Archive | Letter from the Publisher
To A New Year! By Ed Bertha & Kim Burns “Celebrate what you want to see more of” Tom Peters Once again we sit here and look back at another year passing us by. To some the New Year is a time to party, watch a few football games, and maybe make a few resolutions (Knowing deep down inside the resolutions won’t stick). It is all those things for us, but the New Year is also a time for reflection, a yardstick for measuring what I’ve learned so far, not just in the last year but all along the winding […]
Giovanni Lunardi – Looking Through The Lens By Ed Bertha “What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” Karl Lagerfeld “It was through a random act of kindness that I met Giovanni Lunardi in mid-2009.” In our second year of production Giovanni began shooting our cover feature stories. It was the care he showed in what we were producing that made the switch easy. Our first issue together was renowned architect, Carl Abbott. 55 issues later Giovanni celebrates his 50th year of photography by gracing this issue’s cover.
Suncoast Powerboat Grand Prix Festival Continues To Grow By Ed Bertha & Lucy Nicandri “As the purse is emptied, the heart is filled” Victor Hugo A recent Economic Impact Report released by Visit Sarasota County indicated that this year’s 31st Annual Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival generated an economic impact of $32 Million dollars for the local area, an increase over $26 Million in 2014. Direct expenditures also showed an increase from $17 Million to $20 Million. From out-of-county attendees surveyed 88.7% indicated that they traveled to the Sarasota area because of the race and 85% of those surveyed plan […]
The Dog Days Of Summer By Ed Bertha “It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine… It’s summertime!” Kenny Chesney The term “Dog Days” was coined by the ancient Romans, who called these hot and humid days “Caniculares Dies” or “Days of the Dogs” after the star Sirius. Sirius resides in the constellation of Canis Major, the “Big Dog”, which is one of the hunting dogs of Orion, the Hunter in the constellation that bears his name. During the Dog Days of Summer Sirius rises and sets with the sun, and the two stars are in conjunction. […]
Moving On By Ed Bertha “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Walt Disney Well at REAL we are moving on, Kim Burns and I, opening a new door and trying something new. We have moved and relocated the business to: 4367 Independence Court, Suite 2, Sarasota, FL 34234.
No Revving? – THUNDER BY THE BAY – Rev It Up! By Ed Bertha “You do not need a therapist if you own a motorcycle, any kind of motorcycle!” Dan Aykroyd No Revving? Are you serious? Once again Thunder by the Bay quietly ROARED into Sarasota raising over $140,000 for Suncoast Charities for Children. This year’s event enables Suncoast Charities for Children to continue providing support to Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children, which over the years has constructed area facilities valued at over $20 million dollars. This past year approximately 8,000 special needs children, teens, adults and their families benefited […]
Lights, Camera, Action! By Ed Bertha A phrase we all heard before, and you are hearing it again. REAL has produced video, like many others, and has hosted it on popular video channels. Now with the advent of WWSB ABC 7’s The View, we are progressing to television. Not me, rather the homes we feature in REAL Exclusive Properties. Beyond print, digital, web and Amazon Kindle distribution, our featured properties now have the luxury of an extra 800,000 viewers and additional hosting of the video segments online to reach many more viewers.
When Life Throws You A Curveball… By Ed Bertha “Do not try to dodge them. They are meant to hit you, to mould you and to shape you to become the person you are meant to be. Enjoy the impact, smile and move on.” Zainab Hussain Well that curveball was ultimately caught by Christian Lunardi. Our last issue was incredibly difficult to produce as the person trusted with final design and layout just dropped the ball and disappeared. Not professional by any means but the show must go on, and it did. We (Giovanni & Christian Lunardi and I) spend […]
What Was Web Hot in 2014? Some of our most popular stories were written before 2014. Our writing and SEO practices have staying power. www.GetRealExclusive.com 2014’s Top 10: 1 COVER – Carrie Riley, Riley Interior Design 2 FEATURED – S/S Motorsports Custom 1969 Bomber Corvette 3 COVER – Lauren Phinney (Dorsett), Former WWSB ABC 7 Anchor 4 COVER – China Smith, Boxer – Team China Smith 5 COVER – Pamela Hughes, Extraordinary Golf Clubhouse Interior Design 6 NEWS – 2010 Hooters’ Swimsuit Calendar Features Sarasota Hooters Girls 7 COVER – Dr. Vance Askins, Askins & Miller Orthopaedics 8 COVER – […]
Blondie’s, Goldie’s and Bertha’s By Lee Volpe ReaLee… I leave town for a month, Ed is now a BLONDE, and Elvis is on the cover?! And there’s more… In one month, my friend and Editor, has become some sort of, “Man about town.” Every night he’s out with this “pretty” blonde and that “frisky” blonde, dancing till dawn. I’m exhausted just hearing about it. Now he’s training with Val Vasilef, Mr. American (a.k.a. Elvis), and who better to get you into incredible shape? I am not saying the above mentioned is happening because of Mr. Bertha’s golden locks, and I […]
Lee Volpe Erma Bombeck Meets Sex In The City “Some know her as ‘The Volpe’, shrouded in mystery. Others know her as ‘Charlee’, the animal advocate. Friends know her as ‘Lee’, the caring, fun loving spirit. In this issue of REAL we fashion her fourth persona, ‘ReaLee?’, where her contributions interject some satire and witticism into our everyday lives. As Lee fondly shares ‘If it’s going to happen, it will happen to me!’ And it… MMMPH!” “…If you want to know, ask the source.
The Jewel Rising By Ed Bertha On April 14, 2014 the corner of Main Street and Gulf Stream Avenue witnessed the beginning of a rebirth. On that day ground breaking for Tom Mannausa’s $50 million luxury mixed use high rise, The Jewel, unassumingly took place. Many doubted. Many didn’t believe. I heard some of them. All the while Tom Mannausa diligently kept playing chess, moving through the myriad of hurdles and permits. Getting to know him, I never doubted his ability to bring his vision to reality. The Jewel is funded with cash to maintain a debt free project through […]
Sensationalism vs Journalism sen•sa•tion•al•ism – The use of shocking details to cause a lot of excitement or interest jour•nal•ism – Writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation Thank you Merriam Webster, enough said. Ed Bertha April 2014
Options Options. We all have options. Sometimes you just need to reflect and take a different path. Starting with this issue REAL has done just that. We brought the sourcing of our distribution lists in house and have contracted with Andrick & Associates to handle our bulk mailing. Beyond knowing exactly where the magazine is going, we now have the ability to develop custom proprietary lists, expand our distribution and are well under way doing so. Other times you need to look at what you do and how others can leverage the foundation you worked so hard to build. Over […]
New Year Wishes From REAL Magazine In this issue we visit with Action Realty’s Daniel Matusiak. His insight and marketing initiatives for luxury properties are opening doors and changing the game in Sarasota. We all need a little bit of style and fashion stylist Becca Smith will orchestrate the panache to make us styling smart. Last we go inside the Van Wezel Foundation with Monica Van Buskirk. This behind the scenes look illustrates what the foundation does for our community, beyond supporting the Van Wezel. Also, it’s time to say farewell to Lauren (Phinney) Dorsett. Besides her anchor role at […]
Friday, January 8, 2016
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