Experiential Resort Entertainment Takes Center Stage

A Cirque du Soleil dinner theater show. A colossal four-season waterpark. High-flying zip lines. A pirate-theme adventure park. Timeshare resorts continue to diversify on-site entertainment offerings, going above and beyond amenities guests have come to expect with the addition of customizable experiences that translate to added value for all parties involved. Without having to worry about any of the logistics that usually accompany an off-site activity, guests get to have a unique, hassle-free experience that reflects a resort’s character and location—all while staying close to “home.” (continue reading)

RCI Ventures Magazine Q2 2015

As acting Editor in Chief of RCI Ventures, I brought a fresh, timely perspective to an award-winning B2B print and digital title. I oversaw all elements of production from conception to publication.

Additionally, I authored: 

Message from RCI: Powerful New Opportunities

Management Profile: Changing the Game, John A. Sutherland, Orange Lake Resorts

In Depth: Experiential Resort Entertainment Takes Center Stage

Traveler Profile: Destination U.S.A.

See the Full Issue Here >>

Art With a Dash of Hospitality But Save Room for Dessert (Hyperallergic)

I’m almost embarrassed to confess I’ve only just recently made the acquaintance of artist Wayne Thiebaud‘s work. The man’s been painting upwards of 70 years and spent much of his time in California. I, despite my accumulation of years in New York, also consider California my home. There’s really no excuse.

Case in point: That painterly interpretation of the palm tree and sunset image on the California Arts License Plate, the specialty plate (first of its kind in the country) that benefits the California Arts Council? Just learned it’s Thiebaud’s “Coastline,” circa 1993. Those plates have been on the road since 1994. Seen ’em.

And the Google doodle celebrating Google’s 12th birthday on September 27, 2010? The one of the cake that reads “Google” on top, only the “l’ is a single lit candle? ... (continue reading)

A Short But Succinct Survey of the Current Hand Turkey Stratosphere (Hyperallergic)

Hand turkey. You know you’ve made one. And if you haven’t, well, perhaps it’s time you did.

I hadn’t really given a thought to hand turkeys for years until three days ago, when I walked into a hand turkey drawing session in my neighbor’s apartment: four, or five, thirty-somethings hovering around a single sliver sheet of poster board, in various states of tracing, or decorating, their hand turkeys with pens and black sharpies.

And these birds were awesome.

A ballerina; a punk-rock bird; one had cat paws; another with Santa boots and dollar sign bling. … (continue reading)

Taking a Bite of Lucky Peach: The Art of Food (Hyperallergic)

It only takes one look at the cover of the debut issue of Lucky Peach to realize that this isn’t your typical food ‘zine. No glossy photo of an impeccably styled dish here; instead, there’s a dead chicken being held unceremoniously upside down by its feet, its pale, thin, pocky skin in places taut and wrinkled as it’s being lowered into a stock pot.

The remaining spaces around the chicken are filled in with hand-drawn doodles and chicken scratch teasers for the features inside: “Transmissions from the Desk of Harold McGee in Outre Space,” plus by an illustration of a space ship launching off; “Chicken Soup for Your Loved One,” accompanied by a squiggle of ramen noodles in a heart shape.

Part literary journal, plus serious food geekery, there’s more than a nod to the tradition of the renegade culture ‘zines of the Eighties that were a mash-up of cut-and-paste collage, words and art. The inside cover features a full-page illustration of a cut-away of a stomach by Scott Teplin; it’s filled with objects that appear throughout the issue: eggs, nuts, a take-out container, noodles, bacon, a horn, a Lucha Libre wrestler. … (continue reading)

Ryoji Ikeda Goes Big, Really Big (The Brooklyn Rail)

By any standards, Ryoji Ikeda has been given an all-access pass worthy of rock star status: A pair of 40-foot tall screens for his black-and-white visuals; all 55,000 square feet of the Wade Thompson Drill Hall to fill with his stripped-down, sonic sounds; and the blessing of the Park Avenue Armory’s president and executive producer, Rebecca Robertson, to get loud. ... (continue reading)

5 trucks, 1 crown (AMNewYork)

On Saturday, 1,200 hungry New Yorkers will convene on Governors Island to sample the goods of the five street-food vendors vying for this year’s Vendy Awards crown. Organized annually by the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, the gig always sells out. So how do the finalists stack up? Joe Dobias, chef/owner of JoeDoe Restaurant in the East Village, and Eater operative Greg Morabito joined amNewYork on a tasting tour. (September 2010)

See also:

amNewYork's Must List Day 1: Eating and drinking (October 2010) >>

amNY predicts NYC nightlife trends for 2011 (January 2011) >>

New York's Satellite Fairs: Bling, String, and Subversive Things (Art in America)

BLING: Not even the sprawling, West SoHo warehouse that hosted the Pulse show could make Jeremy Dean's massive sculptural work, CEO Stagecoach, feel diminutive. The first in a series of eight "hybrid" (as in "horse-drawn") vehicles, the eye-popping piece is a HUMMER H2 that's literally been converted into a futuristic stagecoach, keeping leather seats, chrome rims, audio and entertainment systems intact. Blaring Ludacris' consumption and sub-culture-fueled anthem "Cadillac Grills," CEO Stagecoach begs the question: Just how far have we come, really? ... (continue reading)

The Art of the Crowd (Art in America)

At a recent panel discussion on the topic of how artists are engaging with social media in their work, William Powhida cited Twitter and blogs as influences in his illustration of insider-ism at the New Museum. He likened engaging with Tyler Green and Paddy Johnson on Twitter to sharing an office, "where you poke each other periodically and make fun of each other, but you're getting important information very quickly that's otherwise hard to find." ... (continue reading)

Alex Prager's Girls on Film (Art in America)

Alex Prager's scene-stealing heroines have arrived in New York in Week-end, currently on display at Yancey Richardson Gallery. Like the two previous shows in this series (Polyester and The Big Valley), Week-end features large-format Technicolor portraits of luminous beauties done up in vintage Hollywood glamour. The Los Angeles native employs cinematic conventions such as the close-up and the damsel in distress, and the rich use of negative space to draw us into each carefully constructed scene. She leaves us just enough clues that we can piece together the narrative without giving away the big reveal. Stare long enough and you'll half expect the women to jump to life at the sound of a clapboard's loud snap. ... (continue reading)

Danny Meyer's Concrete Take on Shake Shack's Latest Outpost (The NY Sun)

Burger lovers on the Upper West Side have been buzzing with anticipation all summer for the opening of the second outpost of Shake Shack, restaurateur Danny Meyer's perennially popular burger stand in Madison Square Park, open since 2004. Earlier this year, rumors had the opening date of the new restaurant, at 77th Street and Columbus Avenue, pegged to the beginning of October; now, mid-October seems more likely. When asked about opening dates throughout the summer, various figures at the Union Square Hospitality Group (the company that oversees all of Mr. Meyer's restaurants) declined to provide specifics.

Why the elusiveness? "We're big believers in not overpromising and underdelivering," Mr. Meyer said in an interview last week. … (continue reading) (The New York Sun, September 2008)

Art Seen: One Live Stitch (The Brooklyn Rail)

Unconfirmed reports of a giant starfish washing up on Scolt Head Island, a sandy spit of land off the Norfolk Coast in England, sent Anita Bruce, a textile artist and amateur zoologist, out combing the shoreline.

Finally, her big break came. “Today, I have made an exceptional discovery in a pile of sea weed and other detritus dragged high up the beach by the fierce tide,” Bruce reported on her blog. “At first glance, it appeared to be just another dumped plastic bag, but closer examination revealed something far more exciting—a patterned structure that seems to be made out of stitches and thread. Could this be part of the famed starfish that I’ve been searching for?” ... (continue reading)