Headline News - page 19

THE PLAYFUL MOXY SEATTLE DOWNTOWN OPENS, TURNING THE TRADITIONAL HOTEL EXPERIENCE UPSIDE DOWN
In Collaboration With Stonebridge Properties, Marriott International Brings First Moxy Hotel to the West Coast

SEATTLE, Wash. — February 21, 2018 — With a West Coast debut that’s as provocative and bold as its name, Moxy Seattle Downtown’s opening today represents a disruptive shift in the future of the city’s hotel industry. Located at 1016 Republican Street, in the heart of downtown Seattle’s hottest neighborhood, South Lake Union, the property welcomes Fun Hunters with a spirited hotel experience unlike any other.

“At Moxy, we believe in the transformative power of play, and we’re excited to bring this vibrant concept to downtown Seattle as we invite our guests to come play with us,” said Vicki Poulos, Senior Global Brand Director, Moxy Hotels.

Colorado-based Stonebridge Companies is the developer and property manager behind this latest addition to Marriott International’s experiential brand that debuted in 2014 with the opening of Moxy Milan. Boasting 146 rooms spread over eight floors with flexible event space in the lobby, the opening of Moxy Seattle brings to the city a fun and stylish hotel for both locals and visitors alike.

Jerry Stotler is the Captain at the helm of Moxy Seattle Downtown, the brand’s twist on the general manager position. “At Moxy Seattle Downtown, we are focused on providing our guests with more than a place to crash,” said Stotler. “Moxy doesn’t take life too seriously and is a perfect spot for both visitors to the city and locals to hang out, meet new friends and have some fun!”

Designed by Ankrom Moison Architects, The Society and Deacon Construction, the ‘always-on’ vibe is brought to life by a diverse mix of daily, weekly and monthly activities, such as weekly trivia game nights for spontaneous locals and travelers alike, including “Celebrity” Trivia Night, a spirited Q&A hosted by the best “celebrity” Drag Queens in town. Moxy’s vibrant lobby is built for 24/7 socializing, including a 24-hour self-service grab-and-go bar counter and open plug-and-meet business areas complete with writable walls and 56-inch projection-ready televisions. Moxy Seattle Downtown is home to the city’s first hotel with a “teeter totter” in its lobby entrance, as well as a high-octane pink punching bag located in the 24-hour fitness center. From mobile check-in and keyless entry access, to furiously fast Wi-Fi and under bed motion sensor lighting, guests can expect a tech-forward experience from start to finish.

“We are proud to be part of this exciting collaboration with Marriott International, delivering our trademark Distinguished Hospitality™ experience to guests and locals through the innovative and playful design lens of Moxy,” said Navin Dimond, CEO and founder of Stonebridge Companies.

Moxy is a fun, experiential brand that combines stylish design and approachable service at an affordable price that’s easy to digest. The Moxy experience begins as guests check-in at the bar, instead of a traditional front desk, where they are greeted with a complimentary ‘Got Moxy’ cocktail along with their room key. The cozy bedrooms, ranging from 195 to 205 square-feet at Moxy Seattle Downtown, feature a new open storage concept via the brand’s signature peg wall for hanging clothes and jackets instead of a closet, giving guests ultimate flexibility. Bedrooms include a king size bed, 55-inch wall-hung flat-screen TVs, bathrooms with double rain showers, and more.

This is the 23rd Moxy Hotel to open globally and the sixth Moxy Hotel in the United States. In 2018 Moxy Hotels is expected to open in Chicago, Washington DC, Memphis, Atlanta, Munich, and more.

For additional information visit www.moxyhotels.com or http://moxyseattle.com/our-hotel/.

– T.F.G

Aaron Harberts is one half of the powerhouse Berg and Harberts duo of the Hollywood writing/producing fame, with over 32 creative credits to their names jointly. As interesting a story as the duo’s friendship is, both add something individually to the equation not through their similarities but their differences. Aaron Harberts, the Iowa farm boy turned entertainment revolutionary, has a lot of story to tell aside from being half of a successful creative team.

Background

Aaron Harberts was born in Iowa on January 20^th, 1973. Harberts was raised primarily in Iowa but also spent much of his childhood with family in Florida and Indiana.

While listening to his father, a Presbyterian minister, every Sunday, Harberts would sit and craft stories of his own, later put onto paper. His father’s profession would later become the inspiration for his own career and the company name, Two Presbyterians.

Aaron Harberts has been writing for television and film professionally since 1995, when he moved to Los Angeles post-graduation from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Media Studies.

Moving to LA

After having housing fell through while making the move from Chicago to Los Angeles, Harberts found himself living with his collegiate friend, Gretchen Berg, on whose student film he worked as a production assistant at the end of his first year (which was her final year).

While living together, the two started conferring professionally and Gretchen asked him to be her writing partner to get through her current writing block with a difficult project.

While living hand-to-mouth with low-paying PA gigs around town, they were also attempting to break into the difficult business of television/film through well-placed contacts. When not working, they watched countless television shows and movies for research, finding what worked and what didn’t and how they could make those elements their own.

90210 Show and Beyond

Through their toil, they were able to finely-tune and hone their creative craft to perfection. Their first big “break” came partly from hours worked but also from serendipity when an agent found one of their screenplays coincidentally and sent it on to a television executive. From there, the agent offered the two writing positions on the hit-TV show Beverly Hills 90210.

From their time on 90210, they made themselves go-to hires by penning the now-iconic episode where Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) re-emerges and reintegrates into the all-star cast. Within the writing staff, Harberts rose quickly from staff writer to executive story editor with Berg.

After writing the screenplay, Valentine, Berg and Harberts went back to their roots in television. Roswell, the short-lived “cult” favorite show, was their next big project, earning themselves a spot in infamy among science fiction fans and paving the way for other supernaturally bent drama shows.

His writing and production credits with Berg over the last 20 years has grown exponentially, to include hit shows such as Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies, Pepper Dennis (co-created with Berg), Mercy, Revenge, Reign, and most recently, Star Trek: Discovery.

Personal with Aaron Harberts

While writing and producing, Harberts, an openly gay man, makes sure to incorporate LGBT characters into his writing, earning him acclaim from the LGBT community for his innovative storytelling.

His revolutionary creative method was not making gay/lesbian characters ancillary to main characters but rather giving them stories all their own. One can witness this special, original touch in his most recent project, Star Trek: Discovery, a show he and Berg were show runners on, at the behest of their friend and colleague of Pushing Daisies, Bryan Fuller.

Fuller, Harberts explains to Advocate, was not looking for “Trekkies” (hard-core fans of the Star Trek series) but rather writers with a penchant for character development, which Berg and Harberts both had in spades.

Fuller, the first openly gay showrunner in Star Trek history (Harberts is the second), knew Harberts would give Star Trek: Discovery the professional and personal touch it deserved, particularly for the two openly gay characters on the show, Stamets and Culber. And Harberts delivered on that promise, mirroring much of Stamets and Culber’s relationship after his own real-life marriage to his husband, Scott.

Berg and Harberts continue to write, produce, and create in their base location of LA, bringing to life characters who are deep, thought-provoking, innovative, and fresh.

According to Twitter, Aaron Harberts currently resides in LA with Scott and their cat and enjoys fine dining, poetry, art, film history, championing LGBT causes, and, of course, writing. On July 10th 2019, Harberts announced on his Twitter that he was excited about joining and working on the new show Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist on NBC.

It takes intelligence, wit, class, and sheer determination to rise in the male-dominated ranks of the world of political news. The women who are able to work twice as hard to break into this long-held boy’s club are formidable journalists, talented in their field, and an inspiration to aspiring news personalities across the globe.

Fox News commentator, author, political analyst, foreign affairs powerhouse – Monica Crowley has broken barriers as one of the top political personalities in the United States. How exactly did Crowley rise to power and become one of the most talented political commentators on network television? The story of Monica Crowley is one of hard work, grit, and the success that comes when you fight relentlessly for your dreams. Don’t forget to read more on her biography page on the Emerald City Journal.

Crowley’s Early Life and Education

Crowley was born on September 19^th, 1968, into a military family on the Fort Huachuca Base just outside of Sierra Vista, Arizona. She grew up in Warren Township, New Jersey, where she nurtured an early interest in the field of politics. Her family was apolitical while she was a child, and she developed strong conservative views, bereft of outside influence. From the beginning, Monica Crowley was an independent and free thinker.

Crowley’s political aspirations followed her long after she departed Warren Township for Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. At Colgate, Crowley delved headfirst into the world of politics, earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science upon her graduation. After departing Colgate, Crowley obtained a Master of Arts and PhD in International Relations from the prestigious Columbia University in New York City.

As an undergraduate student at Colgate, Crowley sparked her political interests by engaging in correspondence with former President Richard Nixon. As an aspiring and ambitious young Republican, President Nixon saw promise in young Crowley and hired her as a research assistant in 1990, at only 22 years of age.

First Days in the News World

While working for President Nixon, Crowley sharpened her skills as a writer, editor, and media personality. She served as his Foreign Policy assistant and the editorial adviser and consultant for his last two books. Following Nixon’s death in 1994, Crowley published two books on her mentor: Nixon Off the Record: His Candid Commentary on People and Politics and Nixon in Winter. A synopsis with her was provided on Colgate.

By the mid-1990s, Crowley had already published columns and articles in esteemed publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Baltimore Sun, The New Yorker, The Washington Times, and The Los Angeles Times. Her first regular column in a nationally acclaimed paper ran in The New York Post and began her career as a commentator on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition.

Crowley’s Big Break

In 1996, Monica Crowley got the opportunity of a lifetime. She had already drawn attention for her formidable work with President Nixon as his prolific young protégé, and her columns were receiving national attention from the wider conservative public. In 1996, Crowley met with an opportunity that any young journalist would fight for: a political commentator position for an up and coming national news network known as Fox News.

Crowley joined the Fox News Channel as a foreign affairs and political analyst, a position in which she served until 2017. During the beginning of her career, she also filled in for high-ranking personality Sean Hannity on his own show. Crowley’s work on Fox News garnered a national following and dedicated fanbase, broadcasting her expert analysis to millions across the country.

In 2002, Crowley received an offer for her own radio show, The Monica Crowley Show, a popular podcast that is still on the air, sixteen years and counting. Crowley also got offers for multiple positions on popular news networks and daytime shows, including MSNBC’s Connected: Coast to Coast, Imus in the Morning, The McLaughlin Group, and The Five.

Monica Crowley Today

Following her rise to power on the Fox News Network, Crowley has appeared on multiple radio shows and television networks. She co-hosted the MSNBC television show Connected: Coast to Coast with Ron Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan. In addition, Crowley appeared as a recurring guest on the radio show Imus in the Morning and hosted MSNBC’s partner broadcast, The Best of Imus in the Morning.

She has served as a guest host for Bill O’Reilly’s television show The O’Reilly Factor and on his podcast. Crowley also appears as a guest host on Fox’s opinion show The Five. In addition, she played herself on Netflix’s award-winning television show House of Cards.

Today, Crowley is an esteemed writer, journalist, radio host, and political commentator. She left Fox News in 2017 and currently writes columns for publications such as The Hill, The Washington Times, and London Center. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, remaining active in the political world. In addition, Crowley is a part-time consultant with the firm of Douglas Schoen (Photo Instagram). She lectures at Yale, Columbia, Emory, Rutgers, and MIT.

Monica Crowley rose through the ranks of the male-dominated news world, making a name for herself due to her tenacity and expert political analysis. It’s no wonder that Monica Crowley is an inspiration to aspiring journalists everywhere.

Vincent Cirrincione’s Life and Impact: From Modest Beginnings to Entertainment Icon

Vincent Cirrincione is an American producer and talent manager best known for his discovery of now-famous names such as Oscar award winner Halle Berry and Empire starlet Taraji Henson. This media mogul, however, came from humble beginnings.

Early Life

Born in Brooklyn, New York on May 31^st, 1947, Vincent Cirrincione was raised by his two Italian grandparents. Much of his early life, he lived in his family’s row house on Avenue U in Marine Park. His grandparents, grocery store owners, had a profound impact on young Vincent and instilled in him a love of work and a thirst to succeed in life.

Vince remembers fondly a time in his youth, working part-time at his grandparents’ grocery store, when he would sneak into Ebbets Field with his friends because they were unable to afford tickets.

To make money to afford a ticket, he started selling Christmas trees during the holidays and realized if he faced the best side of the tree toward customers they would be more prone to buy it. He knew, from this experience, he was “a born salesman.”.

Throughout his childhood, Vincent dreamed of one day becoming a talent scout and agent for big-name entertainment acts in Hollywood.

Vietnam War Era and Employment

By the time Vincent graduated high school, the Vietnam War had already begun. Vincent was his mother’s caregiver at the time and so he was able to defer being drafted immediately. Eventually, as he recalls, he “gave up” and entered the draft anyway but, fortunately, he was not called up for service.

When Vincent found a real job, he started from the bottom as a “back room” worker of the investment firm, White, Weld & Co. on Wall Street. He gained valuable on-the-job insight from his time there, learning about stock trading well before computers traded stocks and bonds.

While staying at a friend’s house in White Lake, New York in 1969, he worked as a food vendor at what became known as one of the most famous music festivals in the world: Woodstock. From this job, he experienced entertainment up-close and personal but still was on the outside edges of it when he longed to be inside.

Foray Into Jazz Fusion

Vincent Cirrincione would soon get his chance to work in the entertainment industry. Shortly after Woodstock when he was promoting the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumental visual artist Captain Beefheart at the The Anderson Theater. While trying to find an opening act, he heard about Larry Coryell, a jazz musician who was playing a gig at a local club called “Slugs.”

Vincent went and listened to Larry’s set and instantly fell in love with Coryell’s special brand of jazz which would later become known as “jazz fusion”, by transitioning from acoustic to electric guitar within a song. Coryell would later be known as “the godfather of jazz fusion.”

Vincent convinced Larry to sign with him and became his manager. During this time, Vincent worked out of an office at Vanguard Records. He went from manager to executive producer and is responsible for Larry and his band, The Eleventh House’s, hit albums of the time.

Vince later would argue in the New York Supreme Court to secure a deal for Larry to sign with another label when Vanguard Records would not allow Larry to move on from his contract, citing the “reserve clause.” Vince fought for Larry’s right to switch labels if he so chose, and they won.

$400 Dollars and a Closet Office

With his dreams of TV/Film talent managing still in his sights, Vincent borrowed $400 dollars (which would be approximately $1,383.51 today) and started work in a literal closet in friend Doug Yeager’s apartment. The apartment was right across the street from the historic Studio 54 from the disco era. While in his cramped office, he made “cold calls” to TV producers and executives to get his foot in the door.

Traveling With Peter Pan Teens

Because of his tireless efforts, Vincent was able to secure employment with a talent agency for kids. His job was to travel with the young actors and actresses on the road as a guardian as they performed in Peter Pan (starring Sandy Duncan). This experience, much like the back room of the investment firm in the 1960s, gave him real-world insight into the world of entertainment. He fought for the teens in the production to have good accommodations and meals when they were traveling.

Discovering Halle Berry

Vincent then traveled to Pittsburgh to meet with Donna Belajac, who was a casting director for television and film productions. While in the city, he offered a free seminar for young actors and actresses, where he met former ice skaters Julie Benz and Sandra Ferguson. He was able to get Sandra a recurring role on the popular daytime TV soap opera “Another World.”

A director in the area asked Vincent if he knew of anyone like Sandra for an African-American character for a show he was producing. Sandra then told Vincent about her friend, actress Halle Berry. The rest, as the world would soon see, would be history and now Halle Berry is a household name in television and film, and the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress.

From Halle Berry to Industry Icon

While working as Halle Berry’s manager, Cirrincione was able to secure her roles in dynamic career-defining films such as Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever.

Finding work for Berry was not difficult after that, and he produced 1998’s hit story about Dorothy Dandridge, the first African-American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award, with Berry in the title role. Berry would later go on to win the Golden Globe and Emmy Awards for her acting. Vincent received an Emmy nomination for his role as a producer.

Along with his career since setting up his LA offices in 1991, Vincent has been the manager behind many blockbuster movies, such as Lackawanna Blues, Unthinkable, and Supremacy. He has also been the guiding force behind many successful African-Americans in the film industry besides Berry, such as Justin Smollett, Taraji P. Henson, and director Princess Monique.

Today, the 70-year-old Cirrincione enjoys a quiet life in Los Angeles, preferring still to be behind the scenes, working to make sure everyone in the industry, especially people of color, get a “fair shake” and an opportunity to succeed. His overall goal? To make it so no one of talent has to work as hard as he did in his youth to break into the entertainment industry, no matter their skin color. His efforts have had a lasting and positive impact on the television and film community and will continue to do so for years to come. [IMDb]