From "The Wizard of Oz" to "The Cheese Whizard" (VLOG)

Last year I wrote a post about DJ Gregory's (W'03, Off the Beat) involvement in the (now San Francisco) company of Wicked as well as provided you a sample from his very tv-episode-soundtrack friendly music.

Before he was a wicked awesome musician, DJ was actually a sports nut; he was a left-handed pitcher in baseball, recruited to play at a few division I schools, the quarterback of his high school football team, and a member of the Philadelphia Junior PGA as a kid.

And, now, with the performance experience he has gained, and the passion for sports grabbing a hold of him once again, he has made a move into sports broadcasting...



Check out these 2 impassioned vlogs DJ recently published:

1) (Below) This week's piece concerns the upcoming NFL season and the impending blackouts that many clubs will face. Due to the semi-socialistic revenue sharing model that the NFL operates under, blackouts are used to punish teams who don't effectively market the product locally. But, with the recession putting a strain on ticket sales, journalists across the country criticized the NFL, and commissioner Roger Goodell for threatening to stick to league policy. The Cheese Whizard chimes in to disagree.

2) (Below) On a more Philadelphia-related note, after the announcement that Michael Vick was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cheese Whizard struck back at protesters of the NFL and the Eagles organization

Per DJ:

"Technology has made it possible for anyone to do what they love - especially in entertainment - whenever they want to. I'm glad to have the means to write, produce, edit and promote my sports ramblings from the comfort of my home."

Incidentally, how did DJ come up with name, "Cheese Whizard"?

"The Cheese Whizard is a play on words...The "High Cheese" is a baseball reference having to do with a high, hard, fastball, sometimes pitched inside to a batter who is crowding the plate. It's a pitch that makes a statement.  And, Cheese Whiz is the traditional cheese of choice for a Philly Cheesesteak...Put 'em together and you have The Cheese Whizard"

Get in touch with DJ at thecheesewhizard at gmail.com




More from DJ's blog HERE

More DT Vlogs HERE!

More DT "Sports" related posts HERE!

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From Survivor Palau to a Hot Daily Newsletter

What does one do after being in the spotlight on CBS' Survivor?

Ask Gregg Carey (C'99, Friars, Sprint Football, DKE) who appeared in Survivor Palau (2005).

Who knew?! (and let's not forget about THIS other Penn alum who was also on "Survivor"!)

...Gregg continues to be in the spotlight with his hot new email newsletter, named after the one luxury item he wasn't given in Palau - Toilet Paper!

After launching at the end of January 09, "The Toilet Paper, Daily News for the Thinking Man" published its 100th issue to its 15,000 daily readers last month.

Greg's free email targets males (and curious females) 22-40 with intelligent, edgy, and topical content. 

Per Gregg,

"Where other newsletters like Thrillist, Daily Candy, Urban Daddy, and Ideal Bite offer some form of a lifestyle tip: a restaurant recommendation, a fashion suggestion, or an opinion on a new gadget, the “product” that The Toilet Paper offers our readers is relevant knowledge. As Ricky Gervais, creator of the hit show "The Office" preaches, “Guys love facts.” We agree.

So, TTP takes one topical news story from the headlines (Politics, Business, Sports, or Pop Culture) and provides entertaining facts, statistics, quotes, lists, and definitions that support that topic; we think of it as funny and relevant bits for a guy’s daily banter; at the water cooler, on dates, at the bar with friends. Our simple format also provides a compelling way for our advertising partners to get their product information out to a valuable demographic in an entertaining and informative way. We have recently been featured in the NYPost, RadarOnline, The Guardian, Askmen.com and numerous other sites."

Check out a sample of his newsletter here:
Remember the Time (Michael Jackson Dies)

Get in touch with Gregg at gregg at bunkhousemedia.com!

And it is confirmed. Based on all my posts, the class of 1999 seems to be the most media-centric class that I can see!!

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This Blogger Is Cooking Her Way Through the Entire "Top Chef" Cookbook

For my Penn Foodies series, this week we've featured a restaurant entrepreneur, a couple who had their blog turned into a cookbook, and now today a chef (and blogger) on a mission!

Continue Reading...

Carolyn Anne Dizon (W'90, Parliamentary Debate Team) is cooking her way through the entire Top Chef The Cookbook and has shared it with all of us. She is now over half-way through the cookbook, and along the way she blogs about the process on her BravoTV Blog "The Cookbook Chronicles", shows step by step photos and overall explains things to the home cook. In addition she discusses the episode the dish was featured on, and also blogged about the past season 5's Top Chef's weekly episodes.

How did Carolyn become such a foodie? Her roots started at Penn...

Per Carolyn,

"I have always been cooking, was an avid follower of Julia Child since my teens, did tons of cooking in elementary school and high school, and at Penn, during my senior year, had a "cooking club" with my roommates where we would all rotate each night one of us taking on the role of making dinner. I also tried to perfect pumpkin pie my senior year at Penn - I think I may not have succeeded in that endeavor - I remember for one version (I made about 8 versions), I forgot the eggs, and the less-than-perfect results were launched out the window of my rowhouse apartment onto 40th Street, much to the dismay of my roommates and friends!  But seriously, I believe that during my sophomore year when I lived in High Rise East, I was one of the few people who actually made use of the kitchen!

My blogging started rather spontaneously.  I always had been doing my version of "blogging" by musing on "whatever" - often reality TV shows - to many friends via email and we'd keep a running dialogue going.  Recently I met two women through friends of mine who both work at BravoTV.com.  I told them what a fan I was of the show and "impressed" them with my knowledge of all kinds of trivia from the show.  I guess they were impressed because they asked me if I wanted to audition to blog for the Top Chef cookbook.  I jumped at the opportunity and after sending two sample blogs got the position." (find out more about why she's doing this blog HERE)

The hardest dish to prepare for Carolyn?:
Halibut with Grapes and Fried Leeks

Per Carolyn,

"I love my blog for this recipe because it is an AMAZING dish using classical French technique (which I feel is key to any properly trained chef - it provides the foundation for them to branch out from after).  This recipe required a lot of steps, has great photos, was a huge success (totally a "clean plate club" meal), and the blog is a little funny because the blender basically exploded when I was blending the sauce - still I battled on, which is precisely what I would hope any home chef/cook to do as well. 

+ Carolyn's BravoTV blog: "The Cookbook Chronicles" HERE

+ Carolyn's personal blog:  TheSassyFoodie.com where she'll be blogging all about the current "Top Chef Las Vegas" season which starts tonight!

+ Follow Carolyn on Twitter

Delicious nuggets from my "Penn Foodies" series HERE

More posts about Penn Alumni Bloggers HERE

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Why You'll Love How This MBA Used Facebook In His Job Search

Where most people are sending out traditional resumes to companies, Eric Barker (C'94) used Facebook in the most brilliant of ways for his job search.  Check this out...

Eric recently graduated from an MBA program and to try to get a job, he bought Facebook ads that specifically targeted employees of Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, Youtube and IDEO.  It cost him a little over $100, and so far he's gotten help from Microsoft employees and other companies who like his tactics.

Per his quote in the The Baltimore Sun,

"Barker, a former Hollywood screenwriter with an MBA, said his Facebook campaign has cost him little more than $100. He's targeted ads to Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, Youtube and IDEO -- basically companies that are in media. He's gotten contacts and interviews, ironically, with other companies who were impressed by the ad.

He said he "went nuclear" with the Facebook approach because of the rough job market and he needed to get attention quickly. "My background is in Hollywood," he said. "Nothing in Hollywood gets done effectively through formal channels. Everything is done by friend of a friend and reputation. The real world is not that much different."

His dream job would be something in product marketing and/or development, he told me.

About his Facebook approach, he said: "We're all marketers now, like it or not. Getting access [through the Web and interactive social media tools] is easy. It's now all about marketing and branding yourself."

More about Eric here:

• Consumerist
• Boston Globe
• The Baltimore Sun

And Eric is also going to be featured in the upcoming book "Facebook Fairytales" by Emily Liebert. It's authorized by Facebook and will have an interview with Mark Z himself. The book covers 25 true inspiring stories of people and Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/FacebookFairytales

Eric is still interviewing, and encourages any alumni to reach him via his info HERE

Eric also used DuelingTampons.com to get in touch with alumni for leads.  Learn how he did that HERE!



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He's Obama's "Voice of Reason" in this Jib Jab Viral Video

If you recall, last year Gabriel Mann (C'95, Off the Beat) was the voice of Obama in Jib Jab's "Time for Some Campaigning." 

In this new Jib Jab video, Gabe is now the "voice of reason" at the beginning of the piece (the first 20 seconds of the clip).

If you're not familiar with DT favorite Gabriel Mann, click HERE to check out my past posts to learn about this accomplished musician and all the cool things he's done (i.e toured with Alanis Morrisette, been on the grammys, his music in many tv and films!)



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Getting You Buzzd: He's Helping You Discover The Nightlife Around You

What do you think a guy who DJed in his senior year (under the name Metafizik) and hosted weekly parties at 4010 Spruce (a house known as "Browntown") went on to do?

While he's not a DJ anymore, Nihal Mehta (C'99, Pi Lam fraternity, see picture to left) is still tapped into everything "nightlife" and is sharing it you with his web based and mobile free service called buzzd.

buzzd is the premier location-sensitive city guide and social network for your mobile phone.  buzzd answers “what’s going on around me right now?™” by delivering up-to-the-minute info on bars, restaurants, concerts and events in a specific set location. buzzd features listings from Flavorpill, Time Out, Citysearch, ZAGAT, Upcoming as well as real-time posts (“buzzes”) from members of the buzzd community. Create a profile, add/invite friends and – if you post a “buzz” – it is sent as a text-message to your nearby friends in the network.

Recently, Nihal released a new BlackBerry application in that has been among the most downloaded apps since its release, and was covered in such outlets like the New York Times. (Mehta received funding from Blackberry Partners Fund, who are interested in funding entertainment ventures that are on the mobile phone. )

On a related note, Nihal had another "nightlife" company before buzzd.  In 1999, Nihal started his entrepreneurial career by co-founding (and later selling) Philly2nite an online nightlife and entertainment portal with fellow Penn alum Vijay Chattha (C'00, see picture to right) while they both lived on the bottom floor of 4010 Spruce (side note: I actually lived exactly there my senior year too!).  Browntown, as the house was known was famous for its many evening gatherings featuring open mic sessions with many future media alums like John Stephens, now John Legend (C'99), Aaron Jones (W'99)  of Hip-Hop Act Dujeous, Ted Chung (W'99), who is running Snoop's Label, DJ Bunnylove,  Paras Shah (C'99), Nimo Patel (W'01) and Swapnil Shah (C'99) of Rap Group Karmacy,  Sumit Bothra (W'99), now President of Embargo Management and Max Blumenthal (C'99), MC and current writer for TheDailyBeast and Huffington Post.

Years later Nihal started the first mobile marketing firm which was bought by Omnicom Group in 2005.  From there, Nihal got the idea for buzzd, which he founded in 2006 which was essentially his first idea: Philly2nite on a phone.

Nihal is yet another example of Penn friends working together as he continues to work with Vijay who is an investor and advisor in the company.



Get Buzzd!: www.buzzd.com

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3 Penn Alumni Win Facebook Competition With Their Free New Web Service

More news of Penn alumni working together.

If you're ever overwhelmed by all the email you get and have to check different accounts multiple times a day, the following 3 Penn alumni have solved the problem with NutshellMail:

• Mark Schmulen (left), Co-Founder and CEO (C '03, SAM/Theos Fraternity, SCUE),  
• David Lyman (center) Co-Founder and COO (Engineering '03, SAM/Theos Fraternity, Penn Engineering in Ghana)
• Nirav Batavia (right), VP of Business Development (Wharton and Engineering '03, Mask and Wig, Penn Engineering in Ghana)

How?

Nutshellmail is a free web-based service that enables users to manage and access all their email and social networking accounts through any email inbox. NutshellMail is designed to help you manage your online life through the place where you spend most of your computing time - your primary inbox. The solution works by sending recurring email updates to any email address on a schedule you choose. Each update provides a snapshot of new messages and activity in your Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and email accounts. Through the Update, a user can retrieve any message directly into their primary inbox without having to access their account provider's website. In addition, the solution is designed to provide a compliant way for employees to retrieve messages when restricted from email and social networking sites at work.

Also, these guys have a popular Nutshellmail facebook app HERE which helps you to keep up with all your Facebook activity including status updates, friend requests, messages, birthdays, and much more directly through your email inbox. It's so popular that it was selected as one of the winning companies of the Facebook Fund competition and have received an investment from the fbFund and are now in Palo Alto participating in the fbFund REV incubator program for 10-weeks.

Per Mark,

"We also closed on our Series A financing. With a healthy balance sheet and an incredible opportunity to work directly with Facebook, David, Nirav and I are very excited about our prospects."

Visit www.nutshellmail.com

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There’s Always Somebody Hooking Up, Screwing Up or Breaking Up on Her Hollywood Site

Earlier last fall, I posted about how Lindsey Rosin (C'07, The Excelano Project, The Writers House, Kappa Alpha Theta) joined forces with her father Charles Rosin (Executive Producer of Beverly Hills 90210 for the first five seasons) to create www.showbizzle.com, a new form of internet entertainment that combines daily updates of original, scripted video content with a social network aimed at emerging actors, writers, directors, fans of the biz – basically anyone with a computer who is looking for some fun entertainment. (see Lindsey in photo to right directing this week's episode you can see HERE)

Earlier this week, showbizzle relaunched with even more features including:

• A 23 week series set in Hollywood told from the first person point-of-view of Janey, an aspiring screenwriter who likes to hang out at her favorite coffee shop and listen to the crazy stories that her friends are only too willing to share. As Janey puts it, “there’s always somebody hooking up, screwing up, breaking up…all while chasing their first big break.” The series is set in Hollywood in 2009. Season One will feature 29 cast members, with new episodes available on a weekly basis.
• “Inside the Bizzle” is an ongoing conversation with top industry insiders such as David Semel (“House”), Elizabeth Heldens (“Friday Night Lights’) and Ted Cohen (“Friends”) about their careers, how they succeeded and their heartfelt advice for people getting started.
• “Bizzle Bits” is a place to watch behind-the-scenes footage about the show.
• “The Digital Showcase” is a stage to promote professional and upcoming talent.
• A community section as a resource for emerging talent, starting with the 21 contemporary monologues available for free download on the website. It will also feature some of our favorite member-submitted videos on the Digital Showcase, then let the members vote on their favorites – and give a community member the opportunity to be paid to do original material on the site.

On a related note...

Find out how DuelingTampons.com can get your contacts and information to advance your Entertainment career!


Visit www.showbizzle.com here

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They're Lawyers By Day, Jewelry Designers By Night

Another case of Penn alumni (lawyers) with other careers!

Former college roommates (in photo to left: l to r:) Jessica Bohrer, (C'99 (technically graduated in '98), SDT) and Rebecca Richards (C'99, Theta) were inspired by vintage pieces handed down from their mothers and grandmothers and fell in love with the idea of taking something old and making it new. After a few months of brainstorming, their company Dalla Nonna (which translates from italian to "from the grandmother") was born!

Just a day after their ten-year reunion weekend a couple of weeks ago, Jessica and Rebecca launched the first collection of their jewelry line on Dalla Nonna: the calendar necklace.  Per Jess:

"Dalla Nonna’s signature piece, the calendar necklace, exemplifies dalla nonna’s blend of tradition and trend. derived from an old tie pin of jess’ grandpa howard, each piece is executed in 14k yellow, white or rose gold or sterling silver, and accented with a sapphire in a color chosen by the wearer to commemorate a date of her choosing (could be a birthday, graduation, anniversary, mother's day (may 10th!), birth of a child or any other important date).  With its sleek and modern design, the calendar necklace is a subtle statement piece that allows the wearer to hold a date that is close to her heart even closer still. The calendar necklace is the perfect way to mark a birthday, bat mitzvah, engagement or wedding and a great way to congratulate a graduate!"

Although they're relatively new to the market, they've already been getting great press; Entertainment Weekly, the "Ellen DeGeneres Show", Daily Candy and Urban Baby have featured them in the past month!

See their collection HERE

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Follow Real Athletes' Tweets with This Penn Alum's New Website

Hey sportsfans out there!  Don't really understand what Twitter  is, don't want to join Twitter, and/or don't know which athletes on Twitter are real or imposters?

David Katz (W'94, Varsity Basketball) just launched an innovative new site called, www.AthleteTweets.com, that aggregates all of the players and coaches Twitter feeds on one website.  Plus, AthleteTweets has validated the Twitter feeds for all athletes and posts them all in real time.  Per David, "for a sports fan this is the best reality show not on TV".

David is no novice to the web. He used to run the interactive division at CBS Television and then ran Yahoo! Sports and Entertainment. In 2007, he left Yahoo! to start SportsFanLive to create a next-generation sports site after complaining for so long how all of the other sports sites were "all the same". SportsFanLive has been described as "ESPN meets Facebook."

Check out some of the reviews David has received below:

• Las Vegas Sun
  
• Baltimore Sun
  
• MediaWeek

More of my very entertaining Penn sports related posts HERE

Visit www.AthleteTweets.com

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