Yamile Diaz:

Yamile is the face, heart and soul of Lily’s restaurant here at the Roger Smith Hotel. He takes customer service seriously and it shows. He speaks multiple languages ( great for our visitors from overseas ), he is willing to do whatever it takes to make a guest happy and most of all he cares. If you have the stomach to handle one of the most energized people you could meet please stop by and say hello to Yamile…Or you can find him on Twitter as @RSYamilio

John Knowles:

John is the President and CEO of Panman Production and has produced numerous films, live broadcasts and content for the Roger Smith Hotel.Most recently John and his team produced a series of six short films called “The Roger Smith Shorts” which were screened last night at the Brooklyn International Film Festival. His creative juices and passion for new innovative ways of sharing visual arts on and off line have taught me about a whole new way of creating and sharing stories.
John can easily be found -> On Twitter @PanmanProd @Pancity or see his YouTube channel Roger Smith News.

Melissa Rodriguez:

Melissa is one of our friendliest bartenders, although she is so much more. Aside from entertaining, serving and being a creative mixologist, Melissa is in culinary school and has started a food blog FoodVixenNYC. Melissa is a text book example of what it means to be a Roger Smith employee.
Many of you know Melissa in real life… until now you may not have known how to find her when not sitting at her bar…now you can
On twitter @FoodVixenNYC

Have a great weekend and enjoy the World Cup!
GO USA!

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Prize4Life is a non-profit organization dedicated to treating and curing ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) using a combination of the incentive prize model and other crowd-sourcing and distributed innovation approaches. The organization currently administers the $1 million ALS Treatment Prize and the $1 million ALS Biomarker Challenge, along with a host of other scientific and clinical resources.

“Prize4Life is thrilled to be hosting this event. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our sponsors and artists, we have an incredible selection of lots. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go directly to ending ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease through our innovative programs,” said Avi Kremer, co-founder and CEO of Prize4Life, and an ALS patient.

The auction includes work by sculptors Boaz Vaadia, John Bisbee, and Tim Prentice; painters Miriam Cabessa, Natan Elkanovich, Engels, and Carol Anthony; photographers Isack Kousnsky, Nancy Rudolph, Tal Shochat, and Nobel laureate Wally Gilbert, among others. The event will take place at the Roger Smith Hotel, a classy, dynamic venue in midtown Manhattan, home to The Lab gallery for performance and installation, and host of two regular music series.

A pre-auction art showing and cocktail reception was held at Sotheby’s Auction House on Thursday, May 20. Speakers included Jamie Niven, Chairman Sotheby’s North and South America, and Gabriela Shalev, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.

Works available for online bidding in the Prize4Life live and online auctions include:

• Ruth and Gehrig by Bill Lopa
• Hanna & Shemu’el, 1988 by Boaz Vaadia
• Four Faces Inverse 2/5, 2009 by Wally Gilbert
• You Don’t Know Me, 2009 by Engels
• At the Beach II by Natan Elkanovich
• Gold Landscape, 2009 by Miriam Cabessa
• Window Box, 2002 by Tim Prentice
• Squares by Rachel von Roeschlaub
• Untitled by John Bisbee
• Igor Stravinsky by Barbara Thacher
• Pear by Carol Anthony
• Easter in Rockefeller Center by Nancy Rudolph
• Sad Teddy, 2000 by Nahum Moses
• Sharing a Cheroot. Inle Lake, Myanmar, 2000 by Diane Waller
• The Bridge, 2008 by Marian Heard
• Boy’s Head, 2007 by Itamar Jobani
• Untitled #100, 2002 by Leora Laor
• A celebrity “date” with Professor Alan Dershowitz
• Six bottles of Shoresh 2007 wine

Online Bidding in the “Art, Life, Spring” Auction is open to the global community through June 3.  Go to http://www.charitybuzz.com/Prize4Life to place a bid.

The A.L.S. Gala Auction has been generously sponsored by Bloomberg LLP, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Biogen IDEC, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sotheby’s, and the Roger Smith Hotel.

For more information on the Prize4Life auction, please visit www.Prize4Life.org.

About ALS

Known in the United States as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, ALS is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease that typically takes the life of patients within 2-5 years of diagnosis. It is caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. It most commonly strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and affects men slightly more than women. ALS is the most common motor neuron disease worldwide and as many as 30,000 Americans struggle with it at any given time. There is no known cure for ALS and only one modestly effective FDA-approved treatment for the disease.

About Prize4Life

Prize4Life was founded by a group of Harvard Business School students when one of them, Avi Kremer, was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 29. Prize4Life works to accelerate the discovery of a treatment and a cure for ALS by using powerful incentives to attract new people and ideas, and to leverage existing efforts and expertise in the ALS field. Among other program initiatives, the organization currently administers the ALS Biomarker Prize Challenge, the Avi Kremer ALS Treatment Prize, and an ALS research portal (www.ResearchALS.org).

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Title: CHECK MATE
Directed by: Abianne Prince
Written by: Robyn Day
Running Time: 3min 30 seconds
Premiere Status: World Premiere

Cast: Robyn Day, Lars Gerhard
Crew: Screenplay by: Robyn Day & Abianne Prince – Executive Producer: John Knowles – Producers: Abianne Prince – Line Producer: Cedric Youngelman – Director of Photography: John Birdsong – Lighting Design: Pete Eilenberg – Sound Director: Pete Eilenberg – Editor: Abianne Prince
Email – abiprince@gmail.com
Website: www.rogersmithsshorts-myshorts.tumblr.com/
Synopsis:
This short experimental film explores one woman’s active imagination and how it keeps her mate in check.

About the Director When Abi was 6 years old her Uncle Bob told her that life wasn’t worth living if she didn’t find a passion and follow it no matter what. Once Abi discovered photography and filmmaking she realized that she had found her vocation.  As a Producer, Director, Editor & Director of Photography, Abi has seen all sides of filmmaking. Her experience spans from live television production to commercials, documentaries and webisodes. Her passion is storytelling.

Abianne  started her professional career at Plum TV as a “preditor” (producer/director/editor) and continued to practice all the tricks of the trade with Panman Productions in New York City.  Her recent endeavors also include working with the art news website RogerSmithLife.com, as well as projects with Voluntary Instinct Productions. V.I. is a non-profit media company, whose purpose is to enhance public awareness of under-represented social and environmental issues. When not making films, she enjoys swimming in the ocean, lost causes and painting.

Film Title: THE COUNTERPANE FAIRY
Director: John Knowles
Running Time:  15 minutes
Premiere Status: World Premiere

Cast: Justin Hall, Lauren Frances, Aleks Degtyarev, Betsy Holt, Craig Russell , John Knowles, Phoebe Knowles
Crew: Assistant Director: Melissa Gonzalez – Directors of Photography: Adam Wallace and Abianne Prince – Editor: John Knowles – Line Producer: Cedric Youngleman – Special Effects Supervisor: Aleks Degtyrev – Sound: Aleks Degtyarev – Set Design: Peter Eilenberg – Light Design: Peter Eilenberg – Assistant Set Design: Lucinda Lin -Production Assistant: Rex Leung – Costume design /Hair and Makeup: Joel Yapching – Hair: Katie Arbore – Makeup: Denise Mojica – Wardrobe: Veronica Zhou
Email: jknowles@panmanproductions.com
Website: www.thecounterpanefairy.tumblr.com
Synopsis:
Teddy (played by Justin Hall), an 11 year old boy left alone in a hotel, decides to wander after his parents go out for the evening. In an empty penthouse he encounters The Counterpane Fairy (Lauren Frances) who takes him on a storybook adventure. He is put to the heroic task of saving an enchanted princess while freeing her from a spell that has been cast on her by a little gray spider (Aleks Degtyarev).
In the real world, the adults around him are constantly trying to box him into a conformed norm. His adventure reminds us that a child’s imagination is pure. The Counterpane Fairy is a modern day fairy tale that takes place at the Roger Smith Hotel.
The story of the Counterpane Fairy is an adaptation from the “The Counterpane Fairy” by Katherine Pyle.
About the Director
John Knowles is the CEO of Panman Productions, an interactive production company based out of New York City that focuses on live broadcasting, film, fashion, art and social media.  Panman Productions consists of a five member team that operates collectively with the understanding that ours is a company where “All of your dreams come true.”
After being introduced to Live production at Plum TV, John worked to adapt the Live production model to his endeavors online.  In the last several years, John has worked in collaboration with the Roger Smith Hotel on a number of projects.  He helped to create and build the Roger Smith Social Media program and was the executive producer of the 2009 Roger Smith Shorts Film Festival which generated six original short films.

Title: THE END
Director by: John Knowles & Melissa Gonzalez
Running Time: 10 minutes
Premiere Status: World Premiere

The End Trailer from Panman Productions on Vimeo.

Cast: Starring: Melissa Gonzalez, Jerome Richards & David Henry Gerson
Crew: Screenplay by: Melissa Gonzalez & Michael G. Richards – Executive Producer: John Knowles -Producers: Melissa Gonzalez & Abianne Prince – Line Producer: Cedric Youngelman – Assistant Director: Lucinda Lin – Director of Photography: Aleks Degtyarev – Lighting Design: John Birdsong – Sound Director: Pete Eilenberg -  Editor: John Knowles – Costume Design: Veronica Zhou – Production Assistant: Rex Leung – Makeup: Denise Mojica – Hair: Katie Arbore
Email: Melissa Gonzalez, Lion ‘esque Productions mg@lionesqueproductions.com
Website: www.theendfilmblog.tumblr.com
Synopsis:
In the mid 1940s Sam Clarke fell madly in love with a young woman named Clare Hayes. It was WWII in Europe, a time of heightened emotion and adventure. Their time together lived in his heart forever and inspired the project of his lifetime. With hope and doubt, he hires actress Alex Keyes to assist in his endeavor.
Will Alex be able to embody the woman who stole Sam’s heart half a century ago? “The End” is a screenplay adaptation of the novel “A Century of Dust” by Michael G. Richards.
About the Director Melissa Gonzalez
Melissa Gonzalez: Creator, Producer, Performer.
Melissa is no stranger to the camera or producing. Melissa, former co-host of Latin Beat on BET, has made numerous television appearances on NY shows including Chappelle’s Show, SNL and the FOX Pilot NY-70. In addition she produced and starred in the indie feature Spanglish Girls and Broken Hearts which premiered at LAIFF. Currently you can catch Melissa online hosting Homemade BFF’s and uncovering new fashion icons onwww.rspopshop.com.

Film Title: HAIR BALL
Directed by : John Birdsong
Made in the United States at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City. 2010
Premiere Status: World Premiere at the Brooklyn International Film Festival.
Category: Short Comedy
Format: Canon DSLR
Running Time: approximately 10 minutes

hair-ball: a roger smith short (teaser #1) from Panman Productions on Vimeo.

Cast: Brett Siddell, Bari Hyman, Matt Semler, Mala Wright, Wayne Soares, Fanny (Cat), Tomas  Terstad
Crew:  Written by Morgan-Jo Teller and John Birdsong Director, Producer, DP, and Editor: John Birdsong – Executive Producer: John Knowles – Producer: Melissa Gonzalez – Assistant Camera: Abianne Prince – Sound Designer: Aleks Degtyarev – Wardrobe: Morgan-Jo Teller – Boom Operator: Victor Reznik
Email: john.birdsong@yahoo.com
Blog(trailer): http://hair-ball.tumblr.com
Synopsis:
The only thing Louis loves more than being a bellboy is dancing. He makes the most of guests’ unattended rooms and personal possessions, practicing dance moves for nights at the club. Using a stranger’s toothbrush or sleeping in their bed was a victimless crime till now. Could a lude act with a suitcase send him back to prison? Can you taste another man’s mouth by sharing his toothbrush?  Hair-ball is loosely based on a phone call from “Car Talk” on NPR.

About the Director
John Christopher Alexander Michael Birdsong was born March 19th, 1981 in Brooklyn and raised in Texas and the Hamptons. His first job was as a counter boy at a Chinese take-out restaurant. John is not Chinese. He studied photography before interning and working as a Producer/Director/Editor for Plum TV. John’s passions include looking for the end of the internet, smelling things, and staying up late. John works with Panman Productions in midtown and lives with his girlfriend Morgan-Jo Teller in Brooklyn with their cat Fanny and an unnamed school of goldfish.

Title: MOTHER TERESA’S HIATUS
Directed by: Abianne Prince
Written by: Robyn Day
Running Time: 2min 30 seconds
Premiere Status: World Premiere

Cast: Staring Kana Sato Supporting cast: Jay Cutler, Anwar Uddin, Dennis Lowell, Chad Miller,Sunjay Mishra,Chris Cotten, Rocco George, John Knowles, Roni Mazumdar, Dan Chen, Klive Robinson
Crew: Screenplay by: Robyn Day – Producer: Abianne Prince – Line Producer: Cedric Youngelman – Assistant Director: Melissa Gonzalez – Director of Photography: Aleks Degtyarev – Lighting Design: John Birdsong – Editor: Abianne Prince – Sound Director: Victor Reznik – Costume Design: Lucinda Lu – Art Direction: Lucinda Lu – Production Assistant: Susanna Lewitt – Makeup: Denise Mojica – Hair: Katie Arbore
Email: abiprince@gmail.com
Website:  www.rogersmithsshorts-myshorts.tumblr.com/
Synopsis:
A woman’s epiphany about the role she plays in the lives of the men that surround her.

About the Director
When Abi was 6 years old her Uncle Bob told her that life wasn’t worth living if she didn’t find a passion and follow it no matter what. Once Abi discovered photography and filmmaking she realized that she had found her vocation.  As a Producer, Director, Editor & Director of Photography, Abi has seen all sides of filmmaking. Her experience spans from live television production to commercials, documentaries and webesodes. Her passion is storytelling.

Abianne started her professional career at Plum TV as a “preditor” (producer/director/editor) and continued to practice all the tricks of the trade with Panman Productions in New York City.  Her recent endeavors also include working with the art news website RogerSmithLife.com, as well as projects with Voluntary Instinct Productions. V.I. is a non-profit media company, whose purpose is to enhance public awareness of under-represented social and environmental issues. When not making films, she enjoys swimming in the ocean, lost causes and painting.

Title:  SHOE FITS
Directed by:  Aleks Degtyarev, aka Marlo L. Brown
Running Time:  21 minutes
Premiere Status: World Premiere

The Original Hooligans are back. Shoe Fits Trailer! from Panman Productions on Vimeo.

Cast: Aleks Degtyarev, Kelly Jo Johnson, John Larmor, Lucinda Lin, Frank Martinelli, Brett Siddell, Rich Staab

Crew: Written by: Aleks Degtyarev – Executive Producer: John Knowles – Line Producer: Cedric Youngelman – Assistant Director: Lucinda Lin – Director of Photography: Abianne Prince – Script Supervisor:  Melissa Gonzalez – Casting Director:  Melissa Gonzalez – Lighting Design: John Birdsong – Sound Director: Pete Eilenberg – Costume Design: Veronica Zhou – Boom-Pole Operator:  Vic Reznik – Choreographers:  Alex Smith and Eric Jacobson – Graphic Art:  John Larmor – Special Effects and post production:  John Chiarelli
Email: floatingopera@gmail.com
Website:  www.shoefits.tumblr.com/
Synopsis:
The Original Hooligans are back. Another shoe fit another dolla! This time Marlo Lovely Brown has missplaced his dancing shoes. Confidant and partner in deviance, Pipe Adams is back on the scene to help Marlo locate his magical footwear. Marlo’s lover LuLu beckons from another dimension, while friend, and maddened inventor Bradrian W. Tangaurey laments at Camp Villain. Will Marlo be able to navigate his way through this fever dream to find the shoes or will humanity be doomed forever? If the Shoe Fits…

About the Director - Written by Pipe Adams
Born into a family of fur traders working their way through the Aleutians and the Bering Strait in the late 16th century, Marlo Leelan Brown was not always destined to make films. His name, literally translated, means the universal, or invincible prince. Young Marlo’s conception was nary cause for celebration, and his gestation and eventual birth a mere insurance policy to guard against the stark, endless Siberian winter. Just another maw to feed and, with hope, hands that would eventually grow strong enough to tear and render the priceless flesh from countless seals to add to the meager family coffers.
Time however, was on Marlo’s side and so Marlo danced the earth, a being reflected in the eyes of G-D, but yet a dead man inside, until the mid 90s. It was at this time that Marlo fell in with a bunch of like minded gents. Not immortals per say, but timeless characters nonetheless. For posterity’s sake, we shall call them the Original Hooligans. It was with the hooligans that Marlo discovered his true passion. Slowly, the hidden embers inside his mind, cold with age, began to warm, to glow. A fire was ignited inside of him. No longer the dancing dead, little Marlo Leelan was born anew. And the vehicle that brought young old Marlo back from the dead: Making Films.
But as he discovered his new found passion, changes began to occur. Each time Brown would look through his viewfinder a wrinkle would appear, a gray hair would sprout. Marlo Leelan Brown the foreverman, was now becoming just man.
Over the past decade Marlo has aged. Less like a fine cheese and more like a rusting washing machine in a dewy Bedford-Stuyvesant project courtyard, Marlo has forsaken eternal life for mortality to join the ranks of the Original Hooligan brotherhood and make films.

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“You should name the bar after Henry…he’s pretty much the cutest thing in the world and I think you should appreciate him a bit more around there.”

Our Fearless leader on 'his' terrace @RSHotel

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wednesday may 12th

6-9pm

kick off the summer with some of the best food

the north east has to offer and at the same time

enjoy an amazing view of the NYC skyline!!

$25/person ( one bake serves 2 people ) & cash bar

for more information and reservation please

email us at lilysnyc@rogersmith.com or call 212-339-2097

therogersmithhotelny
501 Lexington Avenue, New York NY. 10017
212 755 1400 . reservations@rogersmith.com
www.rogersmith.com
www.rogersmithlife.com
www.facebook.com/rogersmithhotel
www.twitter.com/RSHotel

for reservations:
opentable.com lilysnyc@rogersmith.com or call 212-339-2097

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Sites included:
www.rogersmith.com
www.rogersmithlife.com

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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!

LiveStrong

Bsimi

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