Christmas Tree Fest Kicks Off with Gala Preview

Christmas Tree Fest Kicks Off 

with Gala Preview

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Fairfield Citizen News)

12/1/11

Fairfield, CT – The elves were hard at work all year, and made one final push this week, to fill from floor to ceiling The Burr Homestead with holiday décor in celebration of the 30th year of the Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival.

The elves in this case are all the designers involved in crafting the elaborate ornaments, wreaths, tabletop items, garlands and more exhibited throughout the historic space at 739 Old Post Road, and over 200 volunteers who have given their time to tastefully decorate each of the themed rooms and coordinate the event.

On Thursday evening, several hundred select few had the opportunity to preview the fruits of their labor, enjoying a Gala Party complete with wine, hors d’ouevres and a silent auction. The soiree was the kickoff to the four-day festival, which is one of the leading holiday occasions in Fairfield.

Each year, the fest benefits a different local charity and, this year, all proceeds go to St. Vincent’s Special Needs Services in Trumbull, to help build a therapeutic pool serving children and adults with complex medical needs.

Sheeaun Academy of Irish Dance Stepping Forward

Sheeaun Academy of Irish Dance 

Stepping Forward

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Bridgeport News and 

Fairfield Sun)

11/25/11

Fairfield, CT – A scrappy kid from Bridgeport’s east side with a love of and early encouragement in Irish dance now operates one of the largest academies of Irish dance in the region. The group has been taking top spots in leading competitions and is a fixture at Fairfield’s annual Irish Festival.

Moira Speer, the 30-year-old owner of Sheeaun Academy of Irish Dance, which maintains a studio space at the Sportsplex@Fairfield, 85 Mill Plain Road, spoke with this correspondent at a recent practice session.

An early love of Irish dance

Speer, a pleasant thin-framed lass with long locks of blonde hair, was born in Virginia but moved to Bridgeport when she was three. She lived on Goddard Avenue on the Park City’s east side, a part of town she described as a “great area” as a kid growing up there in the early 1980s. “My brother and I had a lot of friends on the street and at the Multi-Cultural Magnet School where we had classes,” she said.

She was four years old when she was bitten by the Irish dance bug, taking instruction from Patty Lenihan of the Lenihan School of Irish Dance, conducted at the Gaelic-American Club of Fairfield. The school was then on the Post Road and is now located on Beach Road. Speer’s grandfather was president at the time. “My parents were just becoming members, learned about the lessons and asked me if I wanted to try,” she said.

Besides dancing at the Lenihan School, Speer and her younger brother Eamon, now 28, began dancing and performing at the Magnet School, every St. Patrick’s Day.

“I loved dancing from Day One, and only wanted to Irish dance, despite trying other activities like soccer, ballet and T-ball,” Speer said.

She began competing at local Feiseanna’s, which in ancient Ireland, were local festivals wherein storytellers, bards and balladeers would lead audiences in legends, stories, dance and song. These gatherings later gave rise to athletic and sporting competitions, including horse- and chariot-racing, as well as feats of strength and endurance.

Speer was a quick study and early talent. “I did really well and, from the beginner level, moved quickly through the ranks from Novice and Prizewinner to Preliminary Championship and Open Championship, the latter being the highest level, which I achieved at age 14. At that time, that was a pretty fast track,” she said.

“Riverdance”, the theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing that, in essence, tells the story of Irish culture and Irish immigration to America, was debuting in Europe then, and was a huge influence not only on Speer but on young people everywhere that had even a passing interest in dancing.

“It lit the world on fire,” she said of the show, “driving immense interest in Irish dance. For me, it was really exciting and fueled my drive even more.”

Speer attended the first show, in fact, when it came to the U.S. and debuted at New York’s Radio City Music Hall in mid-March 1996. An eight-week run had been scheduled, which completely sold out. Related merchandise sales for the phenomenon smashed Music Hall records to date.

“There were all sorts of celebrities in the audience and the show was really powerful – the dancing, the music, the rhythm… .so inspiring,” she said.

The show drove Speer to compete “first regionally, then nationally,” said Speer of the period that followed. “My biggest accomplishment was in 2002, when I placed 35^th at the World Championship in Scotland,” she said. “Over 150 top dancers from all over the world competed. I was one of the top 10 Americans.”

In 2005, no longer an upstart teen, Speer placed first in New England in the Senior Ladies 21+ category.

Speer steps into a new role

As she competed, Speer was also developing leadership skills. “From age 15 on, I was helping Patty at the school with instruction,” she said. “Eventually, I got to a point where I wanted to branch out on my own, and so established Sheeaun Academy, in 2008.”

She began giving lessons in her house and doing after-school programs. “Little by little, the student base grew and now there are over 100 students from Fairfield, Trumbull, Madison and Stonington in the group,” she said.

One of the biggest challenges to date for the rising academy was the recent New England Oireachtas, a regional Irish dance competition held November 18-20 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. The event, which has been conducted for the past 36 years, is hosted by the Irish Dancing Teachers Association of New England (IDTANA). The association operates under the auspices of AnCoimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha (the Irish Dancing Commission) of Dublin, Ireland.

Twenty-four students from the Academy, ages five through 16, participated in the competition. It was their second consecutive appearance – in 2010, nine of 11 Academy participants placed, with one getting first place in her age group. “It was a wonderful debut,” said Speer.

This year, the results were even more impressive: three were in the top 5, six in the top 10, and 12 in the top 20. Contests were divided by age, level, individual and group, with between 40 and 60 competitors in each category.

“For me and my teaching partner, Frank Rupp, who has also danced since he was a youth, it’s amazing to send your own students to competition and continue the Irish dance tradition,” said Speer.

Inspired, enthusiastic students

Eleven-year-old Fairfielder Finula Milici, a Sheeaun Academy member, shows the same spirit and drive as Speer at the same age. Nursing an ankle injury and looking on from the sidelines as her younger sister Bella and other classmates went through their paces at their Sportsplex training space recently, Milici described some of the technical aspects of Irish dance.

“During dance competitions and performances, we wear curly wigs,” she said. “The tradition started when girls went to church and would curl their hair. Church is on Sunday for most people and so are competitions. If you showed up for competition without your hair curled, people would assume you didn’t go to church.”

In Irish dance, arms are typically held rigidly to the sides and behind the back. Milici explained why: “Back in the old days in Ireland and England, classes were very popular and crowded and there wasn’t much room to move around.”

Milici, like Speer, began Irish dancing when she was four, at Greenway Academy in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. She was inspired by a television program. “I used to watch ‘The Wiggles’ and, on a St. Patrick’s Day special, there was a dinosaur Irish dancing,” she recalled. “I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. My mom signed me and my sister up. It was different from all the dancing I’d ever seen and the costumes were cool. When you’re young, it’s not so competitive. As you get older, it gets harder. Kids are grouped by talent, so a thirteen-year-old and a seven-year-old could be in the same class.”

Milici is a sixth grader at Roger Ludlowe Middle School. On a local level, Academy classmates are also from Saugatuck Elementary, St. Thomas Aquinas and Roger Sherman Elementary.

SIDEBAR

Irish Dance steeped in history

Irish Dance has gained great popularity in the United States and around the world. It may have begun among the Druids, who danced in religious rituals honoring the oak tree and sun. When the Celts arrived in Ireland from central Europe over 2,000 years ago, they brought their own folk dances. The Anglo-Norman conquest in the twelfth century brought Norman customs to Ireland. The Carol was a popular dance in which the leader sang and was surrounded by a circle of dancers who replied with the same song.

Three Irish dances were noted in the sixteenth century: the Irish Hey, the Rinnce Fada (long dance) and the Trenchmore. They were often performed in the great halls of newly built castles, to greet royalty arriving from foreign lands and at wakes.

In the late 1700s, it was common for pairs of dancers to hold a handkerchief between them. Dancing was accompanied by music played on bagpipes and the harp.

During the 18th century, the dancing master appeared in Ireland. He was a wandering dancing teacher who traveled from village to village, teaching dance to peasants. Group dances, with very high standards, were developed by the masters, with gifted pupils given solo performance opportunities.

Different styles of Irish dance developed across Ireland, which today are illustrated by jigs, reels, hornpipes, sets, half sets, polkas and step dances. The colorful costumes commemorate the clothing of the past, with each school of dancing exhibiting its own costume. Dresses are based on Irish peasant dresses worn two hundred years ago and are adorned with hand-embroidered Celtic designs, copies of the Tara brooch and capes down the back. Men’s clothes are less embellished, consisting of a plain kilt and jacket, with a folded cloak draped from the shoulder.

Arts Community Spurs Bridgeport’s Economic Rise

Arts Community Spurs 

Bridgeport’s Economic Rise

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Bridgeport News)

11/13/11

Bridgeport, CT – The promises of revitalization in the Park City have been many, to the extent that local residents, like the townspeople in the fairy tale “The Boy That Cried Wolf”, have tuned out reports of new project proposals. But one faction that talked the talk is now walking the walk and has not only taken root in Bridgeport but is drawing outsiders in droves and changing perceptions about the once-vibrant center of manufacturing and culture.

In mid-November, artists, craftsmen and musicians collaborated to present Bridgeport Art Trail, a four-day event with activities and exhibits at 26 distinct sites. Many of these locations are factory spaces that had been abandoned, but have since been reclaimed and repurposed as galleries and artist collectives. They are fast gaining attention and making it o.k. again to visit Bridgeport – long perceived by outsiders as a demilitarized zone where the unknown lurks. And while changing perceptions, these artist occupiers and their landlords are also contributing to property tax coffers and helping pull in a new stream of sustained revenue. The American Fabrics Building, built in 1912 at 1069 Connecticut Avenue, is one of these reclaimed, renovated spaces, now occupied by 30 artisans throughout its four levels. It’s a model success story, as told by the artists and visionaries that call it home.

AmFab: A locomotive of change

“I had a long conversation with a woman from Pennsylvania who left home at 2 a.m. to be here a half hour early for Denyse’s quilt sale, to get a specific quilt,” said Brec Morgan, painter, visionary and one of the first artists to occupy the AmFab building. “Denyse” is internationally acclaimed quilter and author Denyse Schmidt, who also occupies the building and was a strong draw for other artist move-ins.

“That’s a seven-hour drive,” Morgan continued. “It’s a testament not only to Denyse’s level of quality but also her commitment to the city of Bridgeport. She chose to be here.”

Morgan related the background of the AmFab site. “The previous owner had over $1 million due in back taxes and the city took over the building in 2007,” he said. “Half a dozen artists were here at that time. We went to the Economic Development agency and made a big point of wanting them to find a developer that would honor our commitment, not kick us out and appropriately renovate the building. It was falling apart and out of code, and lacked certain facilities. The city expressed our desires and told the developer, West Rock Property Management (of Yonkers, New York), they had to negotiate with us.”

West Rock came in and there was an initial meeting. However, the developer made it clear they would do what they could but thought it best to bring the building down and make it parking for one-level light industrial warehousing on the same property, according to Morgan.

“I told them if they brought the building up to code and invested in it, the other artists and I would solicit fellow artists to fill the upper three floors,” he said. “West Rock’s principal, Jason Freidland, agreed that, if filled, it would be economically viable. He gave us a year and started work. We put out the word and got him leases on all three floors within six months – 30 artists from six, with a waiting list.”

Morgan recalled, “Freidland came to my studio with his family that first year and told his wife that I was the guy that convinced him to save the building and that it was one of his best decisions. I responded, ‘He was brave for taking the risk to put his money into it.’ His response was, ‘Anybody can put up money, but not everybody has good ideas.’”

A broad representation of craftsmen

AmFab now houses painters, illustrators, photographers, sculptors, jewelry makers, quilters, ceramics makers, printers and more. Forty-six-year-old Neil Pabian, a woodturner that makes and sells handmade custom pens, laser engravings and laser photos, is one of the resident artisans.

Though Pabian lives in adjacent Fairfield, he said, “I grew up in the north end of Bridgeport. I’ve been doing woodturning on and off since I was 14. I was working in half of a one-bay garage at my house – about 120 square feet. I became unsociable and needed to get out and have more space. I started looking around and found rents for storefronts in Fairfield were ungodly. Someone suggested I look at artists’ lofts. I found AmFab through Craig’s List. I looked at a couple spaces then contracted for my current 600-square-foot workshop in May 2010.”

Pabian said the space, with its 16-foot-high ceilings, heating and big windows, is great and that he both makes his products there and uses it as a retail showroom.

The woodworker harbors one peeve though. “If Bridgeport is trying to promote itself as an arts town, it needs to give artists a tax break,” he said. “They give GE a tax break. They have to work with the artists, and have for the most part.”

Pabian said their building does an annual open studios event, which is part of Art Trail and is a good way to attract outsiders who have traditionally avoided Bridgeport. “I feel safe in this neighborhood, and every year things are getting better.”

Outsiders drawn to Bridgeport’s creative engine

Shopper Audrie Bidwell came down from Ellington, CT, with her friend Shannon Pankratz, from Vernon, to experience Art Trail and see the many artists and participating sites. “I would come to buy from Denyse Schmidt then discovered the show,” she said. “I brought my husband last year and walked all around. This year, knowing what to expect, I brought Shannon. Quilting is an art helping to spearhead an economic resurgence in Bridgeport. And I like that Denyse chose the city to live and work here. You wouldn’t think of Bridgeport for art or quilts. Typically, you tell someone you’re going to Bridgeport and they say, ‘Be careful’, and you get raised eyebrows.”

Pankratz compared the city to Bethlehem, PA, where she went to school. “It’s a similar atmosphere – a city where there used to be something great,” she said. “Then the industry dried up. In Bethlehem, it was steel. Now they’re trying to refurbish and rebuild. My husband and I just love stuff like this. If we can buy something for our home that’s local and handmade, that’s great and helps the local economy.”

Rona Ramos, from New Haven, was another who ventured to the Park City. Ramos had been to AmFab’s open studios event two years ago and was excited to return. “I’m comfortable in Bridgeport,” she said. “Artist spaces like this are great. And if you’re an artist, it’s probably inspiring to see other artists’ work in other mediums.” She continued, “It’s a good thing to revitalize spaces and arts and crafts is a good way to attract people. Handmade local items have become very popular and sought after as people return to simpler ways of life, spurred by a bad economy. You also appreciate a handmade item more and the work that goes into it.”

SIDEBAR

Internationally renowned quilter Denyse Schmidt proud to call Bridgeport home

“I used to be in the old Remington Arms building, across town, and was a little more active then in talking to people in Economic Development,” said quilter Denyse Schmidt. “But I got frustrated and had my hands full. Now, for me to be here (the American Fabrics Building, where she maintains a thriving showroom and office), with my international profile, is important for the movement that’s happening. It’s enough to be here and talk about it. Our production labels even say, ‘Factory built in Bridgeport U.S.A.’ and I have photos of the building on my website.”

Schmidt says she believes in Bridgeport, and conducts workshops from her space that get attendees from all over the world. She also drives visits to other attractions in the city.

“When I first came to Connecticut, I lived in East Norwalk,” she said. “I didn’t know about Bridgeport. When I discovered it, it seemed familiar from the industrial area of Worcester, Massachusetts, where I was from. There are tons of possibilities here, and factories to be repurposed.”

Perceptions may be one of the toughest challenges. “My friends from Fairfield County have been hesitant to visit Bridgeport,” she said. “Reputations can be pervasive – they take time to change. But since moving here, things have come a long way. More and more people are filling the buildings – Knowlton Street, The Nest, downtown. The momentum is building. And there’s so much to offer – location, the history of the buildings. As the regeneration continues, it’s important that it happens from the inside out – not big box stores – that takes advantage of what makes Bridgeport special, not a cookie-cutter of Baltimore. Things are on the right track.”

WHS Daffodils a Lasting Tribute to a Dedicated Volunteer

WHS Daffodils a Lasting Tribute 

to a Dedicated Volunteer

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Westport News)

11/19/11

Westport, CT – As they dug shallow trenches along fences, troughs around tree trunks and pits along pathways, and gently placed daffodil bulbs into them, they fondly recalled their dear departed friend.

In early May, 86-year-old Mollie Donovan, a long-time volunteer at Westport Historical Society who developed, mounted, documented and promoted over 50 exhibits over several decades, lost her courageous battle with spinal cancer. As a lasting remembrance, Joni Andrews, WHS past president and Hidden Garden Tour leader, ordered 1,000 Narcissus Long Trumpet daffodil bulbs and organized a team of Donovan’s friends and family to plant them around the Historical Society’s 25 Avery Place property on Saturday.

Among those on hand were Donovan’s sisters, Eve Potts of Essex and Marion Morra of Milford. “Mollie lived on Daybreak Lane here in Westport for 35 years,” said Potts. “She was probably the most dedicated volunteer WHS has ever had. She knew all the artists and writers, and was a happy, funny lady. She could always find something to laugh about. Even when she was ill, she still managed to come down here. Her memorial service was held on these grounds, with her 12 grandchildren, four children, all her nieces and nephews and hundreds of area residents in attendance.”

Potts continued, “She loved daffodils, and spring. We thought planting bulbs this fall for the spring would be a fitting memorial. She was a big gardener. This is really a living memorial – we’ll remember her for years to come as the flowers bloom every spring.”

Westporter David Rubinstein echoed Eve’s sentiments. “I worked for years with Molly, on the Westport Arts Advisory Committee (WAAC),” he said. “We were co-chairs together for 10 years. This is a perfect tribute to a remarkable person. She was absolutely dedicated to the cultural heritage of Westport and had the most amazing nature – always cheerful, and got things done, never complained.”

Guiding the planting, WHS Executive Director Sue Gold contributed, “We always described her as unsinkable. She accomplished her goals and motivated and inspired all of us that worked with her. One of her many traits was an attention to detail, and keeping organized with schedules and timetables. She was a writer, too, so handled the p.r., working closely with graphic artists and professionals.”

Kneeling in a garden bed alongside Kim Cooper, Westporter Ellen Naftalin joined the chorus singing Donovan’s praises. “She volunteered for everything,” she said. As a testament to her spirit, Naftalin noted that WAAC gives out an award called The Mollie, which recognizes the biggest volunteers in the arts category. Naftalin said Donovan also started the WSPAC (Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection) and was responsible for the placement of art collections all throughout town and the community.

“There was nothing she couldn’t do… or wouldn’t do,” Naftalin suggested.

SHU Luxembourg MBA Students Tour Middle East and Asia

SHU Luxembourg MBA Students 

Tour Middle East and Asia

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Sacred Heart University)

11/4/11

There’s textbook learning and then there’s the experience of being directly immersed in the subject matter. The latter is what 18 students enrolled in the MBA Finance program at Sacred Heart University’s Luxembourg campus experienced this past summer when they took a whirlwind tour of the Middle East and Asia to take an economic temperature reading.

Don Molner, an American who lives with his German wife and three young children in Trier, Germany, where he was once stationed, was one of the 18. Molner retired from the air force in 2009 after 27 years and was looking to transition from military to civilian life. “Sacred Heart’s was the only English MBA program in the region,” he discovered after an online search.

Molner started classes at SHU in Fall 2010 with a goal of learning more about corporate finance. Every two years, that campus offers an overseas trip as an elective. “The Middle East and Asia are emerging economies,” he said. “When studying global finance, these are key areas.”

Led by Professor Alfred Steinherr, the two-week trip took place July 2-16. “What was interesting about our group is that they were from four different continents, 11 different countries and many different career backgrounds,” Molner said.

The first four days were spent in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. “They have a big problem in the housing industry there. The financial crisis of 2008 left a lot of vacant real estate inventory,” Molner said. “There’s also a big discussion about what to do after oil.”

In Dubai, the group visited DP World, the largest global marine terminal operator, with facilities that are 15km long, and the Dubai Chamber, which is trying to expand its financial services to attract clients from Abu Dhabi, the source of a majority of Dubai’s GDP. They also visited the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, and the Burj al Arab Hotel. “The Burj al Arab is supposedly the world’s only 7-star hotel,” Molner said. “When they build something here, it’s going to be the biggest and best. It’s not about money, but country pride. They’ve always lived in the shadow of Saudi Arabia.”

In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the U.A.E., the class toured the Mall of the Emirates, the world’s largest mall, which contains a ski slope. They also visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. “It accommodates 40,000 people,” said Molner. “We had to take off our shoes; the women had to cover up.”

Molner remarked that 90% of people in the U.A.E. are ex-patriots and the other 10% are mostly young natives who are given a free house, free utilities and a monthly stipend. The endowments have created problems in that, not surprisingly, the young don’t want to work. “Twenty-three percent of the young are unemployed; 34% haven’t completed high school,” Molner said.

A four-day stay in Beijing brought more insights, with tours of the Bank of China, where the group got a briefing on banking policy, and the U.S. and Luxembourg Embassies, among key sites. “A major portion of the discussion was about protection of intellectual property,” he said. “When a company wants to start production in China, they have to provide in-depth details about their operations and products. By the time the approval comes in, a Chinese company is already making your product – they’ve stolen the idea. They believe everyone should have access to it.”

The next stop was Bangkok, Thailand, with visits to the Asian Development Bank, focused on regional enhancement, and Chulalongkorn University, where international business professors explained how the country weathered the financial storm.

The final leg of the journey was Mumbai, India. The most impactful takeaways there were the “grotesque” poverty, extreme pollution and a service called Childline, which functions as a 24/7 emergency helpline for children in need of care or protection. The latter are in great jeopardy: “Six to seven million kids are sexually abused, 72 million ages 5 to 14 have no basic access to education,” Molner said.

Reflecting back on the trip, Molner concluded, “The entities we visited provided just a small snapshot of the current happening within each country. The trip cemented the learning experience.”

The Voice Is Making Itself Heard

The Voice Is Making Itself Heard:

Fairfield ad agency on the climb

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Fairfield.Patch.com)

11/17/11

Fairfield, CT – The concept came to Matthew Hallock in his sleep and now the Fairfield-based ad agency he founded is one of the hottest shops in the region.

Located in a ranch-style house at 170 Brookfield Avenue, in a mixed-use/commercial area of town, The Voice boasts eight full-time employees and two paid interns. It’s a diverse group, so broad in ethnic representation it has been named a top business in America for three years running by DiversityBusiness.com. Staffers have a wide range of skills allowing the shop to tackle most any marketing or advertising challenge in any medium. The agency’s forte, however, is creative, focused in the online/digital world. The Voice, in fact, has developed a reputation for high-end, content-rich online solutions. This includes websites, Flash demos, keynote presentations and rich internet applications.

Computer Associates, the world’s largest independent software vendor, is a leading client for which the agency has fulfilled over 500 projects. Other large clients include Emerson Network Power and the NFL. The shop has a solid stable of local clients as well, including Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton, High On the Hog Catering in Milford and Investment Capital Partners in Fairfield.

While the agency was literally born overnight, it was cooking over the years as Hallock rose through the ranks from freelance writing to creative and account management.

Born in New York City, 49-year-old Hallock said he always wanted to be a writer, though there were no family members that had pursued the craft to influence that aim. His father was a VP in personnel for an international paper company, in fact, and they bounced around a lot from New Jersey, to Mississippi, and then Pelham, New York. Writing, literature and reading were always a focus, and continued to be a target as he earned his B.A. in English from S.U.N.Y. Binghamton in 1984. There, he wrote for Pipe Dream, the school paper, and, in his senior year, interned at a local radio station writing 25 radio commercials a week.

After graduating, Hallock stayed on at the station as its assistant director of continuity, getting spots on the air and continuing to write copy. In 1985, he then moved back to New York City to “make my fame and fortune in advertising,” as he put it.

His first foothold, as a secretary in the research department at Grey Advertising, was not exactly his pie in the sky job. “It was the driest of the dry,’ he said about the position, which involved typing up statistics and creating tables on research results. At the same time, he was taking night classes at the School of Visual Arts, developing his portfolio and freelancing at other agencies.

Along the line, too, he became a reporter for the largest paper in Queens – the Western Queens Gazette. “I was THE sports department,” he said, doing a weekly column, taking photos and covering area high school, college, Catholic and recreation league team action.

In 1991, he landed a spot as a junior copywriter at Adler Boschetto Peebles, a mid-size ad agency with about 150 people. He worked on accounts like CIT Group, Business Week Magazine and Manufacturers Hanover, then ran the creative group on The National Network (TNN) and Country Music Television (CMT). The experience sharpened his management style and the work became a meal ticket that attracted the attention of agency Ryan Drossman, which tapped him to run the Bear Stearns account in the late 90s.

After marrying in 1997, he earned his Masters Degree in American Studies at C.U.N.Y., started teaching the history of advertising and design at the School of Visual Arts and a seminar program at Yale, and moved to the creative team at the Keiler agency in Farmington, CT.

“I began noticing that kids coming out of college didn’t know how to get into the business or what would be expected of them and that agencies were frustrated with often ill-prepared recruits,” he said.

The need for a bridge between higher education and the advertising business was the driver behind The Voice, which came to Hallock in a dream in March 2001. He found a space in downtown Bridgeport near McLevy Green and rolled up his sleeves. “I had four walls, no windows, no clients, a wife, two kids and a mortgage,” he said.

But clients – Playhouse on the Green, The Klein Theater, Bridgeport Bluefish – happened, in-roads were made with area colleges for intern talent and, ultimately, in 2008, Hallock found the Fairfield location. The space features a photo studio that doubles as a seminar and meeting room, open-flow work spaces, a kitchen and two rooms that are rented to interns on staff.

“I didn’t start this for revenue,” said Hallock. “I did it to serve other people and give them entry. To see it succeed is fulfilling. I do feel like we have a higher calling. It gets you out of bed in the morning.”

Fairfield Ludlowe “Block Party” Aids CancerCare

Fairfield Ludlowe “Block Party” 

Aids CancerCare

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Fairfield Citizen News)

11/19/11

Fairfield, CT – Fairfield Ludlowe High School became a LEGO emporium Saturday as host site of CancerCare’s family-oriented “Blocks of Love” fundraiser.

The third annual event offered LEGO sets for sale, play areas, a creation gallery, video games, cooking demos and an interactive dance screen. It drew thousands of area families who came to have a little fun while supporting CancerCare’s noble mission.

“Last year we raised $150,000 from the event and related sponsorships and pledges,” said Sandy Tripodi, regional director of the Connecticut office of CancerCare, “and over 3,000 people attended. We expect more today due to greater publicity.”

CancerCare is a national non-profit organization established to provide free support services to anyone impacted by a diagnosis of cancer – people with cancer, families of patients, children that have a parent with cancer. The group also does targeted outreach to the Latino population.

Support includes face-to-face, telephone and online counseling, educational programs in the community and workshops. Perhaps CancerCare is best known for its financial assistance program however.

“Last year, in Connecticut, we provided almost $250,000 in direct financial support,” said Tripodi, “for expenses like transportation, child care, home care, pain/comfort medications and medical supplies and equipment.”

With regard to the LEGO event concept, Tripodi said it rose out of the Fairfield community among parents and kids. “They decided to take a love of LEGO and turn it into something impactful,” she explained, adding that it was Cindy Citrone, on CancerCare’s board of managers, who founded the event and was a key player. The result is a comprehensive set-up with multiple areas of entertainment.

For instance, in the Builders Gallery, on display were over 320 LEGO creations built at home by families and brought to the school to display. Photos were taken of each builder and their creation and provided as keepsakes.

In another area, kids could pose for a photo with a costumed LEGO mini-figure character.

In the school’s cafeteria, families, like Jacques Depardieu of Easton and his children Jean-Luc, 7, and Catalina, 5, collaborated at lunch tables on making more creations from scratch. “Both my children love playing LEGOs,” he said. “Next year, we would like to be exhibitors. It’s really nice to see how something like this creates positive energy to raise money and awareness of cancer for families that are in need.”

The cafeteria also housed a mini LEGO layout of Fairfield as imagined and created by students at Fairfield County Day School, as well as a block of buildings constructed by 13-year-old Fairfield Woods Middle School student Jacob Rodier. The lad was a national LEGO building contest winner and has been designated a Master Builder.

“I’ve been building for 10 years,” he said. “I need to move all the time and when I’m building, it keeps my hands moving. I’m also really into architecture,” Rodier said.

Despite best efforts and all the energy and fundraising for the cause, cancer is still a formidable foe. “There was a 10-year-old boy participating last year who built a creation with his dad, who had been given a tough prognosis,” said Tripodi. “He knew that if he lost his dad, he would still have the LEGO creation that they built together. Sadly, the dad has since passed.”