Actor: CHEO BOURNE

Cheo Bourne has certainly come a long way since his acting debut as the Happy dwarf in first grade. The Boston native began his career at Connecticut College, where he took the stage in nearly a dozen  university productions over the course of his tenure. He returned to his hometown after graduation, kicking off his career by working in reputable regional theaters for two years.  He recently decided to move and showcase his talent in the theater capital of the world--New York City, obviously!--where he soon after landed a role in an off-Broadway production of Shine! The Horatio Alger Musical, as part of the New York Musical Theater festival this past October. Cheo’s resume impressively boasts 4 years of dance and a capella, and his past experience on stage (not to mention his mastery of 4 speech dialects) ensures his capability to successfully portray a wide variety of characters. 

This guy’s got talent, and we can’t wait to see him make it big on Broadway--keep your eyes peeled for his name on your Playbill.

Children's Author-Illustrator: MONICA WELLINGTON

Monica Wellington has been writing and illustrating children's book for over 20 years. Her first book, Who Is Tapping at My Window? was published in 1988, and she has since published about 35 books here and abroad. From Crepes By Suzette to Apple Farmer Annie and Mr. Cookiebaker, Monica’s books are filled with brightly colored illustrations and fun, relatable characters for young audiences. Monica has been teaching at the School of Visual Arts in New York City for over 10 years, and classes she took there in 1986-7 helped launch her illustration career. As a child, Monica’s family lived in Europe before settling in the United States, and after studying pottery, painting and printmaking at the University of Michigan School of Art, Monica traveled widely and has now lived in NYC for about 30 years.

Monica’s diverse life experiences have inspired an array of characters and subjects for her books. She passes on insight and skills to her students at SVA and she continues to develop her creativity as she works on each new book.

Rarities Fine Jewelry: CAROL BRODIE

Carol Brodie built her reputation as the Global Director of Communications at Harry Winston, developing her skills as a celebrity jewelry stylist with a trove of jewelry maintenance and style tips. In 2009, she launched her very own Rarities Fine Jewelry line on the Home Shopping Network (HSN), showcasing both the attractive package of her jewelry line as well as her ease in front of the camera. Rarities Fine Jewelry offers elegant pieces with the high-end look of Tiffany or Cartier at a price that won’t cost you your first born. With notable media attention and a handful of celebrity followers like Michelle Trachtenberg, Emmy Rossum, and Terri Hatcher, Rarities has grown significantly since its start and continues to draw fans--after all, its wide selection of pieces appeals to all ages.

Carol is truly a gem connoisseur and her background in style ensures that her jewelry will elevate any ensemble. Keep your eyes peeled for her on HSN on January 5th from 9-11pm.

Sir Kensington’s Ketchup: MARK RAMADAN

Heinz ketchup, meet your match—the days of only one ketchup option are over  thanks to Mark Ramadan and Scott Norton, founders of Sir Kensington’s Gourmet Scooping Ketchup, a high-quality, abundantly flavorful alternative to the pedestrian ketchup we’ve squeezed from the bottle our whole lives. Mark, a long-time lover of all things culinary, met Scott at Brown University, where he did “a lot of business-related stuff” while balancing not only a double major in Economics and International Relations, but also his personal food blog, Black Napkin. After graduating in 2008, Mark went on to work for the reputable consulting firm McKinsey & Company in New York until this past June, when he left to pursue Sir Kensington’s full-time. Sir Kensington’s ketchup comes in two flavors, Classic and Spiced, and for $9/jar you can enjoy this high-end condiment with any dish (Mark recommends trying it with omelettes).
 

And if you were wondering, “Who is Sir Kensington, and what hath he wrought?” refer to the website for his full biography and priceless “Kensingtonisms.” Monocled, mustached legends do exist!

 

Tracy Anderson Mind & Body: STEPHANIE STAHL

Stephanie Stahl’s latest endeavor in a series of impressive positions over the course of her career is CEO of Tracy Anderson Mind & Body, LLC. For years, Tracy Anderson has been refining her fitness method through training celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Courtney Cox, and Shakira. Tracy has put these women, who are known for their amazing physiques, into tip-top shape by strengthening smaller muscle groups to pull in the larger muscles, resulting in a lean figure that is strong but not bulky. In addition to her committed circle of A-list privately trained clientele, Tracy has two Method studios located in downtown Manhattan and Los Angeles, which unfortunately currently have waiting lists. However, the rest of us can benefit from the Method through her DVD’s—including Dance Cardio and the Perfect Design Series—and her 30-Day Method book with both fitness and nutritional advice. It is fitting that such a dynamite trainer and her business partner Gwyneth Paltrow have hired Stephanie to take the company to the next level. Stephanie graduated from Stanford in the Class of ‘87 and Harvard Business School in ‘92. She moved on to work in Boston Consulting Group’s New York office until 2003, where she was a Partner, and then as Chief Marketing Officer of Revlon until 2006. Although Stephanie’s credentials speak for themselves, we find her most inspiring because she has maintained remarkable balance in her life—married with three children, and continuing to achieve professionally.  

Keep an eye out for more from Tracy Anderson Mind & Body!

Stirrings Naked Bartender: CARLO ROMERO

Carlo Romero has brought the Naked Bartender fantasy to life. After leaving the trading floor at a Wall Street bulge bracket firm, Carlo moved to a career in modeling, when he nabbed the role of spokesperson for Diageo’s highly-enjoyed “Stirrings” brand. Diageo is a premium drinks business with a collection of international brands across spirits, wine, and beer (including Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Guinness, and Jose Cuervo), and Stirrings is their line of all-natural drink mixes that make quality cocktails easy to come by. Its motto, “The Naked Bartender believes that nothing should come between you and simply better tasting cocktails,” (implied: not even clothes) is brought to life by the fun-loving and bold Carlo, who at age 26 epitomizes going “au naturel.” Carlo’s expressed mission is to hit the road and shake drinks à la nude, “spreading joy, fun, and good times wherever he goes.” Jealous yet?

Luckily for us, Carlo calls New York his home, and upon hearing that Carlo makes event appearances, Stirrings has suddenly become our favorite brand for the holiday season.

 

Money Makers: DAVID SNIDER

David Snider, 25, has successfully co-authored the book he wished was written when he was entering the workforce after graduating from Duke University in 2007: a guide to the most selective fields in business and finance from the experience of seasoned industry leaders themselves. David started his career after college in management consulting at Bain & Company, and is now working at Bain Capital, one of the largest private equity and alternative asset managers in the world. Money Makers has been enormously successful since its release this year, so much so that it was sold out of Barnes & Nobles in the entire Manhattan area when we first went to purchase it in the fall (the Columbia book store clerk even asked us if it was on some reading list because it was “flying off the shelves!”). Robert McDonald, the CEO of Procter & Gamble, agrees: "Money Makers does a super job of explaining how the elements of finance integrate to fuel our economy," especially given the altered economic landscape following the global financial crisis.  David and co-author, Dr. Chris Howard, have succinctly laid out the differences in career paths, lifestyles, and work environments of jobs in an investment bank, venture capital and entrepreneurship, private equity,  hedge funds, management consulting, and in Fortune 500 companies through interviews with success stories like Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, David Rubenstein, founder of the Carlyle Group, and Shona Brown, Vice President of Business Operations at Google.

David exemplifies many of the qualities which he himself has identified in business legends, so will we not be surprised if he ends up on the other side of a similar project in years to come.

Rick's Picks: RICK FIELD

Rick Field’s passion for pickles developed at a young age, when he would make them with his family as a fun activity. In his 20’s he "rekindled that interest in pickle-making and picked it up again, at first as just a casual enterprise, but over time [he] became more invested and obsessed with it, and eventually started doing it every weekend." In 2004 he decided to further explore the world of pickles and capitalized on his obsession, opening popular pickle-joint Rick’s Picks on the Lower East Side. Rick’s Picks offers a unique selection of pickled vegetables, famous for their unusual and tasty flavor combinations, and they also carry a collection of fun pickle-y apparel as well as Rick’s own cookbook, Williams-Sonoma The Art of Preserving (co-written with Rebecca Courchesne). Rick’s pickles are distributed in over 400 locations across the United States, including major grocery retailers Whole Foods, Dean & Deluca, and Fairway, and Murray’s Cheese, as well as in many specialty stores and local farmers markets.

Rick’s “picks” are truly one-of-a-kind, and as self-proclaimed pickle-fanatics we suggest that you taste one of the many varieties immediately--we recommend the Pepi Pep Peps.
 

BurdaStyle: NORA ABOUSTEIT

DIY (do-it-yourself) fashion has found its home at BurdaStyle, an online social-networking community where creators can share sewing patterns, techniques, and projects, all within their own homes. Nora Abousteit, the co-founder, made her way to a career with BurdaStyle along an unexpected path. Half-German and half-Egyptian, Nora earned a degree in Middle East Studies, Political Science, and Philosophy from the American University in Cairo, and then worked at a German publishing house as a speechwriter, and also as an event planner for tech and media conferences as well as for events hosted by the World Economic Forum. She has since shared her varied experiences and success with BurdaStyle—which is growing by 10,000 members per month—with the New York Times, Wired, Businessweek, WWD, and Fast Company, as well as at Parsons School of Design, the Menorca Tech Talk and DLD “Digital Life Design” media conference, among other notable venues.

Nora has fittingly built her career’s success in a very DIY manner, and has thoroughly updated the experience of sewing for the latest, tech-savvy generation. We can tell that her passion for creation will only lead to more excitement for BurdaStyle’s future.
 

Cinematographer: DARREN LEW

Darren Lew brings artistic excellence to everything he touches. The award-winning cinematographer has grown an impressive and diverse filmography, applying his talent and creativity to produce an array of acclaimed commercials, short films, and documentaries. He’s recently received attention for the visually stunning, black-and-white Levi’s American “Go Forth” commercial, for which he was the 2010 AICP Show Winner for Cinematography and Visual Style and the 2010 Cannes Lions Festival Bronze Winner in Cinematography. Darren’s first project was working with Steven Meisel on Madonna’s SEX book, and he has since photographed commercials for Lacoste, Nike, Clinique, Versace, VW, HBO, and Calvin Klein, among others, and has worked the camera for notable short films including BUGCRUSH directed by Carter Smith, Bastard and Welcome directed by Kirsten Dunst, and Streak directed by Demi Moore. Darren also contributed his cinematographic talents to the recently released documentary Freakonomics, adapted from the best-selling book and directed by Oscar-winner Alex Gibney.
 

Experience Darren’s cinematography first-hand (above), then catch a glimpse into his thoughts (below).

 

Huffington Post: ROB FISHMAN

While it’s strange to think that before 2005 the Huffington Post did not exist as a staple news source, it’s even more unbelievable to consider how extensively news media has changed over the past decade with opportunities provided by the Internet. At 24, Rob Fishman, who graduated from Cornell in 2008 and Columbia’s Graduate Journalism School in 2009, has known no other employer than the Huffington Post in his adult life. Although many writers have the privilege of blogging for “Huffpo,” the website only hires a very small and trusted paid managing staff, of which Rob is one. Rob started on the staff as the associate blog editor in 2009, and in May 2010 was promoted to the position of social media editor.

Rob's truly a journalist of this generation, adeptly navigating a network of social media tools to receive and transmit news, yet with a hunger for reading that makes him one of the gifted news writers of his age. And, of course, there's charm in his wit that extends beyond the professional arena (we swear we did not pay him to plug our blog).
 

Big Girls Small Kitchen: PHOEBE LAPINE & CARA EISENPRESS

Phoebe Lapine and Cara Eisenpress are not intimidated by the age-old warning that “too many cooks spoil the soup.” The childhood friends have joined forces to conquer the kitchen in their blog Big Girls Small Kitchen: A Guide to Quarter Life Cooks. With a book on the way, they command a loyal following of readers, speaking to the experience of foodies in the college and early post-grad demographic who persevere in the kitchen, despite constraints of budget, space, and time. Yet these girls have a much wider audience hooked as they experiment with anything from “pork butt” to pumpkin chilli. A Sex and the City idea with a more wholesome twist, we love BGSK because it is about building a repertoire of cooking experience among close friends.

Phoebe and Cara have gotten the recipe right: a little fun, some fearless cooking, and sharing it all with an appreciative audience—it comes out well every time.

 

Google Expert: EVAN BAILYN

We all take for granted the effortlessness of Google: type in a search term, and voila! Results. While this functional understanding serves most of us just fine, Evan Bailyn set out to uncover the way we receive these results and, more specifically, how the results are organized. After graduating Columbia University in 2003, Evan spent 16 months questioning, investigating, and ultimately cracking the Google algorithm. In other words, he figured out how to claim the top search return of the world’s largest search engine, based on any term. His career has soared ever since. The self-proclaimed “Google expert” capitalized on his discovery by founding First Page Sage, a search engine optimization and social media company that achieves a near-perfect record of getting the websites of Evan’s clients (celebrities and Fortune 500 clients alike) to appear at the top of a Google search. Evan then went on to apply his knowledge to founding the Cartoon Doll Emporium, now one of the largest children’s websites in the world, reaching over 70 million kids and parents. Evan’s commitment to child advocacy was born out of this project, and he has since utilized Facebook to provide inspirational messages about self-psychology and childhood, attracting over 50,000 fans in 5 months, making his page the second most popular non-celebrity fan page. In 2010, Evan established The Evan Bailyn Foundation, which awards grants to groups that promote emotional awareness in children. And if that’s not enough, his first book, Outsmarting Google, will debut in bookstores in early 2011.

The internet entrepreneur, author, and child advocate, has it all: self-made success, serious levels of publicity (ABC, Fox News, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, International Business Times, Crain's, and will be featured on an upcoming segment of Joan Rivers' reality show "How'd You Get So Rich?"), a girlfriend, great brother, and sense of humor and compassion that never fails.

Author: STACY KRAMER

Comic writer Stacy Kramer plays many roles in the world of entertainment. Having spent time at major film studios Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Twentieth Century Fox, Stacy broke into the industry as a story editor and worked her way to the top of the chain as a producer, creating classic indie hits The Last Seduction, Jawbreaker, and Igby Goes Down. After years in production and the births of her three children, Stacy decided to retire her producer’s hat and challenge herself to begin writing. From magazines to books to television, Stacy flourished and her career took off: a humor column for the Village Voice, comic pieces for Elle and Marie Claire, episodes for TV show Lizzie McGuire, and the Warner Brother’s TV-movie starring Lindsay Lohan, Labor Pains. And Stacy's latest focus? Writing to entertain the complicated and sassy "tween" demographic. Together with long-time friend and coworker, Valerie Thomas, they wrote and released the hit pre-teen novel, Karma Bites this Fall 2010. Stacy confesses there aren’t any vampires in the novel, but she and Val have been bitten by the charms of the young adult market, where the book has received sparkling reviews.

We know Stacy has the formula right when her humorous, smart, and often sarcastic writing makes both tweens and adults laugh in unison. 

New York's Financial Planner: RUSSELL BAILYN

Russell Bailyn spends his days as a Wealth Manager at Premier Financial Advisors, giving strategic advice to clients about how to maintain and build their wealth. Yet Russell isn’t just an ordinary financial planner, he is the sage behind popular blog "New York's Financial Planner" through which he showcases his expertise by giving advice to a much wider audience. Russel’s blog was so well received, in fact, that he was approached to turn it into a published book, Navigating the Financial Blogosphere, which explains IRAs, 401(k)s, picking stocks and bonds, among other more complex topics.

Russel bases his life around his knack for planning, yet has found himself in places of unexpected success because of his passion for his career.

GroupMe: JARED HECHT

Jared Hecht (Columbia College '09) applied his management and tech background as former Business Development Manager at popular blogosphere Tumblr to pursue his own pet project: launching the mobile group-chat application, GroupMe, with his friend Steve Martocci. Jared and Steve left their respective jobs to work on GroupMe full-time beginning in July, and after only three months of brainstorming, financing, programming, and fine-tuning, they had developed a full-fledged social networking device. GroupMe originated as an idea in response to his fiancee's dissatisfaction with group-communication options, and now it has received notable attention from the New York Times and Tech Crunch about the impressive $850,000 funding they were able to solicit from investors.

Jared impressively demonstrates how capitalizing on a good idea can quickly turn into greatness in the lightening-speed world of the Internet and mobile communication.

 

Elite Marketing: BRAD HOROWITZ

Brad Horowitz developed his business savvy during his college years at NYU Stern and summer internships with Elite Marketing, one of the top Experiential Marketing companies in the nation—thanks to Brad.  Experiential Marketing incorporates emotions, logic, and general thought processes in order to connect with a consumer. Brad, only 28 and the CoChair of the Experiential Marketing Center of Excellence for the Promotions Marketing Association, explains, “People like to interact with brands, products and services. A creative and relevant brand experience will emit greater response and emotion from a consumer than a message delivered as a monologue; creating stronger drive to action.” After building his reputation at the company, Brad worked to take Elite to a new level by building an Experiential Marketing component onto the existing model of a Financial Marketing agency with strengths in Event Marketing. Elite now features an Experiential start-up, pioneered by Brad and his partners’ tireless commitment to the unique method of marketing. Brad believes that this dynamic has allowed Elite to expand at a faster pace than would have otherwise been expected, and we believe that there’s no one more capable than him to keep up in such an energetic environment.

Author: ANISHA LAKHANI

Author, teacher, screenwriter, blogger, and it-girl Anisha Lakhani (Columbia College and Teachers College graduate) gained national recognition for Schooled, her debut novel inspired by her own experiences as an English teacher turned private tutor at the Dalton School on the Upper East Side. After spending nearly a decade in academia (she rose to be chair of the Middle School English department), Anisha left Dalton in 2006 to further pursue her greatest passion, writing. She was approached by online fashion magazine Pink Memo editor Katrina Szish, who "knew Anisha liked to write" and offered her the position of New York Scene Editor, where she fittingly covers some of NYC's most fabulous events. Anisha has also contributed to Vogue India and The New York Post, as well as Q and Quest magazines.  More recently, she started her own blog, Back to A, on which she realizes her new-found love for home-decorating by documenting her journey to redesign her Upper East Side one-bedroom apartment. It's an unusual decor blog, and we can't help but wonder if Anisha is using it as inspiration for her next book?

Anisha's charm, passion, and exuberance ensures she'll live a fun and successful life enjoying what she does best: write. And keep your eyes peeled for Schooled the movie--we hear the rights were optioned by actress Lorraine Bracco and Anisha wrote the adaptation herself.

Squash Champion: BASET CHAUDHRY

Baset Chaudhry, captain and top-ranked player of the reigning Trinity Bantam squash champions, posesses a modest attitude and determined work ethic that have kept him on top of his game throughout his college squash career. Peers, teammates, coaches, and teachers alike look up to Baset for his academic, professional, and athletic achievements, but also because he stands at an impressive 6'5". Native to Lahore, Pakistan, Baset came to the US on the path of a student-athlete, and has brought unique experience to the courts that has carried the Trinity Squash legacy of success. After graduation this spring from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, Baset will be hitting Wall Street to join the ever-growing romance between investment bankers and squash.

Baset is an example of an athlete who has internalized the pressures of high-level competition and, as far as we can see, he will most definitely apply them in the next phase of his life. Welcome to NYC.

Steve Madden: ED ROSENFELD

At 33 years old, Ed Rosenfeld is one of the youngest CEO's around. Jokingly, he remarks that he hopes to lead popular shoe and accessories brand Steve Madden, Ltd. to "world domination," and we don't doubt that he could. Ed insists that he is not wise beyond his years, but we don't buy it--part of his charm is that despite his obvious success, he remains self-effacing and friendly, learning each and every one of his employees' names and greeting them with a smile each time he visits a Steve Madden store. That, in our opinion, is the highest form of maturity. A Michigan native and Amherst College graduate, Ed gained early exposure to the retail industry through his family's department store, and later acquired technical expertise as a retailing investment banker at Peter J. Solomon Company. He worked with Mr. Madden as a client when the firm was advising a Steve Madden acquisition, and was invited to join the corporation because of his competent work and reliably good attitude. 

Ed has a winning combination of ability and confidence to let his career unfold successfully.  Plus, he knows good shoes.