Alex Federico (May 2009)

In case you haven’t noticed all the positive themes here in The Sunshine Club, we Celebrate Life,  Love, Laughter, Inspiration, Achievement; on days like today….we Celebrate Results.

My good friend and frequent Sunshine Club contributor, Mike Walter, often says… “There’s two things you can make in life: results, or excuses.”

My new friend, Alex Federico, is all about the results…   Even though the odds were stacked high against the successful entrepreneur, (owning 22 ice cream trucks), he took control and made it happen.  Breaking up with his girlfriend also proved to be a powerful motivator.

Could you imagine yourself being 100 pounds heavier than you are right now? Alex can, because he was.  Last May, he weighed in at 296 lbs. If he didn’t show me this photo from a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed him either.  Today, ‘the new’ Alex weighs in at about 200. If pictures are worth a thousand words, feel free to look at these ‘after’ shots and write a few of your own in the comment section below.    I’ll start…  1) Wow! 2) Holy lifestyle intervention Batman! 3) I’m proud to be Italian.

Like our other dynamic guests here in the Sunshine Club, Alex was kind enough to share his success story and sage advice with all of MMP’s readers.   Enjoy!

mp: I’m always curious about the “trigger.”  Describe the moment you decided to change your life.

Alex Federico (Summer 2010)

AF: “Believe it or not, the quest to lose weight began the day after me and my ex-girlfriend of 6 years broke up.  May 9, 2009, I joined the gym and weighed in at 296lbs with 24% body fat.  Today, I weigh somewhere in the area of 200 lbs. and maintain a body mass index of well under 10%.”

mp: What adjustments did you make to your diet, lifestyle, etc.?

AF: “My lifestyle has not seen very many drastic changes in the way of dieting- mainly because I don’t diet.  I eat whatever I want but I am just extremely conscious of portion control and the times at which I eat.  I have a saying that I tell everyone looking to lose weight: “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.” I do however workout for about an hour a day at 5am before I go to work with p90x, which is largely responsible for a majority of my weight loss.”

mp: Tell me more about the ice cream venture.

AF: “I started my ice cream truck business when I was 18 years old with one truck; currently I own 22 and have exclusive distribution rights to several large venues and park systems throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties.  Over the last 7 years of business, I have had extreme highs and dramatic lows but still manage to maintain order amongst chaos currently employing a little over 40 employees and managing about 30 or so national accounts. Although the ice cream business has been good to me over the years it is time to move on.  At the conclusion of the 2010 season I will be putting the ‘for sale’ sign on the door and moving on to my next venture in life which will be joining the family business out in Staten Island.“

mp: Now that you’ve dropped the weight, what goals are you currently working towards?

Life is good!

AF: “My personal goal since I was 18 has been to purchase a home by the time I’m 25. I am currently under contract and scheduled to close July 31, 2010 on a condo in Red Bank, NJ.  In business,  although the recent focus has been redirected from the ice cream industry to the family business which is plumbing supplies,  my goal  has always been to strive to lead the industry in sales and my goals shall remain the same as my career transition begins this fall.”

mp: When people see your photos, they’ll want to know what you learned throughout your journey.  What advice would you give them?

AF: “I’ve been offering the same advice to everyone I run into over the past few years in business, life and now in fitness.  Write down your goals and NEVER, no matter what anyone else says, GIVE UP!!!”

Thanks Alex, the Celebrate Life Team wishes you continued health, happiness and success.

Special thanks to my good friend, Gabe Savarese, for introducing me to Alex a few weeks ago.  He told me about Alex’s story and set up a quick lunch down the shore.  Gabe told me that in addition to Alex having a great story to tell, he was an awesome cook as well.   A few weeks later, Alex invited us both back to his beach house for a delicious barbeque lunch.   Life is good. 

Marcello Pedalino is a 3-time National DJ of the Year, ADJA Leadership Award Recipient and Health and Wellness enthusiast who believes that life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated.

If you have a Sunshine Club story you’d like to  share or know a person who should be on our radar, please submit an e-mail, photo or link for consideration.

What makes you happy?

The Birthday Boy, Artie Evans

There are a lot of reasons why I still drive 30 minutes to workout at the West Morris Area YMCA when there are plenty of gyms much closer to my house.   Like a lot of things in life, the people who you surround yourself with make all the difference.

I met Artie as he was coming out of the locker room a few years back.  He must have had a great workout because he had a nice spring to his step and said, “good for another 1000 miles!” as he passed by.

It was one of those When Harry Met Sally moments when you say to yourself, I’ll have what he’s having.”

Artie has a lot of fans at the YMCA.  That was evident by the large group of friends and staff who stuck around this morning for a little birthday celebration in his honor.  Being a fan isn’t too hard.   Artie seems to have plenty of  positivity and charisma to share with everyone.

I had the chance to chat with Evans today about his thoughts on life and his secrets to longevity.  He credits his wife of 60 years, Ruth, as being his foundation and thanks her for keeping him “in line” and “out of trouble.”  “She is the most wonderful wife in the world.”

mp:  What were some of the most challenging experiences over the years?

AE: “I made it through the war and the depression… I remember putting cardboard in my shoes when the soles wore out.” Then we both agreed..  “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

Since Artie looks like he is only 70 instead of 90, I figured he drank juice mixes like Jack Lalanne or something…  but his actual drink of choice took me by surprise;

“A Manhattan!  With 2 cherries.  One with the stem and one without the stem.”

When I asked Artie if he wanted to share any health and wellness tips with my fellow fitness enthusiast readers, he answered without hesitation.  “The Jacuzzi!”

The Artie Evans Fan Club

After warming up with cardio and hitting the weight machines, Evans and his pals talk about the stock market  while treading water in the pool and then cruise over to the jacuzzi to flirt with the ladies who just got done with their aqau-aerobics class. 

Finishing up his routine with a hot shower and shave, you might catch Artie on the way out saying, “good for another 1000 miles.”

Happy Birthday sir.  The Celebrate Life Team wishes you continued health and happiness! -mp

“When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to some: Life is Fun!“ – Benjamin Hoff   The Tao of Pooh

If you don’t appreciate true love, romance or rainbows and butterflies, it’s a good thing you weren’t at the Crystal Point Yacht Club last week because Erin and Paul filled the day with everything that would keep the owners of  Kleenex and Kodak in business for a long time.

You can check out their Wedding Day Movie Trailer and Love Story from Creative Video Editing below.  The Trailer features highlights of the day that Michael and Michelle from CVE captured and transformed into a short film.  The Love Story is an in-depth featurette that was filmed prior to the wedding that lets every guest at the reception know how and why these two awesome families are celebrating life together in honor of Erin and Paul. We decided to show the feature about half way through the main course on our projection  screen as a “dinner and movie” presentation.  Judging by the collective “oohs”, “ahhs”, tears and laughter from the 250 guests, it was definitely one of the reception highlights.

One of my favorite parts of the video clips were the vow exchanges, these simple yet significant hallmark-worthy lines stood out…

Paul to Erin: …”when it’s just the two of us, I promise to always be able to share a laugh and to talk about anything and nothing”…

Erin to Paul: ...”you are my soul mate, my one true love and the best friend I ever had”…

The guests also enjoyed seeing both Erin and Paul’s parents dance to their wedding songs later in the evening.   As part of our design session protocol, we like to find out as much information that the guests of honor are willing to share in order to personalize the occasion and therefore create fun, sentimental and memorable moments.

Another reception highlight was seeing Paul and Erin dance to a special remix of  I Want You Back by the Jackson 5.  It was special because they heard it at a tavern on the Seaside Heights boardwalk called the Saw Mill a few years ago and loved it… but never heard it again.  With a little research and a little help from Facebook, I found out that a good friend, DJ Mike West,  produced a mash-up using I Want You Back and Bartender by T-Pain in his sets a few times back in the summer of 2008.  Mike was gracious enough to dig it up and e-mail it just in time for the reception.   Watching Paul and Erin bust a move to one of their favorite songs reminded me once again how much I love what I do…. - make people happy and help them celebrate life.

On the subject of happiness, where do newlyweds like Paul and Erin go for their honeymoon after having one of the best days of their life? Disneyworld! Of course.

Special thanks to Janine Mincieli from the Crystal Point for her hospitality and professionalism.    This was our first time working at the venue so she took the time to accommodate our request to do a full site survey and review the production agenda details with Erin and Paul present.   Our goal is to confirm all of the event logistics like; the equipment load in, power supply, menu timing and special feature execution in the weeks prior to the reception so everyone is on the same page the day of and everything runs smoothly. Janine, a 17 year veteran, has the same intentions when she works with her clients and vendors so we made a great team.  I’m looking forward to the next MMP Entertainment & Crystal Point collaboration.

Special mention also goes out to Chris from Marconi Photography.  He was kind enough to share some of his artistry for this entry.  Chris was showing a bunch of great shots from his laptop on the seating chart table throughout the reception… these were a few of my favorites;

Erin and Paul share their thoughts about working with Marcello from Marcello on Vimeo.

Marcello trains with Peter Merry, the author of The Best Wedding Reception... Ever!

How does an award winning entertainment and event production company stay on top of the latest industry trends and continue to offer their clients a fun, unique and memorable experience for their once in a lifetime celebration? Simple.  They put in a lot of time and effort when it comes to continuing education.

Case in point, Peter Merry, the author of the new wedding bible, The Best Wedding Reception… Ever!, was in town to deliver his Professional Process curriculum.  My hand still hurts from taking so many notes.

Peter is considered one of the top Master of Ceremonies in the business. When my wife and I got married five years ago, we flew him in from California to make sure our event was elegant, yet festive and that our guests attended a “celebration with style.”  And boy did he deliver.  Since then, Peter and I have remained good friends- and fortunately for my clients, Peter has been a non-stop source of extraordinary ideas to implement into MMP’s social and corporate events when the need arises.

The Best Wedding Reception... Ever!

Peter is also the President of the Wedding Entertainment Directors Guild, an elite group of 20 entertainment professionals from the U.S and Canada who specialize in wedding receptions. I’m proud to be the only member from the tri-state area who qualified.  It was a rigorous application process which took over 3 months to complete.   My acceptance and current membership helps MMP’s discerning clientele distinguish our level of service and talent from all the other available alternatives- and to justify the significant difference in investment; Peter’s hands-on guidance and educational content has proven to be a priceless source of validation to this end.

I look forward to introducing all of the advanced level techniques I learned regarding entertainment, decor,  hospitality and event production concepts at our upcoming design sessions and celebrations.

It’s funny, The Professional Process made me feel like Luke Skywalker hangin’ with Yoda for two days of Jedi training.

“There are plenty of DJ Entertainment companies out there.  They all play music and they all make announcements…  but with dramatically different results.” – Peter Merry

You be the judge.  At your convenience, compare this, or this, to that.

(from Left) Dan Epstein, Maurico Lemonk, Camila Otero, Javier Seclen, Ellen Quentzel, Kurby Brown, Eric Kazmirek, Karen Farber, Artie Pellarano, David Patiño, Kerry Pratzon, Eileen Noelle, Joshua Lipnick (front) Carolina Wahnish Rivera, Wendy Robinson and John Peters

I was invited to join Mallus Award winning photographer, Wendy Robinson, and notable colleagues last night at her West Orange studio.  For those who frequent our blog, you’ll recognize Wendy’s name and her business partner, David Patiño, from our recent collaboration at the Park Avenue Club. We are also the preferred vendor at several of the same New Jersey venues like the newly renovated Orange Lawn Tennis Club.

Mauricio Lemonk was also in attendance; he and I have teamed up on many occasions including this memorable event at the Grand Summit Hotel that was featured on the MMP blog last summer.

Whenever I mention photographers in our event recaps,  I always stress how having a great personality is just as important as their artistic ability.  The tri-state area is home to some of the best photographers in the industry so finding one who will capture your significant moments with deftness is the easy part; it’s finding a skillful professional that knows how to put the subjects at ease, be unobtrusive and make great conversation throughout a session that makes the search so challenging.

Wendy Robinson and Marcello Pedalino

Last night, Wendy assembled an eclectic group of seasoned aficionados that fit the bill.    In addition to the expected exchange of pleasantries, networking and business idea nuggets,  light-hearted conversation topics included: the World Cup, Costa Rica, quitting smoking, the BP fiasco, the under-appreciated pleasure of a short commute to work, what it is really like to be a teacher in NJ, giving up Burger King and McDonalds cold turkey (that was mine) and the awesomeness of Pandora Radio on your smart phone.

In my opinion, a great photographer, like any highly sought-after professional, needs to be able to simultaneously do their job and make their clients and guests feel comfortable. The vibes last night were definitely indicative of these qualifications.   As far as their individual talents go, check out some of their sample portfolios online and judge for yourself.

Dan Epstein, Maurico Lemonk, Camila Otero, Javier Seclen,  Eric Kazmirek, Karen Farber, David Patiño, Kerry Pratzon, Eileen Noelle, Joshua Lipnick, Carolina Wahnish Rivera, Wendy Robinson and John Peters (Photo Lab).

Special thanks to Wendy for the invitation and her hospitality.   She’s opening a sister office in Morristown with David and Joshua Lipnick that promises to be as  prosperous as their West Orange location.

I wish you all continued health, happiness and success and look forward to our next collaboration.

This article was tailor-made for the Sunshine Club! Mike and Kelly turned me on to Michael Franti last year. His music, lifestyle trends and positive vibes found a new home here at the Celebrate Life headquarters. 

Robyn and I had the pleasure of collaborating with Jeff Fruman from Balloon Artistry and Barbara & Jack Koumbis of the Assembly.  Together,  we designed an afternoon of hospitality, decor, cuisine and entertainment that Jacob and his family and friends will always remember fondly.

Some of the event highlights included a Jazz Trio and a Coney Island photo booth for the adult cocktail hour.  Jacob and his friends had a private V.I.P section which was located in separate room of the Assembly.  (they needed a special V.I.P bracelet from Emilio, the bouncer, to get in).   This interactive portion of the celebration featured a DJ Hero tournament, the Paparazzi Challenge and MMP’s  famous pop-culture Game Show. As always, this portion of the event is designed to engage the guests and to warm them up for the reception.  It’s a like an exclusively entertaining and crucial opening act; it sets the tone and vibe for the rest of the celebration.  If your guests walk into the reception in a great mood, with a smile and ready to party, the odds are stacked in your favor.

*The Coney Island photo booth was rolled into the ballroom after the cocktail hour so the guests could continue to enjoy this uber-popular interactive and also so no one had to go back outside.  Ideally, you want all of your guests and all of the positive energy to stay inside the ballroom during your reception. Our photobooth technician also knows to temporarily pause operation during specific times like the candlelighting, motzi and special dances.

Upon entry to the reception, the Lefcourt guests were treated to L.E.D Lightscaping, modern balloon-art centerpieces, personalized visuals and an over-all chic-lounge atmosphere.  Jacob and his family and friends did not hesitate to put on their boogie shoes and get down tonight. (even though it was only 2:30 in the afternoon)

The rest of event was filled with dancing, sentimental moments, laughter, great conversation and wonderful memories.  Our candid photo specialist, Mike, captured many of these moments as part of MMP’s multimedia package.  The photos are taken throughout the event and featured on our dual plasma screens for the guests to enjoy during the main course and dessert.  After the event, all of the photos, including digital copies of the Coney Island pictures are given to the host as a keepsake. A select few are featured below.

Best wishes to Robyn, Jonathon, Hannah, Jacob, Grandpa Ron and the entire Lefcourt family.  We wish you all of the health and happiness that life has to offer.  Mazel Tov!

Encore Gallery: