The Savvy Auntie brand is all about a movement, a phenomenon heralded by fabulous kid-friendly women everywhere as a celebration of modern, cosmopolitan aunthood.  A savvy auntie, simply put, is a woman who loves a child who’s not her own (which according to the book represents approximately 50% of American women).

The first installment is the perfect gift for the soon-to-be-auntie or newly-appointed auntie, who’s trying to get her bearings in this new role of aunthood.  Recently becoming a proud Auntie myself, I can see how this would have been a helpful guide while my sister was going through all of the things that becoming a mother entails.  Never before has there been a manual so detailed with the Aunt’s perspective in mind.  It gives you all the tips to better understand what to expect during the 40-weeks of pregnancy, and lots of How-To’s for when your niece or nephew arrives (like how to properly hold the baby, how to ’swaddle’ the baby, and the best-of-the-best in baby gear).

If you’re an aspiring savvy auntie or know someone who is, I highly recommend this read.  Buy it, here.

*The Real Housewives of New York join event planner Janine Just and Savvy Auntie herself at the Book Launch Party at Pranna which was sponsored by VOGA Wine.

According to Rosie herself, 90% of kids in NYC live below the poverty level. So how did this all begin?  RBK first brought a 20-week program of musical theatre (with various established teachers and experts) to the public school system.  To start, every 5th grader in the select group of schools took part.

Ever since, they have added new schools each year, and as of this year, the first group of kids who started in 5th grade are now seniors about to go off to college. Remarkably, 100% of the kids in the RBK program get into performing arts high schools, and it changes the entire trajectory of their lives. Says Rosie, “It’s pretty amazing what art can do, and sadly art programs are cut all the time. For many children, its a very depressing, scary reality.”

So the gala was all about raising money to keep these programs going, and to ensure that the arts are a prominent part of public school in New York City, a city so famous for its artistic culture.  The evening included a live auction that sold off all kinds of hot ticket items including a ‘walk on’ role on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (which I heard went for a clean $30K), a heart-stopping performance by the kids, on-stage appearances by Rosie O’Donnell, and an exclusive concert by Cyndi Lauper, featuring both her new stuff and the classics (Time After Time, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and True Colors…yessss!)

Making the night even more exciting was the fact that AMP3 PR client and Z100 Radio Personality, Trey Morgan, included it as part of his “30 Deeds, 30 Days” project.  The idea?  We all ‘talk’ about how we want to give back, but there’s always an excuse (too busy, too tired, too poor), so Trey is attempting to prove that an ‘everyday guy’ can accomplish the unthinkable, all while maintaining his ‘day job’ at the station and his relationship with his (beautiful, newly wed) wife.  Let’s be honest, how do we choose between helping sick people, starving children or abandoned animals?  We wish we could do it all. For the 30 days of September, Trey is volunteering for a different charity each day, hoping to come out of the project feeling passionate about what he can do for his community long term, and hoping to inspire others to do the same.

For September 20th, Day 20 of his 30 Deeds – Trey volunteered with Rosie’s Broadway Kids.  Here is the footage of Trey chatting with Rosie O’Donnell.  Watch to see the breath-taking medley of Rosie’s Kids singing Cyndi Lauper’s greatest hits (@ 5 mins, 12 seconds), and first hand feedback from Rosie about the program:

Saying it best, Rosie tells Trey and the kids:  ”I was a kid at a public school with NO Mom and a troubled Dad.  It was a public school teacher who took me under her wing and loved me back to life.  She made me realize I was worth loving, and was the first person who said ‘I love you’ to me, and the first person who said ‘I love you back.’ Those are the words that every kid needs to hear every day of their life. I love all of you kids, and I’m so proud of you.“

This year, we exceeded our fundraising goal, bringing in well over $1 million dollars for this worthy cause. Kudos to Rosie for using her resources to ensure that theatre and the arts remain accessible to the talented children of New York City.

*Liza & I enjoying the gala!

*Cupcakes by the ‘Cake Boss’!

*Cyndi singing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”

*Cyndi singing “True Colors”

[Special thanks to my friend Evan for Photos + Video.]

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

“Dress Up” will introduce a darker, edgier side of Amanda (think: less rainbows, more bondage!) in this fashion-inspired series.

“Dress Up”~where style & art intersect.
Kick start your Fall fashion senses with some canvas eye-candy.

Ward-Nasse Gallery
178 Prince Street
(between Thompson & Sullivan)
Sunday, August 29th
5pm – 8pm

PR Inquiries?
Alyson Campbell
AMP3 Public Relations
646.827.9594
alyson(AT)AMP3pr.com
www.AMP3pr.com

Founded by Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie’s Broadway Kids gives New York City school kids the chance to experience dance, music and drama who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

Last night’s performance of “Once On This Island” was breath-taking, and proof of the confidence and discipline these kids are learning through the program.  You could see the glint in their eyes: these are kids who we’ll be watching on Broadway or the Big Screen someday.  We were lucky enough to have the kids put on a full production of the show for us,  followed by a cocktail reception on the RBK roof terrace (special thanks to our sponsor, Devotion Vodka).

It’s beautiful to see these kids, who have bone-chilling talent, finding a way to express themselves on stage.  Through RBK, they are given the tools to pursue higher education and even a career in the arts.

In addition to the children who get selected to be part of the RBK scholarship program, ALL public school kids get the chance to see a Broadway show throughout the school year–an important exposure to the culture that our city is so famous for.

As Junior Co-Chair of this year’s Annual Gala for Rosie’s Broadway Kids, I’m helping to spread awareness of the organization and the important work they do.  Our next big event will be the Annual Gala on September 20th, which will be held in a beautiful ballrooom at the Marriot Marquis in Times Square.

The gala is what raises the funds to keep the RBK program going year after year.  At the event, the kids will perform again, and this time Rosie will be taking the stage along with special guest Cyndi Lauper!!  Z100’s Elvis Duran will be on hand to run the Live Auction for really fun gifts like: VIP tickets to Jingle Ball, a front row seat at Howard Stern’s radio show, and ‘President for a Day’ at Nickelodeon!

Ticket price for juniors is $100 and that includes Open Bar for 2 hours in addition to this special performance. If you’re interested in tickets or becoming a committee member, you can contact me via: alyson(AT)amp3pr.com.

(Photo credit: JohnSimonDaily.com)

(Photo credit: JohnSimonDaily.com)

An instant success, the new album was also just licensed for the upcoming seasons of MTV’s “The Real World” and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” on E!.  The EP, which was produced by Dion Roy and Peter Roessler, was mixed by Scott Reibling of Weezer, Cobra Starship and Fallout Boy fame.

In celebration of the release, Dion performed last night to a sold out show at The Living Room in New York’s infamous Lower East Side.  It was a full band performance featuring Peter Roessler (guitar), Ed Marshall (bass), and special guest, Boots Factor, of Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers (drums).

Already an exciting 2010 for Dion, the release of the EP follows his recent appearances on The Howard Stern Show, his SXSW Showcase in Austin, his NYC Harbour Cruise with Ryan Cabrera, and his opening slot with Eve 6 in Flint, Michigan.

Details for a full summer U.S. tour in July and August are expected to be announced any day now.

“The Nearest Light” is available for purchase on iTunes (here) for $3.96.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

Kicking off 2010 right, four NY tech start-ups were invited to live demo their websites in 1-minute or less [PressLift, NYC Way, Taxi Hack, Yogoer] and four more start-ups were invited to live demo their websites in 5-minutes or less (SpeakerText, Artlog, UDorse, and Blazetrak included).

Pulling one over on their trusty publicist (AKA me), Blazetrak created a sample user for demonstration purposes who turned out to be Nate Westheimer himself, under his supposed rapper pseudonym “Westeezy”.  In the demo, we were able to see Westeezy go through the motions of finding a Blazetrak Professional to submit to (the CEO of Dirty South Records), submitting his demo rap track “You Suck” to that Professional for review, and then we saw the actual guaranteed video response from the Dirty South CEO to Westeezy.

[Nate "Westeezy" Westheimer]

To see their 5-minute live demo, followed by the Question & Answer period with the audience, check out the videos below:

P.S.  The meetup also introduced us to the non-profit, NYClothingDrive.org, a door-to-door pick up charity clothing drive for New Yorkers in need taking place on February 6, 2010.  We all have stuff in our closets that doesn’t get used and sometimes making the trek to Salvation Army with heavy bags gets pushed to the back-burner, so I am loving this on-site pick-up service and will defintely be taking part!  Make sure you check out www.NYClothingDrive.org.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

AC:  So Baya, give us the reader’s digest version of what you’ve been up to since the show, and how you stumbled upon a passion for Yoga?

BV: After the show wrapped, I was still dancing. Then, the mentor I was studying with, Jeff Amsden, moved out to L.A. and the competitive nature didn’t sit well with me once he was gone. As a result I slowly fell away from that type of movement and started entering into yoga to express myself instead. I was going through a lot of personal struggles after the show was through, I needed some clarity and I turned to yoga for that. I turned to yoga to heal. Since yoga is much more about a personal practice than a group of people moving together, I didn’t need to think about the competitive edge and I could really focus on my own personal growth. For me, the physical benefits were second to the spiritual benefits.

AC:  So what type of Yoga do you specialize in?

BV: I do Vinyasa as my philosophy. Its flow-based yoga, so it’s more movement oriented rather than something like Hatha or Bikram, which is much more pose-to-pose with less of a flow.  In that way, Vinyasa is much more like dance.

AC:  And, I caught on Facebook that you recently went on a pretty hardcore yoga retreat!  What was involved and do you recommend it to others?

BV: I went to “Yoga To The People” at Menla Mountain Retreat in the Catskills.  We were there for an entire weekend wherein we did The Master Cleanse (lemon juice with cayenne pepper, 8 oz glasses, 6 glasses a day, and that’s all you have), hiked all around, practiced yoga, participated in a Native American sweat lodge ceremony, and remained in complete silence the whole time. And this was right after we heard about those ten people dying in that sweat lodge in Arizona.  The most nerve-wracking part was that I’m claustrophobic (I mentioned this briefly on “the reunion” episode of The Real World). I cried the whole time but I stayed in for the full 3 hours.  At the end of the day, I would recommend the retreat.  If you’re ready to be on a level where it is just you, completely alone with yourself and your thoughts, then it can be quite powerful. It’s an introspective journey, really.

AC:  And you’ve decided to open your own yoga practice here in NYC.  Tell us about it?  What services do you offer?

BV: Because yoga is a very personal practice for me, I like to connect to the person I’m working with.  I do one-on-one sessions or groups of friends, the number of people doesn’t matter. I come to you, I make house calls, and I offer in-studio options as well.   I’ve found that this works well for people who want a customized approach to their yoga, for example Brides-to-Be (and her bridal entourage) or busy professionals that can’t make the typical morning or post-work classes that most gyms solely offer.

AC:  How would you describe your sessions in one sentence or less?

BV: My sessions are really the union between breath, body and mind.  It really focuses on how your breath relates to the body and how your mind relates to the universe.

AC: That’s two sentences! Kidding.  So what will people get out of your lessons? What do you want them to walk away with?

BV: A deeper more honest and compassionate sense of self.  A yoga teacher once said to me that yoga is the constant confrontation of oneself, and that really resonated with me, that’s what I want to bring to the table. I really want to confront a rawness to somebody that they might not recognize otherwise about themselves and be able to show them how beautiful the poses can be in opening up these chakras and opening up that type of emotion.

AC:  So the spiritual and mental benefits are clear.  Tell me about the physical benefits?

BV: Yoga is not all about the mushy part, I’m going to seriously kick your butt too!  The way I run the class is based on the client’s individual goals, so if you tell me about a problem area, we’re going to work it out!  It’s so much about core strengthening.  Once your core is strong, your body really starts responding in a positive way. It’s all about finding your body in space, and having a different level of body awareness.

AC:  Tell us something about Baya Voce that most people don’t know?

BV: I go to yoga classes daily and I’m learning from all different teachers, who all have a huge impact on my practice.  Yesterday, I took a Bikram class (the one where its 100 degrees in the room), and I had to lay down because I kind of felt like I was going to cry, and I didn’t know how.  The teacher straddled me and told me to get up and do the routine.  As I went through the motions the tears came.  I was in hysterics, and I didn’t even know why or how to name the emotion.  All I know is I felt it, I let it go and now it’s gone.  And that’s ok.  I don’t have to suppress it or store it somewhere so that it can pop up somewhere on my body or resurface at an unexpected time.  In yoga, I can let it go.

AC:  What is the end goal in all of this for you?

BV: The most important part in this personal practice is making sure the yoga resonates with you.  That’s why the conversation we have before we go in to class is so important because I want to know where you want to go or the emotions you want to release or the core strength you need, and that’s what I’ll give you.  I just want to make sure that you are getting what you want and that’s why a core practice and a personal practice is so important to me.

AC: How can people get in touch to book a session?

BV: They can shoot me an email at BayaVoceYoga@gmail.com.

Well, I’m looking forward to my one-on-one classes, and for you to whip me into shape .   For more information on Yoga with Baya Voce, check out the soon-to-be-launched www.BayaVoceYoga.com.

[All photographs courtesy of Allen Murabayashi; Baya’s wardrobe courtesy of HeidiBottoms, available on heidihat.com]

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

The mixed-media pieces of work ranged in sizes and price, all very brightly lit in shades of pinks and blues, featuring hearts, flowers, rainbows, ice cream cones, and even Amanda’s beloved French Bulldog, “Pearl.”  The exhibit also introduced Amanda’s first foray into sculpture work: a mannequin up-ended and covered in mixed-media, being used as what Amanda has dubbed a “post-modern flower pot.”   Perfectly matching her works of art, Amanda was clad in Betsey Johnson from head to toe, including a vintage Betsey dress, black Betsey leggings with bright pink roses, and leopard print Betsey stilettos.

Guests included: Tia Walker (Celebrity Lifestyle Blogger of The Quest for “it’), Gordon Ho (Photographer for Scallywag & Vagabond), John Simon (of JohnSimonDaily.com), Kim Weling (of New York Cool and Fashionably Petite), Martha ‘Lela’ Alburquerque (Editor-in-Chief of LelaLuxe.com), Tinka Milinovic (European Pop Star), several staffers from Betsey Johnson downtown & uptown, and Amanda’s rocker boyfriend, Jon Weber (of Rock of Ages and The Orion Experience).

Guests sipped on red and white wine and indulged in her multi-colored sugary display including mini-cupcakes, customized M&M’s and hard candy known as “bling, bling rings.”

With about half of “Precious Things” selling out on opening night, the remainder of the pieces will remain on display through October 31^st, 2009.   For more information on Amanda Dolan and her private commission portrait services, check out www.AmandaDolan.com.

*All photos courtesy of Belkis Carrasco, and available here.

(this photo is courtesy of JohnSimonDaily.com)

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

The book surrounds his relatively quick and calculated rise to personal branding fame and the opportunity that is newly available to everyone in today’s restructured digital society.  In the book, Gary states that he lives by three simple rules:

Love your family.
Work Superhard.
Live your passion.

With this, he says, you will find ultimate happiness and success.

The main theme of the book is identifying and pursuing your true passion, with a focus on the current (free) social media tools available to all of us.  Although these channels may change as rapidly as they’ve been created, the strategy for success remains the same, “If you spend most of your life time working, then it better be for something you love,” warns Gary.

Gary was an entrepreneur from the very beginning, creating a “personal brand” on everything he did, from his franchised lemonade stands to his baseball card trading empire. Soon, he was working at his parents liquor store in Clark, New Jersey which he later grew into a $60 million business.  The book explains why we should all be able to do the same (if we’re truly crushing it, that is).

Gary, with his life-long obsession to one day buy the New York Jets, has used his god-given DNA to pursue what comes naturally to him, and what doesn’t even feel like work.  The book points out that we all have different DNA, and it’s important to embrace what we’re instinctively good at and recognize what we’re not.  Authenticity in business is key.

Gary, like me, shares the motto “refuse to settle” and was prompted to do this book out of the disbelief that there are still people out there who haven’t figured out that you don’t have to settle, ever.

We all love something, we’re all overly knowledgeable about something, and we are all the ‘go to’ person for something amongst our family and friends. As far as Gary is concerned, the more niche your passion the better, in one example showing how even a fisherman particularly interested in the best bait for the best catch is a walking money machine if monetized correctly.

Advertising dollars are going where the eye-balls are, and the eye-balls are moving from print to screens, so if there was ever a time to create a loyal audience online and offer that inventory up to an ad-buying company within your niche–it’s now.

In today’s world, the gate keepers have lost their power and to succeed, you just need to clarify where your DNA and passion intersect–and be willing to hustle.

WATCH the below video of AMP3 PR client, Justine Suh of The Green Scout Report, interviewing Gary Vaynerchuk about the new book (and disregard my shaky camera work!).

For anyone out there looking to motivate their personal and career goals, I strongly recommend this read. I personally plan on gifting it to several people in my life who are in the process of reinventing themselves or are considering new entrepreneurial ventures this year.

From Roberto Gonazalez, my friend and NYC real estate guru who conceived, wrote and directed the viral video “The NYC Realty Guide” to my big sister who is a pharmacist by day but a passionate family travel blogger by night, the niches that social citizens could be capitalizing on are endless, and @Garyvee is not afraid to say it, “Quit your job, quit your job today.”

Gary (next to my hero Oprah) is in the running to be my mentor of the decade.

Get out there, and start crushing it today!

And for the wine lovers out there, don’t forget to tune into WineLibrary.TV for Gary’s ongoing video series on all things wine.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

The evening started out with a pre-awards event that included live performances by the likes of Keri Hilson and Mario, and a buffet of delicious things sponsored by Coca Cola and Hennessey.

Once inside the show, the president of BMI kicked off the festivities including a celebration of Michael Jackson’s contribution to music publishing and a standing ovation from the crowd.  What followed was a series of awards for talent who have contributed this past year to R&B and Hip-Hop music, namely songwriters, producers and publishers.  Interestingly enough, the controversial Chris Brown was accredited to many of the year’s top songs, but was noticeably unable to attend the event to accept.

The final “big” awards of the evening went to:

Producer of The Year: A tie between Kanye West and Polow Da Don

Publisher of The Year: Universal Music

Songwriter of The Year: A tie between Lil Wayne and T-Pain

Song of The Year: “No Air” by Erik Griggs (performed by Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks)

The ceremony wrapped up with a tribute to the creator of “funk”, Mr. George Clinton.  What ensued was a melody of the music inspired by or created by George,  and performed by several acts including: Cee-lo, Bootsy, Big Boi of Outkast and Janelle Monae.  I was totally into Big Boi’s ‘tin man’ looking armour outfit, and Janelle has an unbelievable stage presence and appears to be a triple threat: singer / dancer / and undeniable beauty. I plan to keep an eye on her.

Though cameras were prohibited, I snapped a few low res pictures on my blackberry:

*Keri Hilson performing at the Pre-Party

*The Stage: Waiting for the Show to start

*George Clinton performing / accepting on stage with his peers

Thanks to the co-founders of Blazetrak.com for my ticket!  And to Polow Da Don for the flattering kiss on my hand that topped off the night.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]