Warmest wishes from us on the corner of 47th and Lex,

Matt and Danika

THE LAB
[a roger smith  collaboration]
501 Lexington Ave NYC (map)
212.339.2092
email address
www.thelabgallery.com
www.rogersmithlife.com

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SocialBooker allows for any hotel using any Central Reservations System (CRS), Internet Booking Engine (IBE), or Property Management System (PMS) to harness the power of Facebook’s Social Graph.

Appnostic, a leading social media and travel technology provider, is introducing the first fully integrated Facebook hotel reservations booking app; SocialBooker. SocialBooker allows for any hotel using any Central Reservations System (CRS), Internet Booking Engine (IBE), or Property Management System (PMS) to harness the power of Facebook’s Social Graph. Appnostic’s SocialBooker provides true social commerce, personalizing the hotel booking experience, while providing travelers a better way to socially interact and book a hotel.

SocialBooker is the hotel industry’s first reservation platform specifically optimized for Facebook’s Social Graph. The look and feel can be easily customized to complement a hotel’s existing branding and CRS connectivity. SocialBooker enables the hotel to harness the viral capabilities inside the Facebook network to maximize sales, build customer loyalty, and deliver improved customer service.

According to Appnostic CEO Brian Dass, “SocialBooker is a Facebook app that delivers a completely integrated booking solution, from room availability through payment transaction, all from within the Facebook environment. Furthermore, hotels can customize their unique booking paths to deliver a fully branded, immersive, and socially connected room-booking experience,” he explained

“We are very excited to have jointly launched a private label version of SocialBooker with the Roger Smith Hotel, a New York based hotel known for their proactive approach to Social Media.” Dass explained. Furthermore as consumer adoption for F-commerce continues to grow at a rapid pace, more and more hotel bookings will be conducted through Facebook. “Beginning with the Roger Smith Hotel, Appnostic is helping the hotel industry prepare for the social commerce revolution that is already having an impact on consumer travel.

John Birdsong, Roger Smith Hotel New Media Director says, “Customers are increasingly looking to engage with the hotel via Facebook. Each month over 500 million people on Facebook use an app or experience the Facebook social plugin on other websites. It’s becoming the must-have marketing platform for hotel managers. SocialBooker brings the first complete booking app solution to our Fan Page, and allows the Roger Smith Hotel to monetize our fan base, while opening up an entirely new sales channel.”

By becoming part of the Facebook eco-system, hotel property operators are able to access user profile data and gain insights through Facebook’s internal analytics. This experience is fully personalized including ‘Friend Recommendations, Wall posts, and “Like” button integration, all leveraging Facebook’s newsfeed technology to virally spread your special offers, promotions and packages.

Jeff Thomas, Appnostic’s EVP, Business Development stated that many hotels have expressed a strong interest in adopting the SocialBooker app. “We have active discussions underway with a large number of hotels and groups in North America and in Europe on utilizing SocialBooker as their preferred social media distribution platform.” Thomas continued, “These hotels recognize the importance of this valuable new distribution channel and understand that early adoption is crucial in gaining a competitive advantage on Facebook while defining a standard for social revenue management and distribution.”

Check out the app here.

Let us know what you think in the comments section.

The Roger Smith is a hub for social media in #NYC. People. Art. Food. Wine. For 10% off our best available rooms rate: bit.ly/RSrooms

twitter: twitter.com/rshotel
fb: facebook.com/rogersmithhotel
blog: bit.ly/RSlife
web: rogersmith.com/

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Music: “The Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss II

Video by: John Birdsong and Daniel Mowles

http://rslilys.com

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My top 3 people to follow from SXSW are as follows.

1. “Dog Bless You!”, Charlie Annenberg

Our first five minutes in the convention center in Austin, John Birdsong and I collided into Charlie Annenberg, who was immediately on point with a plan of action to help in the Japan Earthquake relief.

A message from Charlie Annenberg, founder of explore.org and Dog Bless You:

“The mission of explore.org is to champion the self less acts of others, to create a portal into the soul of humanity and to inspire life long learning. The most important thing for me is to create a portal into the soul. What is the easiest way to do this? Through dogs – they see our soul like no other. That is why as we build dog bless you, I believe that its mission should be to “champion the selfless acts of animals.”

Please feel free to share your stories about how your dog uplifts the human spirit.

Dog Bless You.

Charlie and Lucky

http://facebook.com/exploredogs

2. David Meerman Scott connected us to an network of interesting minds and influences. Of these we engaged with Renee Alexander of Unisef, Tim Washer of Cisco, John Jantsch of Ducktape Marketing and Aliza Sherman from the Social Media capital of the world, Toke Alaska to name a few. Both Tim and David were “In search of the outrageous” in Austin TX.

3. Paula Moore and Massive CIA

The transitional days between the Interactive and the Music is when all the magic happens at SXSW. As people were leaving after a week of the Interactive and Film portion, the music festival was just getting underway. Arriving into the city there is an energy of excitement. Being the last day in Austin, I left John and Adam to get some emails done at the Driskle hotel. I went strait to the second floor back patio where a couple of hip entertainment executives we setting up meetings and interviews. I politely asked if I could share the space and soon sat down next to them and began to tell them about the interactions between Roger Smith and Ben Franklin. #Rogersrewards.

Paula Moore turned to me and asked if I wanted to go out with her and her business partner Ralf Cavallaro… What else could I say. Not knowing at the time that I was hanging out with one of the Top Talent Scouts in the music industry, Paula introduced me to an amazing network. The connections made that night, have helped drive and inspire a new wave of professional and personal relationships. Founder of Massive Creative Intelligence Agency, Paula is a trip. Powerful and important, as she is a professional connector.

SXSW: The spies with Golden Ears

Through Paula I me Rev. David Ciancio of Yeah! Management who runs the the Social Media Rewards programs for Thrilllist. Rev’s energy and drive is going to bring wild excitement to the Pop up Marketing madness that is going around. I look forward to working with him in the future.

The common thread that connects Charlie, David and Paula is the fact that they are natural connectors. Great people of course with amazing sense of people in the room. Always interesting to follow.

Till next week.

If you like my list please RT #FF Dog Bless You and Charlie Annenberg, @DMScott, @Paula_Moore, @MassiveCIA SXSW 2011 @RShotel Follow Friday Pick!

Please leave a comment and connect with us to be part of our @RShotel culture.

Thanks,

John

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Shad Roe is a true New York spring specialty.
Cream or butter with bacon and in this case some onions and capers.
The fish are taken as they enter the north eastern rivers from the sea to spawn.
They are a delicacy.

Get it at Lily’s restaurant at the roger smith.

TheCitycook.com

video by @johnbirdsong

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Brian Johnstone has been a good friend of ours, from afar until now, so we are delighted to have him with us this week at The Roger Smith Hotel, on our shores for his first time.

On Wednesday evening Sculptor/Poetry Afficionado/Roger Smith Hotel President, James Knowles, hosted a dinner party in honor of our Scottish poet friend. In The Solarium on the 16th floor, our longest dinner table was set for a culinary/auditory feast for 40 passionate and spirited poets and poetry lovers alike.  We asked that all who join us, come armed with a poem to read or recite either for the camera, or the table over dinner and were all thrilled to find that our guests had embraced our terms and chosen a thoughtful, elegant, diverse selection of prose to share.

We kicked off the evening with drinks, while our Director of New Media (and excellent cameraman), John Birdsong egged people to share their poems with him and those in earshot. The recitals continued through dinner with gusto, prompted by a wonderful reading of selections of his own work by the guest of honor Brian Johnstone; followed by the New York based Scottish poet Alastair Reid. People intermittently performed their selected work, of both others and their own, all between chatting, getting to know each other, and talking poetry and art.

We had poetry from all four corner of the earth, in just as many languages, by Shakespeare, Edith Sodergran (Sweden), Pablo Neruda (Chile) and Duong Tuong (Vietnam), as well as compositions by our poet friends Elizabeth Torres, Graeme Bezanson, Megin Jiminez, Alice White and Jackie Clark.

The Compilation: Poetry Dinner February 2011

Daniel Mowles, Chef De Cuisine at Lily’s Restaurant was responsible for the wonderful menu. A feast it was!

The evening’s menu
Starter
Farmhouse Butternut Squash Soup
Entrée
Beef Fillet, Thyme, Demi Glaze
Cedar Plank Salmon, Lemon Zest, Dill
Sides
Roasted Baby Carrots, Criminni Mushrooms, Fingerling Potatoes, Sprouts
Saffron Rissotto, Parmesan, Chives
Dessert
The most delicious Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream

We look forward to more celebrations of poetry and the spoken word here at The Roger Smith in 2011.
If you are interested in hearing more about our art, music and spoken word programming please click HERE

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It was right at the end of the year when James Knowles and I conducted these interviews. They are in many ways an opportunity for people to reflect on the past year, but also a chance to look forward. Danika Druttman has been working at the hotel now for around two years now and is an integral component (along with Director Matthew Semler) to the operations and curation of The LAB Gallery and Roger Smith Arts. This is the first part of her interview series, and in this one she talks about looking forward in 2011 and the community building she has been a part of all along.

Meet Danika. Gallerist. Londoner. New Yorker. Roger Smith.

http://www.thelabgallery.com
http://www.rogersmith.com
http://www.rogersmithlife.com

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Roger Smith vs Warwick (a friendly game of ping pong)

Monday November 29th 6:30pm EST

Watch it LIVE here on rogersmithlife.com

http://www.rogersmith.com

http://www.warwickhotelny.com/

shot and edited by John Birdsong

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you are cordially invited to attend a screening of the 2010 Roger Smith Shorts this Wednesday July 28th 9pm @RSHotel. The screening will be held on the second floor in the Starlight ballroom.

Six handmade short films: by us, for you.

The Roger Smith Shorts Series started in 2009 as a short film festival /workshop and was designed to facilitate filmmaking opportunities for up and coming directors. The Roger Smith Hotel has become the backdrop for filmmakers as they put their creative talents to the test. The 2010 Roger Smith Short Directors are John Knowles, John Birdsong, Aleks Degtyarev, Melissa Gonzalez and Abianne Prince.

Facebook invite, Eventbrite invite

Film Trailers and information:

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

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

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
Directors: John Knowles & Melissa Gonzalez
Running Time: 10 minutes

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 Director Melissa Gonzalez: 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 on http://www.rspopshop.com

Film Title: HAIR BALL
Directed by : John Birdsong
Running Time: 13min

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 a Siamese Fighting Fish named Rufio.

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

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.

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

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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CEOLA, by Imani Alexander

New York City based fashion designer, Imani Alexander debuted her first resort collection in June of 2008. She was an instant success and was tapped to sell at some of the finest boutiques in the West Village.

Her inspiration? Extensive travel abroad and the her beloved grandmother, Ceola Holland.

The collection incorporates fine silk fabrics and are feminine and flattering- from the beaches of St. Tropez to the streets of NYC!

OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION JUNE 17th, 6-8PM

Rspop shop presents: Ceola by Imani Alexander from Panman Productions on Vimeo.

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