Archive for the ‘News’ Category
BRINGING NEW MEANING TO A FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR
BRINGING NEW MEANING TO A FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR
“Drink a beer, donate a dollar”
PHILADELPHIA, PA, MARCH 2, 2010 — Jenna Communications LLC, a Philadelphia based Public Relations and Special Events firm, has announced today a series of 12 First Friday events that start this week at The Raven Lounge. The ultra happy hours taking place on 17th & Sansom Streets kick off on March 5 from 6-9pm. Donations will be accepted at the door, and will go towards Nova Nation Project Haiti to help the victims of Haiti.
The Raven Lounge will host a different charity that supports a different cause every First Friday of every month. The goal is to promote local charities and to raise thousands of dollars for each one.
Owner, Jonathan Hunter, said “I want to work towards 52 weeks of helping 52 charities, and what better way than on a Friday night happy hour. We already have 12 charities locked down, and we want to expand that over time.”
Some of the 12 charities lined up include Nova Nation Project Haiti, Young Variety, Students Run Philly, Project H.O.M.E., SHARE Food Program, and ShareUrMeal.
The Raven Lounge has been featured in Philly.com, Yelp, Philly Weekly, and is known to be a celebrity favorite hangout when in town. Come dance and party for a good cause as DJ Ronnie D spins Philly’s hottest music! You don’t want to miss this!
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Media Contacts
Jennifer Sherlock
Wharton MBA Venture Capital Winners Choose PlaySay Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wharton MBA Venture Capital Winners Choose PlaySay Inc.
“$1 million mock investment with a $2.5 million post-money company valuation”
PHILADELPHIA, PA, February 2, 2010 — Judged by four esteemed venture capital investors from NY and PA, the investment team which won the 2010 Annual Wharton Sustainable Venture Capital Investment Competition chose to invest $1 million in PlaySay Inc. with their mock investment fund with a $2.5 million post-money company valuation.
PlaySay Inc. was one of four companies selected to present in the prestigious annual competition at Wharton on January 29th, 2010. According to Alexander Perevalov, Director of the Wharton MBA Venture Capital Club, 25% of companies who participate in the competition receive venture capital funding within a year of the competition.
The winning investment team of the annual Wharton Sustainable Venture Capital Investment Competition will move on to participate in the national annual Sustainable Venture Investment Capital Competition. The winning investment team this year at Wharton impressed the real venture capital investment judges with their overall performance and choice of investing in PlaySay Inc. with their mock investment fund.
The Wharton Journal: The competition is a whirlwind of activity, forcing students to make thoughtful investment decisions in a 24-hour span. Teams play the role of venture capitalists, evaluating business ideas using a triple bottom line of financial profitability, environmental integrity, and social equity to determine whom to support. They interview the entrepreneurs, asking tough questions under the watchful eye of VC judges who assess team dynamics, insight into the financials as well as the rapport with entrepreneurs. Then, the real work begins – developing an investment framework, writing a term sheet, and creating a PowerPoint presentation to share their vision for these companies.
Founder of PlaySay, Ryan Meinzer is ecstatic with his two latest accomplishments including winning 3rd place in last week’s 3rd Annual DEMO Night. “MoMo is truly spearheading the mobile technology movement. I was very honored to be selected as a winning presenter in their sold-out DEMO event, and am forever grateful for the investment traction in PlaySay which has followed,” said Meinzer.
“The caliber of applications for our 3rd Annual DEMO Night was exceptionally high,” said Lisa Allen, Mobile Monday Mid-Atlantic Board Director. “PlaySay stood out from the crowd thanks to its simple yet innovative application and polished presentation performance, earning a well deserved commendation in live voting on the night.”
About PlaySay Inc.
PlaySay empowers busy people to extract value from any idle minute with the most practical language learning on the go. The company was launched in 2008, and is fully sustainable. It was initially funded by a PayPal Japan Executive, and has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Tokyo Metropolis. PlaySay has 10+ million free products in use by 4,000+ users with 3,000+ products sold to date, and is currently seeking funding to continue its sustainable and profitable expansion (invest@playsay.com).
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Media Contacts
Jennifer Sherlock, 609-369-3482, jsherlock@jennacommunications.com
Double your shot at love & money
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Find LOVE in the New Year ~~ Just in time for Valentine’s Day!
“Double your shot at love & money”
PHILADELPHIA, PA, February 2, 2010 — Jenna Communications LLC, a Philadelphia based Public Relations and Special Events firm has announced today its second Laid Off Looking for Love event on Thursday, February 4 at Public House located on 1801 Arch Street. The popular event took on the Delaware Valley in September, and Manhattan in October, and it’s back just in time for you to find a date this Valentine’s Day.
If you are laid-off, bored with your job, or love the job that you have, spice up your life with Philly’s sexiest singles! This time the charity-dating auction is two hours long at people’s requests!
Come out and bid for a date with a hot new someone! Dozens of sexy singles will be auctioned off by CELEBRITY EMCEES like WMMR’s Marissa Magnatta, and Miss New Jersey 2010 Chenoa Greene.
For those who are unemployed, PhillyJobFest.com is sponsoring the event and will be on site to help those looking for work find that job they’ll love!
There’s no charge at the door, and every attendee will be given one free drink ticket.
There will be career networking from 7-8, and the dating auction starts promptly at 8 and runs until 10pm. A portion of the proceeds goes to Nova Nation Project Haiti. It’s a charity relief program set up by Villanova University for the earthquake victims from Haiti.
Event organizer Jennifer Sherlock says her goal is to scale these events nationally one city at a time. “Unemployed or not, people will always be in need of finding jobs. Plus, my events also give you a shot at finding love,” said Sherlock. “You never know who you’ll meet, so don’t knock it until you see what it’s all about!”
Comcast Dating On Demand will also be at the venue shooting dating profiles for an upcoming show. Laid Off Looking for Love has been featured on CBS 3, and KYW Newsradio 1060.
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Media Contacts
Jennifer Sherlock609-369-3482, jsherlock@jennacommunications.com
Laid Off Looking for Love Bio Details
Please send these details to jsherlock@jennacommunications.com
if you're interested in participating!
- Name
- Age if you choose
- Sign if you choose
- What you do or did for a living
- Perfect date
- Something fun you want people to know about you
PlaySay Inc. Transforming the World of Language
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PlaySay Inc. Transforming the World of Language
“Learn to speak your dream language anytime and anywhere.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA, January 26, 2010 — PlaySay.com, the popular language learning software company inspired by PlaySay Inc. announced today that its 4,000+ users worldwide may become much bigger in a flash. This week at the 350+ attendee sold-out Mobile Monday Mid-Atlantic DEMO Night, PlaySay won third place out of ”…10 of the most exciting mobile-related firms in the region,” initially selected by the global MoMo organization. At the venue, PlaySay officially released its popular platform to be private labeled by high school and university language departments as well as language textbook publishers. On Friday, January 29 it will be showcased as one of four presentations selected in the Wharton Sustainable Venture Capital Investment Competition.
PlaySay empowers busy people to learn their dream language on the go by using their iPod, cell phone, PDA, or any mobile device. The company has served more than ten million digital flashcard files to 4,000+ users, and offers products to learn Japanese, learn Chinese, and to learn Spanish, with many more languages to come.
Philadelphia resident, Ryan Meinzer is the founder of PlaySay. He says he needed to learn Japanese fast, but had hardly any free time. “I wanted to learn Japanese in the many sporadic idle minutes of my day, one word at a time, one minute at a time,” says Meinzer, “…and I didn’t have the $300 for those attractive yellow Rosetta Stone boxes.” Two years later, and two years more proficient in Japanese, Meinzer now runs his own language learning software company. “PlaySay empowers busy people to extract value from any idle minute with the most practical language learning on the go,” says Meinzer.
Through its private beta, many language departments of major universities across the United States have been rapidly integrating the products into their curriculums for students. With the ability to trash their paper flashcards, students are raving about PlaySay.com: “I have been searching for what you have done for years. This is great!” says a PlaySayer from France.
Meinzer doesn’t deny that competitor, Rosetta Stone’s language learning method is superior to PlaySay.com’s. He simply argues that practicality is lost due to the intimidating amount of discipline, time, and money needed for Rosetta Stone. “We’re The Betta Rosetta! The majority of people buying the pricey yellow Rosetta Stone boxes end up allowing them to collect dust after a few weeks, just as those pricey exercise machines they purchased for a New Year’s Resolution,” says Meinzer.
About PlaySay Inc.
PlaySay was launched in 2008, and is fully sustainable. It was initially funded by a PayPal Japan Executive, and has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Tokyo Metropolis. PlaySay has 10+ million free products in use by 4,000+ users with 3,000+ products sold to date, and is currently seeking funding to continue its sustainable and profitable expansion.
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Media Contacts
Jennifer Sherlock/609-369-3482/jsherlock@jennacommunications.com
PR Tip of the Week- Newsworthiness
In my public relations class this past semester, we talked a lot about writing news releases and in particular, what makes a story newsworthy. Here are six important qualities that make a story newsworthy:
- Oddity
- Conflict
- Known Principle
- Impact
- Proximity
- Human Interest
When writing a news release, we want to make sure many outlets are interested in our story, because this will lead to publicity. If a news release includes one of the six qualities, we can ensure our story is newsworthy.
Oddity refers to something unusual that occurs; something that doesn’t happen everyday.
An example of conflict in the news is the debate over stem cell research, or the recent debates over a health care reformation. When there is a conflict, we can guarantee that it will be all over the news.
An example of known principle is the president. His every move is newsworthy.
Impact refers to something that impacts many people, the community, or the nation. An example of this is the economy.
Proximity refers to local news. Because self-interest is often high, if you can find a local angle in your story, it will make news.
An example of the human-interest component is ‘cute, nice, light-hearted stories’. If someone overcomes a controversy, or turns something negative into positive, the public will be interested.
*The most important news value is where you will distribute your release. It is crucial to know your audience and which media outlets meet the needs of your target audience.
PR Tip of the Week: Facebook fan vs. group pages
So I’ve been meaning to blog about PR tips for months, and on this snowy December day I am FINALLY doing it. I usually make everything I want to do happen..sometimes it just takes me a little longer to get started. So here I am, and here’s my useful PR tip of the week: “How using both Facebook group and fan pages can help you spread the word.” I’ve been asked by two of my clients, Philly2Philly.com & Lifepages.com in the past week about the difference between the two, and decided that there’s no better time than now to explain to you how they both can help in the social media world. Yes, that’s right- don’t use one over the other. Both can help you get what you want in terms of outreach to the relevant group you’re trying to target. Facebook fan pages are the most popular right now because they work just like your own wall in terms of when you update your status it goes in everyone’s news feeds. That’s a benefit because you can get all of your “fans” to see your latest news. Also, when you create your fan page, you can set the page to automatically tweet your updates on your twitter account. That’s a double benefit for you and your message. The more followers that follow you = the more people who will see your news! I also recommend uploading your company’s logo or photo of what you’re promoting within the fan page itself. A catchy image can get you far. Remember the old saying that a picture is worth a 1000 words!
Now for all of you active facebookers, you should now know what a group page is.. or at least have heard of them, or joined groups yourself. My clients have asked me if they should get rid of their group pages, and I tell them NO! Group pages are good to directly send your followers a message to their inbox. You can’t do that with fan pages. Fan pages just send updates to their members that users never really click on in my opinion. SO that is the main reason why I suggest that you have and keep both a group & fan page. Both are important to target your followers.
So in a nutshell, the main difference is that a group page allows you to send your followers direct messages while the fan page allows you to post updates that your followers will receive in their news feeds.
Please check out this useful list from TheCommsCorner for all of your social media/PR needs:
My picks for the 99 most useful Social Media (and PR) Blog posts of 2009
http://thecommscorner.blogspot.com/2009/12/99-most-useful-social-media-pr-posts-of.html
If you have any questions please email me at jsherlock@jennacommunications.com.
McFadden's at the Ballpark goes **Hollywood** for NY's EVE
Jenna Comunications presents McFadden’s Ballpark goes Hollywood. Party like a **ROCKSTAR** this New Year’s Eve!!
Get your tickets now! There is a limited number of tickets for sale for this intimate upscale event. Come party with us as we transform McFadden’s into a red carpet, VIP, celebrity style event.
Go to Hollywood without paying the price.
http://mcfaddenshollywoodnye.eventbrite.com/
Join us as we take over the ballpark:
*5 hour open bar
*Buffet + carving stations
*DJ’s spinning house, hip hop, mash-ups and more
*Celebrity look-a-likes
*Free parking
*Party favors
*Champaign toast at Midnight
*Professional coat check services
*Stunning décor
We’re bringing Hollywood with Philly’s sexiest crowd, so dress to impress!
We’re offering a limited number of specially priced advance tickets for $100 until December 25th.
General Admission tickets include:
General Admission tickets will be sold, and they are going fast! Buy now to get the Early Bird Discount rate of $100, which will only be available until December 25th.
Purchase your tickets early and save money; prices increase as New Year’s Eve approaches and this event WILL sell out.
Visit www.mcfaddensballpark.com or call 215.952.0300 for more details
*Jacket or Tie Required
Discounted rooms available at the Holiday Inn!
The Holiday Inn Stadium has offered a special room rate for the guest of Mcfadden’s on New Year’s Eve.
You can book your rooms by calling Tara Salerno @ (215)218-1432
Be sure to mention Mcfadden’s to receive the discounted rate of $119.00+ taxes
FirstGlance Film Festival in Philadelphia
By Jen Sherlock at 12:41 pm on Sunday November 8, 2009
The 12th annual FirstGlance Independent Film Festival kicked off on Thursday, October 22nd and ran through Sunday, October 25th in The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The event took place at Franklin Theater and debuted more than 34 projects, and an online short film competition. It was the first of its kind to put Philly on the map with lots of local talent, special invited guests like former Philadelphia Eagles player Vince Papale, and after parties every night.
Philadelphia producer/director Steve Kwasnik says that the new theatre location is the perfect place for the event. “This is the first year Bill Ostroff (Executive Director of the festival) was able to secure the Franklin Theatre,” says Kwasnik. On past years it was held at the Adrienne Theatre on Sansom Street and other spots. With the addition of the new venue, I am sure the number of attendees will grow each year if they continue to hold the festival there.”
I had the pleasure of attending the opening night screening that featured a variety of short films plus the feature “Dark Room Theater” starring David Stanford about ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary supernatural situations directed by Philly native Benjamin Pollack. Pollack told me the film is “Twilight zone meets Scooby-Doo with a comic twist.”
On Friday Night, there were short films and the Philadelphia Premiere of the feature “Chasing the White Dragon,” starring Ryan Kennedy and Amanda Ward. The film is about six small town meth addicts by local writer/director Kathilynn Phillips. Following the Friday night screening was a spotlight screening of “Ice Grill USA,” a vivid examination of the pursuit of the American Dream set in the multicultural landscape of Atlantic City. The film was directed by locals Greg Santarsiero and Mark Bernardi.
“Ice Grill, USA is sharp and edgy drama,” notes Kwasnik. “Augie Logan, portrayed by Connor Fox, gives a very strong and understated performance. The film displays the paradox of Atlantic City, a town known for opulence and wealth as well as its poverty and crime. Santarsiero and Bernardi pulled off some amazing scenes that most low-budget independent filmmakers would never even attempt, most notably shooting in actual casinos! The film will also keep you interested by the use of several sub-plots and story lines with stand-out performances from co-stars Denise Ramirez and Michael Angleo Ortiz.”
Saturday’s matinee screening featured the documentary “The Color Bearers,” directed by local filmmakers John Foley and Steve Newbert about the personal stories revealing the meaning of the American flag and patriotism from 1776 thru the 21st century as told by average Americans. The event was hosted by former Philadelphia Eagle Vince Papale.
On Sunday October 25th, Rob Stuart and Tara Nurin , both local directors screened their documentary, “Free the River Park,” the story of citizens’ fighting for the Schuylkill River Park featuring Mayor Michael Nutter.
And finally to close off the weekend, the last feature film “How I Got Lost” by Joe Leonard starring Aaron Stanford, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Nicole Vicius debuted. The storyline is centered around a reckless young banker who convinces his broken-hearted best friend to leave New York with him after 9/11 to look for the things they’ve lost. The friends discover that sometimes you have to get lost to figure out where you are going.
All in all, the Indy film weekend in Philly gave us one more reason to be proud of where we are from.
Laid Off Looking for Love Philly Recap
On September 24, 2009 LOLFL kicked off its tour in Public House Philadelphia. The night was a great success as many sexy singles came together to enjoy a night of dancing and mingling, followed by a date auction.
Public House is a premier restaurant and bar in Philly, NYC and Delaware, with a casual yet sophisticated nightlife. From the moment I walked into the bar, I could feel the energy. Everyone was networking, and it was a very casual yet professional environment to find a potential job. I spoke with people who were both employed and unemployed, and they all agreed that the event was a great way to meet professionals and find jobs.
The event was also a great way to find love, or at least a date. With so many attractive and successful men and women, everyone was bound to find someone. By the time the date auction began, most people knew who they were interested in bidding on. Erica Grow, meteorologist from ABC 6, emceed the auction. We learned fun facts about the auctionees, such as their idea of a perfect date and something interesting that not everyone knows about them. Some of the auctionees were bought for as much as $500!
The night ended with networking and socializing, as everyone was happy with whom they met!
