I have been radio silent the past few months, as I have been working as the new Director of National and International Sponsorships for Rick Nielsen’s (of Cheap Trick) new guitar exhibit, Rick’s PIcks – A Lifelong Affair With Guitars & Music, which debuts August 10, 2012 in Rockford, IL at the Burpee Museum of Natural History.

Rick Nielsen, the founding guitar player for Cheap Trick, is a life long resident of Rockford, IL.  He has been very generous to his hometown community and when he was approached about lending a few of his guitars (he has had over 2,000 during his career) to a new exhibit at the Burpee Museum of Natural History, he naturally said YES!  What started out as a few guitars on the wall has grown to an exhibit of almost 6,000 square feet, featuring over 70 of his rare and one-of-a kind guitars (including his iconic 5-neck guitar), memorabilia from his life on the road with Cheap Trick (photos, passports), amplifiers, stage wear, his famous picks, an 18-seat theater which will be running a new documentary on his life, and even a demo bar, where patrons can listen to the original recordings of many of Cheap Trick’s hit songs (I Want You To Want Me or Dream Police).

After a scheduled 8-month run in Rockford the exhibit has plans to go on tour internationally and in the US.  Tokyo is being eyed as a first stop internationally (they love Cheap Trick there) as well as London and Berlin.

In January 2013, a fundraising concert is planned featuring Rick Nielsen and a number of his friends (Dave Grohl, Slash, Todd Rundgren, Joe Elliot to name a few) at the Coronado Theater in Rockford to also raise funds for the Burpee Museum.

I will be heading to Rockford, IL next week, for the Grand Opening Night VIP party and Ribbon Cutting the next day.

Please contact me if you would like to know more about this extraordinary fundraising exhibit or become involved as a sponsor.

I made my national television debut on Donna Drake’s Live It Up! TV Show a few months ago, which airs on CBS -10 WLNY-TV, which reaches over 5 million households throughout Long Island, New York.

You can see the interview on YouTube at the link HERE

I was also featured on the British Airways segment on Live It Up! TV, as one of the top winners. Simon Talling-Smith gives an in-dept interview on the program and the positive outcomes for those involved.  The segment also aired on CBS and features Michele Mitchell, my colleague from Film At Eleven.

You can see the interview on YouTube at the link HERE

Donna Drake is a fellow British Airways Face of Opportunity Winner, whom I met last year in London, during our winners trip.  This interview took place the day before we left New York City. She has since become a wonderful friend and I have done some production work on her Live It Up! TV show.