Press Release - Simply Interactive Supports Local Non-Profit
Redwood City, CA (May 16, 2006) – Substance abuse and recovery aren’t light-hearted subjects, but both topics will be on the bill Monday night at the San Jose Improv. The occasion will be a fundraiser for ARH Recovery Homes, Inc, the largest provider of drug and alcohol recovery services to Santa Clara County. Headlining will be nationally known comic Mark Lundholm; also on the program will be the first public screening of a video that spotlights ARH’s crucial work in helping addicts – and their families – escape the vicious cycle of abuse.
The video was produced by Simply Interactive LLC of Redwood City, and directed and edited by Simply Interactive president Rusty Worden. The project had special meaning for Worden – who himself was once an addict.
In April, Worden marked his 11th year of being clean and sober. Today he is married, the father of three children, and head of a growing multimedia company. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, however, he was on an accelerating downward spiral of addiction – alienated and drifting between Hollywood and the Bay Area. He credits a CityTeam program in San Jose with turning his life around. Years afterward, working as a multimedia and web developer at Cisco Systems, he was introduced to ARH by a Cisco manager who knew nothing of his drug past. She only knew that he was an active supporter of Cisco programs aimed at giving back to the community.
ARH's family-oriented recovery centers touched a chord in Worden. By then, a parent himself, he was impressed by the way facilities like the ARH-Parisi House on the Hill kept mothers out of jail, kept their children out of foster homes, and allowed them to go through treatment together in a positive, supportive environment.
"What hit home with me was their focus on the social impact of addiction," says Worden. "It’s not just the individual addicts who are affected by the disease; it’s also everyone around them. ARH doesn’t just help people recover their lives; they help families recover their wholeness."
Worden later was able to offer ARH the services of his own company, Simply Interactive, to create a video that would convey the value that ARH provides to the community. The non-profit happily accepted, and Worden led a camera crew that spent three days visiting facilities like ARH-House on the Hill and ARH-Mariposa Lodge, as well as taping in ARH’s San Jose headquarters, and in the South County kitchen of a former House on the Hill client. At each stop, the Simply Interactive crew documented stories of addictions defeated, families reconnected, careers rebuilt.
"We’re proud that our video will be on the program at the Improv event," says Worden, "but we’re even happier that it will continue helping to spread the word about the way ARH is making an impact in the South Bay. We hope it will encourage similar programs in other areas."
For more information on the May 22, 2006 ARH fundraiser at the Improv, see:
http://www.arhinc.org
To view an online version of the video, see:
http://www.simplyinteractive.com
Simply Interactive LLC offers comprehensive video production services, development of CD-based interactive media, e-learning creation, and a full suite of web services.
Contact: Jim Hatlo, Vice-president, (650) 365-3355 office, (408) 858-1388 mobile; jhatlo@simplyinteractive.com.
Corporate Video - ARH Inc
ARH INC.(
Flash 8 Video 45.7MB)
- This video highlights some folks in recovery and the hope ARH has brought to their lives.
I always do the best I can to give back the the communities that support us and the disease of addiction is one that is particularly of concern to me. I was thrilled when ARH approached us to create a short video to highlight the stories of some of those in recovery and show their path from no hope, to hope.
ARH is a tremendous organization with Andrea Wasko as the Executive Director. Under her leadership, in these few short months I have seen what energy, initiative and out-of-the-box thinking can do for an organization.
Case-in-point, on May 22nd they are holding a fundraiser at the Improv in San Jose. This will be a standup comedy event with all the proceeds going to help one of the best non-profit organizations in the bay area.
Mark Lundholm will be the main act.
What I think is awesome about this is how much work had to go into making the arrangements to let people have a great time while supporting a worthy cause.
Check out the flyer here.
Happy Birthday Matt!
Matt Lee has been with Simply Interactive for almost a year and we are extremely lucky to have such a talented guy on board!
He has single-handledly increased our quality in the editing room and has taken over our wedding department as the leader (that means that for weddings he is MY boss :-(
Jokes aside... Happy birthday Matt! We really appreciate you.
Wedding Video: Susan and John - Dolce Hayes Mansion
Obviously our wedding video staff has been to a lot of locations for the events we are hired to cover. A few stand out from the rest.
Palmdale Estates,
Thomas Fogarty Winery,
Nestldown (note the lack of an "E"). All of them are fantastic.
The Dolce Hayes Mansion stands out from all the rest though. John and Susan had us there to shoot their video and provide some "break-out" entertainment for the guests in the form of a photo-montage that played on one of our flat-panel LCD multimedia displays.
First, the Dolce Hayes Mansion is absolutely stunning. An oasis set in the center of South San Jose (right behind my house). The sweeping lawns in the front offer an incredible front-piece leading to one of the more incredibly architected buildings you'll find in San Jose. Absolutely elegant and beautiful.
For photographers and videographers it also offers a huge range of settings for staged shots and portraits.
The Dolce Hayes Mansion is an all-inclusive location that provides several options for ceremony sites, both indoors and outdoors. It also allows for a wonderful bridal suite for getting ready in the morning. Reception options are also abundant, suitable for large and small parties.
By far, the Dolce Hayes Mansion is one of the most versatile locations we've been to.
But what makes us recommend them to our clients and visitors to our site is their unwavering dedication to customer service. This quality is apparent to all in how fluidly the Dolce Hayes staff works together to make the event a flawless one for their clients.
As a multimedia company that offers wedding videography, it is VERY important for us to recommend service providers that do more than meet quality guidelines. A lot of locations are beautiful. We recommend the ones that are both beautiful AND offer amazing customer service.
Because we refuse kickbacks from other vendors who we refer our clients and site visitors to (and do not offer kickbacks to people who refer us as well), we hope you'll take to heart our recommendations.
