In The News

Philly R&B singer Jade Alston's 'she-mixes'

The New York Times Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The New York Times' Ben Ratliff puts Philadelphia R&B singer Jade Alston's first mixtape on his playlist.

Her musical identity isn’t fully formed yet, but she’s got a voice that sounds timely right now, especially on the title track and “Searching”: smoothed out and breathy, in Toni Braxton’s general area, never strobing in your ear, sometimes even self-effacing.

Original source: The New York Times
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Zoe Strauss: Ten Years opens as 'parameter-expanding exhibition' at Art Museum

The New York Times Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Philadelphia-inspired photographer Zoe Strauss and her series "I-95" is part of her new exhibition at the Museum of Art, reports The New York Times.

The exhibition, opening on Saturday, is billed as a mid-career retrospective, though Ms. Strauss’s career path is anything but conventional. For one thing, she conceived of "I-95" before she had gained any kind of experience as a photographer, before she had even bought a camera. Just five years into the project she received a Pew fellowship and was selected for the Whitney Biennial. Two years later came a monograph, "America," that nodded to none other than Robert Frank.

Original source: The New York Times
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Like Nana on E! Film production startup focuses on personal storytelling in Philly

Modern Luxury Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Modern Luxury takes a look at David Adelman's new film production company, which got its start soon after he produced a video commemorating his recently deceased grandmother.

Breaking ranks with his Wharton-School peers, David Adelman is gunning to glamorize a pastime formerly left to the 8 mm. Testing his entrepreneurial mettle, the 29-year-old recently launched Reel Tributes (reeltributes.com), a film production company that works to capture the narratives of wired-in clans, whether they come from the perspective of the patriarchs or their heirs. using high-definition video, boom mics and social media to crowdsource material from friends and relatives around the world, the firm cranks out an upmarket result. Picture Nana on E! True Hollywood Story.

Original source: Modern Luxury
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Founders Unplugged: Cliq set to release 'connected search' capability

Philly Tech Meetup Founders Unplugged Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Philly Tech Meetup keeps on growing, and its new Founders Unplugged video series takes a closer look at Cliq, which we reported on back in September, and its CEO Alex Khorram.

In the next few weeks, the Philadelphia-based social search startup will roll out Connected Search, a first of its kind feature that will allow a user to search for a hotel in Chicago and get results based on those he or she is most connected to. That means the ability to view any relevant posts or media shared by friends and friends of friends about that particular hotel.

Cliq already has three million U.S. businesses in its database and is shooting for all nine million in the near future, aiming to provide online searchers with trusted information more quickly than ever.

Ajungo, the social network for travelers, gets Gadling love

Gadling Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Ben Barton and Steve Shea's traveler-focused startup, Ajungo, could be Philly's next social media sensation, reports AOL's Gadling. The company also was included prominently in this BBC feature.

The goal of the site is to make travel more social as well as more comfortable for people going to new destinations. And, if there is any information that you do not want shared, the site will not post it without your permission.

Original source: Gadling
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How to build a modular synth with Philly's RJD2

Wired Tuesday, October 25, 2011

DJ/hip-hop producer/solo artist RJD2 is now building modular synthesizers for his new duo and lays it out for the folks at Wired.

He had to do a lot of building and experimenting for Icebird, the group he formed with singer-songwriter Aaron Livingston (above left, with RJD2). For the duo's new album, The Abandoned Lullaby, out Tuesday, the musical modder estimates 90 percent of the sounds come from either vintage synthesizers he restored or instruments played through modular synth gadgets he built from DIY kits.

It wasn't an easy process. Once RJD2 was done building his synth, he spent hours playing different instruments through the system and recording the sounds in Pro Tools. It's a constant trial-and-error process; RJD2 estimates he only ends up using 10 to 20 percent of what he records.

Original source: Wired
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An interview with Germantown native Rel Dowdell, writer/director of 'Changing the Game'

The Hollywood Official Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Hollywood Official sits down at Sabrina's Cafe with Germantown native Rel Dowdell, a writer/director whose latest film "Changing the Game" looks at a young man emerging from 1980s North Philly and will premiere at the Hollywood Black Film Festival on Oct. 29.

DOWDELL: 'Changing the Game’' is a film about a young man who came out of Philadelphia in the 80's. The worst part of the 80's. 8th & Butler in North Philadelphia was one of the most notorious streets in the United States at the time. All types of heinous activity was going on there. It was an area where you never heard about anyone getting out and doing well in their life. I wanted to make a film about a young man in that tumultuous environment who saw all the demons around him and somehow managed to get out. He was a genius and intelligent enough to make himself successful on Wall Street. He was also guided by his grandmother. It was the spiritual aspect of his life that helped him to somehow avoid the pitfalls and other things that would've been his demise.

Original source: The Hollywood Official
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Mural Arts Month, of course, means rooftop dancing

Los Angeles Times Tuesday, October 04, 2011

October is Mural Arts Month, with 31 days of art activities and celebrations, as told by the Los Angeles Times.

Art is in the air in October as Philadelphia celebrates many of its more than 3,500 murals during Mural Arts Month.

What began in 1984 as part of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network has blossomed into the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Muralist and founder Jane Golden redirected the energy and creativity of graffiti artists from marring neighborhood walls into murals, and the program now gives birth to about 150 murals a year.

Highlights of "31 Days, 31 Ways: Art Ignites Change" include mural dedications, outdoor celebrations and free tours.

Source: Los Angeles Times
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PMN news tablets "performing well within expectations"

News & Tech Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Consumers initially seem to be taking to Philadelphia Media Network's $99 bundled tablet and digital subscription offer , according to News & Tech.

Just weeks after Philadelphia Media Network put its faith in an Android tablet device to help it flex its digital marketing muscle, the publisher said the initiative is gaining traction.

"It's performing well within our expectations," Yoni Greenbaum, PMN's vice president and general manager, digital, told News & Tech.

Source: News & Tech
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Flourtown man's startup online bookstore creates jobs, scholarships

The Chestnut Hill Local Tuesday, September 27, 2011

A Huntingdon Valley online bookseller with a socially conscious focus, Education By Inclusion recently gave a $40,000 scholarship to a Camden, NJ resident, according to The Chestnut Hill Local.

Who would have thought that reselling books and electronics could be such a lucrative business and result in scholarship money for needy students? Flourtown resident Chetan Bagga, a Columbia University graduate, ran the numbers and started Education by Inclusion (EBI) about a year ago.

The home page of their web site offers this comment to customers. "We are a socially conscious online bookstore with a simple promise -- everything you buy contributes to a deserving student’s education. This year, you’ve made over 100,000 purchases toward scholarships. We sincerely thank you! Let’s keep the momentum going."

Source: The Chestnut Hill Local
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Where did the soul of Philly go?

Urban Cusp Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The grassroots soul music movement of Philadelphia that created The Roots and Musiq Soulchild hasn't disappeared, and its latest practitioners are worth seeking out, according to Urban Cusp.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Philadelphia had one of the most diverse and respected cultural scenes on the East Coast. One could walk down South Street and hear poets on the corner, see Rasta street vendors selling patchouli and flags, and not make it too far down the block without receiving at least two hand-bills advertising upcoming events. You could walk on UPenn and Temple's campuses and see a range from tattooed Rockers with spiked hair to B-Boy wannabes in full Adidas gear. The culture was so bountiful that it made you stop and ask, "Are we still in Philly or is this Brooklyn?" But, now it almost seems like the diversity has disappeared or at least gone into hiding. Where did all of the culture go? Have all of the true artists been pushed out? Have they sold out or have they all given up and relocated to New York and DC?

Source: Urban Cusp
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Monkeyreader: From bookstore to childhood literacy advocate

The Associated Press Tuesday, August 09, 2011

The Associated Press checks in on Philly-based online kids' bookstore Monkeyreader donates 5 percent of profits to childhood literacy.

Once upon a time, there was a bookstore. One day, the bookstore went away and reopened online with a new name and a mission to combat childhood illiteracy.

The rest of the story of year-old e-tailer MonkeyReader.com is still being written but its founders hope the ending will be happy�and successful.

"We're beginning, we're growing, we have a lot of great ideas," co-founder David Lenett of the venture, a successor of the Discovery Bookshop, a popular Philadelphia children's bookstore that closed in the 1990s and became an online storefront that evolved into the more interactive MonkeyReader site.

Source: The Associated Press
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Gay plays take over Shubin Theater this month

Passport Magazine Tuesday, August 09, 2011

This month, Philadelphia GayFest! presents four GLBT-themed plays and a reading at the Shubin Theater, according to Passport Magazine.

August gets very gay in Philadelphia with the debut of GayFest!, a new GLBT theater festival presented by Quince Productions. With four plays running in repertory and a staged reading of a new gay play, the event promises to make the tiny Shubin Theatre a hotbed of gayness.

Source: Passport Magazine
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Bill Green on Open Government in Philadelphia

Government in the Lab Tuesday, August 02, 2011

City Councilman Bill Green writes in Government in the Lab about bringing Philadelphia government into the digital age.

Open Government Philadelphia � both as a philosophical approach to how government should work and as a series of concrete actions � is aligned with the City's current needs, its upcoming challenges, and, importantly, its available resources. The city is poised to spend $120 million on technology upgrades over the next six years. For this investment to yield the return we hope for and desperately need � i.e., innovation that increases city government's effectiveness, while reducing its size and cost � we must proceed with purpose, foresight, and a bold vision. Open Government is designed to catalyze this dynamic change.

Original source: Government In the Lab
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Gamechanger? Inky, Daily News take lead in Android tablet race

Los Angeles Times Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Los Angeles Times digs into the implications of last week's announcement by Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., publisher of The Inquirer and Daily News, which will offer deeply discounted Android tablets for reading news.

Philadelphia's two largest newspapers -- the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News -- are planning on launching a low-priced Android tablet for subscribers later this year.

Greg Osberg, chief executive of the Philadelphia Media Group, which is the company that oversees both papers and their joint website Philly.com, said in announcing the plan that the move to bundle tablets with content from a newspaper company will be the first of its kind.

Source: Los Angeles Times
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