This week, in the middle of it all at Grand Central Station in New York City, you have the opportunity to be photographed holding an actual Oscar! If you’re in the city you have to stop by Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central to see Meet The Oscars, it’s a fun time and you’ll get to see the actual Oscars that will be presented to the winning Actors and Actresses on Sunday. Meet The Oscars is open on Wednesday, February 22 from 10AM and 7AM to 7PM on Thursday, February 23 through Sunday, February 26. Here’s more on the event from Oscars.org:

“‘Meet the Oscars, Grand Central’ will give movie fans the opportunity to have their photo taken holding an actual Oscar statuette. Visitors also will be able to view the Actor in a Leading Role Oscar won by Michael Douglas for “Wall Street” (1987) as well as a display of statuettes in various stages of completion, as manufactured each year by R.S. Owens & Company in Chicago.

On Saturday, February 25, the Oscars designated for this year’s Best Actor and Best Actress winners will make their way back to Hollywood, where they will be reunited with the rest of the statuettes to be presented on Oscar Night®.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements in 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.”

Congratulations to our partners at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for an amazing event and experience!

Very reliable, hard-working, hi-energy, Tour Manager with a Class A CDL needed for a 5-month promo- tour. You will be driving a 53 ft tractor trailer to/from each event, assisting with the event setup and breakdown, troubleshooting equipment during the events when necessary, working alongside a team of 3 other tour members. You MUST have a Class A CDL, ability to lift 40+ lbs, a clean driver’s license, and be available for the full tour.

Dates of National Tour: April 2012- Sept 2012

Locations: National Tour – Hitting all major Markets (New York, Chicago, LA, Atlanta, etc)
Compensation:  Weekly pay rate plus food/hotel per diem

Position Qualifications:

• Class A CDL
• Familiarity in all DOT rules and regulations
• Experience driving tractor trailer
• Experience with promotional events (load in/load out/event activation)
• Experience managing staff of Brand Ambassadors during  event activation
• Experience with beverage promo preferred but not required
• Work alongside 3 additional tour team members
• Available for the full length of tour (April  2012 – Sept 2012)
• Ability to lift 40 pounds
• Pass MVR, background check, and drug test

Candidates should have both promotion/event and commercial vehicle experience. 

To be considered, please send resume, photos, and a brief statement on why you’d be perfect for this position to
jjenkins@escalatenow.com and make the subject line read: “Tour Manager 2012.”

…and as you can see, some of us had a mouth-full to respond:

“…candy sales the day after.”

“…chocolate! Teddy Bears! Hearts! Rekindled Love!”

“…watching my daughter get excited about getting flowers.”

“…my tradition of buying chocolate covered strawberries! YUM!”

“…drinking heavily with my single friends.”

“…CANDY!”

“…the “Love Songs” Pandora Station [AND] Conversation Hearts.”

“…listening to “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt as I cry myself to sleep in the bathtub.”

“…too see how people overcompensate on this day than any other.”

“…Happy Hour!”

“…NOTHING.”

“…for one day everyone thinks about someone they love.”

“…dinner with my wife.”

“…the “After Valentine’s Day” sales on chocolates”

“…is getting the day off of work. Oh, wait no…”

“…sending myself flowers and watching “The Notebook” over a box a chocolates. Ryan Gosling can build me a house any day!”

“The WORST part of Valentine’s Day is that it’s NOT a day off!!”

RESPONSIBILITIES:

»      Execute social media strategy, manage day-to-day for online communities, and engage with and grow online following.

»      Assist with content creation and developing social media brand strategy.

»      Monitor competitor activity and identify emerging technologies and trends as they relate to Escalate and Escalate clients.

»      Assist in developing editorial & content calendars for agency and applicable clients.

»      Stay ahead of trends and be able to identify relevant ideas + concepts.

»      Extensive analytics and reporting using online CRM system.

»      Assist in SEO & SEM campaign duties, research, and day-to-day.

»      Assist in creation of weekly/monthly/annual reports for client team and agency.

»      Assist with general office duties as they relate to the Social Media team.

QUALIFICATIONS:

»      Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Advertising, New Media, Communications, PR, or related field.

»      1-3 years social media marketing experience required. Agency experience a plus.

»      Impeccable verbal and writing skills.

»      Obsession with social media, emerging digital trends, and the marketing industry.

»      Thorough knowledge and understanding of popular social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and others.

»      Understanding of experiential and word of mouth marketing.

»      Eager to learn and exceed expectations on a daily basis.

»      Proven ability to adhere to brand-specific voices and transition between them efficiently.

»      Good technical understanding of SEO/SEM and Google AdWords.

»      Proficient in basic HTML & Microsoft Office Suite.

»      Knowledgeable in Adobe Creative Suite, web development, video editing is a plus.

TO APPLY:

»      Please send an updated resume, links to your social footprint (blog, twitter, facebook, etc.), and a brief statement that tells us why you would be a perfect fit for this job to socialmedia@escalatenow.com

»      Please make the subject line of your email “Social Media Coordinator” to be considered.

Ingredients:
8 small skinless, boneless chicken thighs (2 pounds) – Jasmine suggests replacing thighs with halved chicken breasts!
Salt and freshly ground pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise and lightly smashed
4 large rosemary sprigs, broken into 2-inch pieces
2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Peppadew peppers or other pickled peppers, sliced

Directions:
1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour. In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned and crusty on both sides, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for 3 minutes, until the garlic is lightly browned. Transfer the chicken to a platter, leaving the rosemary and garlic in the skillet.
2. Add the stock to the skillet and cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and butter and swirl until emulsified. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Add the peppers and cook, turning the chicken until coated in the sauce, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken and sauce to the platter and serve.

Thanks, Jasmine!

Here’s Stu’s rationale on his prediction: “Most brands seem to misunderstand the true value of Facebook, Twitter and whatever other super-hot, super-sexy digital social media flavor of the month is all the rage. No doubt these tactics deliver value, but the perceived value is overblown. For almost a decade, the award-winning TalkTrack survey from the WOM measurement gurus at Keller Fay consistently shows that, almost regardless of demographic break and/or topic, the quantity of digital WOM is less than ten percent of all the WOM on that topic. Other studies show that this “real world” WOM is significantly more effective than digital when it comes to changing opinion and behavior. In fact, digital WOM is no more effective than traditional media (television, radio, print). Finally, multiple studies show that digital WOM on a specific topic is NOT a completely accurate proxy for real world WOM.

In fairness, digital WOM is of value to marketers and we do not mean to denigrate it. Digital WOM has several advantages over real world: it is more efficient, easier to purposefully scale, preserved forever in bits and bytes and easier to measure quickly. Perhaps it is this last factor above all others that makes digital WOM so attractive. Our intent is to merely make it clear that marketers interested in engaging consumers on their own terms need to understand the true nature of what they wish to accomplish and how to best go about it.

For the third year in a row, Escalate is proudly part of the team behind the Diet Coke Heart Truth Red Dress Fashion Show this evening at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. 2012 is the 10th Anniversary of this Extraordinary event and we expect to see Christie Brinkley, Chaka Khan, Millionaire Matchmaker Patti Stanger, Rose McGowan, Rebecca Romijn, Jenna Elfman, Entertainment Tonight’s Nancy O’Dell, and Dynasty actress Linda Evans among the VIP crowd. Read more courtesy of fashionetc.com here.

Most importantly, be sure to check out these 5 great tips on Women’s Health and a great article from WWD celebrating 10 years of the Heart Truth Red Dress Fashion Show.

Congrats to our extraordinary partners at Diet Coke for what will be an incredible event!

Check out some of reasons why we at Escalate <3 our neighborhoods…

“I live in the far west village. I appreciate and love my area because there are a lot of families and it is a little more quiet and quaint.”

“I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In my humble opinion, this neighborhood has the best bars, cafes and restaurants. I like the relaxed atmosphere where drinking a latte alone in a café is considered normal and no one looks at you strangely (“Table for one?”). Williamsburg even has a movie theater, Nitehawk Cinema, where you can order food from your seat. 

“Park Slope is where I reside and it has some of the friendliest and welcoming people you will ever meet. Not to mention, this area has a great food scene as well.”

“I live in Prospect Heights Brooklyn! I love it because it’s close to Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum, and Habana Outpost. Summers in Brooklyn are amazing… and I have an awesome deck for people watching and lemonade sipping!”

“I live in Astoria, Queens and I love it because it’s a safe neighborhood, it’s close to the city, and the amount of space you get is amazing. I even have my own little garden in my backyard.”

“As a religious Jew, I love Brooklyn because there are so many options for Synagogues, kosher restaurants and kosher food, not to mention my family and friends that live there too! My one stop shop!”

” I live in the area of BedStuy which is located in the most populous of new York City’s boroughs, Brooklyn. I love my neighborhood because the people are great and they treat each other with respect and courtesy. This little area has so much to offer with trendy restaurants, art galleries, boutiques and distinguished architecture. BedStuy is perfect for those who appreciate culture and fashion.”

“I live on the Upper East Side and love the access to the park. In the summer you can find me there reading and enjoying the scenery and the great weather!”

8:30 AM
I drop off my 3 year old daughter at Pre-School and head for the train. Commuting from Jersey City means working via phone on the way to Brooklyn, catching up on emails, reading PDFs and looking over event photos.

10:00 AM
I arrive to find Berto Pichardo reviewing inventory and planning his day at his desk. Often the guys, Matt, Jae, Danny and John are hard at work moving product, refurbishing program elements and cleaning up trucks so our clients look great on tour.

After some quick time checking in with each of them, and Steve French, the Operations Manager, I get Coffee and get settled in at my desk. Now I’m ready to create my “Daily to Do List”.

11:00 AM
Follow up on vehicles currently in for maintenance and communicate any updates to Steve and the rest of the staff, as needed.

12:00 PM
By now, I’m usually hungry enough to have some fruit and a sandwich that I actually intended to have for breakfast.

1:00 PM
Call current and new Drivers/Managers for both new hires and existing drivers to check on them and their vehicles. Then pass on update to Steve.

2:00 PM
As trucks and trailers, come in and out I thoroughly look them over, often pulling out a tape measure and making multiple notes.

2:30 PM
In preparations for the programs coming up, I prepare custom tour kits and vehicle/driver manuals to go out with each vehicle.

3:00PM
I try to sneak in some lunch

3:30PM
Right about now, is when the new requests start rolling in and it’s time to research vehicles and vendors for the upcoming project.

Before the end of the day, I’ve probably popped my head into Steve French’s office about 5 times, whether it’s for some quick banter, a sounding board for a decision to be made on a vehicle or a signature for paperwork. Throughout the day we have the occasional ‘meeting of minds’ to figure out how things can be streamlined to make operations more effective. These usually last 5-15 minutes and are incredibly productive. It’s important we work closely to make sure everything stays in order and meets both the needs of Escalate and each client we represent.

6:00 PM
As the day comes to a close I make some notes for tomorrow and head for the L train. Back to New Jersey I go, as I look forward to dinner and time with my wife and little girl when I get home.

As you may know from our previous posts, there are a lot of closet-chefs here at Escalate and Christina Genda is no exception! We are featuring one of her favorite recipes for Stuffed Cabbage Soup and boy does it look delicious. Christina said that this is an easy weeknight meal and is super tasty! Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 lb ground beef, ground turkey or ground pork
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons paprika
6-7 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 head of cabbage, cored and coarsely shredded
4-6 cups of steamed rice

Directions:
1) In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground meat, break into small pieces and partially brown for 2-3 minutes. Drain excess fat, if necessary. Add 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, garlic and onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until onions are soft.

2) Add thyme, parsley and paprika to ground meat and cook for 30 seconds. Add 6 cups chicken stock, tomatoes and 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, add cabbage, cover pot and simmer for 10 minutes, or until cabbage is desired tenderness. Add additional chicken stock if necessary and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve over rice.

Makes 8 servings