Taming the Beast

If you haven’t been on a 10-year-long deep sea voyage or a stakeout in the outer reaches of the Himalayas, then you’ve probably witnessed firsthand the astronomical growth the Internet has experienced in the past decade. With over 240 million unique websites and 1.6 billion people worldwide accessing them, the Internet has morphed into an enormous and unruly beast with endless content choices, not to mention the sheer amount of data swirling around it. So what to do with such of information? Quantify it. And this is just what Quantcast has done. The three-year-old company has managed to harness the raw power that is knowledge by using their team of web analytics experts to measure and organize the Internet’s audiences. By typing a website into their profile engine, users can see a rough markup of any of the top 1 million sites' audience demographic, sites this audience also likes, daily traffic, and site rank, among other information. This online service is revolutionizing the method in which business and media companies target their desired audiences and the way the Internet itself is being viewed. So with Quantcast, maybe the World Wide Web isn’t such a daunting place after all.

Chat Attack

Here at the Choice offices, we try to exercise our creative juices at every opportunity we can, whether it’s through production design, promotional events, or social marketing. However, recently a creative outlet has presented itself in the wearable form of snappy t-shirts. And with that, Office Chat Tees was born. Formed about four months ago, Office Chat Tees makes a tongue-in-cheek art form out of simple, yet astute observations and quirky wordisms. Brought to fruition by the whirling imaginations of the office staff, this offshoot project is still in its early stages but is looking to the future with expansion in mind. So keep your eyes peeled – Office Chat Tees is coming at you!

Holy Catering, Batman! It's Choice!

Talk about kicking off 2010 with a BANG! and a POW! Choice Productions was just named Gotham Magazine's favorite caterer to use in the upcoming year! We are so proud of this recognition and would like to share it with everyone in the Choice family. We couldn't have done it without our knock-out staff and all of their hard work and dedication. We look forward to continuing our role as Gotham's finest!

And The Winner Is...

Matthew Kennedy! This clever Choice staffer was the only person to correctly answer, "Big Hairy Audacious Goal" and walk away with that fat $100 prize. In case you missed the action, "What does BHAG stand for?" appeared on the pop quiz which was handed out at the December staff meeting. Over 60 staffers made the attempt and only one was victorious. Congrats Matthew!

Thinking Inside the Box

As much as we make an effort to be eco-friendly here at Choice, the event production industry can be tough on the environment with necessities like disposable cocktail napkins, cardboard boxes, and most of all, plastic water and mixer bottles abound. However, change is in the air with Boxed Water Is Better. Designed to look like a milk carton, 85% of the BWIB container is made from a renewable resource: sustainably harvested trees. The Michigan-based company also ships the boxes flat to their filler, using 5% of a truckload instead of the 5 truckloads empty plastic or glass bottles would and reducing their carbon footprint even more.

Part sustainable water company, part art project, part philanthropic project (founders Kevin Hockin and Benjamin Gott plan to give 20% of the company's profits to water and forestation organizations), BWIB is looking to shake things up and help out the environment in the process. Although currently only available in Michigan and Chicago, Illinois, Boxed Water Is Better is working on making its way to the east coast and hopefully into the events of Choice Productions!

Give Me All Your (Chocolate) Lovin'

In the Choice office, our love of chocolate runs deep and vast and can be used to remedy any and all ailments, ranging from boredom to blah moods. Enter Anthony Anderson, Choice staff member and chocolate extraordinaire. Anthony's homemade raw chocolate is hands-down the best we've ever had and trust us, we've consumed our fair share of the sweet brown stuff. Rich and full-bodied...well, let's just say that when Anthony pops in for a visit with said treats in tow, we are all very happy campers!

Not only does Anthony make out-of-this-world-good raw chocolate, but he has a variety of mouth-watering and healthful recipes (along with other awesome sustainability and raw food ideas) on his blog, RawModel. Check it out at: http://rawmodelcom.blogspot.com/

Just Like Mom Used to Make

Well, almost. Recently Choice featured a Caramel Apple Pie Martini at one of our holiday events and it was just like having the real thing! Topped off with a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was a hit with everyone at the party. Here's the recipe to recreate this delicious treat at home. Cheers!

Caramel Apple Pie Martini
2 parts Dutch Caramel Van Gogh Vodka
1.5 parts apple cider
1 small scoop of Vanilla ice cream
splash of club soda
*Shaken and served in a martini glass
*Garnished with a mixture of ground cinnamon and nutmeg

Happy New Year Everyone!

2009 was a great year for Choice and we're expecting 2010 to be even better!! Thank you to all who have help make this year a success. We're looking forward to the upcoming year and we've got some very exciting things going on, so stay posted!

The party goers at this New Year's Eve fete rang in the New Year in style and celebrated into the wee hours of the morning, with the last guest leaving at 4 a.m. Now that's what we call a party!