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Happy Holidays and New Year!
As 2011 is coming to a close I want to take the opportunity to thank our clients, friends, family and my wonderful staff for a terrific year. From our family to you and yours we wish you a joyous holiday season.
The holiday season isn't complete without a few fun traditions in the office. The first is our Secret Santa gift exchange. We draw names and over the course of a month we get to shower the person we picked with small gifts. There are some very clever little elves in the office so it's always hard to guess who your Secret Santa is!
The other tradition we started last year is our cookie/goody exchange. Everyone participates and makes enough goodies to bring in and give away to everyone in the office. We've got some pretty awesome bakers and cooks in our office so the exchange is a treat!
Joy to all,
Jeanne Berry, Principal |
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New Growth at RealTime Productions by Jeanne Berry
Lee Clark, COO

RealTime Productions is proud to introduce our newest team member Lee Clark. Lee joined RTP in August as our Chief Operating Officer. I met with many wonderful candidates but Lee stood out from the crowd for both me and the staff. It was a unanimous decision to hire Lee into this newly created position and after 14 wonderful years of building my company I am excited to bring Lee on board to challenge myself and take the company to the next level.
With over 25 years' international experience developing
organizations, Lee brings a wealth of business acumen to his leadership role. Having led a variety of companies through tremendous growth, his focus is firmly on delivering exceptional results. Lee has worked with blue-chip companies in Australasia, Europe and the Americas. The diversity of his experience is reflected by his commitment to customer service, innovation and organizational development.
Personally..."Born and raised in England, I have lived in various countries around the globe, whilst being fortunate enough to juggle diverse careers in business and mountaineering. Driven by my life-long passion for rock-climbing and mountains, I've led successful high altitude expeditions to the Himalayas and Alaska and continue to seek out extraordinary climbs and first ascents. There's something about great wilderness that inspires great achievements.
I was originally attracted to RealTime Productions with the opportunity to really grow the business. The professionalism and caliber of expertise RTP has built was also a part of the appeal to me. However, it was the amazing people that were the bigger part of my decision. The team-work here is just amazing - probably the best anywhere I've ever worked. Seeing our clients delighted is always my ultimate proof we're doing things right!"
In the year ahead Lee will be instrumental in growing our company. You'll be hearing more from us in the upcoming months about these exciting new changes. Don't forget to "like" us on Facebook and we'll keep you updated on our new happenings!
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New Staff Additions
Jennifer Favre
Jennifer brings an extensive Marketing, Communication, and Event Management background to RealTime Productions. As a Washington native, she graduated with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Washington Foster School of Business, and has since spent more than five years living in New York City. While in New York , she was able to further develop her professional expertise and gain invaluable experience while planning and executing large-scale events and communications initiatives for several well-known organizations such as The Trump Organization, The Plaza Hotel, and Jefferies & Company. Most recently, after moving back to Seattle, Jennifer had the opportunity to embrace her love of the outdoors and the Northwest by working in Corporate Communications and Events for Eddie Bauer.
Personally..."I love to run! When I moved to New York in 2006, I didn't know a lot of people. So, I decided make some new friends and train for, and run, the ING NYC Marathon with Team in Training. I wasn't much of a runner at all before that, and battled several injuries throughout the season, but I'm living proof that you can do anything if you just put your mind to it.! Aside from running, I love to cook, travel, and just keep busy with trying new things and having fun. Don't judge, but my favorite thing to do on a Friday night is cook dinner at home and watch Dateline (I love it!)."
Cheryl Gordon
Cheryl Gordon is a veteran in the event and marketing industry with more than 15 years' experience in corporate events. Cheryl started working at Microsoft in 1990 in the Northwest District Regional office in Bellevue executing local and regional events, and then continued her career with the Corporate Events Group in Redmond at the Microsoft main campus. After 5 years with Microsoft, Cheryl started her own business Meeting Professionals & Associates an event and marketing company. She continued to work directly with Microsoft producing conferences, tradeshows, seminars, roadshows and auxiliary events throughout the next seven years. Her company produced and executed 40+ events with Microsoft and created renewable and sustainable relationships with Microsoft OEM Division, the Latin American Group and Developer Relations Group. Cheryl has also worked with Intel, Apple, Arthur Anderson & Co., Watt Silverstein, Info World Media Group and Silicon Graphics.
Personally..." I love creating end results to help others achieve their goals and ambitions. It can be the little things in life, helping to build a house for Habitat for Humanity, teach a child how to achieve their goals through education or rescue animals that need care, this helps me to feel that I can make a difference. I am passionate about the animal world and have been for most of my life. Animals have taught me how to love, how to live in the moment and how to move on when the time is right. Currently I am in training to pursue a goal to run a marathon in Dublin, Ireland in 2012. The training is the achievement, the race is just to reaffirm you can do anything that drives your passion.
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| Favorite Holiday Traditions
We asked our team members...
"What is your favorite holiday tradition?"
Lisa Perrone - "We have a family tradition of getting new holiday pajamas that are revealed on Thanksgiving night and we wear them through the holidays. It was supposed to be just for the kids, but I get excited about my new PJ's each year, too."
Jeanne Berry - "Holiday baking and gift giving."
Ceili Rian - "A mug of nog at the Solstice bonfire in my sister's outdoor fire pit."
Sarah Gavin - "Our family has a tradition of having lobster on Christmas Eve. It started when a family friend send us live Maine lobsters as a gift and we've done it every year since!"
Jen Omholt - "Baking and eating holiday treats!!! I make a gingerbread house with my niece ever year and decorate cookies with my family- it's the yummiest part of the season!"
Lee Clark - "Boxing Day mid-morning cocktails open house with friends and family."
Erika Snyder - "Making Rosette cookies. It's a family tradition passed down from my Swedish grandmother. It involves batter, a Rosette iron and a pan of very hot oil; which I try not to burn myself with and mostly succeed."
Kim Pratt - "An annual tradition for the Pratt family is getting our Christmas tree permit and heading to the mountains for the perfect tree. A new tradition that the kids love is coming into the office for the Holiday Cookie Exchange followed by shopping in Seattle and watching the Bellevue Snowflake Lane performance."
Christa Barbas - "Making Christmas cookies and treats with all the ladies of my family while listening to Christmas tunes."
Caryl Sutorius - "Watching the 'A Christmas Carol' on Christmas Eve by a crackling fire while drinking a warm holiday wine."
Jennifer Favre - "Christmas Eve dinner with my dad's side of the family; it's the only time of the year that I get to catch up and celebrate with all of my cousins, together in one place!" |
South Lake Union Neighbors We love having our office here in South Lake Union, a vibrant, ever-changing area of Seattle. In addition to the big companies located here (yes, Amazon has leased yet more space) we'd like to highlight some of the smaller, unique businesses who call SLU home: 3rd and Wall Art Group - - a Seattle-based art company committed to publishing and promoting exceptional artists whose work meets (and exceeds) the needs and challenges of the decorative art market. They recently relocated to our block here on 9th Avenue North. Don't miss the display of unique art greeting cards in their lobby. Marie & Freres - Who doesn't love good chocolate? This shop located on Westlake Avenue sells "Chocolate from the source"...from the islands of Sao Tome and Principe (the Gulf of New Guinea). The islands boast being home to plants and animals unique to this area of the world, making for remarkably unique cocoa. Stop on by...they'll be happy to educate you on the health benefits of chocolate! Mio Sushi - a full-service Japanese restaurant that got its start in Portland has opened their newest location here on Westlake Avenue. Mio Sushi is committed to providing high-quality food at reasonable prices. As a good earth neighbor, sustainability is also important. All fish items on the menu are sourced from sustainable fisheries when possible. 
If you shop in the SLU neighborhood, be sure to pick up you SLU Card from the
South Lake Union Discover Center. This card is free and will make you eligible for local retail discounts. |
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A Time for Giving
Each year RealTime Productions selects three charities to which we make a contribution. The charities are selected by opening up nominations to our friends and followers on Facebook. We encourage them to solicit votes for their favorite charity from their friends, family and co-workers.
This year it was a close vote so we're going to go ahead and give to our top FOUR charities! The proud recipients are (in order of votes)
Thank you to all that participated in voting this year. We know all charities are deserving, so if you voted for one that didn't make our list we ask that you make a donation, no matter what the size, to your favorite charity this season and Jeanne (RTP Principal) will personally match your donation up to $500. Send your receipt of donation to jeanneb@rtpevents.com! We'll keep you informed of the results on Facebook and in our next Newsletter. |
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Holiday S-t-r-e-t-c-h
Like most companies, RealTime Productions has a weekly staff meeting to catch up on new information and share our plans for the coming days. Our new COO, Lee Clark, has added a dimension to these meetings by presenting the staff with a weekly challenge or stretch to complete. The stretch is designed to push us beyond our individual comfort zone and consider ideas and options outside of our day-to-day activities.
Recent challenges have included "pay-it-forward" opportunities; actions such as making time for a child to whom you aren't related, selecting a book to read that week and when finished leaving in a public place for someone else to enjoy, buying a stranger coffee, and sharing your skill/talent with another.
We'd like to challenge ourselves and others to expand how you view the holiday season; shifting our perspective from "what the holiday brings" to "what we bring to the world in honor of the holiday". So c'mon, take up the challenge...give your outlook a good stretch by giving of yourself to a stranger. We're sure the expression on their face will be a refreshing return.
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There's Nothing Like Good Karma
Ever want to see the impact of your positive actions? Check out The Karma Seed. It's a simple piece of plastic you present to someone when you perform a simple act of kindness. The idea is that each person who receives the card will continue to "pay-it-forward" by doing a good deed and in turn, pass the card to the next person. Each recipient is encouraged to go online and record their actions. Because each card has a unique number, the continuing cycle of kindness can be tracked online, allowing you to see the impact of your kindness.
The idea for the card came from a man who lost his video camera on a university campus, only to be surprised days later by someone turning it in. Not only was he able to reclaim a critical camera that he believed might be lost forever, but he found the camera had a video on it, made by the person who found it, recording her act of kindness.
"The Karma Seed allows anyone -- young or old, rich or poor -- to increase their potential to have a positive impact on the lives of others. It makes a simple piece of plastic a record of meaningful connections between strangers, connections formed by the things that make us human: kindness, thoughtfulness, and a basic desire to do good. "
~Christopher Lo, Founder of The Karma Seed
Everyone here at RealTime now has one of these cards to try this social experiment for ourselves. We hope that this card will inspire us and others to increase kindness in our global communities.
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Caryl Sutorius
RealTime Productions |
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