Three People You Should Know
Posted on 14. May, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Hotel
We are lucky here at the roger smith hotel to have an inspiring, creative and passionate group of loyal friends that support us on many levels. As a small token of our appreciation and in an attempt to repay what these people bring to our community, we will be featuring three new people every Friday as our ‘follow Friday’ list. Follow Friday, a concept born from the creative mind of Micah Baldwin, has lost some of what we believe Micah started it for, purpose. Do not get us wrong, when @RSHotel shows up in any #FF or #FollowFriday lists it is an honor. What seems to have happened though is too many people are trying too hard to pay homage to their friends without truly letting us know: who, what or why these ‘lists’ of people are worth following.
This week we kick it off with three people very dear to me (Brian Simpson) and us (the Team at Roger Smith Hotel). We have included a brief bio on each person, their passion and how to connect with them. Please take a moment to read about our friends, you will find they are all very valuable not only in their fields but more importantly as people.
Happy ‘Follow’ Friday !
Elizabeth King:
Elizabeth is the author of “OUTSMARTING the SAT” (Ten Speed, 2008) and President of Elizabeth King Coaching, Inc., a test preparation company based in New York City. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Cultural Economics and is the recipient of a Mount Holyoke College Class of 1905 Alumnae Fellowship and a Mount Holyoke College Bardwell Fellowship.
Blog: StayOutOfSchool.com
StayOutOfSchool.com investigates why one of the greatest, albeit hard-headed, creative thinkers of our time advises young, creative college graduates to stay out of graduate school. The exploration will reach further, though, into how institutional education at all levels, creativity, individuality, and the fruit of “the school of life” have long been at war. Ultimately, Stay Out Of School aims to critically assess those issues most relevant to the 21st century thinker and innovator and recommend ways to bring those issues to light inside the classroom and ingratiate them into American culture.
Twitter: @ElizabethOnline
Adam Hirsch:
Chief Operations Officer of Mashable - The #1 Social Media News Site Co-Founder of My Social Dog – The first social network to connect local dog owners in real-time
Adam Hirsch is the COO, responsible for event planning (MashMeets, Open Web Awards, Conferences, etc), partnership and sponsorship opportunities, marketing, client relations and of course, Pete’s “2nd in Command.” Always on the hunt for a partnership or opportunity to improve Mashable. Adam is a New York City native and a graduate of Cornell University.
Blog: Mashable.com
Founded in July 2005, Mashable is the world’s largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Media news. With more than 15 million monthly pageviews, Mashable is the most prolific blog reviewing new Web sites and services, publishing breaking news on what’s new on the web and offering social media resources and guides. Mashable’s audience includes early adopters, social media enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, influencers, brands and corporations, marketing, PR and advertising agencies, Web 2.0 aficionados and technology journalists. Mashable is also popular with bloggers, Twitter and Facebook users — an increasingly influential demographic.
Twitter: @AdamHirsch
Steve Etzler:
Business Development Institute (BDI), founded in 2001 in New York City by Steve Etzler and managed by Maria Feola, is a leading conference and webinar producer for communicators. Our programs educate while providing valuable networking opportunities to our attendees. Over 8,000 leaders have attended our programs on the latest trends, issues and opportunities that impact communicators. The quality of our speakers, program topics, format, network, and value are what differentiates BDI from its competitors.
Blog: BDIOnLine.com
On January 13, 2010, Business Development Institute and PR Newswire hosted the first event of 2010: Social Integration – Harmonizing Social Channels into the Marketing, Communications, & Service Platform. Over 250 people attended the case studies and two interactive roundtable sessions. BlogTalkRadio has provided an audio cast of the case studies with presentations from HP, NHL, PepsiCo, Harvard Business School, Michelin North America, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, and Sprint Nextel . To access the audio cast, please visit www.bdionline.com/socialintegrationrecording.html.
Twitter:@bdionline
Twittering Through Chemo: Brian Simpson & Drew Olanoff @ SXSW Conf
Posted on 22. Apr, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Hotel
When I tell people that cancer saved my life, I get the same look every time, Bewilderment. If not for cancer I am not writing this post. Those of you that have become my friends are not reading it (and you’re not my friends)
I would not have had the courage to leave my career and fight for something bigger, more important. The friends that I have made combined with the joy and love I have experienced in the last eighteen months have made me realize this is living. Its about actually getting the most out of life with no excuses. Life is filled with mistakes, heartache and pain – no matter how optimistic you are. Surviving cancer has made me (and this will be a fun over use of overused words) a guru-maven-expert-cowboy-ninja-coach-superuser-connoisseur and master sage of finding the good in everything.
Its there, we are all good people.
The video in this post is a shortened version of my talk at SXSW with my friend Drew Olanoff. Without cancer mine or his, we are not friends. I BlameDrewsCancer for creating our friendship…see, even cancer has a good side. Thank you to all that attended our talk & to all of you that have supported and encouraged me.
Special thanks to Hugh Forrest and SXSW for the amazing opportunity to share our stories and a forum to hear the stories of others.
To @DannyGoulash & @Adwal for editing the video and The Team of The Roger Smith Hotel for the time and support to do it all!
Bsimi
Hey Dad, We Forgot To Say Goodbye…
Posted on 01. Apr, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community
At 4:30am April 1st, 1997 blurry eyed and half asleep, I made my way to the freezer like I had a hundred times before. If sleep eating were a sport I would need Scott Boras as an agent, I’m that good. I grabbed my usual; Frozen chocolate chip cookie dough (homemade & portioned w/ plastic wrap), ice cold skim milk, a paper towel…and for some reckless/unconscious reason I took the cordless phone from its base, securing it between my chest and chin. I plopped myself on an old travel trunk we used as a coffee table (sitting on the couch was too comfy and usually led to waking up covered in crumbs-I told you I was good) set down the milk, dropped the phone and focused on the now softening cookie dough.
I have always disliked April Fool’s Day… its tiring spending your entire day wondering and qualifying every word, action and encounter you have with other people. People you would like to trust, normally do trust yet on this day – everyone is the enemy. It goes against human nature and at its root is just cruel. You know how Halloween is an excuse for girls to dress slutty..? April Fool’s Day is an excuse for the asses of the world to be honored for acting like…well you get the point.
4:40am the phone that had bounced to the floor and half under the couch rings… I thought to myself “what the F*#%” (I can’t in good conscience write WTF, it hadn’t been invented yet) Who:Why:What:NO the phone, really? Ruining a perfectly good binge… great… I did what people do, starred at it for a couple rings and hoped it would stop, it didn’t – so I answered it.
“Hey Brian – you’re up” said Steve, a local businessman and member of the volunteer fire department with my dad. I replied “well kinda, I’m eating cookie dough – is there something wrong?” Steve pauses… “it’s about your dad” he mumbles.
You see, I hadn’t talked to my dad in a few years. I would like to say it was because of busy schedules or the long distance between us… I would like to say it was a cliche. The truth is we lived about a mile and a half apart and my dad was retired with a lot of free time. We hadn’t talked because that’s what stubborn people do, we don’t budge – we don’t cave – we never give in. It didn’t make me sad (not on the outside), I was trained by the best… taught not to cry – emotions were not allowed – tears a sign of weakness.
“What’s happened to him now,” I asked, half thinking it was a joke. My dad was always up for a good prank and at times was just a prick. “He has- suffered – a massive- heart attack” were the words Steve forced out between deep breaths. I still didn’t believe him and I have to admit, at the time, I didn’t care. I arose from the trunk and started looking out the window as I asked “So how is he?” sadly still expecting it to be a joke. I was half asleep yet well aware of the date. “We were not able to save him… we have lost your dad…we have lost Henry” I sat back down and replied “So my dad is dead? Does my mom know?”
“Your mom is at the hospital- it was in his sleep – she tried – she did her best,” were the last words Steve said to me. I thanked him for calling, hung up and ate the rest of my snack. I brought my empty glass to the sink, threw away the plastic wrap, returned the phone to its base and then went back to sleep.
When I woke up a few hours later I turned to my wife and said “I think my dad died this morning…” I remember her thinking I was April Fooling her. I sat up and called my mom. When she answered she couldn’t speak, she was sobbing, as soon as I said “Mom it’s me” she lost it. I knew right away this was not joke. There would be no punchline, no clever twist.
My dad died at the age of 53 and I never got to say “Goodbye.” For years I blamed him, me, him, me, him…until a couple years ago I came to the realization that it isn’t about blame, it’s about life being too short. All our lives people piss us off, screw us over, say bad things… if we all keep subscribing to the principles of blame none of us will ever get to say goodbye.
I know today is April Fool’s Day – Please enjoy it and may the gods of a great prank shine down on you and your plots. Also remember this- at the end of the day all we really have is each other. Surprise someone today, not with a joke, surprise them with a friendly call or email… surprise them by being kind.
Writing this something very important has occurred to me: it actually isn’t about saying goodbye, it’s about having the courage to say hello.
Kurt Cobain Watches “Smells Like Teen Spirit” For 1st Time @RSHotel
Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Hotel
The power, the amazing ability to connect even the most random information, is what makes the internet so astounding. Yesterday as I am scanning TweetDeck I notice a tweet scroll through the ‘Roger Smith Hotel‘ column. (not everyone uses @RSHotel I figured out a while ago. lol )
Here is the tweet sent out by Roger A.K.A. @yaysarcasm to @SuzanneVara Owner of Kherize5 Advertising & Social Media Agency and my response:
Roger quickly responded with a tweet leading me closer to the truth:
I instantly looked up “Heavier Than Heaven” on-line continuing to track down the truth behind Roger’s tweet… its not that I didn’t believe you Roger but afterall it is twitter…right?!
Here is what I found next:
-
page 205 Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain By Charles R. Cross
page 205 Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain By Charles R. Cross
I have walked into work today feeling a little bit different. Call me corny but in a Hotel that has built a reputation on story telling and people this to me is a damn good one. Kurt Cobain, Nirvana… fan or not you have to admit the history and nostalgia behind this discovery is a story to be repeated and shared.
I end by thanking Roger @YaySarcasm and @SuzannaVara for having a social conversation and sharing your insights with us here @RSHotel ! I will always remember this… its just cool.
R.I.P.
Honored To Be A Shorty’s Finalist
Posted on 04. Mar, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Events, Hotel, Lily's Restaurant
A year ago Adam Wallace and I (Brian Simpson) and the TEAM at The Roger Smith Hotel barely knew what the Shorty Awards were and we sure in hell were not getting into the event! Note: Last year even Julia Roy was left in the cold, literally. Fast forward one year and we find ourselves one of five finalists in the category of Customer Service. Although the Shorty Awards are a Twitter based awards recognition, we at RSH know that customer service goes way beyond what can be conveyed in 140 characters. Our on-line presence has certainly been instrumental in finding new friends, converting them into guests and following up to ensure satisfaction. It is fitting that the day after the event Tamar Weinberg has a blog post that expresses this same message. Tamar quotes Joseph Jaffe as saying “Roger Smith Hotel, through their bevy of ‘humans,’ actually participates. They go out of their way to welcome any social media-initiated guests in person…”
OUR ROGER SMITH FAMILY
We were honored to be a part of The Shorty Awards and be listed in the Customer Service Category alongside:
and of course, and big congrats to, Winner ComcastBonnie
Thank you again to all that have supported us and make our jobs here at RSH more fun because we are surrounded by greatness everyday!
See you next year… with a lead image photo from behind the podium 
Party For A Purpose ~ “Cents of Relief”
Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Events
Yesterday, via Twitter, I learned my friend John ‘Speed’ Raser was having an event here in NYC. I was bummed out when I realized the date conflicted with my trip to SXSWi. John is super excited to be having this event here in New York City and is anticipating a great turnout! Because of John’s passion and commitment to his friends I feel compelled to share his enthusiasm in a blog post. As a bonus I am including a great video from John’s YouTube channel… It has nothing to do with the event but everything to do with John and his awesomeness. Enjoy the video and please come out to support John and his friends on March 11th.
Cents of Relief (501c3) was founded by John Raser’s highschool buddy, Anup Patel and his fiance Rina Patel to help provide healthcare to women and children caught up in human trafficking / sex trade. John says “Anup is one of the most brilliant, hard-working, and compassionate people I have ever come to know.”
He credits his fiance, Rina, as being the driving force behind the organization. “She is such a strong, sweet, and dedicated woman.” says Anup. I’m happy to help such unselfish and deserving friends.
If you live in New York City, or will be there March 11, 2010, we would love it if you came out to support this worthy cause. I mean it’s at Jay Z’s 40/40 Club and tickets are only $25 bucks in advance ($30 at the door). Not to mention there is a free vodka hour and free Aveda mini day spa included! Need I say more?!?! I’ll be there with some friends from Orlando and would love to throw back some Cristal with you!
You can buy tickets here
Killington, Okemo & Ski Vermont Tweet-Up
Posted on 24. Feb, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Hotel
Thursday February 25th 6-8 p.m.
Join Killington Resort, Okemo and Ski Vermont for a New York City après at the Roger Smith Hotel. We’ll talk about how much snow is falling on two of Vermont’s best mountains while we are in the City drinking and talking about skiing and riding, and why we all need to get out of the City for the weekend and enjoy a Powder Day!
2 for 1 vouchers, free passes, wearables and much more!
Although there may not be any snow on the ground here in NYC…Check out the LIVE view from Killington Mountain, VT !
Also take advantage of Henry’s Birthday Room Special
Click on my tummy for my special discount code
$99 Now – March 3rd !
Hats Off To Our Friends (Red Sox Hats That Is)
Posted on 21. Feb, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Hotel
Back in January Adam Wallace and I (Brian Simpson) had the chance to speak at Jeff Pulvers #140Conf Meet-Up in Cambridge, MA. While we were there we were invited, via Twitter, by The Colonnade Hotel (@Colonnade) to come have lunch and talk ‘social media’. We met with Chris, Nicole and Katie at Brassarie Jo’s inside the Colonnade. A couple of weeks later Katie was in NYC for business and stopped by to say hello and visit The Roger Smith. This is how connections and friendships evolve. Last week I decided I needed a new Red Sox hat, and in my opinion, there is only one place to buy one, Yawkey Way – outside of Fenway Park. I spent the weekend in Boston and enjoyed amazing hospitality at The Colonnade. As a resident of Boston for thirteen years The Colonnade was always my popular Summer hang-out due to their great rooftop pool! Being able to actually stay there was indeed a treat. I even ran into a couple people I knew that now work there. Because of their involvement and commitment to social networking I have a new Boston ‘home’. If you are ever in the Boston area or live near Boston I suggest you go by for a room, a bite to eat or a drink by the pool (Summer only). You will not be disappointed.
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand ‘Check-Ins’
Posted on 20. Feb, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Hotel, Lily's Restaurant
Last Thursday afternoon I received a call from my friend Julia Roy. Julia had been approached by Susan Dominus, of The New York Times, to participate in an article Susan was doing on the social network FourSquare. Julia asked if it would be O.K. to do the interview at Roger Smith Hotel. Her reasoning was to hopefully include other FourSquare users in the article. (on most nights there is someone here “Checking-In” on FourSquare) This gesture alone shows why people like Julia excel in social media. FourSquare is a way of sharing your dining, shopping, traveling, museum hoping, train riding and sight seeing experiences with other people.
FourSquare is about the strength of community. To quote Kenneth Hartley Blanchard “None of us is as smart as all of us.” Julia could have done the interview on her own and it would have been great. She would have shared it, the twitterverse would have re-tweeted it and the world would continue to spin about one thousand miles per hour. Instead, Julia recognizes the greater strength and potential energy of community. Everyone has an audience: Damien consults on building your companies brand. Clay has studied under Seth Godin and now assists a variety of businesses with their overall strategies. Jill has a loyal community on YouTube as a videographer that surpasses most of its users. I (Brian Simpson) work at Roger Smith, a hotel that has become a go-to business for all types of social media personalities.
Collectively the story became what platforms like FourSquare stand for… connecting friends and strangers with commonalities to create conversation.
Jill Hanner's NYSC Mayorship
It was a great night and we at The Roger Smith Hotel wanted to thank Julia for including us. I/we would also like to thank Jill, Clay and Damien for sharing their unique and individual insights as to why FourSquare is important to them.
“Beyond Twitter: An App That Truly Lets You See City”
JOIN FOURSQUARE NOW: Here
Susan Dominus
Special thanks to: Susan Dominus, writer for the NYT and Nicole Tung Photographer for the NYT
Beauty Pearls For Chemo Girls Fashion Show
Posted on 04. Feb, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Events, fashion, Hotel
What comes to mind when someone mentions cancer to you? I (Brian Simpson) am a cancer survivor and my first thoughts range from being bald to living on the bathroom floor. When I observe conversations about cancer I see sullen faces and hear tones of empathy. Thankfully people like Debbie Kiederer and Marybeth Maida look at the world through rose colored glasses. They have collaborated on an amazing book, a book that sends a message much bigger than its pages. “Beauty Pearls For Chemo Girls” is a book to inspire, educate and encourage woman who have to go through the ordeal of cancer treatment and the angelic people that stay by their sides and assist.
On Thursday, February 11th, BP4CG will be hosting a wonderful evening at The Roger Smith Hotel. From designers to make-up artists the night will consist of ‘making-over’ two strong and courageous women currently undergoing cancer treatment.
Debbie and Marybeth are two women that we respect and support for all their efforts in such an important yet difficult arena.
Click on the link for all the details and to register for the event – we hope to see you here. If you can’t make it please spread the word, follow them on Twitter and become fans of their Facebook page.
The Noel Foundation and Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls invite you to celebrate and support women facing cancer with our first ever chemo girl makeover fashion show.
February 11, 2010
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
The Roger Smith Hotel
501 Lexington Avenue
New York City
Join us for cocktails, food, fashion and fun featuring expert advice from the groundbreaking new book and community website Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls — live streaming video coverage to the street and the web.
Come meet Louis Philippe and Christine DeAngelo — two of our Beauty Pearls Experts.
Goody bags include a signed copy of the Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls book with chocolates* to celebrate the Valentine’s tradition.
Show the Love!
Proceeds will benefit the Noel Foundation
The NOEL Foundation was created to commemorate the extraordinary life of Noel de Caprio. Faced with spectacular success and frightening challenges, Noel always maintained a creative, courageous approach to life. Faced with obstacles or told that “things look bad”, she would smile and politely ignore the message. Regardless of the situation, she had an uncanny ability to turn disaster into opportunity. Her inspiration remains. Her charm still lingers. Her presence is missed. And so, to encourage that same, slightly irreverent behavior in others and to ease the financial pressures that usually accompany the physical realities of living with cancer, The NOEL Foundation was founded. We help cancer survivors with quality of life issues. This is a local foundation that helps within this community. We have a volunteer board and all monies donated find their way to people who need our help.
In a medical setting that sometimes loses humanity in the interest of expediency, b.wëll seeks to bolster spirit and encourage strength. b.wëll’s immediate concerns are the physical changes that often occur during treatment. Our staff are experts in the design and care of wigs, and can also help with skin care and makeup to minimize the obvious signs of treatments. b.wëll also offers wellness services that have proved to be effective allies during treatment. It is our profound hope that b.wëll will someday be out of business. For information concerning our work…203.321.1469 x339…wig consultations can also be scheduled through our reservation line at 203.322.3445.
To learn more about Noelle, visit www.noelle.com
To learn more about Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls, visit our website at www.beautypearlsforchemogirls.com
Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls Event Details and Registration
Marybeth & Debbie
Marybeth Maida is a journalist and breast cancer survivor who has worked in television, film and web for more than 20 years. She is Chief Operating and Strategy Officer for Public News Service, an independent, state based network dedicated to producing news in the public interest; President of the Beauty Foundation for Women’s Cancer Care, and vice president of the Red Bank Borough Education Foundation. Marybeth lives in New Jersey with her husband and children.
Debbie Kiederer is a 25 year veteran of the retail cosmetics industry, a digital strategist, and Founder and Principal of ChalkDust Consulting. She is an executive board member of the Hunt Hill Farm Trust, Skitch Henderson’s Cultural Center; an advisory board member of the New Canaan YMCA Diving Parents’ Association; board member of the Beauty Foundation for Women’s Cancer Care, and a
member of Cosmetic Executive Woman (CEW) and the Metropolitan Executive and Professional
Registry. Debbie lives in New York with her husband and children.
