Restaurant Review: ROY'S HAWAIIAN FUSION CUISINE

Last night was a gorgeous night to be out for dinner and we were out celebrating our friend, Ms. Terin's birthday, at Roy's Hawaiin Fusion in Woodland Hills, California. Now, if you haven't been to Roy's before, and I hadn't been, you're in for a delicious surprise! There were eight of us – Terin, Jonas, Mike, Theresa, Kris, Steve, Mitchel and myself – and the place was poppin'!

First, let me compliment Roy's on it's grand interior because it was a very nice setting to dine in and we had a great table near one of the pillars in the center of the room. The light fixtures, the large bamboo room separators, the ceiling treatments – everything was really nice. It reminded me very much of a modern, 5-star Las Vegas restaurant, where the food is excellent and dining is an experience. We had a blast!

During the winter season, Roy's offers an indulgent 3-course Prix Fixe Menu with several mouth-watering options for each course. For appetizers, you have your choice of Maine Lobster Bisque with brandy and cream, Rock Shrimp Tempura with shishito, shimeji and Malaysian curry aioli, or Vietnamese Lumpia & Bibb Lettuce Wrap with green papaya, mint, basil and citrus nam pla. I had the Vietnamese Lumpia which was more like a spring role, but with the lettuce wrap, mint, basil and citrus nam pla all together, it was so good! The "spring rolls" were nice and crispy on the outside, but hot and flavorful on the inside and combined with the dipping sauce, it was a delightful, fresh, crisp, crunch supreme of veggies and deliciousness.

For the main course, the options are Dynamite Crusted Salmon with tempura veggies, happy rice and a drunken nori sake sauce, Pulehu Smoked Sirloin Steak "loaded" with red bliss potatoes, shitake mushrooms in a pan sauce, Lemon Basted Tiger Shrimp with macadamia nut gremlata in a spiced coconut pumpkin sauce, and finally, a Tender Braised Beef Short Ribs with creamy mashed garlic potatoes in a natural braising sauce. I had the Beef Short Ribs with the mashed potatoes and I can honestly say that I never had mashed potatoes so good I can taste them as I am typing. MMmmm... buttery, creamy, not too garlicy, just enough. And, the short ribs, WOW! Of course, the meat was so tender all I needed was my fork and the meat fell apart in perfect, braised strips. Juicy!!

For dessert, as part of the Prix Fixe Menu, Roy's offers either Leslie's Warm Strawberry Guava Tart or Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé. I had the perfectly baked chocolate soufflé that oozed chocolate like melted butter when you cut into it with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream. I could have eaten three of those without feeling bad, they were so good! Prix Fixe Menu price is $35 per person. Not bad for all that you get.

Some of the other amazing dishes that were ordered were Roy's Baby Back Ribs that were so good and someone else ordered the Lobster Potstickers. They were part of Roy's Canoe Appetizer's for Two – $26.95. Mike ordered Roy's Classic Trio which is Hibachi Grilled Salmon, Roy's Original Blackened Island Ahi & Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish – a sampling of their three classics in their traditional preparations, $30.95. Mitchel had the 8 oz. Grilled Filet Mignon with herbed goat cheese, ruby red potatoes in a port wine reduction., $31.95.

Roy's Website Menu for Woodland Hills
Roy's PDF Menu for Woodland Hills

Cycling JerseyTee Design Contest

Deadline: March 31st, 2010 – Prize: $300 USD

For my screen print and illustrator artists friends, this contest is for you! Every 3 months, Crank the Earth hosts a bike-themed cycling jersey & t-shirt design competitions. Winners get $300 cash and $100 CTE dollars (which I think means for merchandise on the online store). The artist's name and design title will be printed on the inside of the shirt or jersey. Crank the Earth is a fast-growing, online cycling community and apparel shop with on-going design competitions. They love biking so much, they want to express themselves with art and wear it while riding. I don't know if any of the inks or fabrics CTE uses are environmentally safe because I couldn't find anything about it on their site, but if that concerns you, please do your research before you enter.

All design submissions should follow CTE jersey t-shirt design kit guidelines found on their website. Get creative and have fun. No contest entry fee! Do not use or recreate the Crank the Earth logo. Designs should follow current running theme. Contest open worldwide. Create. Share. Inspire.

For more information, please visit CranktheEarth.com.
For more contests, please visit GraphicCompetitions.com.

Spay Day USA: No More Homeless Pets

The doggies pictured here all have or had very good lives, indeed. Unfortunately, there are dogs out there who are not as lucky as these. Homeless dogs with no one to love them.

Did you know that today, February 23rd is Spay Day USA? Now, you do!  Spay Day is an annual campaign of The Human Society of the United States and Humane Society International to inspire people to save animals thru spay/neuter.

The Facts. For every human born today in the United States, 45 cats and 15 dogs will be born. Six to eight million will end up in shelters. About half will be euthanized because there simply are not enought homes. In addition, countless homeless animals, who never make it into shelters, will scratch out a meager existence on the streets – often becoming threats to public health and safety.

Don't let this happen to any more unwanted animals. Please remember to spay/neuter your pet and tell your friends who are owners of pets. These poor animals have no voice and so today, I am their voice. For more information or help with spaying or neutering your pet, please visit the SPCALA – Friends for Life website at spcala.com. They are currently celebrating their One-Year Anniversary of their affordable Spay/Neuter Center. Make sure you take a minute to visit their site!

SPCALA.com

A Chair Is Not A Chair

One of the many things I love about my neighborhood, Beachwood Canyon, are all the artists types that live here. From actors and musicians to painters and sculptors, to photographers and grahic designers, our neighborhood has them all. Including one of our extremely talented neighbors, Polish painter Witold Vito Wojcik. I don't know how long "Vito," as he likes to be called, has lived on Beachwood with his lovely wife, Lydia (I hope I spell her name right), but I have lived in the same place for ten years and they were here before I ever arrived. They are an awesome couple and we adore having them as our neighbors.

Last night, we were invited to the opening reception of one of Vito's many art shows, this one at Vienna Woods, an art/furniture gallery at 351 S. La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. The theme for this show seemed to be chairs, although there was one painting of a red leather sofa (or couch) that stood out as dominant among the rest. The paintings were mature, yet whimsical and the attention to detail was prominent. Mitchel got some really nice shots on his iphone. I did not have the opportunity to talk to Vito as much as I would have liked to because as soon as we arrived, the place started to fill up with people and we wanted to let Vito have his moment and allow him to greet his guests. There was a nice reception area in the back with a table of cheese, crackers, fresh fruit, olives and wines and his lovely wife was playing hostess. As we looked around at his paintings, we noticed and intriguing attention to color and light that shows an obvious connection between the artist and his muse – the chairs. Vito's work exercises light, depth and even emotion, in his paintings.

Vito's work has been featured in many art show and festivals, most recently in the Emotionalists LA/NY Project 2009, where Polish-American artists from East & West come together in one exhibition. In 2004, his work was featured in the Salon International and in 2003 at the 3rd Polish Art Festival, Polish Art Confrontations with paintings, sculptures and prints of 44 Polish artists.

If you enjoy viewing art or perhaps even buying art, I hope you will take a minute to stop by Vienna Woods and take a few minutes to go inside and view Vito's paintings. The pieces have more depth and personality in person and there are a few dark, twisted pieces thrown in that I have yet to ask Vito about. If you go, you will see what I mean.

For more information or to find out how long the show will be up and running, please call Vienna Woods, 351 South La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles 90036 – (323) 954-9595 or visit their website at www.viennawoodsla.com.

Key Art – The Art of The Process

Recently, on our sister blog Project Design L.A., I blogged about being inspired by Frank Ockenfels, a famous photographer who currently lives and works here in Los Angeles, and I started thinking about key art and how fascinating the art of the process really is – and so I thought I would blog about it.

On IMPAwards.com, they have a new feature called, "Peer-to-Peer" which I think is great. Each month, one creative talks about another creative, and this month, the featured artist is Frank Ockenfels and his work.  Viewing his work got me thinking to myself, "Wow, when you're this good, you get to work with the talent and the photographer, on set, getting all the shots you need based on approved ideas." When you are less known, and perhaps less experienced,  you get what you get and you "make it work" (to quote Tim Gunn). But, I'm jumping way ahead of myself. For those of you who do not know what "key art" is, I am going to share what I know with you and the "art of the process."

What is key art?

Key art is the main image of a campaign that conveys the story and gets you to want to see the film in 3 seconds or less. Usually, there are several final images of key art used for a campaign, depending on the size of the film and marketing budget. Key art is used for many things – ads, billboards, guerilla postings, dvd covers, displays – you name it. Once final key art is created and approved, that artwork is then passed along from agency to agency so that they can fulfill their project obligations for the studio (e.g., newspaper ads, trade ads, outdoor, other key art, marketing collateral, etc.).

How do you create key art?

Throughout my career, I've learned there are different ways agencies and and their artists create key art, depending on the project size and overall budget.

The right way. The right way to create key art is the way they do it at the top – at the studio level. And, if you're working with the "big guns," you're involved during production of the film or show so that a photographer like Mr. Ockenfels, can go to the set and get you (the artist) the shots you need based on sketches you provide.

I have only had one experience in my entertainment career where I got the chance to flush out my ideas from the start and that was when I worked at The NBC Agency. It's a complete collaborative effort and that's thanks to the creative directors that are in charge over there. It's great. Long before a show airs, they meet as a group to brainstorm and make sure everyone is on the same page. The CDs are prepared and ready with a creative brief – again, so everyone is on the same page. When they meet again, it's with "scrap" and rough sketches of artists ideas. ("Scrap" is what they call samples of ideas, lighting, composition, etc. to support your sketches.) Then, a sketch artists comes in to sketch things out to look like the actors and the sketches the artists provide, and when he or she is finished, the sketches are composited as key art – with shadows, light and title treatments. Voila! Their comps are ready to go to the client for feedback, and hopefully, approval.

Once comps are approved, you make your shot list based on the approved comps and you're ready to let your photographer get creative. And, hopefully, you get what need and more. When the photographs from the photographer arrive, it's time to piece it all together, with backgrounds, colors, textures and light, in Photoshop and After Effects. It isn't as easy as it sounds, but that's the basic idea. If you're lucky.

The hard way. The hard way to create key art is having no assets, or bad assets, and no time or money to shoot what you need. Artists are left trying to piece shots together from stock photos and head shots to create key art. This is hard for many reasons, the least of it being finding the right photos with the right light and positions for your comp. Oh, and let's not forget costumes, backgrounds and props. Piece it all together, make it look amazing, and do ten comps in one day.

Unfortunately, the "hard way" seems to be the norm is entertainment these days. Budgets are way smaller and studios want to get the most bang for their marketing dollar. Along with budgets, salaries for artists are coming down, too. If you still dare venture out to become one, I would suggest making your contacts early, never show up late, always do an amazing job (even when you feel like you can't) and you must have "skills."

What makes a good key artist?

There are many aspects to what makes a good key artist and "skills"are the name of the game. But, having "skills" means more than just being a good artist. It means thinking on your toes – to getting it done fast and right, to making it beautiful no matter what, to staying calm and in control – if you have "skills" and all those other traits I mentioned, then you're at a good place to start.

A creative brain. First, you have to have great ideas and be easy to work with – no one likes a Diva. The only Diva allowed is the client because they're paying the millions of dollars it costs to create the artwork and place the ads. Next, you have to be able to think like a movie director – what angle is your shot from? What is the overall theme? What's the composition?

A sketch artist. If you are going to work as an artist, these days it is vital to have drawing skills. I don't mean, professional sketch artist skills, but you have to be able to draw your ideas in a thumbnail that reads, at least. What good are great ideas if you can't support them with a vision?

A Photoshop wizard. One thing is for sure, you've got to know Photoshop like it's an extension of yourself. Once you get your images, there's no one around to cut your masks, composite your images and make them "sparkle and shine," but you. Sure, you had a great idea, but do you have what it takes to put it all together?

A Venice beach surfer-dude mentality. Don't let this confuse you with being stoned or stupid. What I am referring to is their laid-back attitude and approach to life – on the outside. On the inside, you have to be that pro-surfer dude who knows what they are doing out there in the ocean with all those sharks and big, giant waves crashing down on you. Working in entertainment is no "walk in the park." Everybody wants it yesterday, with no budget, no time, no assets and no pity. Dude, you're on your own.


I hear more and more these days about how print is dying and the art of key art dying, but I beg to differ and I hope I am right, in the long run. After all, where would we be without professionally created movie posters, billboards and ads? The movie poster is the packaging of the entire film. It's what the audience usually remembers about the film when they think of it. I hope the art of key art is not dying. It would be such a shame. There are many mediums that are used to create good key art and lots of money paid to get it, use it, and have it to help package a film. I hope the art of "key art" is around for a long while.

Weekend DVD Review

I hope you all had a nice, long Valentine's Day weekend and were able to relax and enjoy L.A.'s beautiful weather (for those of you who live here, I mean)? We sure did. Not only did we sleep in late, eat well and enjoy the sunny, warm weather, we made time to watch DVDs this weekend and both of them were the type of movies that make you think about what you have and grateful to have it.

A Serious Man, by Joel and Ethan Coen, is a black comedy based on the life of a Midwestern professor who watches his wife leave him and his life unravel because his incompetent brother won't move out of his house. The brother, played amazingly well by actor Richard Kind (Mad About You and Curb Your Enthusiasm), is inept and unable to function in the real world, so his brother the professor, played perfectly by character actor Michael Stuhlbarg, turns the other cheek to help him out. Meanwhile, the wife has been having an affair with the husband her recently departed friend and they think that the professor and his brother should both move out of the house so she and her lover can move on with their lives. While the professor is dealing with this, other problems ensue and soon his life becomes a series of bad situations on top of bad situations. Although this film had some funny moments, overall I found it to be depressing. Why would an educated man allow himself to be put through all of that? The film's writer/directors make it completely clear that bad things can and will happen to good people. And, for no reason. What do you do? What can you do?

The Hurt Locker, by Kathryn Bigelow. What can I say? The intensity of life in the middle East and what this film is showing us is unbelievable and unfathomable. The courage of the young men and women that serve our country and do this job – finding and disarming dirty bombs – is unquestionable and nothing less than spectacular. The film follows a team of bomb experts as they go day-to-day searching for, and deactivating, dirty bombs on the war-ridden streets of Iraq. The tension is high and, as a viewer, you can hardly wait for something to happen. It's like you are there. The type of attitude and fearlessness that the person going in to disarm the bomb must have is not only brave, but a little crazy, too. There is something completely selfless in what they do, putting their lives on the line every day for other people. Whether it is for the people of Iraq or the United States, the young men and women of our armed forces are helping us all every day and I say, "thank you." The film reminds us of the luxuries we have and the costs to keep them. Beautifully acted and directed. If you haven't seen this film yet, put in on your Netflix list.

New Artwork - New Shows To Watch

People say, that if your blog does one thing, it should be to market yourself. I don't know if I have been doing that lately – as talented as they are, showcasing my friends will not get me noticed – so, I'm blogging about my latest two projects, "Human Target" and "Past Life."


Based on the popular DC Comics comic book and graphic novel, HUMAN TARGET is a full-throttle action drama centered on CHRISTOPHER CHANCE (Mark Valley, FRINGE), a unique private contractor/security guard hired to protect.


From writer David Hudgins ("Friday Night Lights"), and inspired by the book "The Reincarnationist" by M.J. Rose, comes PAST LIFE, a new drama series that investigates the world of the unexplained through the eyes of a doctor and a former detective who must work together to solve decades-old mysteries.


They're both new shows on Fox and I had the pleasure of being involved in both of these projects to conceptualize and create original key art (that's the main artwork for the show) that I would like to share with you now. However, due to copyright laws on some of the material, I can not just post them on the web for you to see. So, If you're interested, I'm going to give you clues to the password that opens the gallery on my website that contains all this new artwork. Got it? 


Okay, now here's the clue:


The password is the title to one of my favorite singer/superstar's songs. She's one of the world's biggest and most well known Superstars and has recorded many albums. Her career started in 1983, around the same time MTV first aired. This song was the first single released from the album that marked her comeback as a serious artist.


Go to www.joseph-rey.com/NewIn2010 to log-in if you think you know the answer! And, remember – there are no spaces between words. But hurry. The password will only be good until March 1st, 2010. 


Good luck!

The Eyes Have It

Like many of you, I need reading glasses for....well, reading. And, other stuff like using the computer – which is work for me – and using my cell phone. I have a gorgeous pair of Dolce & Gabbana stainless-steel frames, but they are my only pair. I need another pair, at least, but I can’t afford to spend another five-hundred dollars on frames alone. So, I’ve been doing some research on the net and I came across a site with affordable, safe, durable, quality eyeglasses for a low cost, called Zenni Optical. 

From eveything I read, Zenni Optical seems to the hidden gem for extra pairs of glasses or glasses for kids. Starting as low as $8.00 pair – yes, that’s right – Zenni’s Optical is a manufacturer, so there is no middleman. 

Another thing that stood out to me in the reviews was the fact that most people bought more than one pair at more than one time. Eric Hammer from the Examiner.com, gives them a FABULOUS, non-solicited review and he bought 8 pairs! That alone tells me people were pleased enough with the product to purchase from them again. Now, Zenni’s website is not much to look at, I guess that is one of the reasons their overhead is so low, but they have a HUGE selection of frames and lenses – including the more expensives items. It also takes a while to get them – the site says 2 weeks for shipping – but with all the storms across the country right now, it may take a little longer, so be patient.

I plan on ordering a pair (or two) when I get paid again and I will let you know how it goes. In the meantime, if you have kids or in need of new glasses, yourself – check them out and let me know about your experience.  

zennioptical.com – eyeglasses

Digital Nation On PBS

I recently watched an amazing broadcast – FRONTLINE: Digital Nation – Life on the Virtual Frontier on PBS when it aired on television and I was both frightened and excited by the possibilities it suggests will stem from our digital revolution. I had to watch it online again to refresh my memory, so that I could blog about it in more detail.

Digital Nation is a documentary and a website on the revolution of digital technology over the past several years. The journalist who worked on the story, Douglas Rushkoff, who has been writing about the internet for more than twenty years, explores what it means to be human in an entirely new world – a digital world.

It is a fact that young people are more a part of the digital revolution than say, someone my age or older, because they do not remember a time when there were no computers. Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge use multiple screens in their everyday lives and are completely wired, all the time, multi-tasking and communicating with more than one person at a time. Students are allowed to use laptops, phones or any other device for accessing the internet to get information in class. But, are all these distractions an effective way to learn? How many things can your brain handle at once? How much of what you find will you remember or retain? What is happening to their brains?

The documentary tries to answer these questions by reporting about a study Nasa is conducting to try and find out what multi-tasking does to the brain. So far, through testing, the researchers have found that kids who are maniacal multi-taskers – kids who do 5 or 6 things at one time as compared to a normal person who could do 2 or 3 tasks at once – are less effective than when they do one thing consistently. In short, the studies found that most multi-taskers are distracted and do an unsatisfactory job at multi-tasking.

The point of digital technology was to be our most creative selves, not to distract us. Do we need to press pause? What are we doing to ourselves as human beings? There is existing data that shows kids are spending more than 50 hours a week connected to technology. That's more hours than most adults work in a week. Is it addictive? Is it a psychiatric disorder?

In Asia, kids are receiving medical treatments for addictions to video games. South Korea is known for its internet cafes where kids go to play games all day and all night. Row after row of kids glued to their screens. Like addicts, the young people from South Korea do not think they are addicted. One mother wishes computer games never existed, as she sits there with her young son who went from the top of his class to the bottom, in less than one year, because of his obsession for video games.

Today, Asia is dealing with these problems by getting kids into schools and counseling that teach how to  use a computer responsibly.  One of the many inspiring plaques around one of these schools says, "Constantly playing computer games shrinks our capacity to think."

Teaching with Technology: Could anything that seems so natural to children really be bad? A young boy goes to school in the Bronx that allows laptops in class. There are some classrooms that use computers to teach and they use the internet as a way for students to structure assignments, do their homework online and communicate/participate with the classroom. As a result, incidents of violence in this school is way down and daily attendance is up 90%. Test scores are up 30% in math and 40% in reading. Students also read and create novels online, as a blog, and everyone contributes.

A professor at an American University talks about the basic writing skills of students today as compared to six years ago and says that, because of distractions and the way students receive information, writing skills are worse today. He goes on to say that students write the way they think: in paragraphs instead of essays. One student admits on camera that he has trouble seeing the big picture. We're not good with our memory because print took it away. What will the net do to us?

The documentary continues with technology and relationships and how it can bring families together. It has changed the dating world, for sure. And, what about virtual online worlds like, "Second Life?" IBM is using "Second Life" as a tool for business, turning offices into virtual worlds to make it easier to do business around the world. You can be at home, yet conduct virtual meetings with live participants around the globe. IBM's office park in Westchester New York is now empty.

Can virtual experiences change us? The answer from the studies is, "Yes." The distinction between real and virtual is becoming more blurred. In other words, in virtual reality, if it feels real, the brain tells us that it is real. Studies have shown that what you learn or experience in virtual reality carries over to the real world (e.g., self-esteem and feeling more confident). If you are a man and your avatar is a few inches taller than you are, you will be more confident in the virtual world and that confidence will carry over into your everyday life. This is called, "The Whale Syndrome." Young children who experience a virtual experience of swimming with dolphins and whales, within weeks, actually believe that they did swim with the whales. Scary, huh?

Where are we headed? The Army has a new recruiting system called the new, "Army Experience," where young people can come in and play war games at recruiting centers that look more like arcades than offices. They are modeling their "soft sell" after the successful Apple Stores. The army is trying to embrace digital youths for the next century by using life-size simulators and war games to encourage kids to join up. Protesters accuse the army of blurring the line between reality and video games and believe some kids don't understand that fact. There is actually a school that uses gaming as the core of their curriculum. They say it's about engaging kids to learn.

So, what do we do? Do we slow down our use of technology . Do we stop completely? It's too early to know the answer because we do not know how to value it, yet. We need to find out what it is we gain by embracing the new technology. After all, digital technology is not good or bad, it is powerful.

Obviously, this program "blew me away" and has inspired me to think of new ways to do business, myself, using the net more and letting technology assist me in rising to the occasion.

This program is interesting, informative and online now. Watch FRONTLINE: Digital Nation – Life on the virtual frontier at www.pbs.org.

Anytime Dinner Idea

It's that time of year again when it’s time to say "I love you" to that special “someone” in your life on Valentine's Day. Are you ready with a plan? You will need to buy flowers, a card, make dinner reservations, wash the car, get dressed up and head out for a nice romantic dinner... Sound fun, yet?

If not, I think I came up with a great alternate idea that tastes great on any day and you’ll get way more food than you would at any prefix dinner. I suggest staying home and ordering some yummy filet mignons (buy steaks online) or Kobe beef (kobe beef) online for the grill, open a nice bottle of wine, or two, and have a nice, quite, romantic dinner at home. Flowers not included, but dessert can be. We order our Thanksgiving dinner online every year, then cook and eat it in the privacy of our home. It’s the best. When you’re all done, there’s less to clean-up, more to save for later and the sofa is just in the next room waiting for you to go lounge on it, afterwards. 

There's nothing easier than ordering great steaks by mail (steaks by mail) and you are sure to get better quality than you do in your typical grocery store. Check it out.

Restaurant Review: NARIYA THAI

Last night, I had the pleasure of dining out with my friends, Robert and Giovanni – who, btw, are Thai food enthusiasts – and we tried this great, new Thai restaurant near Roscoe's Chicken, called, "Nariya Thai." They have an "A" rating, as well as some of the best Thai food in the city! Yes, it's true. And, their prices are reasonable, as long as you don't go crazy and order too much like we did.

To start, we ordered the chicken wonton soup – filled with lots of chicken, fresh, crunchy bokchoy in a perfectly seasoned broth. We also ordered the Crispy Spring Rolls – OMG...these were the best, non-greasy spring rolls we ever had! Amazingly fresh tasting, crunchy and delicious. To top off our starters, we ordered the Firecracker shrimps that were these huge pieces of shrimp wrapped in wonton skin and lightly fried, but not greasy. All of the portions were large enough for the three of us to share and have plenty each.

For our main courses, we split the Panang with chicken – it's a curry simmered in rich coconut milk with peas and kaffir lime leaves – over brown rice. Again, the dish was amazing, not too much coconut, just enough of everything. We also ordered the Pad Thai Noodles sauteed with shrimp, chicken, egg, baked tofu, green onions and fresh bean sprouts. When I say fresh, it tasted fresh. We accompanied it all with Thai Ice Tea for Robert and Giovanni – they said it was the best ever! And, a Thai beer for me. Lite and refreshing. The entire meal was around eighty-dollars, but there was a ton of food and it was all amazing! Nothing to complain about.

The restaurant also boasts a live band in the evenings – at least on Saturday nights – a full bar, a nice enclosed outside patio and plenty of indoor seating, as well. The service was terrific and there is a small parking lot, if you can find a space.

All three of us highly recommend Nariya Thai, especially if you love Thai food. Nariya Thai is located at 6099 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA  90028. On the corner of Sunset and Gower, on the second floor. Their hours of operation are from 11am - 2am, daily and there is FREE delivery. (323) 466-0695

For other reviews and photos, please go to http://www.yelp.com/biz/nariya-thai-cuisine-los-angeles.

2010 Concert Tickets and Concert Tours

One of the things I love best about Los Angeles are all of the LIVE concerts, shows and the great places to see them. There's a lot going on this weekend in Los Angeles and I wanted share what was up so that you could get in on the action and fun! 


Going to something "LIVE" in Los Angeles is a great way to experience the energy, culture and thrill that is the heart of our great city. It's a great way to spend a night with your family or with a group of your friends. 

Here's what's going on this weekend in Los Angeles:

Pee-Wee Herman – Club Nokia: Friday night at 7pm & 10:15pm; Saturday at 4:30pm, 8pm; Sunday at 4:00pm & 7:30pm


Stomp – The Pantages Theatre: Friday night at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm; Sunday at 1pm & 6:30pm


Mary Poppins – The Ahmanson Theatre: Friday night at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm


Game Day at The Playboy Mansion – The Playboy Mansion: Sunday at 2:30pm 

In this economy, I know how hard it is to save the extra money to afford a night out, which is why I am being paid to write this post, but there's a better way to get discount tickets – even if they are sold-out – that's 100% secure with the option to talk to real customer service people – LetsGetTickets.com. 

Let's Get Tickets.com – Your discount ticket source...

• Sold Out Concert Tickets

Reinventing Your Career: Do You Have What It Takes?

Late last year, I asked the question, “Are print designers a dying breed?” And, I touched on the subject of reinventing yourself and being flexible with the times. Now, I would like to elaborate on that topic, from a professional point-of-view, and I would like to get some of your feedback on the subject, as well.

re.in.vent 

verb

change (something) so much 
that it appears to be entirely new

About me. I am 45 years old and not long ago, I had to reinvent my career. I was an art director at a corporate marketing and design agency and I had been working with the owners for ten years. Jump to post  9/11 and that firm, on October 1st,  laid me off and I immediately set up shop and started to freelance. One of their major clients’ main office was in one of the towers, and eventually, as the client was restructuring and dealing with their own crisis, the work began to slow down. Soon, my workload of corporate design projects slowly dwindled and I knew that I had to make a change... and fast. I knew Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, but up to that point, I had never had the opportunity to work on a movie poster or anything in entertainment. So, a good friend of mine (Steve Reaves, the director of the graphics program at FIDM, key artist and my mentor) sat me down in front of his computer one day, and showed me some advanced moves in Photoshop, like how-to use layers to achieve different effects, how-to best create photo masks, how-to retouch and most of all, how-to not be afraid to put myself out there and go for it. By this time, I already had about 8 years of experience as an art director with education and training under my belt. But, would I be able to create an entertainment portfolio good enough to get hired at an agency or studio? Luckily for me, the answer to that question was, “yes.” (see portfolio site)

Making the crossover from corporate communications to entertainment advertising wasn’t easy. I worked hard to do a great job and I always tried to out-do myself, time after time. I started at the bottom and earned my way up to the big studios like NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Plus, I am fortunate enough to love what I do and to earn a living doing it. As my career in entertainment continues to grow and evolve – I am now polishing my Flash skills and working on motion projects – I plan to bend, be flexible and learn as much as I can. 

So, how does one begin to reinvent their career?

Have a plan. If you are typically in a management role, start managing. If this were a monetary project, you would start with a plan A and a plan B, just in case. Treat your career as if you were being paid to manage a project. Focus and decide on what it is you want to do, write it down and start thinking of ways to make those changes happen . Whether you are making a complete change or just  “tweaking” your skills, it is important to have a written plan that includes a timeline, short and long-term goals, deadlines and a plan of action. If you’re an artist trying to make a change or update your portfolio, you’ll need more than a plan to get started. 

Know your brand. Who are you and what do you do? A good way to do this is by describing yourself with a simple sentence that offers three very important selling points about yourself. First, it should say who you are; second, it should boast your biggest strength(s); and third, it should offer the biggest benfefit that you bring to your next employer and how you can help the company succeed.

The purpose of knowing your brand should go beyond mere duties and job descriptions, it must get to the “what’s in it for them” benefit that will make the employer sit-up and take notice.

Show passion for your work. If you’re dedicated to make a change at this stage in your career, it should be easy to demonstrate your interest. If you consider yourself committed to what you do for a living, it will show. And, eventually you will come across a hiring manager that will notice. It can be in a new area for you as you undergo a possible career change or just a transer of skills that you put to use in new ways. If you’re genuinely excited about your possibilities, your excitement can be contagious, especially during your interview.

Think “tactical” versus “strategic.” From the research I did on this topic, the consensus is think “short-term solutions” instead of “long-term planning.” With today’s economy, companys are looking for people who can come in with a certain set of skills, do a job or fix a problem, then see where it goes in six to nine months. Budgets are written, approved and lost between the beginning of the calendar year to the end, so present yourself as someone who can fix the problems of today quickly and efficiently. Focus on clear, results-oriented achievements for short-range problems.

Network, network, network. According to Francyenne Maynard, director of career services at North Lake College in Dallas, “more jobs are gained through networking than by any other job search strategy.” She goes on to say, “we all have networks – our friends, family, real estate agent, banker, insurance agent, barber or hairdresser – these are all people that know other people and can spread the word about you.

Smart blogging can boost your career. That’s what I hear, so that’s why I started blogging. To share my knowledge related to my profession and to hopefully show potential employers that I am a decent writer with a passion for what I do and the expertise to design, manage and produce a solid product.

According to BlogPulse, a division of a ratings firm that Nielsen uses to track blogs, there were 126 million blogs on the Internet as of January 2010.

Wrapping it up. It’s a new, hi-tech business landscape out there that makes it easier for you to get your message, and your brand, out there. Embrace it. Use it to make a difference in the way you communicate with current, and potentially new, clients. I just watched Frontline: Digital Nation on PBS this evening and it was scary and exciting at the same time. The bottom line is that we live in a digital nation and there are no rules, yet. It is up to us to make it work to our benefit and it will be up to us if it does or does not. This “digital era” that we live in is not going away any time soon. Find ways to use it to your advantage.

Sources:

Reinventing Your Career In A Tough Economy – Eve Tahmincioglu, msnbc.com contributor

Tips for Reinventing Your Career – Eve Tahmincioglu, msnbc.com contributor

Time For A Change - Nancy Cook, Newsweek Web Exclusive

Featured Artist: AARON CLARK

This month's featured artist is an incredible illustrator and storyboard artist, Aaron Clark. Aaron is originally from the Bay Area and he graduated from Cal Arts with a BFA in animation. He has lived down South in Los Angeles for more than 12 years now and loving it. I met Aaron at an entertainment agency where we ended up working together on a big project. He's easy to work with, fun to be around and he's a really talented artist. The first thing I remember about meeting him was that he looks a lot like Hugh Jackman in person (ladies, this photo does not do him justice) and that he is tall. Not freakishly tall, maybe not even tall by normal standards. But, to me he's tall.

As a freelancer, Aaron has worked on many cool projects throughout his career, including an amazing commercial for Dodge that features his storyboard artwork of a "monster car" notebook sketch, come to life; a Nerds candy commercial that takes you on a journey through Willy Wonka's head that also features his artwork; storyboards for Shane Acker's "9," produced by Tim Burton; and much, much more. His career began as a background artist and prop designer for the Fox hit show, Futurama, and Aaron has been working non-stop ever since. His latest credits are with Sony and he is teaching a course in "Advanced Storyboards" at the Art Institute of California, Los Angeles.

Aaron also takes time out of his busy schedule to give back to his art community by curating an annual artist group show called, "L.A. Myth,"  According to their press release, "the show features an array of artists throughout the animation and entertainment industries with styles that range from cartoony to photo-real, original paintings, sculptures, plushies and prints." Think fun and cute monsters, robots and ghosts. Please come back to L.A. Link for more information about the show when Aaron has time to plan and coordinate one into his extremely busy schedule, as you can imagine.

I hope you will take the time to visit his website and check out his work at www.oatz.com. Btw, ladies – he's single, straight, super-talented and an overall nice guy.

Thank you, Aaron, for letting me feature you and your work on L.A. Link.