Friday, January 28, 2000

Bits & Bytes -and- Shakers & Stirrers 1/28/00


SHAKERS & STIRRERS ---------------------------------
Send your announcements to: shakers@TheCyberScene.com
Check out the site for the latest in who's movin' and who's shakin'!
http://www.thecyberscene.com

Cook Trades Sports Illustrated for the Net
The dot.coms just got another convert. Kevin Cook, senior editor of Sports Illustrated, has put himself squarely in the Internet’s corner by announcing that he will leave the magazine to devote more time to “The Sky Box,” his popular online talk show. The program can be heard on eYada.com, the Web’s first all-star, all-talk radio network.
You can hear Cook’s unique perspective on basketball, wrestling, golf and more. He has recently hosted Detroit Pistons star Grant Hill, NFL great Joe Montana and baseball's controversial Pete Rose. Catch him live every weekday from 10am-noon EST.

Danny Meyer is doing lunch – and maybe dinner -- online. The award-winning restaurateur has joined OpenTable.com’s (www.opentable.com) board of directors. The leading provider of online restaurant reservations and Internet-connected restaurant management tools will undoubtedly profit from Mr. Meyer’s years of experience as an entrepreneur and restaurant operator. He already has big plans, like rolling out OpenTable.com’s Electronic Reservation Book of real-time, online reservations, to all his New York restaurants. 

Respond2 Announces New Hires
Several lucky individuals have found their way to Respond2 (R2), a direct Internet and television marketing “anti-agency” that provides strategic consulting, creative development, television and web production services, campaign management, and accountable advertising to such clients as Carnival Cruise Lines, The Vacation Store, Icon Health & Fitness, Reebok, NordicTrack, Liquid Metal Golf Company and Superclubs.

Here are the new hires:
Jill Watkins has been appointed vice president of client services.  Seth Garon has been named broadcast producer.  He will oversee production of direct response television spots and infomercials. Wendy Socha has joined R2 as operations manager.  She will direct, maintain and enhance affinity-linking campaigns as well as manage internal operational duties.  She joins R2 from InXsys Broadcast Networks. Ben Smith has been named interactive designer.  He will design, develop and maintain web sites, CD-ROMs and other electronic media products. David Mayne has been named writer/director.  He was formerly a writer and director for his own company Very Sirius Productions. Anita Garlock joins Respond2 as marketing manager. Hilary Reinmuth, previously with A-Fem Medical Corporation, joins R2 as assistant account executive working closely with Tim O’Leary and Jill Watkins on client projects. Ben Smith is art director/IT development. Julie Garel has been appointed vice president of account planning. 

Vernon Steward is back!
Vernon Steward is back in New York and has taken on the job of I am Director, Business Development at smartRay Network. Vernon, always a popular guy also worked at Think New Ideas.

--------------------------------- ADV.
Silicon Alley Executive Conference, 2/23-24/00 @ New York Information Technology Center // Keynotes by: William Shrader, CEO, PSINet; Martin Nisenholtz, CEO,Times Company Digital; Alan Meckler, CEO Internet.com
Sponsors include New York Times AT&T, SkyCache, Rudin Mgt.
Register at http://www.safest-nyc.com/nm
--------------------------------- ADV.

BITS & BYTES ---------------------------------

Calling all Musicians: Get Your Big Break
Looking for your big break as a musician? Gigmania, the dynamic source for live music listings on the Internet, can take care of that with its "Plug-In, Play Out and Get Paid" competition. First prize is am eight-city tour support package worth $39,471. And you don’t have to be a professional artist to win. Just upload at least one MP3, preferably a live track, to the Gigmania site (www.gigmania.com) between now and March 31. Then include all your info, including tour dates, bio and photos. You’ll find out if you’re a winner on April 14.

LodgeNet and Wayport to Improve Hotel Stays
Traveling is about to get better. LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation and Wayport, Inc. today are teaming up to bundle their respective television and connectivity services to provide travelers with Internet services in the United States and Canada. The PC connectivity service will be called OnLine by LodgeNet(SM), powered by Wayport. The two companies will jointly market the services to the hospitality industry. LodgeNet will take care of the sales, installation and maintenance of Internet-enhanced television service. Wayport will take care of sales and marketing efforts.

Razorfish Acquires Qb International Holding AB
Razorfish, Inc. (NASDAQ: RAZF), is heading to Sweden. With the $20.1 million acquisition of Qb International Holding AB, a Swedish IT/Strategic consulting company, Razorfish will leverage its digital solutions to help Swedish companies invent and reinvent themselves. And on top of that, Razorfish will inherit 40 Qb employees with strong skills in management consulting and systems development, a small, but important, addition to its 1,300-member staff.

Comedy Central and LOADtv Team up Against Cancer
Can’t get out to the comedy club? Never fear, Comedy Centra.com will come to you. LOADtv (www.loadtv.com) will repackage the series “Comics Come Home,” and show highlights of the program next month on Comedy Central. And it’s all for a good cause. Comics Come Home benefits Gilda’s Club, a support organization for cancer patients named in memory of actress Gilda Radner. Every time you e-mail one of the comedy videos to 0 friends, LOADtv will donate $1 to Gilda’s Club. How’s that for a win-win situation?

Get the Lowdown on the Elections
CHOOSEORLOSE.com Launches On MTV.com Now you have no excuse not to vote. CHOOSEORLOSE.com, MTV.com's political awareness and voter registration campaign, has hit the Net. Young voters in particular can voice their opinions about the 2000 campaign in an online form at CHOOSEORLOSE.com.
Tales from the Trail is a set of weekly reports about the campaign trail. Online Polls will give you an up-to-date picture of voter opinion, and Online Feedback gives you a place to voice your opinions. Project Vote Smart lets you search databases to find out where the candidates stand on particular issues. Their Heads, Your Words, a section on political art, will get you in the mood to get involved. And one more thing – you can register to vote at CHOOSEORLOSE.com. Now you really don’t have any excuses.

Get Hip
If trendiness is important to you, check out the newly launched HipGuide at hipguide.com. This one-stop planning guide for a trendy life, features help for the traveling jet set. Make plane reservations, and siteseeing plans for local and international destinations. Then find out where you can eat, sleep and shop.

Webstakes Brings Customer Back
By Providing Incentive to Respond to Promotional Email Offers Webstakes, (Nasdaq: IWIN) wants everyone to come again. The provider of Internet promotion solutions announced its iDIALOG LUCKeTICKETS technology, which uses incentives to encourage web site visitors to return to sites. The announcement makes sense, given that  iDIALOG Instant Win and iDIALOG KIDSAFE technologies, both introduced in the fall of 1999, are enjoying major success with such clients as Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), CDNOW (Nasdaq: CDNW) and The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company (NYSE: WWY).

Centerseat Snags CyberSlacker
CyberSlacker may have hit the big time. The animated series, which use vector-based Flash animation, has received critical accolades and will soon be featured on Centerseat.com (www.centerseat.com), a digital media and entertainment company site. Created by Jaime Levy and her New York Animation Studio ELECTRONIC HOLLYWOOD, CyberSlacker chronicles the life of a 22-year-old hacker chick who moves to New York City. She lands in the East Village with not much money, a fat cat and plenty of attitude.

Wyndham Guests Will Be Surfing
Check out Wyndham International, Inc. (NYSE:WYN - news), the next time you need to make travel plans. Wayport, Inc., has apparently signed on as an exclusive Internet services provider for hotel guest rooms, meeting rooms and public areas, By mid-year, Wyndham plans to have fast, convenient Internet services -- including wireless connections in meeting rooms and public areas --accessible in nearly 200 properties and 50,000 rooms in the U.S., the Caribbean and Canada. Wyndham will become the first hotel company to offer wireless Internet access across its branded hotels and resorts.