avenue (Brooklyn) Tree Lighting, in addition to her regular high tech PR work. We also caught up with the Wall Street Journal's Eben Shapiro, who is flourishing in his gig as an editor of the Personal Journal section (a fun and informative read). Later in the week, Lela attended the Knicks-Lakers game in the NBA's suite at Madison Square Garden as a guest of brother Dion, a senior producer for NBA Entertainment (shameless plug: be sure to check out his latest show "Real Training Camp: Denver Nuggets" upcoming on TNT, originally seen on NBA TV). The Lakers won, by the way. LaRae, meanwhile, sought out a seat in Conan O'Brien's audience on a whim, hoping to see the ever-amazing Elvis Costello. Security guards informed the naive tourist that you had to be on line at 7:30 AM that morning for tickets, but she got a first hand look at Eliza Dushku (also a guest for that evening's show) and a desperate throng of autograph and photo groupies that bolted across the lobby when Dushku's car pulled up at an unexpected entrance. Two teenage boys in particular were loudly disappointed in not gaining the attention of the young starlet. Only in New York can an afternoon be passed in such a way. . .

The tasty Blue Smoke Urban Barbeque in New York

Attending the retirement party of Starz/Encore's Que Spaulding at the beautiful Laguna Beach manse of John and Anna Sie was indeed a treat. Not just because the house and grounds were spectacular (Architectural Digest, are you listening?), the food delicious and the hospitality impeccable, but because in honoring Que, a longtime television industry executive who guided lots of people to successful careers, the party brought together an array of friends, family and colleagues who shared stories and laughs and good wishes all around. Que's wife Pat gave the most touching speech of the evening. We wish Que and Pat the best as they gear up for life's next adventure.

The next evening in Anaheim, as the Western Cable Show came to its final conclusion, it was nostalgic and fun to see some familiar faces after a long time, among them Bob Greene, Jim Leach and CJ Hirshfield. And with the show's end also came another retirement. Our best wishes are extended to the California Cable Television Association's Spencer Kaitz and his wife Roberta as they step up their already extensive world travels. We'd love a post card or two along the way, guys?

A personal call from Santa goes a long way. . .

As the holidays come and go, we always appreciate the new ideas and options that pop up to mark the occasion, and 2003 was no different. Communications-focused as we are, an intriguing new concept that crossed our path is www.santa1on1.com. M.C. Antil, a former cable executive-cum-actor, writer and now legendary holiday icon is involved in bringing St. Nick a little closer to home by actually playing the Man in Red over the phone. Parents (or whoever else wishing to send the kiddies an official greeting) order up the service, and M.C.-as-Santa calls up at a designated time.

As far as holiday cards go, we were struck once again by the beautiful artwork of the cards that came from our Japanese clients. At least a half-dozen different ones, all snowy scenes with birds, flowers, Mt. Fuji, ancient architecture - the colors and the papers exquisite. And just as she's done for the past twentysomething years, Lynne Nordone amazed those of us lucky to be on her annual holiday ornament gift list. Each year a unique item - everything from a teddy bear on a sled, to an elf in a box, to a snowman on skis, to a festive holiday hat?and that's just scratching the surface. Lynne, not one to toot her own horn, should get the attention and appreciation she deserves for these handmade gems.

Late December saw us sticking close to home this year, though we did have the opportunity to get out to the Denver Press Club for a local Media Bistro event. Small world this is, as we ran into Bob Diddlebock, editor of a new publication called Transmit, the Denver Business Journal's Bruce Goldberg and Rob Stuehrk, an old friend from the publishing world who recently founded a new photography company called Agile Imaging. We looked, but didn't find, the two chairs at the club that bear the October Strategies name (DPC's "Chair-raising campaign was creative and cheap, and a fun way to get members to furnish the club with much-needed items"). We'll keep a lookout for sure. . .

Agile Imaging's Stuehrk shared some of his action photography work with us . . .
though he also shot the "action" at the Media Bistro event at the DPC.

Seen on the Street - Times must be tougher than we thought, though we definitely recognize economic ingenuity when we see it. A United Airlines reservation office in suburban Denver recently closed, and in its place is a new manicure and pedicure salon. Owner efficiency in evidence, the "United Nails" salon didn't even need to pay for a new sign - just rearrange a few letters and open for business. We wonder, any furloughed reservationists or flight attendants working there???!!!!

Need to Save on Branding? Choose a business name that fits the materials you have on hand. . .

And one final note - October Strategies would like to welcome Alana Watkins as our new Director of Media Relations. Formerly with Broadway Books in New York, Alana's publicity expertise and vast connections will come in handy both for clients and the company, and we look forward to working with her. As of this issue date, she's been on board for one week, though we're confident that her new adventures will contribute to these pages down the road.

CLOSE WINDOW