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Little Man a Big Man in Charity

Rice delivered to a small village in Peru by LIttle Man Ice Cream as part of the Scoop for Scoop program

One of the greatest things about the the LoHi Merchants Group is that it’s much more than a simple collection of successful businesses.  It’s also a conglomeration of entrepreneurs, neighbors, friends and individuals who firmly believe in giving back to those who have helped them achieve their dreams.

This philanthropy doesn’t just extend to those who live in and around the LoHi area, though, as recently demonstrated by Little Man Ice Cream.  Since opening its doors in 2008, Little Man has been involved in a program called “Scoop for Scoop”.  Spearheaded by Little Man owner, Paul Tamburello, Little Man Ice Cream has been donating one scoop of rice for every scoop of ice cream they sell.

Recently, Tamburello and General Manager Loren Martinez travelled to Cambodia, along with other caregivers, to distribute the rice to villagers desperately in need of food and health care.  Watch the video below to see some of the people helped by Little Man’s donations.  You can also go to their Vimeo page here to see and share the video with friends.

Scoop for Scoop from Jacob Truax on Vimeo.

Little Man has sent donations to villages all across the world, including Myanmar, Senegal, Haiti and Peru. In order to ensure that every grain of rice reaches those truly in need, Little Man purchases the rice from local villages and towns and then distributes it personally to those in need.

This is just one example of the charitable actions taken by many of the LoHi merchants every day of the year. Along with the several Thanksgiving and Christmas food drives and free dinners, LoHi merchants have a long record of assisting those in need.

The Stasko Agency is proud to be a part of such a caring and giving group of businesses and individuals who spend not just money, but time and sincere effort to provide food, comfort and care to those who need it most, not only in our neighborhood, city or state, but across the world. The Little Man Ice Cream, “Scoop for Scoop” program is still going strong. You can get more details, see pics of previous trips and even keep tabs on how many donations are being made daily by going to the Little Man website.

 So with Summer just around the corner, the next time you need a little bit of delicious, homemade ice cream to cool you down when the temperatures start to rise, consider stopping by Little Man. The scoop of ice cream won’t just be a great break for you, it’ll also be helping feed a family in a part of the world that could really use the help.

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Viral Videos and You

Not everyone can go viral like “Grumpy Cat”

You’ve seen them.  Those short little videos that end up in your Facebook newsfeed, on your Twitter or that pop up in your emails daily.  From the Harlem Shake to Grumpy Cat, viral videos have become a staple of workday surfing and something called “friendsharing”.

They have millions of views and have elevated ordinary folks into stardom (think “the Bieb” and the guy who did “Gangnam Style“).  It’s tempting to think that just about anyone can create a viral video, and in theory, anyone can.  But in reality, creating a video that racks up millions of hits is, particularly for your business, is very, very, VERY hard.

An Essential Element:

The irony is, your business NEEDS to utilize video, especially on your social media platforms, in order to gain followers, friends and potential customers.

It’s just a simple fact of social media:  You need visuals and video to raise your profile online.

This is where the viral video curse comes into play.  Too often businesses believe they can create a viral video that will instantly make their company an internet hit.  The problem is, it’s nearly impossible to consciously create a video that goes viral.

However, you CAN create a video that attracts viewers, hits your target demographic and effectively promotes your business.

Don’t Try Too Hard:

The internet graveyard is littered with examples of companies that tried too hard to create a viral video, or reach a particular demographic.  Pepsi comes to mind, Coors tried it with their “Code Blue” campaign and Cheetos struck out with their recent “Orange Underground” effort. (click link to see example).  So, even the big boys find it nearly impossible to do.

For your business, however, the first thing to do is remove the idea of creating a viral video in the first place.  Instead, focus on creating a video that is interesting and actually says something about your business.

Let’s start with the basics of creating an online video for your company:

1.  Keep it short – Anything over a minute is less likely to be viewed by the general public.  Don’t use two minutes to say what you can say in :45 seconds.
2.  Don’t TRY to be funny – Humor is subjective.  What’s funny to you might be offensive to someone else.  You don’t want to anger potential customers.
3.  Have a clear message – Don’t let your efforts at humor or viral fame get in the way of telling your viewers what you want to say about your business.
4.  Reflect your personality – If you’re a fun, whimsical restaurant, you probably don’t want your video to be stuffy or stiff.  Show your businesses’ personality in your video.
5.  Don’t scrimp on the details – The worst thing you can do is have awful lighting, bad sound and subpar editing.  It doesn’t have to look like George Lucas directed it, but it also shouldn’t look like a middle school art project.

Two other items you should keep in mind.  For those who are Denver natives, you’ll remember the old Jake Jabs American Furniture Warehouse ads.  I bring this up because one of the staples of viral videos is the use of cute cats, puppies and other assorted animals to attract interest.

You can attempt to use animals in your videos, but remember a few things if this is the way you choose to go.  First, animals are very hard to work with.  Second, using cute animals might look like you’re trying too hard to go viral.  Third, a cute animal might take away from the message you’re trying to deliver.

One last thing.  When you make your video think in terms of volume.  In other words, don’t make just one video, make several.  A single video can be posted and get a ton of hits, but in a short time, people move on and it is forgotten.  If you have seven or even ten short videos, you can constantly post the videos to your Facebook and Twitter feeds and keep people interested and looking forward to new videos.  You don’t have to try and tell a story, just make your videos interesting and informative and you’ll be fine; just have a lot of them.

Again, producing a viral video is nearly impossible because the best ones happen by accident.  Instead make your videos fun (not necessarily funny), watchable, have a message and keep it short and you’ll be able to post videos that will be effective enough to catch the attention of potential customers while allowing your current customers a chance to share something that will draw more attention to your business.  And that is just as valuable to your business than any viral video will ever be.

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Colorado Company Changing the Way Farms do Business

Circle Fresh Farms CEO Rich Naha shows investors his latest crop
The latest business to shine in the “Stasko Spotlight” this week is Circle Fresh Farms.  It’s a small company making a big impact in Colorado, but it’s also changing the way an entire industry does business.

In short, Circle Fresh Farms LLC, based out of Wheat Ridge,  is using hydroponic technology and a network of local farmers to promote a new approach to farming.  This new approach uses no dirt and climate controlled greenhouses to grow “four to five times” more produce per square foot than more traditional farms, all at one-tenth the water.

The Stasko Agency is proud to work with a company on the cutting edge of their industry.  The earned media we have been able to secure for Circle Fresh Farms has helped position them as a leader in their industry and assisted in their growth since their founding in 2011. So far, Circle Fresh Farms has been able to secure $900,000 in funding to expand its network of greenhouse growers.

Among our most recent placements for Circle Fresh Farms LLC, is this month’s feature story in the Denver Business Journal, which you can read by clicking here.  The Stasko Agency believes in promoting businesses that work toward sustainability and are environmentally conscious.  In fact, by helping to promote Circle Fresh Farms LLC,  we are also promoting the success of the local growers working with the innovative startup. 

This quote from Circle Fresh Farms CEO Rich Naha is from our latest release about their growth. 

“We’ve accomplished a lot in less than two years. We’ve secured key relationships with ten different network farmers and established our brand among suppliers,” said Circle Fresh Farms CEO Rich Naha. ”We’re ready to take this to the next level  – to expand into new regions by working with retailers with a national reach.”

This release secured several stories both locally and in newspapers and trade publications nationally. 

Currently, CFF’s network stretches from Pueblo to Longmont with plans to expand even further in 2013.  We are thrilled that we have been part of Circle Fresh Farms’ growth over the past year and even more thrilled to note that last year the company posted a 60 percent growth in revenues and is expected to more than triple that growth in 2013. 
You can always find the latest news on Circle Fresh Farms LLC at our website, www.staskoagency.com or at their website, www.circlefreshfarms.comwww.circlefreshfarms.com.

You can find Circle Fresh Farms produce at area Whole Foods stores, which soon hopes to be able to allow customers to harvest their own produce from store displays.
Keep an eye on us to keep up with the latest from this fast growing and innovative Colorado company!

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What Is News?

Today’s blog post is submitted by a guest blogger, Duncan Shaw, Producer at KCNC News

Ultimately, you want your story to end up here!

As a journalist my entire life, I’ve can tell you I’ve been asked one question more times than any other;  What makes a story “newsworthy”?  In other words, people are always wondering what constitutes actual news?  I’m sure that to many, the process of determining what is news and what isn’t can seem like a magical, mystical ancient ritual known only to the chosen few huddled over computers in poorly lit newsrooms.
In fact, it’s nothing like that at all.  Believe it or not, there is an actual process that takes place, first on an individual level, then on a group level, and then again on an individual level.
In order to understand how stories are chosen for broadcast, you first have to understand the structure or hierarchy of a newsroom.  While this may vary from outlet to outlet and even from broadcast to print, this is, in essence, the breakdown of most newsrooms.  
Newsrooms are a bit different today
Assignment editors are generally the first line of defense for a newsroom.  Most releases and story ideas are filtered through them first.  They read hundreds of emails and answer countless calls all day while at the same time, keeping their eyes and ears focused on banks of scanners in order to catch any breaking news that might happen.  The stories that make it past the AE’s get passed on to the potential story folder where they are discussed by reporters, producers, photographers and other editors during the daily news meetings.  A handful of stories are agreed upon by producers and managers to be included in each broadcast while other stories may end up in only one broadcast.  
Occasionally, a story will find its way to a producer without going through the meeting.  At this point, the producer responsible for his or her specific broadcast will decide if that story is worthy of being included in the rundown.  In many cases, stories are pitched by individual reporters or others in the newsroom during the meetings.  Eventually, the producers head back to their computers tasked with choosing which stories to include in their rundown and in which order they will run.
But the question remains, HOW do they decide what to include?  How do they determine if a story is really news?  
The Criteria:
In simple terms, most journalists use four basic parameters to determine if a story is news or not.  Each story that passes through a newsroom is run through this gauntlet and if they meet the criteria, the story likely will be included in the producer’s rundown.  If not, it gets set aside, most likely never to be heard from again.  If you have a story you’re pitching to a newsroom, ask yourself if your story fits these criteria:

Timeliness – This seems simple enough.  If a story or event has just happened or is happening “right now”, then it is timely.  If you are pitching a story that happened a week ago, or something that is happening two weeks from now, it is not timely.  The more timely the story, the more likely it is to be news.

Proximity – Remember this, all news is local.  The majority of journalists are reporting on a local level.  This means they are reporting for an audience that cares about what is happening in its own backyard, so to speak.  The audience matters.  That’s why a car crash in Denver matters more to local viewers than a worse crash in Ohio.  Your story has to be local, or must have a local tie-in to a national story in order for most newsrooms to pay attention to it.  If you’re pitching a Colorado Springs story to Denver newsrooms, it is much less likely to be picked up than if you pitched it to Colorado Springs newsrooms.

Impact –  Who does this story impact?  Remember that the greater number of the audience that is impacted by your story, the more it is newsworthy.  For instance, while a car accident may be newsworthy, it doesn’t compare to a water main break in the suburbs.  Unless the accident shuts down the highway, the water main break impacts more of the audience.  This is one of the reasons why weather gets so much attention.  A snowstorm impacts everyone in the audience.

WOW Factor – This is where stories about celebrities or sports generally fall.  This category could also be called “uniqueness”.  How unique is your story?  If your story is similar to other stories that have run recently, chances are your story isn’t going to be picked up.  The more unique you can make your story, the better chance you have of seeing your story on TV or in print.

Of course there are other elements that go into the news decision-making process.  Things such as quality of video (hey, we live in a visual society now), national news tie-in’s and whether or not a story has “legs” or multiple levels of storytelling.  HOW you tell the story matters as well.  Does your story have a main character that can be relatable to the audience?  Does it have a protagonist?  A conflict?  A resolution?  All of these things are part of the process.  But to start, if you can start to think like a journalist and consider the four categories mentioned above when creating your story pitch, you’ll find that your stories will have much more success in being picked up by local newsrooms.  
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Old Major Opens Doors in LoHi

Old Major

Once again, The LoHi Area is home to another of Denver’s newest and hippest restaurants.  LoHi foodies celebrated the opening of “Old Major,” the latest concept of Katie O’ Shea and Juan Padro.  This time, Katie and Juan are partnering with Chef Justin Brunson owner of Masterpiece Deli, to create a LoHi restaurant featuring contemporary farmhouse cuisine, or as their tagline says: “Seafood, Swine and Wine!” 

Already the buzz is picking up about this great new restaurant.  Even before Old Major opened its doors, local critics were anticipating the unique menu, comfortable atmosphere and quality service.  Of course, Katie and Juan’s record of success and Chef Brunson’s expertise in the kitchen didn’t hurt.  As long as a year ago, Westword was already writing about Old Major.  Chef Brunson was quoted as saying, “I think this is a restaurant that’s going to be great for Highland,” Brunson predicts. “This is where my career really took off, and I think there’s a need for high-end bistro fare up here. It’s been a long time coming, and the space is nothing short of awesome.”
Now that the doors are actually opened and customers are flocking to sample the fare, other critics are starting to pay attention as well.  For example, check out a recent story about LoHi’s latest addition in the Denver Post.

We at the Stasko Agency have had the pleasure of working with Katie and Juan to promote their other restaurant, Highland Tap and Burger.  It is a thrill for us to see their continued success in the LoHi Area.

One of our biggest goals at the Stasko Agency is to help promote the LoHi Area and its ever growing list of merchants.  It’s such an amazing neighborhood with fantastic restaurants, a thriving arts scene and or course there’s our popular nightlife.  If you have any information you want us to pass along regarding events, activities, openings or closings in LoHi, please leave us a message here or email us directly at Lu@staskoagency.com.

For those of you who are LoHi residents, you can make a reservation at Old Major by emailing Mary@oldmajordenver.com, just put “Friend of Katie and Juan” in the subject line.  They’ll take care of all your dietary options as well. 

Keep supporting local LoHi businesses and we’ll keep getting the word out to the rest of the Metro Area about Old Major and the rest of the businesses in our gem of a neighborhood.

For more information about Old Major, visit:
www.OldMajorDenver.com
or find them on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/OldMajorDenver
You can also follow them on Twitter: @OldMajorDenver

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