Posted by Elena del Valle on September 2, 2016
Nurtured and Nuzzled
Photos: Platypus Media
Washington, D.C. company Platypus Media recently published Nurtured and Nuzzled, Criados y Acariciados (Platypus Media, $9.95), a bilingual booklet for children up to five years of age featuring pretty color illustrations by Mike Speiser. The project required thirty months from concept to review copy publication. The biggest challenge it faced was the translation.
When asked what prompted her to publish Nurtured and Nuzzled Dia Michels, publisher, Platypus Media, said, “Books are like food; they nourish us. Our work, as book publishers, is to excite kids about reading and to give adults the tools they need to keep kids engaged in books. Research shows that kids who love reading are more successful in life. And the latest research on the Word Gap, tells us that brain development is dependent on exposure to words and interactions with adults. We were not looking to publish an early childhood book when Mike Speiser’s art landed in our mailbox, but once we saw it, we knew it needed to be put into the world. Books have the power to change lives and, we hope that, in a small way, we can be a part of that process.”
“I chose species that people could relate to,” Speiser replied by email when asked how he selected the animals for inclusion. “There are so many animals to choose from, but they have different levels of appeal. Some of them you can’t possibly use. You don’t get a warm feeling when you look at, say, armadillos. A locust has a fascinating life, but no one wants to know about locusts. There are plenty of other species that are appealing, so I picked those. Elephants, penguins and flamingos have universal appeal. I want to do something for the planet. Connecting with people is my way of doing that. Almost everything we care about stems from our childhood experiences. I was lucky. When I was young, I had parents who were very attentive. We always had a cat and she had several litters of kittens. Being a witness to birth had a huge impact on me. I have been drawn to capture the magnificence of animals ever since. Picking animals that have broad appeal encourages readers of the book to help life. It is my way of celebrating life. “I want to reach children at that special age because that’s when their brains are developing really quickly. If I can get them to love animals when they are young, I can make a different in that child.”
Dia Michels of Platypus Media
“Originally the book was all about the artwork and the messaging,” Michels said when asked why she decided on a bilingual book. “In the winter of 2015, I was speaking at the National Fathers and Families Coalition of America conference in Los Angeles. I had a prototype of the book with me. A number of the attendees suggested it would be a more powerful book if it were bilingual. They stressed that adding Spanish would allow us to reach more kids, and, more importantly, kids who could really benefit from a book like this. I listened, and, as soon as I returned to the office, we started redesigning the book to add the second language.”
After researching bilingual education (she referred to sciencenaturally.com/files/BilingualEd.pdf) she became convinced that there were more Spanish speakers in the U.S. than there are in Spain; “that nearly 25 percent of all K-12 students in the U.S. are Latino—and the percentage is growing.” She went on to say that the numbers were compelling.
Mike Speiser, illustrator, Nurtured and Nuzzled
“Nurtured and Nuzzled, Criados y Acariciados was our first bilingual book,” said Michels when asked about similar projects in the future. “Once we made the commitment to make it bilingual, we wanted to carry that commitment to our other projects. Our sister company, Science, Naturally, produces math and science books for upper elementary and middle school. We are incredibly excited about the release of our first bilingual book for this list, One Minute Mysteries: More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! Misterios de un minuto: ¡Más misterios cortos que resuelves con ciencias! It is the bilingual edition of our best-selling One Minute Mystery books. We are now working on the bilingual edition of our bestselling math book: One Minute Mysteries: Short Mysteries You Solve with Math!, Misterios de un minuto: ¡Misterios que resuelves con matemática! will be released in April 2017. We will carry this commitment forward and work to create bilingual products for the foreseeable future. We hope to do another early childhood book with Mike Speiser exploring different habitats, but it is still on the drawing board.”
The work of Speiser, an artist who lives next to the Black Hills of South Dakota, has been featured on the covers of Wild Animal Baby magazine and on fundraising products for science organizations. His paintings have been displayed at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. He is involved with efforts to protect the natural world for future generations. He sent his wok to Platypus Media after seeing If My Mom Were A Platypus at his local library.
Click to buy Nurtured and Nuzzled – Criados y Acariciados
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Posted by Elena del Valle on August 24, 2016
A Lumé bikini
Photos: Lumé
Paula Daza was born in Colombia and raised in the United States. As a young woman she decided she wanted to raise funds for people in her country of birth. In 2014, she founded Lumé Swimwear, a Katy, Texas based company Daza describes as “a 100 percent ethical luxury fashion brand that combines fashion, art, and giving back.” Lumé makes swimwear, beachwear, mochila bags and shoes from nylon and spandex in Medellin, Colombia and sells the vast majority, 90 percent, to customers in Europe. She hopes to grow her domestic market share.
The company, which Daza says follows fair trade practices and supports underprivileged children, offers 49 styles, including men’s trunks, ranging in price between $140 and $170 each. A page on the company website features photos of people with sewing machines in the background holding signs that say “I made your clothes” at the top. At the bottom there are photos of adults and children some of them holding toys. Lumé donates 10 percent of proceeds to the JuanFe Foundation (juanfe.org/en/). To date donations have reached $4000.
Paula Daza, owner, Lumé Swimwear
When asked about her company’s charitable donations Daza said by email via her publicist,“…and every summer I spent it in Colombia and would see the need of the people, the homeless children without shoes, the poor living in slums and it would just break my heart. I promised myself at that young age that one day I would find a way to give back to my native country in some way how ever little it may be.”
Before establishing her own company Daza worked in merchandising, buying and developing and launching other brands and designers. After many years in the fashion industry in New York City she found a path to follow through on the promise she had made herself. Overcoming a period of life changes led her to decide she wanted to start fresh by pursuing her three passions in life: fashion, art, and giving back. That in turn prompted her to establish her company.
Euphoria, a painting by Edgard Medina, served as inspiration for Lumé products.
Lumé beachwear inspired by art by Edgar Medina
To make its swimwear products Lumé transfers the original paintings of artists into prints for women who like fashion and art, seek to be unique while at the same time like purchasing items that are sustainable and eco-conscious. In exchange the artists receive a 10 percent license fee and exposure for their art. The 2016 collection features the work of two artists, including Edgar Medina whose art appears above. Medina is a Houston, Texas based abstract painter originally from Mexico.
“The process of picking artist to collaborate with is a very organic process, many artist write to us and some we have found by seeing there art work first,” Daza said when asked how she selects the artists she works with for the designs. “We also look to work wth artist that are involved in their community, it is important to work with artist that share that same vision of giving back and helping other through art. It is important for us at Lume to work with artist that are both an exceptional artist with unique work and at the same time philanthropic, because that is at the core of our co mission.”
“The reason I participate in this model is because I liked the idea to have my work in swimwear collection,” said Medina by email. “But, what made me fall in love even more is the charity work behind Lume Swimwear. A percentage of the sales goes back to a charity of choice. As an artist, I am very committed to give back to my community and help others in need through my work. I am so blessed to be able to give back to my community through my work. It is so satisfying to see the proceeds from a sale of an Edgar Medina original go to help a child with cancer, provide medical services to low-income teens or send a child with Muscular Dystrophy to camp. It is very important to me to give back to the community in honor of all that I have achieved and overcome in my own life.”
According to his bio, Medina originals have been shown across the country at galleries in Chicago, New Orleans, Santa Fe and Houston; and Medina has been a featured artist at Art Chicago, The Los Angeles Art Show, Art Santa Fe and Red Dot Miami. He works out of his studio space in Montrose within Native Citizen, which features his gallery where clients can visit him at work.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 15, 2016
Chris Edmonds, CEO, The Purposeful Culture Group
Photo: The Purposeful Culture Group
A podcast interview with Chris Edmonds, CEO, The Purposeful Culture Group, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, he discusses driving results through culture with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
After a 15-year executive career leading high performing teams, Chris began his consulting company in 1990. He has also served as a senior consultant with The Ken Blanchard Companies since 1995. Chris is one of Inc. Magazine’s 100 Great Leadership Speakers and was a featured presenter at South X SouthWest 2015. Chris is the author of The Culture Engine, Leading At A Higher Level with Ken Blanchard, and five other books. Chris’ blog, podcasts, research, and videos can be found at Driving Results Through Culture and on Twitter at @scedmonds.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Chris Edmonds” and click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home from the RSS feed. Some software will not allow flash, which may be necessary for the play button and podcast player. If that is your case, you will need to download the file to play it. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the August 2016 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 10, 2016
Soledad poster
Photos, video: Candy Factory Films
Soledad, a suspenseful, soulful 95-minute indie drama released in theaters July 26, 2016 features a world-weary ex-con limo driver and a high school couple he’s driving to their prom in Los Angeles. The work of first-time writer-directors Eduardo Maytorena and Wayne Mitchell the film received the Grand Jury Prize Runner-Up at the 2015 Dances with Films Festival, and was an Official Selection at the San Francisco Latino Film Festival and the 31 Chicago Latino Film Festival. Soledad, a Candy Factory Films movie, was released via VOD (video on demand) and digital HD on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu. Scroll down to watch a video clip.
In the film, Victor (Jesse Celedon), a lonely, Latino limousine driver lives a solitary existence: lifting weights in his small apartment, saying silent grace over breakfast, and enduring the disrespect of his clients night after night. One evening, after defending Raquel (Montanna Gillis, The Vatican Tapes, Don Peyote), his well-off passenger, from being assaulted by her prom date, Victor’s simple act of compassion sets off a series of events destined to bring back a past he has fought desperately to escape. The film takes viewers on a meandering and sometimes violent road trip with sexual situations (no nudity), through the city of Angels focusing on the unlikely friendship between Victor and Raquel.
A scene from Soledad
Soledad was shot over 17 days between January and April of 2014, mostly in Downtown Los Angeles, Silverlake, Echo Park, Pico Rivera, Glendale, and Mission Hills, with a budget of $120,000. In 2015, it toured U.S. and international film festivals.
“We never shot more than three nights in a row since we could only afford to use the limo on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, (Weekend rates were too steep), ” said Mayortena by email through the film’s publicist when asked about the making of the movie. “Post production lasted 10-12 months as we continued to make changes up to our delivery to the distributor.”
When asked about funding for the movie, Mayortena replied, “I work at a Spanish radio station as a creative sales director. I shared my vision of Soledad with one of my clients Douglas Bravo and he was intrigued. After a few more conversations he agreed to give us the money on two conditions. One was that we (myself, writing directing partner Wayne Mitchell and lead actor Jesse Celedon) invest our own money in the film so his investment was protected. The second was to take our vision of a short film and grow it to a feature so there would be an opportunity to see some return on investment. We are very blessed and grateful to Douglas for challenging us to dream bigger.”
Candy Factory Films, founded by Jason Ward, strives to be a “forward-thinking, filmmaker-friendly multimedia company dedicated to producing and distributing high impact, unique and compelling films.”
Click to buy Soledad
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 5, 2016
Investing Simplified
Photos: Chuck Price
After 40 years in the financial advice business Chuck Price, CRFA was convinced he could provide information for his clients and prospective clients better than the many books already published on the subject. Toward that goal he teamed up with nine colleagues to publish Investing Simplified (Advantage Media Group, $19.99) in 2014. They dedicated four years from idea to publication to make it happen.
“To me most Financial Books seemed very complicated and my clients told me I simplified concepts for them, so Investing Simplified became our slogan and a book,” Price said by email when asked why he wrote the book. Investing, he said “means to take a risk on your principle expecting returns, but may have losses as well.”
Chuck Price, author, Investing Simplified
The question most frequently asked by his clients is how much income they need to retire. He addresses the issue in Chapter 12. He began by suggesting readers figure out the following about their financial and life situation: current income and expenses, fixed and variable income sources, debt, life plans for retirement, life expectancy and long term care needs.
When asked what were the biggest challenges to writing and publishing his book he said, “Time, there are only so many hours in a day would be 1st. but second is writing does not come easy and anyone that thinks you can just set down and put your thoughts on paper and have it make sense is fooling themselves. Anyone that thinks it’s easy should try it.”
The 337-page softcover book is divided into 15 chapters and nine appendices. The final 100 pages make up the appendices written by the contributors. Price said he wanted to the book to be used as a training guide for the Average Person. He proposed a concept through which the advisor would work directly with a client’s attorney, accountant, long term care planner, and insurance agent. His next title? Why you need a Financial Doctor, just like you need a Medical Doctor.
Price, president and wealth manager, Price Financial Group Wealth Management, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor firm in Portland, Oregon, has 40 years of financial experience. He is host of the Investing Simplified radio show that airs live Saturday mornings on Freedom970.
Jerry Murphey, president, FolioMetrix, LLC contributed The Four Principles of Risk-Intelligent Investing; Carl Jepsen, partner, in Warren Allen LLP Law Firm, contributed Estate Planning; Keven Steege, CPA contributed Finding and Hiring a CPA; Mei Wong of Senior Resources Today contributed Hidden VA Benefits; Rick Dimick, Life Insurance Linked/hybrid Benefits & Long term care specialist, contributed Long-Term Care; Mark Eshelman, loan officer, Reverse Mortgage, contributed Reverse Mortgages; Karen Kane contributed Medicare the Big Unknown; Janelle Markovich, sales executive, Propel Insurance, contributed Protecting Your Business; and Michael Dougherty, preplanning advisor, Dignity Memorial contributed Planning Your Funeral.
Click to buy Investing Simplified
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 25, 2016
Ismael Elqudsi, CEO, SocialPubli.com
Photo: SocialPubli.com
A podcast interview with Ismael Elqudsi, CEO, SocialPubli.com, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, he discusses multicultural influencer marketing with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Ismael has been chief executive officer at SocialPubli.com since the startup was launched on July 2015. He is also CEO of Internet República, an online marketing agency, the parent company of SocialPubli.com. During the three years prior to the establishment of Internet República, Ismael was head of social media and search engine optimization at Havas, one of the largest media agencies in the world. Previously, he was in charge of Bing in Spain, the Spanish yellow pages and Noxtrum, a Spanish search engine.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Ismael Elqudsi” and click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. Some software will not allow flash, which is necessary for the play button and podcast player. If that is the case for you, you will need to download the file to play it. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the July 2016 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 22, 2016
Inkspirations for Women
Photos: Health Communications
Coloring books for adults seem to be popping up everywhere lately. According to one source, in 2015, half the bestsellers on Amazon were adult coloring books (see Science-Backed Reasons To Add Coloring To Your Self-Care Practice by Judy Clement Wall mindbodygreen.com/0-24373/science-backed-reasons-to-add-coloring-to-your-self-care-practice.html). Studies indicate a brief period of art making can reduce anxiety. Some believe coloring makes people better thinkers and helps them to focus effectively.
So when information about a new coloring book arrived in my inbox I decided to take a look. Inkspirations For Women Color Your World Happy – Inspiring Designs to Nourish Your Heart and Renew Your Spirit (Health Communications, Inc. $19.95), the result of a collaboration between Marci Shimoff, author, Happy for No Reason, (see Listen to podcast interview with Marci Shimoff, author, Happy for No Reason about finding happiness) and Judy Clement Wall, a freelance artist, illustrator, and writer, is a softcover publication designed to be completed by coloring aficionado buyers. The project, which features 30 intricate designs of flowers, fauna and meditative mandalas, required four months from conception to publication.
Marci Shimoff
“The idea to do an Inkspirations For Women book came about while I was illustrating HCI Books’ first coloring book, Inkspirations For Recovery, which is a book specifically designed for people using the Twelve-Step principles,” said Clement Wall by email when asked how she had become involved with the project. “We wanted to do another positive, uplifting book designed to inspire and encourage women.”
She and Shimoff, a New York Times Bestselling author, had worked together on other books through their publisher, HCI Books. When asked who might like the book, she said, “I think all women would like it. The illustrations are detailed, but not too complicated – just right for exploring your creativity, unwinding, and focusing inward in a really comfortable, fun way. The quotes and mantras are very inspiring, centered around the subjects of love, hope, dreams, gratitude, and self-belief.”
Judy Clement Wall, illustrator, Inkspirations for Women
The biggest challenges to writing, illustrating and publishing the coloring book the illustrator said were, “Learning how to draw for coloring. It’s a different kind of illustration. When I draw with the intention of my art being colored, I absolutely have the colorist in mind. I think of the finished pieces as collaborations. Often people post their colored pages to my Facebook wall, and I love seeing them.”
The book includes inspiring quotes and motivating mantras from Shimoff on love, hope, gratitude, and dreaming big. It also has an artist how-to section on customizing the art, thick stock paper compatible with colored pencils, markers, or watercolors, and perforated pages to encourage framing or sharing finished pieces.
Clement Wall is working on two more coloring books for HCI and a book of colorable postcards, to be released later this year. Shimoff is also author of Love for No Reason, co-authored six titles in the Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul series, and is a featured teacher in The Secret. She did not respond to questions for this note. The publisher is planning several more books in the Inkspirations series by different illustrators.
Click to buy Inkspirations for Women
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 11, 2016
Marco Antonio Regil, founder, RGL Entertainment, Inc.
Photo:
A podcast interview with Marco Antonio Regil, founder, RGL Entertainment, Inc., is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, he discusses moving from employee to entrepreneur with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
For 30 years Marco has been in the entertainment business. He was the host of Minute to Win It and the host and coproducer of Family Feud on network television. Along the way he discovered he wanted more than to be an employee. Twelve years ago he started on the path to financial freedom to take control of his career and his financial future by owning his business and becoming a professional investor.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Marco Antonio Regil” and click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the July 2016 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 1, 2016
The Dry Eye Remedy
Photos: Hatherleigh Press
Do your eyes often feel tired? At the end of the day are they sore, burning? You may have dry eye. If so you are not alone. Dry eye is “not having enough quantity and/or quality of tears to coat the surface of the eye that can result in symptoms such as blurry vision, dryness, irritation, burning, foreign body sensation, and even pain,” according to Robert Latkany, M.D., founder, The Dry Eye Clinic at The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary.
In The Dry Eye Remedy Revised Edition The Complete Guide to Restoring the Health and Beauty of Your Eyes (Hatherleigh,$15.95) a 218-page soft cover book published in 2016, Latkany discusses the topic. The title, which he developed over a year from idea to publication, is an update to his first book on the same subject published in 2007. His target audience is anyone who suffers from dry eyes, from post menopausal women to the young contact lens wearing crowd.
When asked by email what prompted the release of the revised edition, he replied, “I figured 9 years later an update was needed as there were a lot of advances in diagnostic testing and some advancement in therapeutic options now available that the public needed to know.” To the question in what ways exactly is the new edition different from the original? he said, ”
There is a lot of new information on new diagnostic testing available in the eye doctor’s office. And there are a few new therapies. So these two sections had the most changes.”
Robert Latkany, author, The Dry Eye Remedy
While inflammation is a major cause of dry eye not all dry eye patients have inflammation, the ophthalmologist explained when asked if dry eye was another term for inflammation. Other causes of the condition include cosmetic surgery, stress, and allergies. On the good news front, it is possible to remedy dry eye with nutrition and lifestyle changes alone.
“What you eat and what you are around and the daily stresses of life can have a major impact on dry eyes,” said Latkany, who is considering writing a book about ocular rosacea and allergies in the eyes.
When asked about the rewards to writing the books he said, “I have performed many different eye surgeries, including cornea transplants, cataracts and laser eye surgery and to improve vision on someone is very rewarding. But to make a neglected debilitated dry eye patient happy and feel more comfortable is extremely rewarding. They are very grateful.”
Dry eye, which can range from mild discomfort to serious, affects tens of millions of Americans and has no cure. Among sufferers more women than men (two to one, according to the National Eye Institute) are afflicted by dry eye, Latkany points out in the book.
Click to buy The Dry Eye Remedy, Revised Edition
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