ArtsBeat TV/Radio 11/27/20

New ArtsBeat TV/Radio The shaken, twisted, and stirred “Christmas on The Rocks” returns to TheaterWorks Hartford, and we hang out with its zany star Jenn Harris. Watch/listen on WCPC15 and 89.5fm or stream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZufdXE1DS1c

On the Mark 11/25/20

On the Mark TV/Radio 11/25/20. Chatting with Northfield Mount Hermon archivist Peter Weis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPBkSyed0QE

Westfield News ArtsBeat 11/24/20

Westfield News ArtsBeat 11/24/20. Christmas on The Rocks returns to TheaterWorks Hartford; LAVA Climate Change theatre; Goodspeed's new Anne of Green Gables concept album and arts news for WMass and No.CT. https://thewestfieldnews.com/arts-beat-345/

ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio 11/24/20

New ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio’s Brad Shepard Today. Christmas on The Rocks returns to TheaterWorks Hartford; no Broadway at the Bushnell through August. Berkshire Opera Festival announces its 2021 season and more. Segment starts at: 5:50 http://pioneervalleyradio.com/2020/11/24/brad-shepard-today-tuesday-november-24-2020/

December Client Letter

December,  2020Dear Clients, Colleagues and Friends,We're pleased to showcase our clients’ activities.The Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College perform the world premiere of Mark Gionfriddo’s  For A Fallen Veteran, an homage to the dozens of soldiers who died of COVID19 at The Holyoke Soldiers Home, on their Hot Jazz For A Cold Night concert December 10. The virtual performance, free on ZOOM, will be narrated by WWLP meteorologist Brian Lapis (who stars as Fred Kelley in The Big Broadcast!). The concert also includes holiday favorites and a guest appearance by members of The Young@Heart Chorus. For details: https://mtholyoke.zoom.us/j/96724667668 Game Changers in Medicine launched episode 5, the story of the discovery of insulin, a lifesaver for millions who live with diabetes. A bonus episode will be released shortly.  The series, hosted by medical futurist Dr. Rubin Pillay, and written by Sharon Johnson, has already covered Vitamin K, the smallpox vaccine, warfarin and the x-ray.. Check out the website for past episodes, bonus materials, and bios of the team. www.gamechangersinmedicine.com.  The Longmeadow Adult Community Center Fund launched the public phase of its capital campaign to furnish the new community center on Maple Road. Consider supporting their cause on Giving Tuesday, December 1. Tax-deductible contributions can be made online.  For campaign details:  https://www.longmeadowadultcenterfund.org/ The Capitol Steps have paused all live performances in Washington, DC and on tour, until it is deemed safe for audiences and performers alike. Their website and YouTube channels have plenty of archival materials. They also have CDs available for holiday gifts. For updated performance information: http://www.capsteps.com/live/ Gaslight Entertainment, producers of Westfield Concerts, has paused all live performances, until it is deemed safe for audiences and performers alike. Construction is almost complete at Westfield Women's Club to provide handicapped accessibility for concerts. For details on Westfield Concerts: www.westfieldconcerts.com. Shameless Self-Promotion On The Mark, my new talk show series, airs on WCPC15 and 89.5fm/WSKB, on Wednesday mornings. Episodes air at either 8AM or 9AM. To stream: wskb.org or westfieldtv.com. Archived episodes are available at WSKB Community Radio’s YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzPcoGhNs723gdf2cFc1pQ.  I’m thrilled with a couple of recent episodes: ***What Young People Think, featuring Matthew Jones, a recent Manhattanville College graduate; Jason Martins, a third year student at Western New England University (who also works on my social media team), and Mariel Picknelly, a first year college student who is known as the international singer and social media influencer Mariel Darling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te1f4jJ46cM ***Radio Days, which features local radio veteran Brad Shepard, national radio producer Bernadette Duncan, and public radio’s Susan Kaplan.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAJniEesJl4 ***Let’s Go Flying, with Westfield Barnes Regional Airport’s Chris Willenborg, Jeff Stone who began his airline career at Bradley International Airport with People Express, and veteran airline captain Don Stanton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP-YzFuBMRY ArtsBeat TV/Radio on WCPC15 and 89.5fm/WSKB. Episodes air Fridays at 8AM. Archived episodes are available at WSKB Community Radio’s YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzPcoGhNs723gdf2cFc1pQ  ArtsBeat appears every Tuesday morning on Pioneer Valley Radio’s Brad Shepard Today program, available for streaming at 6AM. http://pioneervalleyradio.com/category/programs/brad-shepard-today/ ArtsBeat in Print runs on Tuesdays in The Westfield News. https://thewestfieldnews.com/ Succeeding in Small Business runs my monthly marketing and public relations columns. https://www.succeedinginsmallbusiness.com/ T’is the season of giving. In lieu of holiday cards and client gifts, I’ll once again be making contributions to local non-profits who work towards the greater good in our community.  Special thanks to my great team of partners this year. Without the support of Eagan Pictures, Maureen Sullivan Media, Ben Jacek, Jason Martins, Peter Cowles, Brad Shepard, Hope Tremblay, Jeanne Yocum, and others, we couldn’t do what we do.  We appreciate the people we get to work with: Elaina Newport and Mark Eaton at The Capitol Steps; Patrick Berry and Jay Pagluica at Gaslight Entertainment; Mark Gionfriddo at the Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College; Diane Pearlman at Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative; Mike Thornton at the Mike Thornton Agency; Marybeth Bergeron and Janine McVay at the Longmeadow Adult Community Center Fund; and The Dramatic Health team: Sean Moloney, Sharon Johnson, Rolando Nieves, Lauren Wiegand, and Tom Sliwakowski. Thank you.  And, I’m appreciative of the publicists who helped make ArtsBeat a breeze. In no particular order of gratitude: Paul Marte, Theresa MacNaughton, Freddie McInenery, Michael McKiernan, Elisa Hale, Natalie Noack, Angela Combest, Gail Burns, Katie Watts, Becky Brighenti, Jason Weixelman, Charlie Siedenburg, Shawn Farley, Lynn Nichols, and Vanessa Cerillo. And to some of the creatives always willing to connect me with good material. Alexander Sovronsky, James Barry, Tara Franklin, Jacques Lamarre, Bari Biern, Tony Dunne, and more. Thank you, and happy holidays.

ArtsBeat TV/Radio 11/20/20

NewArtsBeat tTV/RadioMarkGionfriddo previews Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College’s “HotJazz For A Cold Night” and The Mahaiwe’s Janis Martinson and GabeNapoleon talk aboutGreat Barrington’s treasure.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txHKmbwvhBk

On the Mark TV/Radio 11/18/20

Let’s Go Flying! The new episode of “On The Mark. WED November 18 at 8AM. Chris Willenborg takes us behind the scenes at Westfield’s Barnes Regional Airport. Jeff Stone shares his experiences at People Express at Bradley. Don Stanton reminisces about flying those jumbo jets across the pond. Takes off after 8AM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP-YzFuBMRY

Westfield News Review: TheaterWorks The Who & The What

My Westfield News review of TheaterWorks Hartford's "The Who & The What". https://thewestfieldnews.com/review-the-who-the-what-streams-from-theaterworks/

Westfield News ArtsBeat 11/17/20

Westfield News ArtsBeat 11/17/20. The Who & The What at TheaterWorks Hartford, UMASS Multiband Pops, Holiday Inn on PBS, Marnie from the Met and arts news for WMass and NoCT. https://thewestfieldnews.com/arts-beat-344/

ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio 11/17/20

ArtsBeat on Pioneer4 Valley Radio's Brad Shepard Today. A review of TheaterWorks Hartford "The Who & The What" plus arts news for WMass and No.CT. segment begins at: 3:23 http://pioneervalleyradio.com/2020/11/17/brad-shepard-today-tuesday-november-17-2020/

My Article About Giving Tuesday

My November article for Succeeding in Small Business. Promotional strategies for GivingTuesday. https://www.succeedinginsmallbusiness.com/plan-your-communications-for-giving-tuesday/

ArtsBeat TV/Radio 11/13/20

ArtsBeat TV/Radio 11/13/20. Godfrey Simmons from Hartford’s HartBeat Ensemble theatre and Matt Longhi of UMASS Music and Dance Department. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAmKUtDvzrU

On The Mark TV/Radio 11/11/20

New "On The Mark" TV/Radio. Radio Days with veteran broadcaster Brad Shepard; radio producer and author Bernadette Duncan, and public media reporter Susan Kaplan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAJniEesJl4

Media Release: Game Changers in Medicine Podcast on Insulin

NEW GAME CHANGERS IN MEDICINE EPISODE ABOUT THE DISCOVERY OF INSULIN PREMIERES ON WORLD DIABETES DAY, NOVEMBER 14 NEW YORK, November 12, 2020/PRNewswire/ -- Game Changers in Medicine, the new monthly podcast from Dramatic Health, premieres its fifth episode “Insulin: The lucky coin toss and improbable partnership that led to this life-saving elixir” on World Diabetes Day, November 14, 2020. Insulin was discovered almost 100 years ago and has been saving the lives of patients with diabetes ever since. Currently, more than 460 million people worldwide suffer from some form of diabetes. Produced by Dramatic Health co-founder and CEO Sean T. Moloney, the series is hosted by renowned medical futurist Dr. Rubin Pillay of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). For details on the podcast series, visit www.gamechangersinmedicine.com The Dramatic Health and Game Changers in Medicine teams have gathered a distinguished group of experts to discuss the science and serendipity behind the discovery of insulin, and to offer their perspectives on the ongoing search for a cure for diabetes. Participants in “Insulin: The lucky coin toss and improbable partnership that led to this life-saving elixir” include: Jay S. Skyler, MD, MACP is currently a Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, & Psychology, in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. He served as Director of that division from 2000 to 2004. He is Deputy Director of Clinical Research and Academic Programs at the Diabetes Research Institute. Grant Maltman, curator of the Banting House National Historic Site of Canada, in London, Ontario, coordinates cultural resource management and heritage presentation at Banting House--the birthplace of insulin. Toby Smithson, MS, RDN, CDE is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and certified diabetes educator (CDE) who has successfully managed her own Type 1 diabetes for more than 45 years. According to Executive Producer Sean Moloney, “We have an abundance of material, including an interview with Dr. H. Franklin Bunn, the hematologist at Harvard Medical School, who co-discovered the hemoglobin A1c, a major diagnostic indicator of prediabetes and diabetes. Dr. Bunn appeared in the premiere episode of Game Changers in Medicine last July.” A bonus episode of “Insulin: The lucky coin toss and improbable partnership that led to this life-saving elixir” will be released at the end of November. Dramatic Health, a national healthcare video company, is the producer of the six-part podcast series Game Changers in Medicine. Previous episodes have included: the premiere podcast about Vitamin K and an enterprising Boston house doctor; the creation of a smallpox vaccine and its parallels to today’s urgent search for a COVID-19 vaccine; the history of the blood thinner warfarin, a rat poison turned game-changer in cardiology, and the development of the X-ray. All episodes, a series backgrounder, and additional material about the podcast series are available at www.gamechangersinmedicine.com and can be accessed wherever you find your podcasts. -30- Contact: Mark G. Auerbach. press@gamechangersinmedicine.com For additional details on the episode participants: Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. https://www.diabetesresearch.org/ Banting House: Birthplace of Insulin. https://bantinghousenhsc.wordpress.com/ Toby Smithson and Diabetes Every Day. https://www.diabeteseveryday.com/meet-toby/

Westfield News ArtsBeat 11/10/20

Westfield News ArtsBeat 11/10/20. Million dollar gifts to Barrington Stage and Berkshire Theatre Groups. News from TheaterWorks Hartford, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, the Mahaiwe and more. https://thewestfieldnews.com/arts-beat-343/

ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio 11/10/20

New ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio’s Brad Shepard Today. News from TheaterWorks Hartford, Silverthorne Theater, Wynton Marsalis, James Barry and more. Segment begins at: 3:55 http://pioneervalleyradio.com/2020/11/10/brad-shepard-today-tuesday-november-10-2020/

My November Succeeding in Small Business Column

My November column for Succeeding in Small Business. Year-end marketing strategies for uncertain times. https://www.succeedinginsmallbusiness.com/year-end-marketing-in-a-not-business-as-usual-year/

Media Release: Mount Holyoke Jazz Ensembles Premiere Mark Gionfriddo's "For A Fallen Veteran" on December 10

DATELINE: November 10, 2020FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARK GIONFRIDDO’S “FOR A FALLEN VETERAN” TO HAVE WORLD PREMIERE WITH JAZZ ENSEMBLES OF MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE ON DECEMBER 10  South Hadley, MA--For A Fallen Veteran, a new jazz composition by Mark Gionfriddo, creator of The Big Broadcast!,  will have its world premiere performance on Thursday, December 10, at 7PM at The Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College’s Hot Jazz On A Cold Night concert on ZOOM.Hot Jazz for a Cool Night, is the annual December holiday season concert showcasing The Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College. The program, in addition to Gionfriddo’s For A Fallen Veteran, include: “The Johnson Rag”, “Silver Bells”, “Rebecca” with singers from the internationally acclaimed Young@Heart Chorus, “Deck The Halls”, “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm / Happy Holiday”, “Java Jive” and “Winter Wonderland”.A Holyoke native, Gionfriddo was inspired by the recent deaths of so many veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers Home due to COVID-19.  For A Fallen Veteran will feature the Mount Holyoke College Chamber Jazz Ensemble, with narration by Brian Lapis, WWLP22News meteorologist, who annually plays emcee “Fred Kelley” in The Big Broadcast! Gionfriddo has also worked with The Berkshire Theatre Group and The Young@Heart Chorus.According to Gionfriddo, "I, like many of my fellow Holyokers, have been greatly saddened by the loss of 76 veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers Home due to COVID-19. My emotions inspired me to write a piece of music to memorialize their loss and to try to comfort their loved ones in at least some small way- to let them know that we won't forget these veterans. "The performance of For A Fallen Veteran can be accessed free on ZOOM at https://mtholyoke.zoom.us/j/96724667668-30-

ArtsBeat TV/Radio 11/06/20

8AM Today New #ArtsBeat on WCPC15 and 89.5fm/WSKB. Catch up with WAM Theatre’s Talya Kingston, director of “The Thanksgiving Play” by MacArthur genius award winner Larissa FastHorse; and Springfield Symphony Maestro Kevin Rhodes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaKV7wyg66M

On The Mark TV/Radio 11/4/20

New On The Mark. What Young People Think. Matthew Jones, Mahattanville College ‘20, Jason Martins, Western New England ‘22, and Mariel Picknelly, Western New England ‘24 share their thoughts on current events. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te1f4jJ46cM

Westfield News ArtsBeat 11/03/20

Westfield News ArtsBeat 11/3/20. Hershey Felder, Berkshire Theatre Group, PITI Theatre, Silverthorne Theatre updates and arts news for WMass and No.CT. https://thewestfieldnews.com/arts-beat-342/

ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio 11/3/20

New #ArtsBeat on Pioneer Valley Radio’s Brad Shepard Today. Barrington Stage and Berkshire Theatre Group receive million dollar donations; WAM Theatre’s ROE is a huge success, and a new music piece remembers the Holyoke Soldier’s Home COVID victims. Segment begins at 3:03. http://pioneervalleyradio.com/2020/11/03/brad-shepard-today-tuesday-november-3-2020/