Amy Levy has led her own firm, Amy Levy Public Relations, Inc. (ALPR) for eight years.  She boasts experience at national advertising and public relations firms, in house on the client side and on staff at an internationally recognized non-profit organization. She has an unparalleled track record of delivering strategic, results-oriented campaigns for corporate clients and those in the visual, design, performing and culinary arts.
The agency has represented clients ranging from jewelry and fashion designers, chefs and restaurants to filmmakers, directors, writers and film festivals.  She has successfully launched several new businesses, artists and art galleries and a variety of community and non-profit organizations.  On behalf of her clients that range from assisted living communities to schools and arts programs for kids, Ms. Levy possesses exceptional relationships with journalists at major print, broadcast and online media outlets, trade publications and blogs.
Ms. Levy launched her full service public relations and communications practice in 2002, to help companies and organizations grow through strategic and uniquely creative methods. Her diverse client list has included: Sodexho, Writer/Director Paul Mazursky, Ethos Water, AnEFX, IdeaWork Studios, Rahaminov Diamonds, Coral Tree Restaurants, Tummy Tuck Jeans, Planet Jill Jewelry, The Wilshire Theatre, , 2k by Gingham, Rankin/The Fahey-Klein Gallery, The Survivor Mitzvah Project, Sunrise Assisted Living, Aegis Living, Comedians for Peace, Bake Me A Wish, Timothy Yarger Fine Art, Big Sugar Bakeshop, The La Femme International Film Festival and King King Hollywood.

Before starting ALPR, Amy Levy was the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for five years. She directed all media relations for the organization’s programs in the west and served as the entertainment industry liaison for ADL’s thirty regional offices. Ms. Levy also produced a widely-publicized subscription lecture series that featured roundtable discussions with luminaries in art, publishing and entertainment.

Ms. Levy began her career at D’arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, the New York advertising agency. During her years in advertising, Ms. Levy continued her education, earning a certificate in Publicity for Film and Television at New York University and a certificate in film production at the New York Film Academy. She subsequently worked as a freelance production coordinator for independent films, videos and commercials.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 1996, Ms. Levy has also worked at Paramount Pictures, Lakeshore Entertainment and United Talent Agency.  Active in her community, Ms. Levy is a supporter of the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts, PS Arts, Americans for the Arts, the Geffen Playhouse, Planned Parenthood and KCRW.

A graduate of the University of Hartford in Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing, Ms. Levy is a long-time member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

What are you working on right now?

We are working with extraordinary clients including IdeaWork Studios, a boutique interactive marketing and design agency with offices in Santa Barbara and Las Vegas. They do custom websites for hospitality, nightlife, gaming, luxury and entertainment brands nationwide. We work with AnEFX, an Emmy® award-winning studio that provides the highest quality sound design services for single camera television, feature film and video game/web content producers.  Another is Legacy Gym, a state-of-the-art personal training center in Los Angeles which merges the unparalleled success and training of the greatest bodybuilders in history with advanced, modern equipment and amenities.

Trends that excite you?

I am confident that Public Relations has more credibility with readers and viewers than advertising.  In this economy, consumers realize that anyone can buy an ad in a magazine, whereas editorial is far more convincing.  If you are reading a magazine you subscribe to, it is likely that you trust the editorial content.  While good products and services do not necessarily need celebrity endorsements, no one can argue that they do not make an immediate impact on consumer awareness.  If a celebrity is photographed in editorial wearing a new designer’s dress, people are more likely to believe in its quality than if she was paid to appear in an ad wearing the same dress.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I write ideas down on yellow stickies on my dashboard or on my bedside table in the middle of the night.  I bring the ideas into my team the next day and we brainstorm.

What is one mistake that you made, and what did you learn from it?

I didn’t network enough when I first started my company.  Shortly after, I realized how important it is to be out there all the time.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Know your customer and know what media they trust and get some editorial there.

What is one book and one tool (i.e., piece of software) that helps you bring ideas to life?

Cision media software (database of all reporters) and my thesaurus.

Why don’t more companies give back to their communities?

It can be as easy as helping out a local elementary school with art supplies or musical instruments.  Your customers will so appreciate it.

How do you balance family and work life?

You just do your best and hope that you don’t slack in either area.  Showing your children that you have an identity outside of the house will inspire them to have one too.  It makes for more interesting dinner conversation.  Even volunteering part time at a local library or senior center while your kids are at school is fantastic.

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http://www.amylevypr.com/

Jon Jon Park is the CEO and founder of Legacy Gym, a state-of-the-art personal training center in Los Angeles.

Jon Jon has channeled his 30 years in health and fitness to develop an impressive collection of exercise and nutritional programs for his clients. From competitive athletes and actors to individuals aggressively pursuing weight loss and strength building to clients that use his on-site physical therapy as they recover from serious injuries, he is well-equipped to handle it all.  Jon Jon’s work with world-class athletes includes core strength, balance, flexibility and cardio-vascular conditioning.

Jon Jon has devoted time to designing successful remedial and rehabilitation courses for the aging, physically impaired and those inflicted with sports-related injuries.  He provides high risk pregnancy clients with pre/post-natal exercises and correct and ergonomic breathing techniques. Clients who prefer to train in the comfort of their own homes rely on Jon Jon to design their home gyms selecting appropriate equipment for their customized workout.

Prior to launching Legacy Gym, Park founded World Private Exercise in 1992, an exclusive personal training facility catering to a celebrity clientele. Fifteen years of hard work and dedication produced relationships with an array of renowned sports superstars including Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Vlade Divac of the NBA Sacramento Kings and WBC Welterweight Champion Michael Cotto.

The apple does not fall far from the tree

Jon Jon Park possesses an extensive history of fitness that he shared with his father Reg Park, the legendary bodybuilder, three-time Mr. Universe winner and mentor and inspiration to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

As a former member of the British National Swim Team, Jon Jon participated in the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal. He later won a series of bodybuilding titles such as Mr. South Africa Maccabiah and Mr. Golden City. He has spoken on a number of issues including: pathological body image in the athletic arena, eating disorders and steroid abuse. He has been a guest lecture for the UCLA psychology department on exercise and nutrition and has been a panel member representing the American Psychiatric Association addressing the International Society for Sport.  In 1995, Vogue magazine included him on their list of the top 55 trainers in the U.S.

Jon Jon’s fitness and health expertise will turn anyone into pinnacle shape.

Jon Jon Park currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Michelle and three children, Trent, Travis and Savanah.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a new training program geared towards getting children into shape for doing the sports they love. We help kids develop core strength and integrated balance and coordination to enhance performance in skateboarding, surfing, paddling and dryland training.

Trends in fitness or business that excite you?

Fitness trends have evolved quickly and dramatically in the past ten years. Some exercise equipment that excites me are the new portable systems with handles and pulleys. These portable systems can be packed into small bags so that individuals can stay in shape while traveling or sitting at home.  One can achieve the same functional training and strength as they do in Pilates on these portable machines, by attaching them to a door handle, bar, beam or hook to the pulley. Duplicating these fitness moves allows one to achieve the same strength, balance, endurance and skeletal benefits as functional training pulley machines. The most recent portable machine on the market enables one to work each side of the body independently as opposed to both at the same time.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I bring ideas to life by experimenting with specific exercises and asking clients and trainers if they are interested in implementing this workout into their fitness program.

What is one mistake that you made, and what did you learn from it?

I have made numerous mistakes but the reason we make mistakes is to further our knowledge and to not repeat the same errors twice. As a trainer, clients trust that you understand the best exercises and will avoid injuring their bodies. Therefore, I try to keep my fitness exercises simple by avoiding heavy weights and body strains. Instead I focus on technique and posture because there is very little room for error with fitness and health.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

The best business idea is to provide customers with extraordinary service and to be cognizant of their specific needs and limitations.

What is one book and one tool that helps you bring ideas to life?

Many books, articles and websites offer great information on fitness. I am constantly reading, participating in continuing education classes and speaking to fellow professionals, physical therapists, osteopaths, doctors and nutritionists to expand my knowledge. Individuals can never stop learning and many books help you bring new ideas to life.

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Legacy Gym

Bruce Silverman is one of America’s best known and well respected marketing-communication and branding experts. A broad-view strategist, he served as executive creative director at four of America’s largest advertising agencies, as President/CEO of the principal U.S. unit of the world’s largest media planning and buying shop, as co-producer of three Broadway musicals, as the author of a book on how to write complaint letters, as instructor at two major universities, as a forensic expert witness, and as co-founder of three successful media-related companies.  He has lived and worked in New York, London, Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles, and his latest venture has offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

A long-time board member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, his 38-year advertising agency career included C-level positions at Ogilvy & Mather, Bozell, BBDO/West, Asher/Gould and Wong Doody. He was the creative mind behind “Don’t Leave Home Without It” for American Express, “Bullish on America” (Merrill Lynch), “Something Special in the Air” (American Airlines), “Not made in ‘Nooo Yawk Ciddy” (Pace Picante), “The Shell Answer Man” and a dozen other award winning campaigns for such clients as IBM, Hershey’s, International Paper, Baskin-Robbins, Coldwell Banker, Sizzler, the California Department of Health Services, Suzuki, Pabst, Sanyo, Mattel, Greyhound, Armour, Zale’s and Post.

As President/CEO of the Initiative Partners division of Interpublic’s giant ($22 billion in annual billings) Initiative Worldwide, he supervised media planning and buying for Disney, Sega, Carl’s Jr., Taco Bell, Albertson’s, Acura, Kia, Chevrolet, Bally’s Health & Fitness, Six Flags, America Online, the United States Navy and Yahoo!

Bruce established his consulting practice in 2005.  In addition to advising a number of global, U.S. and Chinese companies and operating his portfolio of media-related companies, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Triton Media, Inc., Newsletters for Hire, Inc., 24/6, Inc. and Dynasty Visual Effects and Animation LLC.

A graduate of Adelphi University in New York, Bruce is a confirmed theater and arts junkie, a world traveler and an over-the-top Lakers fan. Bruce was a founding board member of the Los Angeles Children’s Museum and later served as Chairman of the Resource Development Committee of the Starbright Foundation. He is an active member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Dean’s Advisory Board of UCLA Extension and is a director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Forensic Expert Witness Association.

What are you working on right now?

Bruce’s latest venture is Dynasty Visual Effects and Animation LLC, a company that offers a cost-effective way for advertisers and television stations and networks to produce “effects heavy” and fully animated commercials and promos at very low cost by utilizing production resources in China.   In addition, he continues to be very involved with his roster of consulting clients.

3 Trends that excite you?

1.    The ability to reach consumers in very up-close-and-personal ways via wireless and social media.
2.    The adoption of new technologies by terrestrial radio networks and stations, which offer advertisers multiple ways to reach and interact with loyal listeners.
3. The “inching closer and closer” of cable and satellite operators to offer one-to-one messaging.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I still do it the old-fashioned way. I write and write and write and write and edit and edit and edit and edit. and then try stuff out on my wife, friends and relatives.   I was taught a long time ago that there is nearly always more than one way to effectively execute against a strategy, so I try to come up with as many ideas as I can. and then focus on in on the one or two ideas that are most involving.

What is one mistake that you made, and what did you learn from it?

I left a great agency for a good one because they doubled my salary.  I should have stuck with the great one; jobs like that are very rare.  You’re much more likely to do your best work when you’re surrounded by huge talents.  I made a lot of money at “good agencies,” but I enjoyed myself much more, did my best work and felt better about myself at the great one.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Find a way to become involved with China.

What is one tool, product, service, piece of software, or book that has helped you bring ideas to life?

I got into advertising many years ago after reading David Ogilvy’s book, Confessions of an Advertising Man.  It made me desperate to work and learn from him, and I was fortunate enough to spend my first 13 years in the business at O&M.  As marketing communications moves ever more towards a Direct Response model, virtually all of David’s teachings are proving to be timeless.  Confessions is pretty hard to find these days, but Ogilvy on Advertising, his second book, is still in print and contains great lessons for just about everyone working in advertising today, which is pretty amazing, considering that it was written well before the word “internet” existed!

Is the traditional advertising agency business model still valid?

No.  Most agencies carry too much baggage and want to do the kind of work they like to do rather than the work that needs to be done.  And most agencies are still siloed (even if they say they’re not); a deadly recipe in the age of integrated communications.

Do you have a philosophy of life?

I try to follow the advice contained in the old Scottish proverb, “Be happy in your work for you’re a long time dead.”

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Bruce Silverman Consulting

How To Complain For Fun And Profit

Bruce Silverman on LinkedIn