Toberman Neighborhood Center Engages Bob Gold & Associates to Promote Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Award Gala

February 25, 2015 Chris Huppertz
Southern California Public Relations Agency Retained by One of Los Angeles’ Oldest Community Nonprofits Toberman Neighborhood Center, one of the oldest community nonprofits in Los Angeles, announced today it has selected Bob Gold...

Sunverge Achieves Key Energy Storage Milestone

February 20, 2015 Chris Huppertz
  Leading Supplier of Distributed Energy Storage Solutions Surpasses 4MWh of Installed Capacity Sunverge Energy today announced it has reached a milestone in system deployments, having surpassed 4MWh of energy storage capacity installed and under management. Introduced in 2011, sales and deployments of Sunverge’s Solar Integrated System (SIS) have grown exponentially due to widespread interest from utilities for solutions to enable more effective grid management in the face of growing penetrations of renewables. “We are pleased to have hit this milestone as quickly as we have,” said Ken Munson, Sunverge CEO. “We are also proud of the success we’ve had to date with utilities and energy consumers. Over a dozen utilities are using our platform and over 300 consumers are enjoying more reliable, cost-effective power delivered from our systems. Recent deployments with utilities in Australia and Oklahoma and strong performance from existing projects in California and New Zealand continue to validate our business model of providing customer-sited solar and storage for the benefit of both the grid and the energy consumer. Individual system availabilities across our fleet are greater than 98% with aggregated system availabilities closer to 100%. We are the only company doing what we do and the market is recognizing this and responding.” Sunverge’s SIS is an integrated energy storage platform which combines solar inputs, best-in-class power electronics, Li-Ion storage and proprietary, cloud-based software controls and analytics into a UL-certified appliance suitable for use as a grid asset. The system enables utilities to aggregate and orchestrate storage assets located on the demand side of the meter into a virtual power plant that can be controlled as a single resource. The resulting capabilities, services such as voltage management, solar smoothing, and demand reduction, help utilities drive down the costs and complexities of managing the grid while safely and reliably mitigating impacts of high penetrations of renewables. “Simultaneously serving the needs of both the utility and the energy consumer is a key differentiator of the Sunverge platform,” added Munson. “Utilities who understand the benefits which solar and storage can provide are looking for solutions now. Our platform offers them a competitive advantage, one that enables new services and revenue streams and helps utilities make the jump from electricity provider to energy services provider. We’re actively engaged with these utilities to finance, deploy and operate our products at scale.  For energy consumers, benefits come in the form of more reliable, cost-effective energy – customers with SIS units are saving an average of 61% on their electricity bills – and greater customer choice over where and how renewable energy is used. With value streams like these, we expect our exponential growth will continue.”

Deluxe Announces Barry Cottle to Join Company as vice-Chairman, Technology

February 19, 2015 Chris Huppertz
Cottle Will Also Serve As Senior Vice President for Technology at MacAndrews & Forbes Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. today announced that Barry Cottle has joined the company as its vice-chairman, technology. Cottle will also serve as senior vice president for technology at MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated. Deluxe is a wholly owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes. Prior to joining Deluxe, Cottle was chief revenue officer at Zynga, a provider of social game services, and was also responsible for corporate development and the Social, Mobile and Real Money Casino division. “We are so pleased to welcome Barry to the Deluxe and MacAndrews & Forbes teams. Barry has spent his career building successful businesses that leverage technology and innovative distribution networks to create compelling products and services,” said Paul Meister, president, MacAndrews & Forbes. In his role as vice-chairman, technology at Deluxe, Cottle will focus on driving the organization’s relationships with existing and future clients, expanding media partnerships across the entertainment industry, and advancing Deluxe’s position in virtual reality, gaming and other digital services ventures.  For MacAndrews & Forbes, Cottle will help develop technology strategies and drive digital innovation across the portfolio companies, including Deluxe, where synergies can be created. Prior to joining Zynga, Cottle was with Electronic Arts (EA), a developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games where he was executive vice president of EA Interactive and led the company’s operations in social, mobile and online gaming.  Prior to joining EA, he was the chief executive officer of Quickoffice, a developer of mobile business software applications and content rendering technology. Cottle has also held senior executive positions at Palm Computing Inc. and The Walt Disney Company.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Projecting Intelligence

February 17, 2015 Chris Huppertz
By Christopher D. Huppertz Whether in the professional world or personal, we all want to look smart – right? I can’t think of a time when looking unintelligent has benefited me. While we all typically want to be perceived as bright by our peers, the unfortunate truth is that many of the things we try to do to look intelligent often come back around to bite us in the butt. In reality many things people do actually make them look dumb. So in a world where you only have 7 seconds to make your first impression, what can you do to really look smart? Thanks to a few studies performed over the past few years, we now know the answer. What Doesn’t Work When trying to project intelligence, one commonly made mistake is using embellished or pretentious language, whether it’s spoken or written. In many cases this can interfere with the other’s ability to communicate with you, especially when you’re not using the word correctly. Similarly, people who talk too much or too loudly are traits commonly interpreted by onlookers as a sign of insecurity or low self-esteem. This also includes moving too quickly, or making frantic movements and gestures. What Does Work One of the simplest things found to project intelligence is looking directly at others while speaking and listening. In addition, subtle gestures such as nodding are seen as being engaged in the conversation. Another trait seen to project intelligence is remaining calm, confident and relaxed throughout the conversation. This includes having a self-assured expression rather than straight faced, and keeping a pleasant but expressive voice. There are also some stereotypical traits which you may be surprised to hear actually influence one’s perception of intelligence. The classic example of wearing glasses, for example, can lead a stranger to regard you as more intelligent. Similarly, using a middle initial in your name can have the same effect.

Deluxe Signs Innovative Multimillion-Dollar Services Agreement with Sony Pictures

February 2, 2015 Chris Huppertz
Deal Leverages Deluxe’s Renowned Global Infrastructure and Talent Roster Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. today announced that it finalized an agreement with Sony Pictures Digital Productions Inc. (“SPDP”) under which Deluxe will bring its unmatched expertise and state of the art technology to Sony Pictures. Deluxe, which has been a leader for decades in media and entertainment services for film, video and online content, continues to expand the depth and reach of its exceptional artistry and digital capabilities. Through Deluxe’s relationship with Sony Pictures, the facility will offer state-of-the-art color grading, mastering, restoration and related services for film and TV projects by studios, networks, independent producers and filmmakers worldwide. “This agreement is a milestone in our strategic efforts to link our industry-leading artisans arm in arm with world-class content creators,” Deluxe CEO David Kassler said. “This is yet another example of progress in our relentless pursuit of excellence for our key customers,” added Deluxe Vice Chairman Cyril Drabinsky. As part of the transaction, Deluxe acquired certain assets from Colorworks Inc.  Deluxe will operate from a 14,000-square-foot facility, which includes one of the industry’s leading 4K pipelines. The facility is housed in the studio's Stage 6 and features real-time, 4K processing in a full-digital workflow for top filmmakers from across the industry.
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