Moving Pictures that Sell

Doug Wolens has been involved with filmmaking for over 9 years. After earning two BA degrees, a law degree, and spending seven years practicing law in New York and California, Doug became a filmmaker in 1993.  He started out working on feature film sets and for commercial production companies, learning the skills necessary to create high quality projects.  At the same time, Doug began making his own independent films.  

His short films, HAPPY LOVING COUPLES (1993) REVERSAL (1994) and IN FRAME (1995) have screened at film festivals throughout the world including Sundance, Seattle, and Mill Valley. 

Doug successfully self-distributed his feature documentaries WEED (1996) and BUTTERFLY (2000) with theatrical screenings in over 80 cities. BUTTERFLY, was broadcast nationally on P.O.V. (PBS’s award winning non-fiction showcase).  Currently, he is working on two new documentaries.

Wolens teaches film classes at San Francisco State University’s Multimedia Studies Program and taught at the Academy of Art College of San Francisco.  He has also been a guest lecturer at Parson’s School of Design, Loyola Marymount, and University of Alaska.  Wolens also acts as a consultant to other filmmakers.

Doug currently serves on the Film Arts Foundation’s Board of Directors and is a juror for the Mill Valley Film Festival and San Francisco International Film Festival.

Doug is the owner of i-magine media – Moving Pictures that Sell provides a combination of products and services to enhance the marketing efforts small San Francisco businesses, specifically increasing their web presence and branding, in order to capitalize on the new broadband environment.

Alpine World Ascents: Standing at the Top

From their website:

With a flawless safety record, an intimate knowledge of the mountains, and an ability to truly accommodate your goals in the hills, Alpine World Ascents is a step ahead of the common mountaineering guide service.

Markus Beck, owner and head guide, specializes in climbs and backcountry ski trips in Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas. He accomplished the first snowboard descent of Tharpu Chui in the Nepal Himalaya and carries the adventurous spirit through in his guiding on the world’s great climbs and ski tours.

One of an elite few guides in the U.S. with both AMGA and IFMGA certification, Markus has passed rigorous certifications in Alpine Mountaineering, Rock Climbing, and Ski Mountaineering. He is a Swiss-certified Ski and Snowboard Instructor, a certified AIARE Level 2 avalanche instructor, and a backcountry observer for the CAIC. Markus has a Masters Degree from the University of Bern in Switzerland in physical education. He is fluent in six languages.

Need Something Moved in Australia? Call Mike O’Hagan

from his website: 

After being raised on a Dairy Farm in New Zealand, at the age of 18 Mike arrived in Australia with a few hundred dollars in his pocket and a pack on his back. Over the next 8 years he worked for 35 different employers.  In his words “I’m a product of the many really bad, and the few good, employers I worked for” .

This background helped to influence Mike to “do it differently” in business.

His business career started with buying and selling goods as a secondhand dealer. 4 years later, the entrepreneur in Mike surfaced when a short distance furniture removal business, which evolved into MiniMovers was launched.

MiniMovers has evolved into an innovative market leader, growing from an initial investment of $200 and a Ute, to an annual turnover exceeding $23 million with over 300 employees. Now 21 years old, MiniMovers currently moves over 1200 homes and offices a week in Southeast Queensland and Melbourne.

Through various government sponsored assistance/mentoring programs Mike has helped many hundreds of businesses. As a result Mike has developed some very alternative views of the success factors that drive people and businesses. Mike sees his strengths in his basic commonsense approach – “out of the box” thinking, leadership, systems, marketing, people management skills, workplace culture, innovative products, and creative customer service strategies.

Offering a Helping Hand and Creating a Business

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

by John Cook 

John and Pamala Temple’s idea started with a relatively simple premise: It should be easy for kids to find senior housing for their aging parents.

Five years after that brainstorm, the founders of Seattle’s A Place for Mom have built a profitable and fast-growing business with 150 advisers throughout the country doling out advice on everything from meal programs to Alzheimer’s care for 11,000 assisted living facilities.

With the number of people over the age of 65 expected to double in the next 15 years and their children increasingly using the Internet to find information, A Place for Mom looks to be on the cusp of a gigantic market opportunity.

And that has awakened the venture capitalists. Battery Ventures — a Wellesley, Mass.-based firm with $2 billion under management — recently pumped $9.5 million into the company.

A small portion of Battery’s money will be used to buy up employee stock, though the bulk is slated for additional expansion, said Pamala Temple.

In the next two or three years, A Place for Mom expects to triple its employee base — primarily adding advisers who visit nursing facilities and consult with families about the most appropriate living situation.

“We are really there to hold the family’s hand and help them figure out what level of care they need, educate them about that level of care and then give them a list of resources that is specifically chosen for them,” said Pamala Temple, adding that the company typically provides five or six recommendations.

Read the rest of the story.

Midnight Snack? Call Chompz

Some guys at Stanford University noticed that they were always sending someone to In-and-Out at midnight when they got hungry.

One of them got the bright idea to offer the service to their friends.

Chompz was born.

from their “about” page:

WHY are we doing this?We’re seniors. We’re bored. It’s around that time to hunt for jobs, and, well, that takes time and effort. So we decided to bring In-N-Out burgers to campus. We remember when we were freshmen and didn’t have the privilege to simply drive over to Rengstorff everytime we craved In-N-Out, and it sucked.

We probably won’t make much, if anything, from this – a Double-Double costs 2.75 + tax, which amounts to $3 – we’re adding 99 cents to that, hoping that somehow it’ll make up for the gas, extra materials, heating, and effort of us running all over campus. But this is at least fun, and we’ll have something to tell our potential employers when we work for The Man next year.

If it takes too much of our time, we might stop doing this, but we’d welcome anyone else who’d like to help out in the effort to bring In-N-Out to campus! We want to maintain the integrity of what is truly In-N-Out, so we only get what has been ordered, and we never purchase any extra burgers – after ordering the food from In-N-Out, we return directly to campus and deliver the burgers as soon as we can!

We’ll see how long this lasts, but until then, happy chomping!

Sincerely,
Team Chompz
Sam, Nick, and James

Burning Fat Turned This Youngster into a Weight Loss Teacher

Charles D’Angelo of Start to Lose:

“When I was 17 years old, I weighed a whopping 356 pounds, and I was miserable. My self-esteem was at an all-time low, I hated getting out of bed each day. I felt out of place, I felt awkward. I knew I had to make some changes in my life. Drastic changes. In just 15 months, I lost 120 pounds. No, that is not a typo. By eating sensibly, exercising, and letting nothing stand in my way, I now feel great, and I am loving life … can’t you tell?

“According to the National Institute of Health, more and more children today suffer from obesity and its related diseases. I could have easily continued to be one of those children. Today, I enjoy speaking to young people to share my inspirational story about how I lost weight.

(Charles being interviewed by Fox 2 News)

“It is my hope that more children, like me, will realize that a healthy lifestyle can make a world of difference and change their world. When I was 17, I made a decision that probably saved my life. It wasn’t an easy road, but I had the help of many close friends who helped me achieve my goal. Today, I am in college, I look slim and trim, and I have a new outlook on life. I did it … so can you!”