The Raw Deal - Uncensored, Unpolished, Spontaneous Opinion By Luis Guajardo

Tuesday

30Jun

Need Funding? Pitch Your Biz Idea to Richard Branson & Investor Panel in The Perfect Pitch 2009

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 08:27AM

I hear all the time people talking about how they have the next million dollar business idea. Most of the time it’s in a casual environment over drinks, dinner, or random social gathering. Obviously this person doesn’t have their business plan sitting there in front of them. Most likely they aren’t going to crunch numbers and give detailed projections on the first and second years in the business.

What people may not realize, is this casual conversation may be the best test to whether their business idea is actually good - The Elevator Pitch. Can you break down your business idea and sell me on it being something that will make money in the time it takes for us to ride up an elevator?? If you can’t, then most likely, it’s not that great of an idea.

This is the concept behind The Perfect Pitch. The Perfect Pitch 2009 competition is giving the opportunity to business people, entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, or even students to submit videos of their Elevator Pitch and get a chance to get funded. At the conclusion of the competition, the top 3 finalists will present at The Perfect Pitch Entrepreneur/Investor Conference at The Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey October 26, 2009. To submit your business idea and get a chance to pitch in front of Richard Branson and our judges panel made up of investors and GET FUNDED, visit www.ThePerfectPitch.com.

Who will be listening? The judges panel is made up of heavy hitters from these investment institutions:

August Capital - $1.3 BillionVCFirm

Cal Cap Partners - $200 MillionVCFirm

Rustic Canyon Partners - $700 MillionVCFirm

QualcommVentures - $500 MillionVCFirm

Price Waterhouse Coopers – Business Consulting &VCIndustry Analyst

SIR RICHARD BRANSON And of course, our main guest of honor and breakfast keynote speaker who will listen to the top 3 finalists pitch their idea at the entrepreneur conference: Sir Richard Branson.

The conference itself is something special to be a part of. On top of Richard Branson speaking, there will also be many different experts from the business industry sharing their expertise, experience, and stories on how they became successful. To buy tickets to the Entrepreneur/Investor Conference, visit www.ThePerfectPitch.com.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the participants in the business panel discussions we have put together for you:

	INVESTOR PANEL
	John Babcock Partner - Rustic Canyon Partners An experienced venture investor, John Babcock has been a partner at Rustic Canyon Partners since the firm’s formation in 1999. John brings over 15 years of technology industry experience to both the firm and our portfolio companies. He focuses on investment opportunities in clean technology, technology-enabled services, outsourcing and advanced construction materials. Rustic Canyon Partners is one of the largest venture capital firms in Southern California. Rustic Canyon invests in seed-stage and later-stage opportunities typically requiring a $2-4 million initial investment.
	John Morris Chairman Emeritus - Tech Coast Angels; Managing Director - GKM Ventures John is both an active investor and an advisor for early-stage companies. He is a co-founder of the Los Angeles branch of Tech Coast Angels. John’s has previous experience in investment banking and venture capital with Sutro & Co., Wedbush Morgan Securities and NewCap Partners. John started his VC career as a partner with First Interstate Venture Capital. Tech Coast Angels is the largest angel investor organization in the country. GKM Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on IT companies in the western U.S.

	TECHNOLOGY & TRENDS PANEL
	Jason Nazar CEO/Founder - Docstoc Jason is the Co-Founder and CEO of Docstoc. Before starting Docstoc, he was a partner in a venture consulting firm in Los Angeles where he worked with dozens of startups. He holds have a BA from UCSB and his JD/MBA from Pepperdine University, where he was the Student Body President of both Universities. Docstoc.com is the premier online community to find and share professional documents.
	Jeff Tinsley CEO/Founder - MyLife.com Jeff is the founder of MyLife.com, which was formerly known as Reunion.com. Jeff is experienced in building profitable online ventures. Among his past successes are RealityTracker, GreatDomains.com and Intelligent Business Concepts. He has also invested in several other successful companies. MyLife.com is America’s largest and most comprehensive people search service with over 30 million registered users.

	ENTREPRENEUR PANEL
	Steven Lipscomb CEO/Founder - World Poker Tour Steve founded the World Poker Tour with a vision to create a professional league of poker players comparable to the various professional sports leagues. His experience as both an entrepreneur and television/film producer enabled him to achieve his vision. The WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded company that oversees the World Poker Tour brand and various tournaments, programs and internet operations.
	Wing Lam Founder - Wahoo’s Fish Taco While surfing in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, Wing and his two brothers would refuel on freshly-prepared tacos found in roadside stands. Wing’s family had operated restaurants in Brazil and California. In 1988, Wing and his brothers decided to import the fish taco they craved and give it a unique twist. Wahoo’s was born. They combined the freshest ingredients with Brazilian recipes and an Asian flare. Wahoo’s restaurants became a respected brand among avid surfers. Wahoo’s Fish Taco operates 53 locations (and growing) in California, Colorado, Hawaii and Texas.

	EFFECTIVE WEB DESIGN & SEO - BREAKOUT SESSION
	Tony Adam SEO Manager - Yahoo! Tony Adam has been involved in technology since 2001, with a focus on Internet Marketing, Product Development, Social Media and SEO. He has worked with many SMBs, startups, and larger organizations such as PayPal and Yahoo! Tony currently works at Yahoo! as SEO Manager for Yahoo! Audience Marketing, specifically on the Traffic Acquisition Team. He is currently involved in creating SEO strategies and tactical SEO advice for various Yahoo! Properties. Yahoo! is one of the world’s largest internet companies with a network of integrated services and over 500 million users worldwide.
	Jackie Peters Founder - Heavybag Media Jackie started out as a developer during Web 1.0 - her career went from there to screen design, to multimedia development and ultimately to building and executing communication strategy. In 2001, Jackie co-founded Heavybag Media. Her role is to develop marketing strategies that utilize social tools, community platforms, traditional and non-traditional media and technology in order to enable brands to engage their audience on a meaningful level. Heavybag Media is an interactive marketing firm, which believes that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and understanding how all of the parts work together makes it even greater.

	PR & MARKETING TACTICS THAT WORK - BREAKOUT SESSION
	Tyler Barnett Founder - Barnett Ellman Tyler Barnett was recognized as one of Business Week’s “Best Young Entrepreneurs Under 25.” He represents some of America’s best-known brands and has demonstrated a particular skill in using technology marketing to drive PR campaigns. Barnett Ellman is a public relations firm dedicated to firms interested in targeting the millennial generation.

	WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BUSINESS FORMATION - BREAKOUT SESSION
	Chas Rampenthal General Counsel - LegalZoom Chas Rampenthal is experienced in general corporate, partnership, venture capital and securities law. Before joining LegalZoom, he was a founding partner of Belanger and Rampenthal LLC and was an associate at firms in Boston and Los Angeles. Chas was also an officer and aviator in the United States Navy. Chas is admitted to practice law in both California and Massachusetts. LegalZoom is a legal document service company that helps people create legal documents, including business formations (incorporations, LLCs and DBAs), patents, copyrights and trademarks.

Luis Guajardo |

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Thursday

25Jun

Childhood Reborn - Hasbro's 6 Year Deal with Universal and EA

Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 09:03PM

Branded entertainment has quickly become one of the most successful advertising units money can buy. When executed correctly, it can not only increase sales, but it can brand/rebrand a company or product and take it to new heights.

The biggest example of branded entertainment producing monstrous results is in the film industry. The comic book movies started it all. In 1966, “Batman: The Movie” was released. But since that was based more on the hit TV series than the comic book, I give credit to 1978’s “Superman” with Christopher Reed as the first comic book feature film. It launched the genre into the mega-blockbuster industry it’s become today.

We all have seen what this form of branded entertainment has become. Not only are these long form commercials making millions, but they are also revitalizing many of these ancient comic book heroes into modern day celebrities: Action figures, comic books, coloring books, lunchboxes, etc. What could have been an extinct trend is remade into the hottest toy over and over again…branded entertainment is powerful.

Transformers launched a new era in branded entertainment. No longer did it require for 50 years of a comic and millions of loyal fans to produce a feature film. Action figures and classic TV shows are pulling the same numbers from adults and children alike. G.I. Joe has even found its way on the major screen.

If there’s one thing this country is notorious for. its taking trends and exploiting them until every last penny is squeezed out of it. Hasbro’s latest deal with Universal and Electronic Arts may be just that. They have signed a 6 year exclusive deal with Universal to create feature films based on Hasbro products: “Monopoly,” “Clue,” “Ouija,” “Battleship,” “Magic, the Gathering” and “Stretch Armstrong.” The deal with EA will be to create video games on these same properties.

So basically, Universal has agreed to create 6 2-hour long live-action commercials and EA to create games (which will undoubtedly consume 10+ hours of each person life who plays them - EACH GAME) of their most popular titles of all time. Not only will these “films” and video games create millions in revenue on resurrected sales of Hasbro’s products…but we, the public, will also pay $10-$15 to go see the two hour long commercials and $50 to play the game too!!!

On one side, I feel a bit embarrassed to be part of a society that is so easily influenced. On the other, way to go Hasbro…you are marketing geniuses.

Luis Guajardo |

Yelp Makes a Mistake on Inappropriate Title: "Put the Fun Between Your Legs"

Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 10:01PM

I went up to San Francisco this past weekend to support my sister in her event “dine for a change” - A benefit for the San Francisco Women Against Rape which provides free services to victims of rape. She worked really hard, and from what I was hearing from initial reports around the city, it seemed to be a success.

She was able to bring Yelp on board as a marketing partner. They donated a newsletter sponsorship that went out to San Francisco yelp members to SFWAR. This means that Yelp sent out a newsletter which read “sponsored by SFWAR” with a link to the website under the article title and also included a banner ad for the “dine for a change” event at the bottom. Great exposure; great job Erica.

Well, turns out Yelp made an honest mistake, but one that should have been caught. The topic of the newsletter that SFWAR was attached to was about bicycles. A normal topic, nothing crazy about it. That is until the writer came up with the title “Put the Fun Between Your Legs” - sponsored by San Francisco Women Against Rape! I’m sure it was just a simple overlook. Editors may not have realized that SFWAR was an organization treating rape victims. But you can imagine the displeasure of many supporters of SFWAR and victims of rape that read that newsletter.

To my sister’s horror, she began to receive emails from people about the mistake minutes after the newsletter went out. Even Yelp itself was getting phone calls from people complaining about the inappropriateness. Yelp owned up to the mistake and sent a correction with a new, more appropriate title and an official apology for the overlook.

In the end no real harm was done and one could even look back and chuckle at what happened (since it was an innocent overlook). As for my sis…no press is bad press. She got two releases and probably more attention to that article, SFWAR, and “dine for a change” because of the incident.

You can actually tell when they release the correction because people comment on that. The funniest response is the first person to realize the inappropriateness:

Anyone else notice the tasteless combination of an email title of “Put The Fun Between Your Legs” and just below the title, the statement “This Weekly Yelp brought to you by SF Women Against Rape”

Click here to see all the comments: http://www.yelp.com/topic/san-francisco-put-the-fun-between-your-legs

Luis Guajardo |

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Monday

01Jun

Tiesto Performs at Private White Party in Hollywood Hills

Monday, June 1, 2009 at 04:13PM

Anytime I get to watch good music, be it at a concert hall, Hollywood club, or private party, it’s always a treat. This past Friday was much more than a treat. In front of barely a few hundred people, Tiesto took the stage at DJ Val Kolton’s VMODA House high atop the Hollywood Hills. The theme was set as a white party and everybody, I mean everybody, was dressed in white.

The house was decked in white sheets stretched to the top of the 30 ft ceilings of Val’s house. The house itself is unique as it resembles more of a club inside than a place of residence. The ceiling is lined with smoke and light machines and a sound system that make several of the clubs here in Hollywood look amateur.

What’s a classy party without the classy food and beverages: Steak quesadillas, stuffed portobella mushrooms, cucumbers wrapped with prosciutto, champagne, wine, and never-ending vodka were just a few of the things I can recall consuming. After a while, the dancing occupied all of my time and I soon forget the gourmet food.

Tiesto was nothing short of amazing as usual. He had the whole house rockin’ on the dance floor screaming and flailing their hands in the air. Cameras were flashing like crazy as everyone was trying to catch this rare moment on film. DJ Val Kolton closed out the night and kept the party going until the wee hours in the morning. Even once the sun was coming up, we just simply moved to the movie theatre room (which has no windows) where Val already had a DJ table set up so the music never quit.

Plain and simple…one of the funnest (yes I used funnest) nights I have had in a while. My legs hurt from dancing so much.

Keep in mind, June 20th, DJ Val Kolton, Marshal Barnes, Casey Connor, Mr. White, and headliner Cedric Gervais will join Hollywood in taking over The Riviera Resort and Spa in Palm Springs. I imagine there will be many more moments similar to this past Friday to make yet another weekend to remember.

If you’re in town then, you need to seriously consider booking a room. You can go to My House, Guys and Dolls, Foxtail, or any of the other Hollywood Clubs anytime you like, but the Summer Solstice is only once a year.

The longest party on the longest days of the year. There will be a Day Pool party and Night Event. Words can’t describe, so check out the Summer Solstice 2009 Website and book a room NOW: http://www.thescene.com/solstice

Luis Guajardo |

NBA Playoffs Rigged? - Superstar Politics

Saturday, May 23, 2009 at 05:00PM

For those of us who closely follow the NBA Playoffs, we all have definitely seen it: The Nike muppet Kobe and Lebron commericial and the Vitamin Water commercial are being shoved down our throats every TV timeout. Add in the individual Kobe and Lebron commercials on top of those, and you feel like your in the middle of a tight presidential race.

Think of the amount of money invested in this showdown that the whole industry is pushing for…not only does it guarantee sold out stadiums with $1000+ ticket prices, but I would imagine the Vitamin Water and Nike presence on the game breaks will be like Microsoft in a computer store pre-1998: Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars of ad revenue.

We all know about the referee scandal that has tarnished the integrity of the game. You can’t help but think with the millions being poured into what has been coined the “inevitable” matchup, that there may be some serious lobbying going on inside the trenches in the NBA. The oil industry plays it dirty in politics, makes sense for the corporations to do the same in sports. I highly doubt Vitamin Water and Nike have Carmelo Anthony vs. Dwight Howard commercials on stand-by (Carmelo is endorsed by Nike, Dwight by Adidas), so most likely the networks and the NBA will lose out if the matchup doesn’t happen.

I’m sure the debate has its arguement for both side. Regardless, I think it’s a poor decision of the NBA to allow such a strong commercial campaign to occur throughout the playoffs. The scandal has put the integrity of the game and officiating under such scrutiny; the league should really keep tighter control over their image.

In this tough economy, cash is king. That means morals get only a secondary consideration. I will admit that the finals so far have been close, but in all honesty, that makes it easier for officials to control destiny.

Hey…if the economy continues to decline, maybe next year we’ll see Sprint launch a “Text the Champs” campaign where users can text in who they want to see in the Finals. There’s definitely some money in that!

Here’s the commercial for all to review.