Gratitude 1/28/15

  1. New Year
  2. Family
  3. Justin
  4. Brother
  5. Leon, Isaac, Warren
  6. Kraft, Uri, Brad, Jared, Brooks
  7. Tamoor
  8. Love
  9. Friendship
  10. Jolly
  11. New Years
  12. Taboo
  13. Jackie
  14. Javier
  15. Ueland
  16. Theo
  17. Jet
  18. Moo Moo
  19. iPhone 6 Plus
  20. Macbook Air
  21. Mickiewicz
  22. Water
  23. Sam
  24. Bill
  25. My New Living Situation
  26. BEin
  27. Kaizen
  28. Steph
  29. Mark West
  30. Steel
  31. Louis
  32. Guardians of the Galaxy
  33. Casablanca
  34. Cool Breezes
  35. Grace
  36. Forgiveness
  37. Suster
  38. Kai
  39. Rick
  40. Joe
  41. Facebook
  42. Music
  43. Gunnars
  44. Thule
  45. Records
  46. Valeska
  47. Giancarlo
  48. Ryan
  49. Hive, Summit Series
  50. Challenges
  51. Allison
  52. eBay
  53. Schiavos
  54. Matt
  55. Rice
  56. Ben
  57. Ben and Brian
  58. Petra
  59. Amanda and Kate
  60. Influencers
  61. Lawrence
  62. Views
  63. Salvadore
  64. Dubai
  65. Aroma
  66. Bree
  67. Dark Chocolate
  68. Almonds
  69. Espresso
  70. Nespresso
  71. Bellagio PIllows
  72. Fast Cars
  73. Humble friends
  74. Pinot Noir
  75. Internet
  76. Google
  77. Blogs
  78. WordPress
  79. iOS
  80. Android
  81. Barkr
  82. Frank
  83. WiFi Zapper
  84. Mike
  85. Julius
  86. Sketches
  87. Macallan 18
  88. EnerGels
  89. Income
  90. A sisters love
  91. Barcelona
  92. Real Madrid
  93. El Classico
  94. Whats App
  95. Skype
  96. Payoda
  97. Quadecco
  98. Photon
  99. intros .com
  100. Jonathan Strietzel Forbes mention
  101. Jonathan Strietzel Press from Big Stage
  102. Jon Snoddy
  103. Sailing
  104. Introduction Apps and what they do for the world
  105. Affirmation Labs
  106. Daryll
  107. Affirmation App build and what it did for my skillset
  108. Scala
  109. Java
  110. Android Development
  111. Gma
  112. Aunties
  113. Traveling
  114. Honesty
  115. Blunt Judy
  116. Sara
  117. Jordan
  118. China
  119. Kerry Zhang
  120. CoolCloud
  121. Skip
  122. Ari
  123. Avi
  124. Helfant
  125. Robert
  126. VC
  127. Malibu
  128. Kimbra
  129. Tanya
  130. Singing
  131. Winston
  132. Love, Love and Love
  133. HOPE.

Art Gastelum Foundation – Supporting Latino Youth

Very happy to announce that we are a part of the construction of the Art Gastelum Foundation which will act as a center and resource for Latino youth.  Led by a friend, colleague and philanthropist Art Gastelum, the Art Gastelum Foundation will provide academic information and resources for our up and coming Latino Youth.

Strietzel.Co is happy to dedicate time and resources to the Foundation.

Click HERE to learn more about the Foundation and about Strietzel.Co.

Motivation

Getting Motivated and how to get things done! An info graphic from lifehacker that I find extremely useful and interesting.

20120911-162326.jpg

Gratitude 7/5/12

1. Daryll Merchant

2. Rev. Michael at Agape

3. KDJ

4. Mom and Dad

5. A Sisters Smile

6. A brothers laugh and love

7. Scott Ross

8. Jon Kraft

9. CK Lin

10. Jon Snoddy

11. Mission

12. iPhone

13. Adam

14. Adam F.

15. Barefoot Merlot

16. Amazing Spiderman

17. Flynns

18. Skrillex “With Friends”

19. Isaac and Jake

20. Strietzel.Co and its team

21. Warren

22. Theo and Chris

23. Tapit.com Guys

24. Destiny

25. iOS and xCode

26. Strietzel.Co

27. LinkedIn

28. Rick Marini (Happy 40th buddy!)

29. BranchOut

30. Love

31. Croquet

32. Matt and Tracy Schiavo

33. Tom and Cindy

34. Mark and Signey

35. Lori

36. Salvadore

37. Mac 30′ Screens

38. Macbook Air

39. Rosie

40. Memo and Sheila

41. S and Lee

42. Fatima and Emmanuel

43. Masako

44. Long Beach

45. Long Beach Poly

46. Ashley

47. Chad Steelberg

48. Kai Huang

49. SF

50. Sherrie

51. P50’s

52. Apple TV

53. Bangarang!

54. Apple Keyboards and Trackpads

55. Apple

56. Nespresso

57. Health

58. Adventure

59. Paris

60. Air

61. Water

62. Peace

63. The United States of America

64. Freedom

65. VC’s

66. USC

67. Jon Sweet

68. Cyrus

69. Gerard

70. The Fiddler

71. Zen

72. Brian and Jeremy and PJ

73. Mikjos

74. Patty, Joe, Evan

75. Big Stage

76. Michael Starkenburg

77. Leo

78. Casablanca

79. Tron

80. Bladerunner

81. Syd and Roger

82. Sian and Todd

83. Setorii

84. 2810

85. Tyler

86. Android

87. Tapit.com

88. OGL and its Team

89. Frank

90. Las Vegas

91. Hawaii

92. Natura Beds (Thanks Theo!)

93. Ignite.rs

94. Kristin Knight

95. Andy Liu

96. Derek Parham

97. WordPress

98. shelter

99. Warmth

100. Air Conditioning

101. Sex

102. Passion

103. Poetry

104. Frank Sinatra

105. Record Players

106. Jade

107. WiFi

108. China

109. Jack

110. Kerry

111. Cool Cloud

112. Photoshop

113. RAILS

114. Noel

115. Grandma

116. Patty, Ryan, Jeff

117. Jessica

118. CD Burners

119. LCD’s and LED’s

120. Porsche

121. Starling

122. So. Cali

123. NY

124. Nikki

125. Moo

126. Bianca

127. Victoria

128. Vancouver

129. Weddings

130. Fun

131. Affirmation Labs

132. Night

133. Sandoval

134. Open Sesame

135. Ali

136. Family Parties

137. Comics

138. Good Books

139. Sharpies

140. Desks

141. Pete

142. Vision and Opportunity

143. Last but not least, GOD and the Universe.

 

Connective.ly Begins

iOS iCon for Connective.ly

The beginning.  Its been almost a year since Big Stage Entertainment Inc. Sold to Image Metrics and I’ve done quite a bit of soul searching and have come to the conclusion that I am indeed destined to build something else, but, this time rather, by my own hands, my partners hands and on my own terms.  So, usher in an elegant idea, full of power and simplicity that has taken me almost a year to achieve.  Connective.ly is a concept that has sparked my interest well beyond any other crazy idea or concept that I’ve concocted in the past year and will be included in the 2012 lineup or Strietzel.Co’s investment portfolio.  It will join OGL and Affirmation Labs on the roster as one of Strietzel.Co’s early technology investments.  I will be documenting the building of Connective.ly privately and will disclose daily blogs as I progress through the building of this application.  I’ll be doing blogs that I publish for all of you to read and I will be doing private blogs that will be dated, but will be published after the Connective.ly launch for proprietary purposes.  I’ll be doing short video blogs documenting my issues, challenges and successes as I press through this venture which will also be released at a future date.

Stay tuned world.  Here comes Connective.ly.

Special Thanks to Daryll Merchant, the producer and talented entrepreneur that brought the Affirmation Labs LLC investment to Strietzel.Co and has re-enforced the importance of Gratitude and Love in my life.  Kudos to my good buddy Scott Ross, a man I look up to and love even though we might but heads a bit at times, for introducing Daryll and I.  It is Scott who truly gets the credit for this connection.  So, Scott, thank you.  Daryll, thank you for encouraging and re-enforcing conscious gratitude in my life and for bringing Affirmation Labs to Strietzel.Co’s attention.  We have embarked on quite a journey over the past few months and your influence has invigorated me and has truly empowered me with the ability to develop iOS applications on my own.  It is throughout the development of the Affirmation Labs “Affirmation Planting Application” that has instilled confidence in me to proceed with the build and construction of Connective.ly on my own.  This adventure is a testament to the power of “Gut Feel”, affirmations and the power of will and how verbalizing to the universe what you want brings those things you desire closer to you.  Much love to Scott Ross and Daryll Merchant, two men who I dedicate Connective.ly to.  As it was through their influence that I was able to develop the skills and confidence in which to press forward.

I would also like to acknowledge Jon Kraft for having a belief in me. As a friend and colleague, Jon has been a cornerstone in my development and has taught me how to be a better man simply by example.  Jon Snoddy, you my friend have been to battle with me more times than most and I remember and treasure each of those moments as I have learned more from you than most in my life.  Lessons on interface, UI/UX and design theory, reputation management and more come to mind when I think of the lessons that I’ve learned.  To both of you, Thank you.  I also dedicate Connective.ly to you.  There certainly bits of both of you in this product as well.

Jake and Isaac, Strietzel.Co Engineering is nothing without you both.  Our investments hinge on all 3 of us as developers and I truly am thankful for your belief in me and your dedication to the projects we take on as a group.

Last but not least, my family and friends that support me and have continued to support my crazy ideas for years.  I will do my best to make you all proud.  It is you that are the most important elements in my life.  Friends and family will never be neglected as there are no riches or possessions that could ever replace the joy that I already have been blessed with from all of you.  It is you that keeps me going, keeps me happy and makes my life worth living on a daily basis.  If you consider yourself a friend or family, I am talking about you. So, In short, Thank you.

Jonathan Strietzel | Flavors.Me | Bio | Social Media

Jonathan Strietzel | Flavors.Me

Jonathan Strietzel | Flavors.Me | Bio | Social Media

Jonathan Strietzel | Social Media Bio | Flavors.Me

Today Im taking Flavors.Me for a test-run.  In doing so, I built out my new and personal Jonathan Strietzel or Strietzel Flavors.Me page which has a pretty easy to use interface and a straight forward design approach.  Adding social media and networks was simple and easy.


Steve Jobs Passes | Steve Jobs Dies | Apple.com October 5th 2011

The Passing of a Titan

Steve Jobs Passes | Steve Jobs Dies | Apple.com October 5th 2011

Respect: The Passing of a Titan.

Macbook Pro 17″ to Macbook Air 13″

Macbook Air 17-Inch

It was time.  My old and quite amazing, life-changing 2008 Macbook Pro took a turn for the worse last week. It started shutting down unexpectidly and its boot screen started showing massive signs of random pixelation upon boot.  It became apparent that my boot issues coupled with my frequent computer crashes, screen freezes  and the dead pixel that left a trailing red line on my beautiful 17-Inch HD monitor that it was about that time to truly consider a new laptop.  But the type-A entrepreneural Fix-It mentality immediately kicked in to defend my bank account as it usually does, regardless of the purchase price or affordability of the item.

So, I found myself at my local Apple store waiting in a notoriously long line of Apple Freaks, dying to hear the call out “Mr. Jonathan Strietzel” or “Strietzel” for at least 30 minutes after my scheduled appointment. After an unfortunate wait, I found myself talking to the most genius of the Genius Bar crew within minutes at my local Apple Store at the Beverly Center.  After a short series of texts, external boots from their secure HD, they only had one verdict.  Logic board was dead or at least it was dying quickly and had very little time to live.  My Genius quickly advised me to take immediate action and to get all of my stuff in order, to notify my Macbook Pro’s Next-of-kin, back up as much as possible, get my Macbook Pro’s will up-to-date, because even with all of his pure Apple Geniusness working at full god-like force, he would be unable to repair and save my once $4,000 Top-of-the-line Macbook Pro. Except for one potential solution….

So, the Genius of the Geniuses at Apple proceeded to tell me that he did have one potential remedy for my poor Macbook Pro’s unfortunate and dire situation.  He then proceeded to tell me that he had found a donor that would be willing to donate a new Logic Board so that my Macbook Pro would have a new shot at life.  He broke the sad and uneconomical news to me that the donor logic board wasn’t quite a donation at all, but that it was in fact a “Donation” from Apple Corporation that actually came with a steep “Donor Pricing” of $500-$600 (Including his very own “Genius” services to install it).  After a brief discussion the Genius of the Geniuses confessed to me that he could not guarantee me that my logic board was the true culprit in this whole Computer freezing, shut-down and screen pixelation debacle.  So, not only was I going to risk spending $500-$600 on a new Logic Board for my once stellar Macbook Pro, I was not even guaranteed that it would fix the problem.  At $500-$600 for a “potential fix”, I immediately went into my typical and entrepreneurial calculations and efficiency mode and quickly came to this realization.

  • Macbook Pro Potential Fix (Logic Board Purchasing and Install): $500-$600, Success Probability %50 at best. Still a terrible dead pixel on the beautiful 17-Inch monitor.
  • Purchasing of a new base-model 11-inch Macbook Air: $999, Success Probability %100, Usability and Efficiency due to small screen size: Decent, New crystal clear screen.. not to shabby
  • Upgrading from the base model 11-Inch Macbook Air to the standard 13-inch Macbook Air with 125GB SSD at $1299, Success Probability %100, Usability Efficiency %100, Spread: $300 from the base 11-Inch Model and $800 from the potential but risky logic board fix, even larger and more amazing 13-Inch Screen: Awesome.
  • Ambitious thought Jumps in: Just go all out and go for the high end Macbook Pro at $2500, but, suffer the slowness of a non SSD Drive with moving parts.  Moving parts are “So 2009” in my brain so, the only realistic jump from the SSD Macbook Air series would be to upgrade the Macbook Pro 17-Inch to a full on 125GB SSD, driving the price to just shy of $3000.  I also would have the ability to play CD’s on the Macbook Pro’s Optical drive, but, just as with moving parts, CD’s are “So 2009” as well.  We all know everything is moving to the cloud and having another piece of hardware with moving parts that your toting around on a daily basis is a 2009 formula for future disaster.
  • Quick Ideology Review: I quickly validate if spending $3000-$4000 on the super of the duper portable laptop machines that Apple has to offer is economically viable and reasonable for me and I very quickly came to this calculation.
  • Macbook Air 11-Inch $999 – Macbook Air 13-Inch $1299: Spread $300
  • Macbook Air 13-Inch $1299 – Macbook Pro (Anything less than 17-Inch): Didn’t matter, At the Macbook Pro level, in my opinion, its 17-Inch or bust. Go big or go home  😉
  • Macbook Air 13-Inch $1299 – Macbook Pro 17-Inch $3000 (With SSD): Spread $1700
  • Facts: New Macbook Air 13-Inch = Cool, Super lightweight, no moving parts, Nice screen (No dead pixels) all at a $700 premium over a “Potential” fix of the Logic Board of my old Macbook Pro
  • Facts: New Macbook Pro 17-Inch = Awesome large and beastly machine, HD to the max, Powerhouse Laptop, Moving parts (even if I Upgraded to the SSD, the Optical drive would still be moving away) but at a $1700 premium.

STRIETZEL’s CHOICE: Macbook Air 13-Inch, 125GB SSD (No need for the larger as nearly NOTHING is stored locally on my machines anymore due to amazing cloud-based services such as Google Apps (Email, Calendar, Contacts etc..), DropBox and Apples new App and iTunes Store that records all of your purchases in the cloud and with the coming advent of iCloud, it will be even more obvious to average consumers soon that buying larger local storage devices for your laptop simply doesn’t make sense. Its all about fast processing, lightning fast data retrieval, no moving parts, and file accessibility (storing all of your data in the cloud).

2810 Events | Las Vegas Summer 2011

The sun will set in the desert on September 29th and will  be ushering in a new day in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.  Office doors will be closing, lights turned off for the weekend, bags will be packed and after a brief car ride to the local airport, entrepreneurs and philanthropists across the country will be headed toward Sin City for a one-of-a-kind summer close-out gathering starting at 6pm on September 30th.  Its not for the typical bachelor party or vacation getaway, but for something worth so much more.  Amazing individuals from across the country will be coming together at the 2810 private resort in Las Vegas to gather with like minds for a relaxing summer close-out weekend unlike any other.

2810 Events | www.2810events.com | The 2810 | 2810 Private Resort | Las Vegas

The 2810 Private Resort will be filled with a number of the most talented minds that our country has to offer.  The 2810 houses the most beautiful private pool outside of the strip and on its property sits an estate home to die for.
This amazing get-together of brilliant minds was the brain-child of my dear friends Sean Vanian (Owner of the 2810 Private Resort), Setorii Pond, Ksenia Kiseleva and yours truly (Jonathan Strietzel) after one of the best large-scale networking events we have ever been to, “Summit at Sea” courtesy of the Summit Series team.
2810 Events | 2810 | Vegas Estate
The weekend will start with drinks on the strip on September 30th, be filled with a full day of lounged networking and relaxation followed by a night of pure bliss, all ending with a wonderful “Detox”  poolside Sunday at the beautiful 2810 Private Estate.
2810events.com | 2810 | Pool | Las Vegas
This event is an invite-only gathering and if you were fortunate enough to get an invite, we do hope that you take the time to come and enjoy a weekend full of amazing bonding and like-minded conversation that should create and forge relationships that last  lifetime.

 


RadioShack HTC EVO 3D Launch Event

Radioshack | HTC EVO 3D launch

HTC EVO 3D - The Star of the Event

The Radioshack and HTC EVO 3D Launch Event went off in true LA style tonight in West Hollywood.  I along with a slew of friends and colleagues attended the event along with a number of A and B – listers from the Los Angeles entertainment scene.  There was a ton of energy and hype that had built up around this new HTC phone, priced at $199, boasting amazing resolution, a slick design and  the capability to create and view 3D content.  The event started late in the evening and continued into the night.  It felt like the party energy just couldn’t die and it felt more akin to a hot nightclub vs. a device premier.

 

Paris Hilton | Setorii Pond | HTC EVO 3D | Radioshack

Paris Hilton and Setorii Pond

Among the guests were LMFAO, Paris Hilton,  Setorii Pond, Jayde Nicole and a slew of other LA socialites, actors and musicians all there to see the release of the HTC EVO 3D.  As people were posing for the camera on the red carpet, I found myself helplessly sucked in by the HTC EVO 3D and couldn’t help but to play with this gadget for half of the night, nearly ignoring all of the performances and the Hollywood glitz and glamour. Now, for all of you that arent “In the know”, my last professional gig was a huge 3D / facial imaging technology, so, in a nutshell, my nerd side couldn’t help it tonight.

RadioShack and HTC EVO 3D Launch Event

SkyBlu , LMFAO | Agent Smith, BBU

AP was there in full force along with a slew of media outlets including WireImage.  Czech some of the photos that came out of the event courtesy of AP.

 

Jayde Nicole made an appearance and the cameras went crazy.  Too bad they didnt catch her goofing with the device for half of the night like I did 😉 Speaking of the device, lets get off of the Hollywood vibe and into the hardware that was the true star of the evening. Usher in the EVO 3D.

The EVO 3D, in short, is solid and feels durable when its resting in your hand.  It sports all of the standard switches and controls we’ve all grown accustomed to and showcases a badass aluminum photog button that rests next to the cameras 2D/3D mode toggle switch.  The OS was peppy as hell, fueled by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon CPU and  its gorgeous display by the Adreno 220 GPU.  It was a shame that I was actually unable to actually shoot any 3D images with the device due to constant distractions and terrible lighting, however, I look forward to trying this sucker out tomorrow when I have a chance to spend some serious, quality “nerd” time with it.

Radioshack | Jayde Nicole | HTC EVO

Jayde Nicole

LMFAO | HTC EVO 3D | Radioshack

Inside the Party

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyways, thanks Radioshack and HTC for putting on a fun event in great LA style.  As far as the EVO 3D goes, I’ve got no complaints thus far.  Lets see how the camera and reception hold up tomorrow when the nerd in me takes over and the real critic comes out.

E3 Expo 2011

E3 Logo, Los Angeles Convention CenterThe E3 Gaming Convention is the largest gaming convention in the world. This year’s three day extravaganza was an event like the world’s never seen. It was much more than fun and games. It was awe-inspiring. I had the good fortune of experiencing this event alongside several of my friends and colleagues.

The convention kicked off with a press conference from Microsoft at the University of Southern California. In attendance were industry giants like: Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts and GT. Each company showcased its own memorizing, ground-breaking creativity. The latest breakthroughs in technology in were placed on display for gaming industry experts from around the world.

With 243 exhibitors, nearly 50,000 attendees and what seemed to be an endless amount to explore, it felt almost as though my colleagues and I were being ported into a digitally -crafted world.

E3, Electronic Arts, Los Angeles

It was quite a challenge as I juggled multiple meetings and dashed to and fro on a booth-to-booth joyride. My schedule was packed full, but the energy in convention center. Attending the E3 Expo was truly a mesmerizing experience for everyone in attendance.  After a complete tour of all of the festivities, I came across my final list of new releases that Im personally excited about.

Top releases from the biggies included: Tomb Raider; Bioshock Infinite; Legend of Zelda; Halo 4; Battlefield 3; Batman; Arkham City; &  the all-important and “Stritz Live Favorite” Gears of War 3.

 

Epic Games, Microsoft Game Studios, Unreal Engine 3, E3

Myself, being the hardcore gaming fan that I am, I found it difficult to choose to which booth to visit first, or which of the countless games or consoles I should try before the rest. Each seemed better than the next, but Gears of War 3 blew it all away with the hair-raising graphics and  amazing animation advancements. The Epic boys went all out and their giant statue of Marcus Fenix was awesome.

Featuring a 4 player co-op for the first time in the series, as well as a new mode to play in, dropping into the booth for Gears of War 3 has definitely increased my anticipation for the launch of this X-box exclusive, third-person shooter game.

I really wish I could write more about the expo and all that I saw there, but, Im sure you all get the picture.  It rocked, as usual.  For more information and a slight glimpse the trade event of the year visit: http://www.e3expo.com.

 

E3 Gaming Convention 2011 – Continued

I’m still sitting on the edge of my seat, even as I type about my amazing experience at the E3 Gaming Convention 2011 earlier this month. One post on this event wouldn’t be doing justice to the brilliance of this unforgettable event. It was a gathering of art, technology and creative genius, organized by Game Dunzo in partnership with Game Station. Svedka Vodka and
Westin Bonaventure Hotel were two of the prime sponsors for “Suede” (the event’s
lounge for VIP attendees).

The convention was a nonstop celebration that started on June 7, 2011 and lasted for glorious days. They rolled out the red carpet at the conclusion of day one of the convention. Starting around 8:00 p.m. there were movie stars, television stars, big names in art, design, modeling (e.g. Playboy Playmates) and bigwigs of the industry lining up the carpet. “Summit Series” attendee executives and other entrepreneurs began arriving at 8:30 p.m.

The party, as expected on such an occasion, was as fantastic as the expo itself. It was a blast spending the evening with a few of my closest friends, colleagues and several of the biggest names in the industry. (I apologize for some name repetition from my previous entry on this event; however, it was almost mind-boggling to be in the prescense of such a staggering number of notable names of the industry.) A few of the heavy hitters included: Kai Huang (Creator of Guitar Hero), Rob Prado (EVP Game Design Blizzard), Jon Snoddy (SVP Disney Imagineering), Anthony Borquez (CEO of Grab.com), Chris Ueland (Co-founder of Net DNA and Max CDN), Theodore Agranet (Founder of jHype), and Cliffy B. (Design Director at Epic Games for Gears of War 3).

The atmosphere was buzzing, full of glitz and glamour, as celebrities of the entertainment industry filled crowd. Celebs like Shelby Young, Crystal Hoang, Chad Gerber, The Mad Musician and Darcie Odom truly made the party come alive. It was a night none of my fellow partiers and I won’t soon forget. A night filled with memorable moments many of us will
cherish for a lifetime.

As the night wore on guests typically would have been getting tired, but there was an excitement in the air that kept us all going. This was definitely an LA evening for the history books. Nearly a dozen media outlets interviewed noteworthy attendees, with interviews lasting the entirety of the night. Before I knew it, the party was winding down and it was time to call it a night. It felt as if the party had only begun and I honestly couldn’t believe how quickly the time had flown.

Most of you probably remember preparing for a school trip or birthday party for months. Remember how every day leading up to our big day would seem like an eternity? Finally, the day arrives and it’s all over in what feels like the blink of an eye. We’re left with nothing but photographs and memories. Sometimes we turn our experience by writing them down in journal entries to preserve the day forever.

Words cannot begin to describe how much I truly appreciate Game Station and Svedka Vodka for their generous support of this event.

 

Strietzel | Startup ProBono | The Pond Collection

Startup ProBono by Jonathan Strietzel – Let me start by saying that once in a great while, I come across something special.  This year I was introduced to the Pond Collection of cars and I instantly fell in love.

The Pond Collection | Setorii PondThe Pond Collection is the famous collection of Robert, Josie and last but not least, Setorii Pond, famous LA socialite, Couture Fashion Designer and renowned Car Collector.  In short, the collection was breathtaking and it needed a home on the web.  So, in a joint effort, Strietzel.Co and Pond Automotive joined forces and constructed   The Pond Collection which freezes this amazing car collection in time.  We started with a massive list of all of their elegant automobiles and our research and digging began.  We found ourselves digging up all of the purchase data from each of the cars in the collection in order to properly document each vehicle on the new website.  This was nothing short of a massive undertaking, with some vehicle files providing more than enough data on each car to certain files containing almost no relevant data other than things like purchase price, date and location.  Although tracking some of this info down was difficult, we managed to collect a ton of accurate data on each of these magnificent vehicles in record time.  Each car now has its own home on the newly constructed site.

 

1934 Packard

1934 Packard

The Pond Automotive team and I took a celebratory outing to the annual Palm Springs Film Festival Gala in one of the prize cars in the collection, the 1934 Packard to celebrate the website’s completion, courtesy of the wonderful Josie and Setorii Pond.  We pulled up to the red carpet in the most dazzling car of the evening.  The press instantly turned as we pulled up and the flashes started going off.  I was in amazement to turn back and look as the press line kept photographing the car as if it were the star of the event.

 

 

 

 

Setorii Pond | Dale Chihuly | Josie Pond

Setorii Pond | Dale Chihuly | Josie Pond

The hosts and guest of honor for the evening were Setorii Pond and Josie Pond along with Mr. Dale Chihuly.  Mr. Chihuly and his lovely wife Leslie have been dear friends of the Pond family for years and attend this annual event every year.  Pictured to the left is fashion designer and car collector Setorii Pond, World Renowned Artist Dale Chihuly and the beautiful and distinguished Josie Pond, our gracious host and sponsor for the evening.

 

 

 

Jonathan Strietzel | Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly | Jonathan Strietzel

One of the highlights of my night was hanging out with Mr. Chihuly during the Gala and after the Gala at the Parker Hotel.  I recall the first time I was introduced to Chihuly art was when I graced the lobby of the world famous Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas for the first time during its grand opening.  If anyone of you readers have even had the opportunity to grace the Bellagio lobby, you will see one of Mr. Chihuly’s master pieces on the ceiling in a dazzling display of color.

The Gala was a smash hit and it was the only way I could imagine celebrating the launch of The Pond Collection site.

The Pond Collection team has been a complete joy to work with and I intend to do so for many years to come.

Forbes | Americas Most Promising Companies | Strietzel | Jonathan Strietzel | Big Stage

Jonathan Strietzel | Americas Most Promising Companies | Forbes

Jonathan Strietzel: Forbes Magazine has a circulation of over 900,000 and its website, Forbes.com reaches approximately 18 million people a month. Both the magazine and the website are for the world’s top business leaders and in the October 5th, 2009 edition of Forbes, Big Stage Entertainment was named as #18 in America’s Most Promising Companies.

“Our company is very proud to have been included in such a prestigious list by one of the premier business brands in the world. We know from the hours spent answering questions and filling out forms that this was a very rigorous process. We also know that we have a lot of work to do to build this business, but we’re pleased that our efforts to date have been recognized in this way.  A big thanks to my founding partner Jon Kraft for playing a key role in hammering though this rigorous Q&A while on vacation!”

Jonathan Strietzel, President and Founder

According to Forbes.com “We didn’t just look for the slickest technology, the largest addressable market, the fastest-growing top lines or the most storied management team. In the specific case of Big Stage, the Big Stage Founding team organized by Jonathan Strietzel, Jon Kraft and Jon Snoddy reflect such a management staff”

The method for determining the companies recognized on this new list was explained on the Forbes website as follows:

Forbes went hunting for small, dynamic companies with the kind of growth potential that makes venture capitalists salivate. Other lists of small or privately held companies tend to be ranked according to a single metric: annual revenue, or percentage change in revenue over a given period. Yet every serious investor knows that a cursory glance at the top line is a far cry from what it takes to evaluate the potential of any promising company.

To sharpen our search, Forbes teamed with The Venture Alliance, an advisory to early-stage companies. TVA has devised a rating system for young companies in order to more efficiently determine how fundable they are. The pool of candidates included companies launched within the last 10 years and that had not passed $25 million in annual sales. (Pre-revenue companies were allowed.) Prospects were scored on a host of characteristics, among them the size of the markets they serve, the strength of their intellectual property, the extent to which founders put their own capital at risk, the experience of their management and of their directors (or advisory boards), and their record in hitting product-development benchmarks promised to equity investors.

We collected the data via a detailed survey that takes roughly two hours to complete. Entrepreneurs who had raised outside capital gave business plans to TVA for further vetting; the rest completed an even more exhaustive survey. (Both surveys have subtle double-checks built in, to make sure the companies’ storylines indeed do track.) Our partner also brought in software experts and engineers to evaluate product plans (all signed nondisclosure agreements), and Forbes reporters interviewed all the finalists. The 20 highest scorers, listed here, appear to have a better shot at raising capital–and thus are considered more scintillating than their peers.

“We were very happy to learn that Forbes recognized the technology that Big Stage had developed over the past 3 years as a leader in its class, world-wide.  Its a wonderful tribute to the hard working engineering staff in our amazing company.  We thank Forbes and TVA for the opportunity and we are proud to grace the pages of such a prestigious magazine.”

Jonathan Strietzel, President and Founder

We cannot thank Forbes and Forbes.com enough for the honor of gracing their prestigious pages of Americas Most Promising Companies in 2009.

Startup | UVVU The Future of Entertainment

Startup UVVU

Startup, UltraViolet, Freedom of Entertainment, includes nearly 60 leading entertainment and technology companies spanning across the globe (including Paramount, Fox Entertainment, Microsoft and IBM). See the full LIST at UVVU.com.  They’ve combined efforts to create a revolutionary new approach to digital entertainment. UltraViolet is being designed so that UltraViolet-enabled content, devices and services can give consumers the freedom to experience the music and video like never before.

The UltraViolet logo will start appearing on movies for sale (designed for digital downloads and DVDs/Blu-ray Discs), in retailers’ stores and online offerings, and on devices or the apps that run on them. It will signify that everything with the logo will be designed to give consumers a consistent, easy and “just works” experience – no matter who makes it or where it’s purchased.

When consumers register their devices, they can be confident that their purchased content from any of the UltraViolet retailers will be available to them.

Consumers can use one of the many popular retailers, which they may already have relationships with, and a few clicks they’ll be able to link their retail accounts to their UltraViolet accounts. After that it’s shopping as usual and when they make purchases, a right is automatically added to their UltraViolet account, and its benefits are unlocked.

According to Forbes Magazine “Digital Rights Locker, as it’s called, seems to be a secure, third-party way for many news organizations to distribute content beyond the dedicated Apple-approved or Android app.”

UltraViolet is designed with families in mind, which means multiple UltraViolet devices can share a single UltraViolet account. Whether away at college in another city or just sleeping over at a friend’s house, with access to the UltraViolet Account, it will be as if everyone is still under one roof.

*For more information about the UltraViolet Startup visit www.UVVU.com

Startup | BranchOut.com

Branchout tech Startup

Strietzel – Branchout Launches

Startup company BranchOut.com hits Facebook! Today, more than ever, job seekers are using the internet to find and apply for jobs. Career networking sites like Linkedin.com, Monster.com, and Simplyhired.com have become a more popular and efficient way of job hunting than anyone could have ever foreseen. In addition, social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter, are essential in keeping up in today’s social and business world. Theres a new kid on the block; BranchOut. BranchOut has combined traditional social networking with the best of the job hunting variety  by creating the first of its kind career search application built upon the worlds largest social networking base, Facebook.

On September 17, 2010 BranchOut raised $6 million in its Series A, led by Accel. Many of the angel investors are, appropriately enough, friends and former colleagues of BranchOut CEO Rick Marini, a co-founder of Tickle.com which sold to Monster.com for over 100MM.

In addition to Accel, which led the round (partner Kevin Efrusy sits on the board), the other two VCs were Mike Maples of Floodgate and Tim Chang of Norwest Venture Partners. But the round also attracted a lot of high-profile super angels, including Napster founder Shawn Fanning, former Facebook platform manager Dave Morin (Fanning and Morin are now co-founders of Path), Bebo founder Michael Birch, WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg, Tickle founder James Currier, former Tickle CEO Stan Chudnovsky, Blippy founder Philip Kaplan, Googler Ben Ling, Naval Ravikant, and Josh Elman (former Facebook, now Twitter).

“Basically we have this thesis that the social graph will change a lot of internet businesses,” explains Efrusy. “We fundamentally believe it will change jobs and recruiting. If you look at how most people really get their jobs it is through their real friends.”

Branchout helps you discover important connections within your immediate social network, business contacts that you might have otherwise been unaware of. It’s not only incredibly informative and valuable, but it’s quite interesting to see who’s doing what.

Kudos to the team over at BranchOut for seeing a big opportunity and moving quickly to execute on it.  Rick is not only a colleague, but a friend.  I wish him the best of luck.  If you havent checked it out yet, start using it by visiting the new and hot tech StartupBranchOut.com now.

FIFA World Cup 2010

Don’t miss a game!

Get the iCal link to all of the official matches here: FIFA World Cup iCal Schedule

Summit Series DC10

So, Im heading off to Summit Series which looks like an exciting and casual get together of like entrepreneurial minds and extraordinary brain power from all over the globe.  It is an exclusive invite only event where each invitee is screened by a committee before being formally invited and ultimately granted access to the Summit and let me tell you, from the looks of the published attendees and the speakers list, Summit Series DC10 looks to be an absolute monster of a conference where a busy entrepreneurs time should be well spent.  As far as the activities go, this is no ordinary networking event full of conference halls, cheap buffet food and the personalized Sharpie pen name-tag sticker.  We are talking about the JW Marriott, 24/7 snack bars, daily Yoga, Pilates, Paintball, Exclusive Night Clubs, Scavenger Hunts, Gourmet Meals, basically the works by anyones standards.

I was told these words about ones attitude and expected behavior while at the summit.

“Check your ego at the door, everyone here is a badass”

(Josh, I dont know if you came up with that yourself, but its a winner and at the heart of that statement is what I hope the Summit is all about, only time will tell…)

With company such as Bill Clinton, Ted Turner, Russel Simmons, Ray Kurzweil, my new acquaintance and colleague Kai Huang (Guitar Hero Creator) it seems that betting on Summit Series is a guaranteed win.  Let me point out quickly that its a crime to leave some of the amazing speakers and entrepreneurs out of my short blog, but the list is truly distinguished and by no means is omission from my blog a result of any speakers lack of accomplishments or their contributions to society.  You can see a brief overview of some of the individuals that will be there by visiting the Summit Series website.

From the philanthropic to the profiteer, Summit Series DC10 is actually a mingling of minds that I am truly looking forward to.  Check my blog for daily tweets from the Summit and expect a full Summit Series DC10 blog review as soon as the Summit ends.  Till then…