Andy Marks, Managing Director, MATTER, Inc., the entertainment and sports marketing division of Edelman, the world’s largest independent PR firm. He joined Edelman when it acquired MATTER, a leading branded entertainment and content development consultancy Andy co-founded to develop marketing and media partnerships between leading brands, and entertainment companies and content creators. With MATTER operating within the Edelman fold, Andy has drawn upon his expertise to create entertainment marketing and content opportunities for Edelman’s industry-spanning client roster, and has built the division into a full service entertainment and sports marketing practice operating worldwide. He provides ongoing strategic business and entertainment counsel for clients including Brita, Amtrak, Hidden Valley Ranch, Pepsi, Dove, Johnson & Johnson, and the Empire State Building; and has advised clients including Butterball, Nissan, Knitting Factory Entertainment, History Channel, and BET, among others. He has worked with non-profit organizations such as the McCormick Foundation, the American Heart Association, Step-Up Women’s Network, Music Empowers Foundation, and The Creative Coalition on developing mutually beneficial corporate and entertainment partnerships. Andy has placed a number of clients in TV partnerships with programs including The Biggest Loser, Top Chef, Cake Boss, and Project Runway, and partnered brand clients with celebrities including Natalie Portman, Wynonna Judd, Tim Burton, Joe Pantoliano, Ricki Lake, Emme, Marisa Tomei, and Bob Harper. He has developed original branded content programs for clients Anvil Organics, AstraZeneca, Hidden Valley Ranch, and ArmorAll, among others, and launched Edelman Studios, a virtual studio pairing content creators with brands looking for new ways to reach consumers; clients Burger King, Butterball, Expedia and Philadelphia Cream Cheese sourced hundreds of concepts from a community of nearly 1,000 emerging and established storytellers. Before MATTER, Andy served as executive vice president of brand partnerships at Hypnotic, a multi-media production company backed by Universal Studios, where he specialized in bridging the Madison and Vine divide. While there, Andy launched several pioneering branded entertainment initiatives including Reebok’s Terry Tate, Office Linebacker, recently voted one of the top ten best Super Bowl ad campaigns of the last decade; the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival, as well as programs for Ford, Coca Cola, and Nintendo. Prior to Hypnotic, Andy was director of Advertising and Sponsorship Sales at the Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX), a simulated online stock market where consumers can buy and sell fictional “shares” in movies and stars. He spent five years as a producer and professional actor with roles in TV, feature films and theatre. He began his career at the Chubb Group in property and casualty insurance underwriting and risk management. He holds a B.A. in geology and environmental studies from Colgate University and resides in New York City with wife Nanette and their two children.

Rob Donnell, Founder and President of Brand Arc: An award-winning veteran of the advertisingindustry, Rob Donnell is Founder and President of Brand Arc, a Los Angeles-based firm responsible for developing groundbreaking product integrations for major brands such as Toyota and Lexus across TV, film, video games, mobile and digital platforms. Brand Arc is a three-time winner of Madison & Vine’s “Five Best Integrations of the Year,” a 10-time winner of iTVX’s “Featured Placement of the Week” a highlight of the ANA’s “Best Practices in Branded Entertainment.” Most recently, the agency has been honored with a 2012 One Show Entertainment Gold Pencil in the Television Scripted Series category for its Toyota Prius integration on the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Donnell’s deals for longtime client Toyota include three consecutive seasons of highly visible integration into ABC’s Emmy-winning comedy, “Modern Family,” nine consecutive seasons in Bravo’s hit competition show, “Top Chef,” and recent car giveaways to recession-wracked guests on the syndicated talk show “Ellen.” Donnell and his team created the first-ever co-promotion between a pharmaceutical marketer, Roche, and a feature film, Warner Bros.’ blockbuster “Happy Feet.” In other firsts, he helped integrate the Toyota Yaris into five separate sketches on Fox’s late-night comedy, “Mad TV,” created the first brand-financed “mobisodes” with Sprint for the action thriller, “Prison Break,” and initiated the first-ever brand-sponsored DVD prequel for Fox’s hit drama, “24.” Though Donnell launched Brand Arc in 2005 primarily to service Toyota, he has also worked with an impressive list of clients including Lexus, AT&T, Roche and GSW. Other Brand Arc services include strategic brand development, creative development, media planning, co-promotion and event marketing.

Peter Bray is currently Director of Digital at Saatchi & Saatchi NY. The largest agency within the global network is home to a diverse portfolio of global and US brands, including: Tide, Pampers, Cheerios, Head & Shoulders, Iams, Yoplait, Miller Lite as well as Chase Sapphire, Lenovo, Folgers, Capri Sun, Theraflu and Triaminic. Peter finds himself fortunate to have built a 17 year global career around the business of digital, ensuring it fits within not just integrated communications offerings, but is also used to transform business and unleash growth opportunities. In addition to agency life, he has also been a Director of CHOICE (the Australian Consumers’ Association) and was the National President of Australia’s peak digital industry body AIMIA (the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association). Currently, he is also an Executive Academy Member of the IADAS. In 2001, Peter founded the multi award winning agency Clear Blue Day, with offices in NYC, Melbourne and Sydney. Clear Blue Day was founded around expert digital strategy and branding, with clients including Subaru, Macquarie Bank and Diageo. In 2007 this was sold to ASX listed entity Q Limited. In mid 2009, he joined The Brand Shop initially as Director of Digital to ensure that the agency created a digital strategy offering. A little over 4 months later, Peter was given the additional role of leading the agency with a talented ECD to a successful 2010, reporting directly to the CEO of the WPP owned STW Group (ASX: STW), a group that owns over 70 different agencies including JWT and Ogilvy, and soon after had a role at STW Group “central” working across all agencies.

Harry Kargman is the Founder and CEO of Kargo, the leading mobilepublisher platform. Founded in 2003, Kargo delivers advertising and integrated rich media across its proprietary platform of major media mobile websites, apps and tablet experiences. Kargo has been recognized with numerous awards including a Mobi and an OMMA for its advertising campaigns as well as a Red Herring Top 100 winner in 2013, an AlwaysOn OnMobile Top 100 winner in 2013 and an AlwaysOn OnMedia Top 100 in 2013. Harry has been featured on Bloomberg TV, 20/20, The Today Show, the New York Times, and NPR and in business publications around the world. He has been a keynote speaker or panelist at CES, Mobile Marketing Association, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Media Summit and the AlwaysOn Conferences. CTIA, GSM, the CDMA World Congress, COMDEX, Columbia University and other events. Previous in his career, Harry worked at Intel in Corporate Business Development, Intel’s venture arm, and at the Boston Consulting Group. He also held positions at Intertainer, a broadband content provider and Zefer, an Internet strategic consulting firm, as one of its first employees. Harry lives in New York City and holds seven patents on wireless technology. He graduated with honors from Harvard College.

Frank Kavilanz is General Manager of Partnerships and Revenue for Bedrocket to develop and scale best practices across all Bedrocket video platforms. Prior to joining Bedrocket, Frank was Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at NowThisNews, a Bedrocket partner company. While at NowThis News, the digital news network for the mobile and social generation, he managed all growth and revenue efforts. Previously, Frank worked for the NBC Universal News Group where he served as Vice President of Strategy and Partnership for NBC News overseeing business development for NBCNews.com, Today.com and MSNBC.com. Earlier in his career, Frank worked at Disney ABC Television Group as Head of Business Development for ABC News Digital where he led initiatives for ABCNews.com, GoodMorningAmerica.com and GMA on Yahoo!.

Neil McGinness, CEO, Weekly World News: Led by Neil McGinness, Weekly World News, has inspired hit feature films, television shows, and musicals. Rooted in the creative success of over thirty years of supermarket tabloid publishing, the company recently joined forces with Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks Television to develop new entertainment properties. Bat Boy first debuted as a Weekly World News cover story on June 23, 1992, and the original front-page photo of Bat Boy was the second bestselling issue in the tabloid’s history; it has since evolved into a pop-culture icon. Bat Boy currently stars in his very own musical, Bat Boy: The Musical, which in 2010 will be performed over 200 times in over 20 different states and countries. The original off-Broadway production of the musical won wide acclaim and awards, including both the Lucille Lortel Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award.

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Ashley Parker, Greater New York City Area – EVP and Regional President at HSBC

THE 22nd ANNUAL HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL in NEW YORK

THE OLDEST, LARGEST, MOST TRADITIONAL DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL IN THE US – LAUNCHES ON MEADOW LAKE THIS SATURDAY AUGUST 4 & SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012 – WITH CASH & PRIZES at STAKE! WITH 180+ TEAMS, INVOLVING MORE THAN 2,500 PARTICIPANTS COMPETING FROM ACROSS the U.S. & CANADA + SPECIAL PERFORMING GUESTS- AN AWARD WINNING LION DANCE TEAM from CHINA

AUG 2nd , 2012 NY, NY – In Celebration of the “Year of the Water Dragon” the organizing committee of the 22nd Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York (HKDBF-NY) announced that this year’s competition is to be held on Saturday, August 4th & Sunday, August 5th, 2012. It will feature cash & prizes for competitors in this year’s US Dragon Boat Open Championship.

Other festival events consist of several new special Cup races, the Hong Kong SAR Family Invitational and the Hong Kong Business Family Invitational honoring the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Municipal Cup featuring teams from several of our elected officials and government agencies and the Health Invitational along with special youth, women and sponsor races, plus a Media challenge and a Charity race featuring $7,500 to be donated to the charities designated by the competing teams. The Charity Race participants include HSBC USA, DCH and Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd. Each of them will contribute $2500 to put in the charity fund. This year’s Corporate Invitational looks to be a good one, with many Corporate Teams joining us to race for their company. The Festival will be held at Meadow Lake, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, New York rain or shine. Admission is free.

HKDBF-NY, a multicultural celebration and sporting event, is the largest multicultural Festival in New York and the largest festival of its kind in the U.S. HKDBF NY keeps up the age old tradition of Dragon Boat Racing in colorful, custom made teak boats, which are virtual works of art gliding on water. Custom made by a small coterie of craftsmen in Hong Kong, weighing one ton each, colorfully painted with a Dragon head at the front and Dragon tail at the rear, the boats are piloted by up to 20 crewmen, including 18 paddlers, a drummer and steers person. For twenty-one successful years HKDBF-NY has attracted a diverse, multi-cultural audience of more than 60,000 attendees throughout North America. With more than 180+ well-trained teams, involving more than 2,500 participants competing from across the U.S. and Canada, this year’s festival is expected to be notable in its scale and fierce competition.

With cash & prizes at stake for the US Dragon Boat Open Championships, the festival takes place over two days on the site of the 1964 World’s Fair, featuring events for the entire family. The opening day parade at noon on Saturday, August 4th will be followed by the New York City Championship Races. The U.S. Dragon Boat Open Championship will be held on Sunday, August 5th with the teams vigorously competing for their share of the cash & prizes.

Racing starts at 9:00 a.m. and events last throughout the day until approximately 5:00 p.m. each day, rain or shine. Other festival events consist of the corporate youth, women’s invitational, and sponsors challenge, a photo contest as well as presentations on the VERIZON STAGE of traditional Chinese arts, martial arts demonstrations, the traditional Dragon dance, musical and other diverse performances and demonstrations of folk arts and crafts.

This year we have a very special appearance from the Award winning Lion Dancers from Zhanjian, Guangdong, China. This team is the recipient of China’s last Lion Dancers competition. sponsored by the Chinese Association of Lion Dancers and Dragon Dancing Teams (a division of China’s national Sport Association). They will perform the colorful and exciting Southern style of Lion Dancing.

An ethnic food court and booths staffed by sponsors of the event many of whom will be giving away promotional items, and many community-based organizations participating help make for a unique, action packed, multi-cultural, New York weekend.

The tradition of Dragon Boat Racing is an annual Chinese rite commemorating the idealistic poet and reformer Qu Yuan who drowned himself in the third century B.C. to protest against his emperor’s policies. The locals raced in their boats in an attempt to rescue the poet. To prevent fish and water dragons from eating his body, the locals beat their drums and splashed their paddles. This was the beginning of Dragon Boat Racing.

Admission to the HKDBF-NY is Free, Events take place Rain or Shine. Directions to the Festival by car – take the Long Island Expressway to Van Wyck Expressway to exit 11 south, then stay on service road to the Park. Parking is severely limited. Please take the MTA or car pool. Directions to the Festival by bus/subway –Again this year we’ve worked with the MTA to insure easy and safe transportation to the Festival site. Festival goers can use their MetroCard to take the #7 Train to the CitiField stop and transfer from there to special MTA shuttle buses that will take them directly to the Festival site, or they can walk from the CitiField stop (about 15 minutes) or take the colorful park trolley to the festival site. Parking on-site is limited, you can park at CitiField and take the special MTA shuttle with your MetroCard or use correct change.

This years Sponsors include; Title Sponsor the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, NY: Corporate Supporter HSBC Bank USA; other major sponsors include; Verizon, Time Warner Cable, Con Edison, J.P. Morgan Chase, New York Community Bank, Resort World Casino New York City, National Grid, State Farm, Wells Fargo, Shanghai Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, New York Hospital Queens, Sheraton La Guardia East Hotel, Flushing Savings Bank, Vallo Transportation, Ltd., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens Chamber of Commerce, Office of the Queensborough President, Helen Marshall, NYC &Co, and Discover Queens.
Media &Creative Partners: WNBC TV 4, The New York Times, Sing Tao Daily News, The Queens Courier, GoodNews Broadcast.com, RNN, MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting, Inc.(AM1480, Sino Television, Sinocast, M-Weekly Magazine), Fusia Communications, Inc., Inak Design, Time Warner Cable. Additional support provided by the Times Ledger Newspaper Group, Foxwoods and the NY Daily News.

Downloadable photos are available at www.hkdbf-ny.org .

Special hotel rates are available at several local hotels.

For full schedule and information visit our website www.hkdbf-ny.org or call 718-767-1776

HKDBF NY-2011 is a non-profit, tax-exempt, cultural organization.

The post Ashley Parker, Greater New York City Area – EVP and Regional President at HSBC appeared first on Good News!.

Senior Vice President, Head of Asian Market and Chinese Business Strategy HSBC.  Elizabeth shares Good News at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival.

John, the wonderful Old Time Checker Cab Driver for HSBC

THE 22nd ANNUAL HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL in NEW YORK

THE OLDEST, LARGEST, MOST TRADITIONAL DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL IN THE US – LAUNCHES ON MEADOW LAKE THIS SATURDAY AUGUST 4 & SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012 – WITH CASH & PRIZES at STAKE! WITH 180+ TEAMS, INVOLVING MORE THAN 2,500 PARTICIPANTS COMPETING FROM ACROSS the U.S. & CANADA + SPECIAL PERFORMING GUESTS- AN AWARD WINNING LION DANCE TEAM from CHINA

AUG 2nd , 2012 NY, NY – In Celebration of the “Year of the Water Dragon” the organizing committee of the 22nd Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York (HKDBF-NY) announced that this year’s competition is to be held on Saturday, August 4th & Sunday, August 5th, 2012. It will feature cash & prizes for competitors in this year’s US Dragon Boat Open Championship.

Other festival events consist of several new special Cup races, the Hong Kong SAR Family Invitational and the Hong Kong Business Family Invitational honoring the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Municipal Cup featuring teams from several of our elected officials and government agencies and the Health Invitational along with special youth, women and sponsor races, plus a Media challenge and a Charity race featuring $7,500 to be donated to the charities designated by the competing teams. The Charity Race participants include HSBC USA, DCH and Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd. Each of them will contribute $2500 to put in the charity fund. This year’s Corporate Invitational looks to be a good one, with many Corporate Teams joining us to race for their company. The Festival will be held at Meadow Lake, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, New York rain or shine. Admission is free.

HKDBF-NY, a multicultural celebration and sporting event, is the largest multicultural Festival in New York and the largest festival of its kind in the U.S. HKDBF NY keeps up the age old tradition of Dragon Boat Racing in colorful, custom made teak boats, which are virtual works of art gliding on water. Custom made by a small coterie of craftsmen in Hong Kong, weighing one ton each, colorfully painted with a Dragon head at the front and Dragon tail at the rear, the boats are piloted by up to 20 crewmen, including 18 paddlers, a drummer and steers person. For twenty-one successful years HKDBF-NY has attracted a diverse, multi-cultural audience of more than 60,000 attendees throughout North America. With more than 180+ well-trained teams, involving more than 2,500 participants competing from across the U.S. and Canada, this year’s festival is expected to be notable in its scale and fierce competition.

With cash & prizes at stake for the US Dragon Boat Open Championships, the festival takes place over two days on the site of the 1964 World’s Fair, featuring events for the entire family. The opening day parade at noon on Saturday, August 4th will be followed by the New York City Championship Races. The U.S. Dragon Boat Open Championship will be held on Sunday, August 5th with the teams vigorously competing for their share of the cash & prizes.

Racing starts at 9:00 a.m. and events last throughout the day until approximately 5:00 p.m. each day, rain or shine. Other festival events consist of the corporate youth, women’s invitational, and sponsors challenge, a photo contest as well as presentations on the VERIZON STAGE of traditional Chinese arts, martial arts demonstrations, the traditional Dragon dance, musical and other diverse performances and demonstrations of folk arts and crafts.

This year we have a very special appearance from the Award winning Lion Dancers from Zhanjian, Guangdong, China. This team is the recipient of China’s last Lion Dancers competition. sponsored by the Chinese Association of Lion Dancers and Dragon Dancing Teams (a division of China’s national Sport Association). They will perform the colorful and exciting Southern style of Lion Dancing.

An ethnic food court and booths staffed by sponsors of the event many of whom will be giving away promotional items, and many community-based organizations participating help make for a unique, action packed, multi-cultural, New York weekend.

The tradition of Dragon Boat Racing is an annual Chinese rite commemorating the idealistic poet and reformer Qu Yuan who drowned himself in the third century B.C. to protest against his emperor’s policies. The locals raced in their boats in an attempt to rescue the poet. To prevent fish and water dragons from eating his body, the locals beat their drums and splashed their paddles. This was the beginning of Dragon Boat Racing.

Admission to the HKDBF-NY is Free, Events take place Rain or Shine. Directions to the Festival by car – take the Long Island Expressway to Van Wyck Expressway to exit 11 south, then stay on service road to the Park. Parking is severely limited. Please take the MTA or car pool. Directions to the Festival by bus/subway –Again this year we’ve worked with the MTA to insure easy and safe transportation to the Festival site. Festival goers can use their MetroCard to take the #7 Train to the CitiField stop and transfer from there to special MTA shuttle buses that will take them directly to the Festival site, or they can walk from the CitiField stop (about 15 minutes) or take the colorful park trolley to the festival site. Parking on-site is limited, you can park at CitiField and take the special MTA shuttle with your MetroCard or use correct change.

This years Sponsors include; Title Sponsor the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, NY: Corporate Supporter HSBC Bank USA; other major sponsors include; Verizon, Time Warner Cable, Con Edison, J.P. Morgan Chase, New York Community Bank, Resort World Casino New York City, National Grid, State Farm, Wells Fargo, Shanghai Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, New York Hospital Queens, Sheraton La Guardia East Hotel, Flushing Savings Bank, Vallo Transportation, Ltd., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens Chamber of Commerce, Office of the Queensborough President, Helen Marshall, NYC &Co, and Discover Queens.
Media &Creative Partners: WNBC TV 4, The New York Times, Sing Tao Daily News, The Queens Courier, GoodNews Broadcast.com, RNN, MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting, Inc.(AM1480, Sino Television, Sinocast, M-Weekly Magazine), Fusia Communications, Inc., Inak Design, Time Warner Cable. Additional support provided by the Times Ledger Newspaper Group, Foxwoods and the NY Daily News.

Downloadable photos are available at www.hkdbf-ny.org .

Special hotel rates are available at several local hotels.

For full schedule and information visit our website www.hkdbf-ny.org or call 718-767-1776

HKDBF NY-2011 is a non-profit, tax-exempt, cultural organization.

The post HSBC’s John, the driver and Elizabeth Lee… appeared first on Good News!.