Crains New York - June 11, 2012 - (Page 6)

Green EconomyFour Decades in Development NEW YORK,NEW YORK edited by Valerie Block Champions of the Earth 2012 Honoured in Rio De Janeiro on the Eve of World Environment Day and Rio+20 Science and Innovation Sander Van der Leeuw Entrepreneurial Vision Fabio Barbosa Grassroots Initiative Samson Parashina Policy Leadership Tsakhia Elbegdorj Entrepreneurial Vision Sultan Al Jaber Inspiration and Action Bertrand Piccard M Catalpa NYC: more than a music festival www.unep.org/champions ost music festivals are all about the acts. Catalpa NYC, a twoday event that makes its New York debut at Randall’s Island on July 28, will offer a more eclectic mix of entertainment. ¶ Ticketholders tired of waiting for the next band might find relief by dipping into a hot tub and sipping champagne. Lovers struck by lightning could get “hitched” in the inflatable marriage chapel. Those who can’t relate might dance to their own drummer in a tent while listening to disco on headphones. Other attractions include a sculpture that shoots 30-foot flames and a possible piece of art from Yoko Ono. “If people don’t walk into the site and say, ‘What the hell is this?’ I won’t be happy,” said Catalpa founder Dave Foran. ¶ Of course, Catalpa will boast more than 27 musical acts and DJs, including headliners the Black Keys, Snoop Dogg and Girl Talk. ¶ Mr. Foran, 28, hails from Ireland, where his father is a concert producer. His 2year old company, Frisky Productions, produced a concert tour in Brazil last year for Snoop Dogg. He hopes to establish Catalpa as an annual event in the Big Apple, but he needs to get the word out now. ¶ Catalpa can accommodate 22,500 people a day, but so far it’s sold just a few thousand tickets, which go for $179 for two days or $99 for one day. VIP tickets, which include the hot tubs, run for $279. ¶“Year one for a festival is difficult,” said Mr. —lisa fickenscher Foran. “You sell the vast majority of tickets in the last two weeks.” Book club revival pleases publishers There’s no question that the return of Oprah’s Book Club is good news for the publishing industry. What remains to be seen is whether Oprah Winfrey’s picks still become blockbusters, now that the “Oprah’s Book Club 2.0” segment will appear on her cable network, OWN, which attracts fewer than a quarter of the 8 million viewers who tuned in for her broadcast show in its heyday. So far, signs are mixed. A spokesman for Knopf, the publisher of the club’s first pick, Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, noted that in the week since the announcement, sales spiked 500%, Walmart and Sam’s Club ordered the title for the first time since it’s debut in late March, and Target, which had been carrying the book, increased distribution. Though Wild never topped Amazon’s best-seller list—where Oprah’s picks used to go—it did jump to No. 7 the day after the announcement and has remained in the top 20. What’s more, e-book editions, including one with Oprah’s comments, are outselling print copies. “Sales are increasing on a daily basis,” the spokesman said. Altogether Knopf has shipped 225,000 newscom 6 | Crain’s New York Business | June 11, 2012 hardcover copies of the title, which spent five weeks on the New York Times best-seller list following its publication. It just got back on the list, at No. 14. —matthew flamm help draw attention to the theater. “We’re very confident that this festival will put us on the map,” she said. —miriam kreinin souccar Folksbiene plans Jewish arts event The National Yiddish TheatreFolksbiene has something to kvell about. The nearly 100-year-old nonprofit is planning a new performing-arts festival for New York City that will present theater, music, film and art from around the world, centering on Jewish culture and identity. The weeklong event, the Kulturfest International Festival of Jewish Performing Arts, is slated to take place in June 2015 to coincide with the theater’s centennial. The festival will be formally announced June 12 at Folksbiene’s gala concert and Neil Sedaka tribute at Town Hall. Kulturfest is part of Folksbiene’s strategy to re-energize its mission by focusing on new work and broadening its audience base. It has received a $250,000 grant from deeppocketed supporters to develop the event and is looking to raise another $1.25 million. Bryna Wasserman, Folksbiene’s executive director, said she expected the festival to NFL legend buys LI lacrosse team NFL Hall of Fame running back and lacrosse legend Jim Brown has big plans for the Long Island Lizards. Mr. Brown joined Medallion Financial Corp. and other investors to snap up the lacrosse team for roughly $1.5 million earlier this month. “I think for the young guys I can be an inspiration,” said Mr. Brown, who played lacrosse at Manhasset High School and Syracuse University. “It’s a business move, but it’s a move of love.” From 2010 to 2011, participation in the sport nationally grew by almost 10%, according to a survey by U.S. Lacrosse. The 76year-old Mr. Brown hopes to get more minorities on the field. Medallion President Andrew Murstein said he sees “no reason why the team can’t be worth 10 times what we paid for it.” He plans to generate revenue through corporate sponsorships as well as Lizards-sponsored camps and youth clinics. —ken christensen catalpa festval http://www.unep.org/champions http://www.unep.org/champions http://www.facebook.com/crainsnewyork http://www.facebook.com/crainsnewyork

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - June 11, 2012

Crains New York - June 11, 2012
Table of Contents
Local hospitals suffer growing pains
Meet two of the busiest property buyers in town
Sin City: Pot, pop and ponies, by the numbers
New York, New York
Brooklyn Heights morphs into retail hot spot
The Insider
Real Estate Deals
Viewpoint
Greg David: Why city’s med centers must merge or die
Small Business
Plus: NY’s top hospitals list
Classifieds
For the Record
Tourists’ ticket to exclusive events
How to overcome the tech talent shortage
Executive Moves
Dewey partner down but not out
Hot and spicy at Singapura
The Weekahead

Crains New York - June 11, 2012