Thursday, August 27, 2009


Hey our 6 followers....spread the word about our blog. Its fun, its interesting and not the same "rules and how to blog" like many other PR Websites. We have fun with our blog and intend to tell stories about our clients’ accomplishments and share learning experiences with you in hopes you will have a laugh and/or learn something too.

Last night, Tiffany and In Style had a kick butt sophisticated party at the Cooper Hotel Penthouse. Besides the view from the penthouse being incredible, facing three corners where you could see all of New York to the North, East and West, the crowd was lovely and sophisticated and the food wonderful. They made these really fun melon balls in a fruity alcoholic drink in the shape of tennis balls in honor of Maria Sharapova.

When Maria was just getting started, I did some work for her agent Max and got Maria her first American magazine spread almost eight years ago. It was in Teen People and she was chosen as one of the 20 Teens Who Would Change The World. Change it she did, while growing taller than I've ever seen (she's an amazon woman), beautiful, classy and a heck of a tennis player. Tiffany was celebrating Maria and the upcoming US Open. Maria wears Tiffany Jewelry on the court.

When I approached Maria, I could not believe she remembered me and was so gracious. I had never actually met her before interesting enough. I have a lovely post card from her from back then, when she wrote “I hope I live up to the title." She certainly did.

Let's not forget the lovely Ana Ortiz and Blake Lively were there as well. Blake stopped by before her birthday party later that night. Upon leaving she was on the phone in the lobby talking to her boyfriend while the lovely Leslie Sloane Zelnick was in tow calling the car to whisk them away.

Check Google and/or any of the fashion sites like http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/parties/fullstory.sps?inewsid=6638415. There are photos of them everywhere like the one above! Isn't Ana amazing!!!!!!


Ana looked so incredible one wonders how and when she ever had a baby! She couldn't get out of the hotel. Everyone was stopping her asking for a photo. She killed in a black and white dress, red lipstick, tiffany jewelry and black stilettos.

Blake was much taller than I expected but so nice and seemingly unaffected. I was pleased to see that.

Today Tim and I went to a bit of a disastrous "gifting" event. I say that because it would have been a "gifting event" if the designers realized they were supposed to gift the celebrities who showed up! It was truly beyond embarrassing for everyone. This group of designers in from Atlanta and North and South Carolina who had never been to New York before, were small local designers, who probably could not afford to "gift" as they were talking about their "one of a kind" pieces, how they "couldn't part with then" but "would the celebrity agree to take a photo with them and their product." Some people parted with their precious merchandise but not until the organizer of the event said something to her clients. Not to sound ungrateful but don't invite someone to your "gifting suite" if all you will walk away with is a paper bag and some business cards! Come on people! And do your homework! Know who is coming and at least pretend to be excited to meet them! NOT only did they not know who any of the celebrities were, they didn't understand the process of a "swag/gifting" lounge and made many people feel uncomfortable and nervous that they just left. It was truly awful but I can't tell you more without naming names. All I can say is that it was at a hotel in midtown on the east side in a non decorated ballroom.

Word to the wise, in the future, no matter how good an offer seems to be, be absolutely sure you know the people that are planning it. It may not be worth the risk. Bless their hearts though for trying to get through a New York crowd and impress these celebs that are used to the "white glove" treatment. Who can blame them! I was embarrassed for them! But we'll see what happens. Perhaps they will make good.

Aside from my completely frivolous ranting, we all mourn the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy. He did a great deal for a lot of people for a very long time. His presence in government will be felt and most certainly missed. Makes all of the above seem meaningless. We lost a great man today.


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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Back from vacation

Hey everyone, today was my first day back in the office and boy do I hate those vacations! Love them while you are there but when you get back to life it tends to bite you in the ass! But all is fantastic at Brownstein and Associates.

Tamara Tunie was one of the judges at the amazing Miss Universe pageant in the Bahamas, Devin Ratray from Home Alone (did you know he knew Michael Jackson?)'S film Courting Condi got accepted to the Montreal Film Festival and the Bruce Willis, Jonathan Mostow directed film, The Surrogates comes out on Sept 25th right near Yom Kippur. What's up with that? In fact the Alma Awards that Honor Latinos in Entertainment Airs on Erev Rosh Hashana or so I'm told.

So while I was away, Reshma Shetty from Royal Pains shot the cover of a magazine in the Hamptons and appeared on a postcast on Huffington Post, the amazing Ana Ortiz picked up an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role on Ugly Betty as Hilda (and her movie of the week she appeared in beat out Ugly Betty as best show believe it or not!), Devin Ratray met Renee Zellweger at the premiere of her film "My One and Only" and evidently got stopped and recognized for his role as "Buzz" in the Home Alone movie, Stagedoor Manor had its last week of the summer and waiting to hear if they got accepted into the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade, Applause was ending their Summer Sessions and preparing to appear on LXTV in September, Demian Bichir from Weeds, found out he is going to be honored for his work on Weeds at the Alma Awards in September with three actors on Dexter, his girlfriend Sandra Echeverria's film "Free Style will be released in October, Theresa Rebeck is still on vacation before she starts the rehearsal process on The Understudy at the Roundabout Theater w/Julie White, Mark Paul Gosslear and Justin Kirk in September, Brian d'Arcy James announced he was starring in a new Broadway play with Laura Linney and Alicia Silverstone and Mark Indelicato got a potential internship at Carolina Herrera....among many other exciting things...Oh and Reshma Shetty rode in the New York Daily News float on the past Sunday for the India Day Parade....

Wow, our clients are busy and I have to say how proud I am of my staff and how they handled everything. Kudos to Ashley Cox and Tim Yates for holding down the fort.

If you want tips on how to win the game, just keep the irons in the fire and the movement going and the boat afloat while your boss is on vacation. Just don't give her anxiety upon her return. No one deserves a kink in his/her neck no matter what.

Oh and did I tell you that I was in Los Angeles, went to the Leno press party and the show seems like its going to be amazing! And standing next to Jay Leno himself. He looks fantastic, slim, tan and very excited for his new venture. Ran into a manager I know and the next morning I ended up in a meeting with George Wendt to perhaps rep his book (we'll see about that, cross your fingers!) Oh and he has a fab facebook page! Realized that I loved staying in hotels, especially the Sunset Tower in LA with their homemade fresh chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies at your bedside. I'm home now in NY and have a craving for the smell and the taste of an amazing chocolate chip cookie and turn to my night stand and...nothing. Not even cookie dough in my freezer. What's up w/ that? And there was also strangely and with coincidence the Robert Kahn written book called "Guide to Movies." We were supposed to promote his booked called "Guide to Books" but not sure what happened. And if you twitter someone, they may just write you back. Even with a million followers!

Preston Bailey's book Celebrations comes out in a month and we need to get cooking when he comes back from holiday next week with some amazing fast breaking interview requests. The book is incredible. We do a lot of books. Want the key to working as an outside agency with an author? Come to Brownstein and Associates. We've got what it takes!

And that's all for now...more on Wed for our midday quarterback..or is that Monday morning quarterback LOL

Amy

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A Lesson in Philanthropy




A lesson in philanthropy:




This morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn, actually before dawn to take our up and coming client Reshma Shetty to the 125th Birthday Celebration of the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in Brooklyn. We had secured this opportunity for her to attend this celebration, so that she could get to know a local charity in New York, connect with the children, give back and of course promote her role on the hit show "Royal Pains" on USA. Needless to say, the kids loved her, and and as the show is so new, it was a terrific way to further introduce her to future fans. Bonus points - she even got interviewed by the amazing Anne Craig from "Good Day New York" and there is going to be a photo of her with the children appearing in an upcoming issue of STAR magazine. Those were the "extras" but certainly not the main reason to be involved. At Brownstein & Associates, we truly stress the importance of finding a charity you are passionate about and being active. Not for the publicity, but because you can. We even found out that the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club has a large enrollment of Indian children, and as Reshma is Indian, it was a perfect match for future projects. Reshma got to know them, and they got to know her. Now we have made the perfect match for future endeavors together.




Our experience working with charities goes back many years. For example, we facilitated a relationship between Tamara Tunie the Miracle on Madison event where she will be celebrating her third year working with the organization. The event, which is on Sunday December 6th, allows people to shop on Madison Avenue in certain stores where a percentage of proceeds go to the Children's Aid Society of New York. Tamara has cut ribbons, taught the kids, sang with them, and every year she hosts a charity brunch the morning of the event for VIP's and others. Last year it was frigid cold outside, and even started to snow and rain. But she would do anything for her kids. She has brought some wonderful well needed attention to the charity, and I am sure over time, Reshma Shetty will do the same for The Madison Square Boys and Girls Club as well.






On another note, we were all very moved at Daniel Radcliffe's major donation to the Trevor Project. That organization is so important. He felt moved to help them financially so they could continue the good work that they were doing. I got involved with the Trevor project completely by accident. A friend of mine and producer of HAIR, Andy Sandberg had asked if my client Gavin Creel would perform at the organization's benefit here in New York. Through a wonderful guy Joel Flatow, who works at the RIAA, we were able to get Gavin to be the opening number before Jewel performed. Gavin of course jumped at the opportunity to support them, bring to light important issues facing the community and even presented the "Hero of the Year Award" to Dustin Lance Black, who won the Oscar for "Milk." Gavin, who is openly gay, had an opportunity to talk about his own decision to be public about who he was, and also perform a song called "For Nancy" which is a song he wrote about and for his mother, specifically about how no matter who he is, he is still her son. It was truly a beautiful tribute and timely for all children who are confused, and feeling like they have no place to turn while they are discovering who they are. Trevor project helps these kids, and people like Daniele, Gavin, Dustin, and more, all help use their name to bring to light important causes they are passionate about so the world knows about the great work these organizations do.




Our firm every holiday season represents charities who are planning a benefit and we use our resources to help get celebrities to attend, secure terrific items to auction off, and volunteer our time the evening of the event to help make sure everything goes smoothly. Last year, we worked in tandem with my good friend Lane Carlson and the Sunflower Children to support their annual Poker Tournament to raise money for the organization. It brought us all closer together and helped give a purpose to what we do on a daily basis for our clients. A couple of years ago, we also worked with Souls for Soles and assisted them in launching their 'million pair march' campaign. Our firm used our resources to secure a celebrity name committee, secure Melissa Rivers to do press in New York to raise awareness, and get Scarlett Johannson to include the charity in an event she was doing in Los Angeles to launch her new line of sneakers in conjunction with Reebok. She publicly acknowledged the charity and donated 1000 pairs her new sneakers which went directly to needy children in the Sudan. The list goes on.




All our clients support organizations whether its for Juvenile Diabetes, HIV-AIDS, Eco Friendly living, Arts and Education after school programs for kids, ending domestic violence, and encouraging the education of women in India among others.




We truly encourage anyone, whether they be a celebrity or an every day person to volunteer, and use whatever small amount of free time they can give, to support a charity they feel attached to in some way. In the current economic climate, among other things, so many organizations have been hit really hard and they need our support more than ever. Whether it is contributing money or just time, no matter how big or small, everyone appreciates the effort.




So, get involved today!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Stagedoor Manor - a place where a child's dream can come true!!!!





It's a little known fact that there is no better place to be during those summer months for teens who are looking to prepare for a career in the performing arts. So much so, that notables like Natalie Portman, Robert Downey, Jr., Kate Pippy, Mandi Moore, Jon Cryer, Bryce Dallas Howard and many more spent their summers at this amazing camp tucked away in the Cataskills. That camp, Stagedoor Manor, has been providing teens with state of the arts training in theater for more than 30 years.

And this summer, the more than 290 students during the second summer session had an opportunity to bring their training full circle when Andy Sandberg (a Stagedoor alum and one of Broadway's youngest producer's ever) and cast members from the hit Broadway musical HAIR (recipient of the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical) sat down to chat and chew with these students.

Check out this amazing article on the experience these students had with cast members on Hollywood The Write Way (http://www.hollywoodthewriteway.com/2009/08/hair-meets-stagedoor-manor.html).

In recent years, the teen and tween market have exploded with new family programming, teen actors and such. Stagedoor has changed from a small out of the way place where serious kids can learn their craft, to a place where casting directors, agents, directors and production executives from New York and Los Angeles flock during the summer to find their next big “teen.”

There's so much going on at Stagedoor Manor that and it is the subject of several national news stories and broadcast reports. Check out http://www.stagedoormanor.com/, follow them on twitter @stagedoormanor.com for the latest happenings.
And sign up for our blog (http://brownsteinpr.blogspot.com/) for more information on Stagedoor Manor - a place where dreams come true as well as our many other wonderful clients!

Also, follow @amybpr and @timkyates on Twitter for continuous updates and information!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Brownstein PR is Bringing On the Heat

Brownstein & Associates loves its new blog! We get to let you know the latest in what is going on with our company and our clients and give you up to the minute information, tips and things that can help you get into the business and survive at small boutique firm.

This week we signed a new client Chantal Nchako, a very talented up and comer who is the off-Broadway play HAPPY HOUR which debuts at the 44th Street Theater on September 16th. Its a short run, but we are really excited about introducing her to the theater press. We think she is so talented and totally on her way to Broadway or beyond! We're going to be introducing her around town so be on the look out for our invitations!

Aside from that, we are now working with the amazing Devin Ratray! Remember him from the "Home Alone" movies? The person who John Hughes made famous is now in an amazing new sci fi film called "The Surrogate" that comes out in September with Bruce Willis. We are so excited for him.

If you haven't figured it out, our firm specializes in up and comers and though we have some establshed names who we love, most of them have stayed with us over time since they were "new to the scene." There is definitely a craft in "breaking someone" and getting them to their next level and our owner has been doing that for 20 years from the days in 1994 when she first spotted Terrence Howard in Mr. Holland's Opus and Lucy Liu in a little seen teleivsion show in the 90's.

While we no longer represent those clients, we are so proud of their success and know that we had a bit to do with how they got there...Go figure.... more to come on the tips to handle an up and comer and do the work that needs to be done...

Monday, August 3, 2009

Ana Ortiz

Hi everyone and thanks for reading. We have some xciting news for you! Sunday, we were at the lovely home of Ana Ortiz for a photo shoot, exclusive to People Magazine. While the shoot was early in the morning, EVERYONE was in high energy, of course, with a baby a on set, how could you not be!!!!

Erin, a lovely photographer, got some great photos!!!!!

Be sure to check out People Magazine hitting news stands in September for photos of the lovely Ana Ortiz, her home and the soon to be baby diva, Paloma!

Keep reading....there is more to come!