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A Site to See!

Well, it’s finally happened! The Stasko Agency has launched a new and improved website and we couldn’t be more excited. Check it out at www.staskoagency.com!

For those of you who have just discovered The Stasko Blog, we encourage you to browse our past posts & see what we’ve been up to. Read about Bye Bye Blue Mustang, the Renegade hockey players who were kicked out of their rink, and all our incredible clients who are doing exciting things in 2009.

Be sure to subscribe to email updates so you’ll be up to date with all the Stasko Agency happenings. Just type in your email address to the right & you’ll be set!

And if you like what you read, please leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you.

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Food for Thought

This past Wednesday, The Stasko Agency had the privilege of attending the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Conference in Denver. What a great opportunity to network with talented writers, chefs, and foodies from all around the world!

In the morning we sat in on two sessions to learn more about marketing and pitching within and about the food industry. Our first table was with Virginia Willis, author of the fabulous cookbook Bon Appétit, Y’all! Three Generations of Southern Cooking (Ten Speed Press, 2008). Virginia shared her experiences in promoting her latest cookbook, offered marketing strategies for authors and publishers, and revealed ways to get your name heard and remembered. Charming & southern, both Virginia and her recipes proved to be quite a treat. We wish her the best as she continues to travel around the country doing what she knows best!

Our second table was just as delightful, with a discussion lead by Better Homes & Gardens food editor Nancy Wall Hopkins. Nancy offered a refreshing (and completely approachable) perspective on pitching to large magazines. She’s proof that editors are truly as passionate about good stories as we are! By laying out some to-do (and to NOT do’s), Nancy explained that magazine pitching should be about a dialogue, not a rigid “Here’s my story and that’s that.” By looking at the bigger picture and seeking the story behind the story, we can begin to offer editors the kind of information they can run with. If only we could all have the vision that Nancy has! We look forward to getting in touch with her (hopefully with all the right methods in place) to see if we might have a story that she’ll be gaga over.

We finished out the day at the opening reception, held in the Denver Art Museum. Root Down was one of the restaurants featured at the event, and had quite the buzz around their station. Thanks to all the IACPers we met who showed up to say hello! We were excited to hear all the positive feedback! A special thanks to Virginia, who posted a Root Down shout out on her facebook page.

Kudos to all the amazing cuisine provided by Denver’s top restaurants–we couldn’t get enough of the great dishes we sampled. Overall, it was a great event and we were honored to be a part of it all.

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Revisiting the Renegades

Following a story from start to finish is always a rewarding process, especially when it ends on a positive note. Some of you might recall the hockey team we worked with back in January after they were kicked out of their ice rink in Greeley due to Carbon Monoxide. Once their story was told, the team got a huge response from the community, raising the $6000 needed to update the system. Even Channel 4 “Paid it 4ward” by giving the team a check for $1000.

Last night, the team hosted a thank you to all those that offered their support. Former NHL player Alain Lemieux, who is running a clinic for the players this week, was at the event for a meet and greet with the guests.

We were more than happy to get the story out to the media & were thrilled to see some coverage up in Greeley, even from the Denver news stations! Check out what Channel 9 had to say.

We’re glad to see that a bad situation can be turned around to tell a positive story. Best wishes to all the players of the Renegade Hockey Team!

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Best of the Best

We’re always thrilled to see the places we love receive the accolades they deserve! Westword just released their picks for Best of Denver 2009, recognizing some of Denver’s top people, places, and things.

Among the many winners, two made us particularly proud:

Best Restaurant Neighborhood– Berkeley/Highland.

“This year’s hot restaurant neighborhood news is a northwest-side story. In 2008, three new restaurants sprang up at the corner of 44th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard long held down by Cafe Brazil: Billy’s Inn, Tocabe and Shazz. From there, it’s a quick trip to Tennyson Street, where you can have breakfast at DJ’s Berkeley Cafe, lunch at Brasserie Felix, then drinks at the Berkeley Inn, the recovered dive bar where you can still have a couple of cigarettes with your beer and shot. Then it’s down to 32nd Avenue for happy hour at Venue, dinner at Duo, a quick after-dinner glass of wine at Z Cuisine À Côté, and a final nightcap at another newcomer, Root Down. In between, there’s Big Hoss Bar-B-Q (fried cheese and whiskey floats), Bang, Taquería Patzcuaro (chicharrones), Masterpiece Deli and about a hundred other spots that range from a few of Denver’s worst to some of its very, very best.” –Westword Best of 2009

Best Contemporary Cocktail–Root Down

“Root Down’s bar may be located in an old service station, but Justin Cucci’s new restaurant is completely contemporary, from its “field-to-fork” mentality reflected in a menu full of locally sourced ingredients to its streamlined dining room (with amazing views of downtown). But we keep returning to the bar, where Root Down’s adventurous spirit is reflected in original cocktails featuring those same fresh ingredients, from the Thyme Gin Rickey (fresh muddled thyme, lemon and lime juices and gin) to the Pepper Blossom (St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Prairie organic vodka, muddled fresh basil, lemon, jalapeño and agave nectar). Happy hour runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, but this bar is hopping at all hours. And if you don’t spot something you like on the specialty cocktail list, the resident mixologists are always happy to create something for you. We can’t wait to see what they come up with after the first harvest of Root Down’s two gardens.” –Westword Best of 2009

Exciting to know we live & work in the heart of Denver’s new restaurant hot spot! Congratulations to the winners, who make the Mile High City such a great place to be.

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Healthy Art!


We love working with clients who are continually innovating and finding creative solutions for issues we face everyday. When cool new projects present themselves, we’re happy to spread the news!

Our client Interior Aqua Solutions, a representative of Accents In Water, is a company that certainly deserves some recognition for their work with “air-cleansing and pathogen killing water features.”

I’m always mesmerized by the calming sounds and aesthetic pleasure water features can bring to a room, but never thought of what function they could have outside of being beautiful art. Accents in Water has actually created features that clean the air as they run, destroying bacteria, mold, fungi, and algae. They remove air born pathogens, inhibit their growth by trapping them in the water, and then eliminate them using ultraviolet sterilization.

Can you imagine the worth these features would have in institutions such as hospitals? Healthy Art! Interesting & exciting new developments for this company, and we’re excited to be part of it all. Now we just have to figure out where we could fit one in our office!

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Coaching Coaches

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The Stasko Agency is constantly looking for opportunities to create a positive story around our clients as a response to some of the negative news stories we’re seeing. With the recent stories surfacing about unruly parents and coaches losing their cool at games (see: “Parent Attacked Ref at Cheyenne Mountain Game”–Feb 1, 2009), we recognized a chance to highlight Coaches of Excellence and a workshop they had coming up.

Over 100 Colorado Springs coaches gathered for the 90-minute workshop to learn about philosophy and ethics, communication and connecting with the 21st century kid. The story offered a positive spin (and a great solution) to the horrible situations that are making the news these days. Coaches of Excellence got some great coverage, and hopefully gave hope to all the viewers on what can be done to stop these negative scenarios.

We were excited to find the positive side of the story, while showcasing our amazing client and all they are doing to better the world of sports! We’d say this was a victory.

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In Fond Memory

Today we mourn the loss and celebrate the life of the incredible and highly respected journalist James B. Meadow. James was not only an unbelievable writer and colleague, but also a very dear friend of mine.

It’s hard to believe I met James almost 12 years ago at the Oxford Club and Spa. We would workout together, share stories, and bounce around ideas about the media and the crazy happenings of this world. My most favorite times where when he would give me “relationship” advice! He was a confident and a bright light in my life, and I am so thankful that our paths crossed.

My heart goes out to all those he loved so dearly, especially Julie, Miranda, and Matt – I feel so blessed, that through James, I got to know you! How grateful we are to have had such a positive and influential writer and friend in our midst.

With sorrow and joy, I’m thinking of you James. You were truly one of a kind! I will miss you Pal!

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Getting a GRASP on Technology

The Stasko Agency prides itself in staying current and fresh with the latest ideas. Keeping our eyes toward the future, we have partnered with Grasp Creative Media, an online marketing and video production company, which is looking to revolutionize the way we use online videos to promote businesses. This is truly the next stage in marketing, and is quickly gaining momentum within the online arena.

Here’s the idea: Companies are spending millions to advertise through traditional mediums. Imagine the costs of a TV ad spot during the Superbowl! But as we become more sophisticated in technology, some of those methods will become obsolete. (How many people with TiVo ACTUALLY watch commercials on a regular day, if they can just fast forward through them?) Now think about how online video is changing the way we take in information. YouTube is wildly popular these days! Many companies are noticing these trends and creating videos to put online, but often times, these efforts get lost in the shuffle and are never viewed again.

Grasp Creative Media is creating an opportunity for businesses to maximize their online marketing efforts, by bringing frequently scheduled, relevant, custom video to their sites. Companies can now use video to attract viewers to their site, and keep them coming back over and over again!

There are already companies out there using similar technology! Check out adidas.tv

We are thrilled to be part of this venture, and hope to find ways to connect clients to newer technology in order to gain maximum exposure in the ever-changing online community!

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There’s no crying in baseball… (or at least there shouldn’t be)

The Stasko Agency has had the pleasure of working with some real “go getters” for clients, and Rod Olson is certainly no exception. Rod, better known as Coach O, is the founder of Coaches of Excellence, a nonprofit organization that seeks to equip sport Coaches of all levels with the tools they need to capture the heart of the 21st century athlete and parent.

Whether you’re a parent of a young athlete or participated in sports yourself, how many times can you recall coaches and parents getting out of hand during games? Coaches have a strong impact on the lives of athletes, so wouldn’t you want your kids to be in the right hands? Coaches of Excellence offers workshops for coaches and parents alike, teaching them ways to a positive influence and build character and self-esteem in athletes.

We’re looking forward to joining the team and getting the word out there about these programs! Make sure to check out their website at coachesofexcellence.com

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LEEDers of the Day


Our clients, Zocalo Community Development’s RiverClay Condominiums have recently been honored as the FIRST LEED Certified Multi-family Condominium Development in the entire Rocky Mountain Region! With the sustainable trend flourishing in the architecture and design industries, many developers have stated their intention of creating a LEED-certified project, but have had difficulty seeing it come to fruition. Because of the costs and considerations that go into the rigorous LEED requirements, many developments aim high but fall short. RiverClay is certainly in the forefront of green design here in Denver, and even has the LEED plaque to prove it.

Way to go, guys!

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