RAINE MAGAZINE Volume 20 | Innovate

INSPIRE CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS [I.C.E] 

RAINEQUARTERLY 

I N N O V A T E ! 

VOL 

20 

DR. BEN CARSON TALKS 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

PENTATONIX OPENS UP 

DISCOVER TOBAGO 

$10.99 

T H E W O R L D ’ S M O S T F A S H I O N A B L E B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E

Two E Bar/Lounge 

Blending classic elegance with modern mixology 

Two E Bar/Lounge at The Pierre, A Taj Hotel, New York 

2 East 61st Street at Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10065 

www.twoeny.com

RAINE 

INSPIRE CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS [I.C.E.] VOL 20 

MAGAZINE 

FASHION TO LIVE FOR 

Make a Statement in White 4 

Baubles of Beauty 10 

Dare to be Different 22 

The Casual Side of Things 28 

Reinvent Yourself 48 

Pushing Boundaries 75 

Eco-Fashion 96 

ENTREPRENEURS TO WATCH 

Appreneurs 16 

Alumnify 26 

FRESH FACES 

Alysia Reinhart 53 

Al Sapienza 54 

Erich Berger 55 

Pentatonix 56 

Journey with Bruce Springsteen 58 

Antoinette Rose 62 

Patrick Vidal 63 

BEAUTY + FITNESS 

BUSINESS + TECHNOLOGY 

Heights in Real Estate 27 

Online Marketing 32 

Alleywire 33 

Must Read 35 

Funding Wonder 36 

Kickstarting Innovation 38 

Fashinvest 40 

Tech Toys 42 

Wearable Technology 45 

RAINEMAKERS 

Ben Carson 80 

Summer Body 65 

Chris Ogbonnaya 66 

Blond Ambition 67 

Agency Inn 70 

Beauty on Wheels 71 

CULTURE 

Caribbean Breeze 84 

Workbook 91 

Introducing Onli 92 

Cooking with Gold 93 

Riudavets 94 

501 Auctions 95 

Nicole Noonan 98 

TRAVEL | EAT. STAY. CHILL 

10 Things to do in Tobago 87


Make a 

Statement 

in White 

Willow core bodysuit 

Willow drape front pant 

Photographer: Filip Konikowski - www.fkphotography. 

com.au; model: Cassie Lapthorne (Chadwick Models); 

make up and hair: Ana Makridis; stylist: Candice 

Lewin; photographic assistant: Ash Bradley

Willow drape jacket 

Marysia Honolulu zig zag bikini 

from Grace Melbourne 

RAINE MAGAZINE - VOLUME 20 5

Chanel blazer 

Willow drape front pant

RAINE 

INSPIRE CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS [I.C.E.] VOL 20 


EDITORIAL TEAM 

Nova Lorraine - Founder, Creative Director & Editor in Chief 

Marilyn Wilson - Senior Editor 

Derron Forrest - Business Development 

Janet Igah - Style Editor 

Kristopher Johnson-Hoyle - Sr. Associate Editor 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR 

Lisa Archibald 

RESEARCH EDITOR 

Bryson Littlejohn 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

David J. Freschman 

Javin Forrest 

Michelle Brown 

Maik Wiedenbach 

Liz Belivoskaya 

SPECIAL THANKS 

Carlotta Harrington 

Frederique Porter 

Javier Hernandez 

Natasha Gabriel 

Tina Littlejohn 

ART DIRECTION 

Martina Micko 

WEBMASTER 

Mredul Mani 

INTERNS 

Iesha Coppin 

Danielle Murray 

Jessica Gleason 

COVER CREDITS 

Cover Image - ONE NATION book cover 

courtesy Penguin Group 

INQUIRIES 

General: talktous@rainemagazine.com 

Advertise: advertise@rainemagazine.com 

Submissions: submissions@rainemagazine.com 

RAINE MAGAZINE 

NEW YORK * LA * SAN FRANCISCO * MIAMI 

CORRESPONDENCE 

Raine Magazine 

PO BOX 3021 

Windermere, FL 34786 

Raine Magazine is a trademark of Raine Creative Holdings LLC and is published quarterly. All contents, logos, and articles are copyrighted materials 

and all rights are reserved. Any reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of Raine Creative Holdings is prohibited. The publisher 

also reserves the right to refuse any advertising material for any reason deemed inappropriate by publisher. Raine Magazine’s subscription is 

$39.99. Please make checks payable to Raine Creative Holdings. To distribute Raine at your business, please email editor@rainemagazine.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE 

WELCOME TO RAINE MAGAZINE 

Wow! Can you believe it? It’s surreal that we’ve just 

produced our 20th Volume. Seven years ago we started 

a journey to help creative entrepreneurs discover, connect 

and support one another through a visually dynamic and 

resourceful media platform. Today, Raine Magazine exists 

in both print and digital formats and continuously looks 

to new mediums in which we can grow our reach and 

continue to inspire millions worldwide. 

Our newest issue – Innovate! is chalk full of goodies such as 

an exclusive interview with surgeon, philanthropist, activist 

and entrepreneur, Dr. Ben Carson. He takes a moment 

to share his thoughts on how his new book, One Nation, 

relates to entrepreneurs. In addition, discover 5 must know 

rising App-preneurs, got-to-have tech toys and some of 

the latest discoveries in wearable technology. All of this is 

nestled between pages of mouth watering fashion, fresh 

faces in film, fashion, and music - as well as tips to keep you 

fit and looking your best. 

We don’t just stop there. What’s a Raine issue without 

exclusive bucket list travel destinations? In this issue we 

take an intimate trip to Tobago, a small island off the 

coast of Trinidad in the West Indies. I fell in love with the 

warmth of the people, the delicious food, not to mention 

hot sauces (some of the hottest in the world), as well 

as the breathtaking blue waters. It’s a true sanctuary for 

relaxation, natural beauty and savory seafood dishes. 

I hope you enjoy our landmark issue. Please don’t keep 

Raine a secret. Share Raine with a friend and be a part of 

a powerful movement of inspiration. 

FASHION. ENTERTAINMENT. CULTURE. TECHNOLOGY 

INNOVATE! ISSUE 

VOLUME 12 

KENDALL 

JENNER 

what you don’t know 

MEET SHARK TANK’S 

DAYMOND JOHN 

PALAYE ROYALE 

ROCK & ROLL IS REBORN 

GILT.COM 

invitation only 

Nova Lorraine 

Founder and Editor 

D I S C O V E R T H E C R E A T I V E A N D U N C O N V E N T I O N A L E N T R E P R E N E U R

FASHION TO LIVE FOR


baubles of beauty 

photo: jeff sales 

make-up: meyloo 

hair: sadek L. 

styling : bernard gustave 

model: gabrielle @ oui management 

dress Fendi 

necklace , earrings , bracelet Diamani

jumpsuit : Patrizia Pepe 

necklace , earrings, ring : Chopard 


dress: D2squared 

necklace, earrings: Cartier

dress: Pleins Sud 

necklace , earrings, ring: Boucheron

dress: Christine Phung 

earrings, necklace, bracelet: Chanel

5 APP-PRENEURS TO WATCH

APPRENEURS TO WATCH 

InList Mobile app is an invite-only 

society for booking exclusive 

nightlife events at curated venues. 

The mobile application allows its 

members the opportunity to book 

reservations at exclusive nightlife, 

entertainment and charity events. 

InList is built by the nightlife, for the 

nightlife, and curates only the best events for its high-end clientele. 

The InList team is anything but ordinary, with co-founders 

Gideon Kimbrell and Michael Capponi, the app already has a strong 

foundation of elite members. InList has also acquired key partners such 

as David Drake (of LDJ Capital and the Soho loft), Matthew Murphy 

(of Appsurdity, Lemon, Chegg, Moli, E*trade), and Rameet Chawla 

(founder and CEO of Fueled), all but guaranteeing a strong start out of 

the gate. The exclusive app allows approved members to quickly create 

and save profiles, and then browse for exclusive nightlife, charity and 

entertainment events. Members can book reservations to any event 

with just a couple of taps, receiving rapid confirmation. 

While there are a few apps that have popped up recently for 

booking tables at nightclubs, InList is the world’s only mobile app for 

booking luxury events and the only such app with a live concierge. 

InList’s events are anything but public knowledge. The company 

employs a team of experts behind the scenes to curate an assortment 

of only the most exclusive concerts, nightclub events and charity 

gatherings. After members make reservations, an InList concierge 

confirms everything with the venue; the dedicated, insider service 

guarantees the best connections to the hottest events. Exclusive event 

reservations for 

Miami, Las Vegas, New York City, Los Angeles and more! 

“Anyone can build an app. What we are building is trust and 

quality relationships both with industry insiders and our network of 

VIPs. It’s all about building an unparalleled experience for our members. 

People will trust InList to send them to the best events. They won’t 

bother even looking elsewhere.” Soon, InList will be expanding to 

notable international locales, including London, Paris, St-Tropez, Ibiza 

and Dubai. The future most assuredly looks rosy for InList. 

RAINE: What inspired you to create In List? 

KIMBRELL: I identified a need in the market. Nightlife hasn’t been 

modernized in 100 years. People still stand in lines and make phone 

calls to get what they need. I also recognized that I was uniquely suited 

to solve the problem, as I have a strong technical background as 

well as a background in arts and entertainment. Entertainment savvy 

people do not understand technology very well, and tech gurus don’t 

understand nightlife. 

RAINE: How did you fund your venture? 

KIMBRELL: I personally funded InList over the past 1-2 years using 

funds from my software business, Syragon. Syragon has produced 

software for Fortune 100 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, 

Barnes & Noble and more. I also leveraged suppliers, having them 

work for InList in exchange for convertible debt. Read my story in Wall 

Street Journal about how I did this. 

RAINE: How would you forecast your growth over the next three years? 

KIMBRELL: We expect to be booking over 2700 tables per month by 

2016. InList’s Michael 

Capponi knows the volume that clubs are booking through promoters, 

so we have inside information that we can reliably and accurately 

extrapolate. 

RAINE: What has the response been like to In List? 

KIMBRELL: People love the name. They get it right away. We are the 

only upscale product in this space, so it’s all about what’s “in” and 

being “in”. Everybody wants to be “in”, in the most nuanced sense of 

the term. People also love the quality of what we produce, our passion 

and attention to detail. 

It’s about quality for 

us. 

RAINE: Who is your 

target demo and 

market size? 

KIMBRELL: We are 

booking tables now 

for financial advisors, 

businessmen, lawyers 

and avid party-goers. 

However there are 

a lot of women who 

prefer the security and 

privacy of a mobile 

application. There 

really is no age limit 

on going out and 

having a good time 

- it’s more a function 

of disposable income 

& life events than 

anything else. Right 

now we have over 20 

venue contracts in 4 

cities, and we expect 

to have over 60 venue 

contracts from USA to 

Europe/Asia by 2016. 

RAINE: What has been 

the greatest challenge 

your company has had 

to overcome? 

KIMBRELL: It’s a fickle 

industry. You can sign 

up a venue and they 

are shut down a week 

later. Right now we 

know of 10 venues 

in talks to merge or 

change ownership - 

and club management 

staff are always being 

poached. But at the 

same time this is the 

reason we exist. With 

the app, you always 

are in the know. 

RAINE: What advice 

would you give to 

other entrepreneurs? 

KIMBRELL: Believe in yourself and what you are building. Build it to 

change people’s lives, not make money. Desire for money won’t give 

you the necessary drive to handle rejection, work endless hours and 

forge ahead. Build relationships. 

Photos courtesy of InLIst 

16 

RAINE MAGAZINE - VOLUME 20


F l i p N i c h e 

Images Courtesy of FLIP niche 

Created with gymnast in mind, Flip Niche co-founders, Jessica Johnson and 

Emily Kerwin,t designed Flip Niche to leverage popular social media channels to 

offer gymnasts and fans a unique platform to share, inspire and connect with the 

gymnastics community. The application utilizes a feature called “onboarding” 

which enables users to sign in via existing profiles. For example, as a user, I 

would be able to create a Flip Niche user account by connecting my Facebook 

or Twitter profile(s). Ultimately, it is a convenient method to gain access to 

features of the application, which include: 

• User Account: A unique profile which enables users to post status 

updates, send direct messages, display earned badges, invite friends and 

display in-app statistics. 

• Buzz Feed: An aggregated news feed featuring relevant gymnastics 

content, integrating Twitter and Google keywords and hashtags. 

• Flip Cam: An aggregated image feed featuring gymnastics-related images, 

integrated from Instagram and other photo-sharing platforms. 

• Chalk Box: A comprehensive database of discussion forums that afford 

gymnasts, fans and supporters an opportunity to share content, engage 

with others and offer valuable insight. 

• Meets: A calendar of USAG, Elite and Collegiate competitions in which 

users are able to check in, post comments and share pictures directly from 

the venue. 

• Top Users: A ranked listing of all time, monthly, weekly and daily users; 

users are able to acquire points by in-app participation (e.g. commenting 

in the discussion forums or watching videos). 

• Videos: An aggregated feed of gymnastics content, filtered directly from 

YouTube via user account or keywords. 

• Scores: A linked page offering accurate, up-to-date competition results 

from www.MeetScoresOnline. 

• Favorites: A collection of user-generated “favorites.” 

RAINE: What inspired you to create Flip Niche? 

JOHNSON: Flip Niche was created by myself and a former collegiate teammate 

of mine, Emily Kerwin. Both retired from the sport, and heavily involved in 

unrelated careers-myself, as a Digital Marketing Consultant, and Emily, as a 

very talented graphic designer-we still maintain a deep love and passion for 

the sport of gymnastics. Creating Flip Niche for a community of strong, young 

women who could truly benefit from its purpose, seemed like a natural fit, given 

our skill set and background. 


JOHNSON: I am fortunate in so many ways, but particularly in my marriage 

to my best friend, Will, who has always supported my (many) aspirations. Will 

and I met as student-athletes at West Virginia University, and though I’ve since 

retired from the sport of gymnastics, Will is fortunate enough to continue playing 

football in the NFL, with the greatest organization in the league: The Pittsburgh 

Steelers. Everything we do, every decision we make, is together-investing in Flip 

Niche was one of those decisions. 


KERWIN: It is my goal to see Flip Niche reach 5000 active users over the course 

of the next 3 years. If you think about it, this application is rooted in the idea 

of community; the more users that download and participate within the app, 

the better the overall experience for each user. What is more important than 

statistics, in our case, is continuing to develop a product that serves a purpose. 

Right now, Flip Niche is able to do that, but we have big plans for the future. 

RAINE; What has the response been like to Flip Niche? 

JOHNSON: Every individual we’ve come into contact with, either in-app 

or in the real world, has expressed nothing but positivity. We are constantly 

encouraged and fueled by their responses, and strive to build a solid community 

for gymnastics that is as strong and inspirational as the sport itself. It is our 

constant goal to positively affect the sport. 

RAINE: Who is your target demo and market size? 

JOHNSON: They always say, “it’s a small world.” Well, the gymnastics world 

is even smaller! There are approximately 110K gymnasts involved in the USA 

Gymnastics (USAG) program and just over 20K instructors. Our primary targeted 

demographic is young, female competitors, aged 6-18, that actively participate 

annually in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics as well as in any of number of the 

3000+ sanctioned USAG events. 

RAINE: What has been the greatest challenge your company has had to 

overcome? 

JOHNSON: Physically getting in front of athletes at large competitions. We’ve 

attended two major sporting events since the recent launch, and it is incredibly 

challenging to track down gymnasts and engage them long enough to get 

our message across. Flip Niche is something that needs a little explanation; 

other vendors, like GK Elite, have leotards, apparel and products that speak for 

themselves. From our experience, girls are so nervous before large competitions, 

like Junior Olympic Nationals, because they often times have the pressure of 

earning a college scholarship weighing on them. To try and interrupt their focus 

is out of the question, so we try to hang back until the competition wraps up- but 

if their performance wasn’t up to par, look out! 

RAINE: What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs? 

KERWIN: When the idea for Flip Niche was first put into motion, I thought it would 

be impossible to see through; you have to understand that an application of this 

sort has never existed in the gymnastics community. That was when we knew 

we were on to something. To see how far Flip Niche has come 

in such a short amount of time is rewarding. From a designer’s 

stand point, it’s been amazing to be able to integrate elements 

of gymnastics that can easily be overlooked. Gymnastics is a 

sport of grace and finesse paired with explosion and power-the 

graphics for any gymnastics-related application should reflect 

that reality. With this aesthetic in mind, we were able to implement 

bold iconography while balancing elegant photography. 

Entrepreneurs should be made aware of the impact that userability 

has on the ultimate success of an application. Recognizing 

that our target audience is under the age of eighteen, we try 

to focus on making Flip Niche exciting and easy to use. Being 

able to incorporate other social media platforms, like YouTube, 

Instagram and Twitter, brings the element of comfortability to the 

experience. When the user is able to understand the application 

and find true value in it, they are more likely to continue using it 

and share it with others. 

Determining how the graphics, user interface, and content 

engage the target audience is key to creating a successful tool, 

like Flip Niche. As a team, Jessica and I have made small changes 

throughout the process that have made a huge difference. If 

you’re able to find an untapped, niche market and successfully fill 

a void, consumers are going to buy your product. 



What started out as a project to develop a simple native mobile application 

that parents could use to remind their kids to do their chores and also to 

transfer allowance money to their hardworking children’s debit cards, has 

resulted in the birth of Pocket Change, a reloadable Visa debit card linked 

to the user’s credit card accounts, debit card accounts, and bank accounts, 

all monitored and controlled through Pocket Change’s smartphone app. 

“Pocket Change is a multi-functional e-wallet that will allow you 

to transfer funds to or from any bank account or card you link to through 

the software app,” said Myles Binford, Founder of Pocket Change, Inc. 

In addition to making retail purchases from online vendors, 

application users can pay-out and-receive funds from anyone with a 

debit card or bank account, and an email address, Twitter handle or 

Facebook account. Transferring money via the Pocket Change app 

is a way for users to easily pay the babysitter when short on cash, 

or to reimburse a friend for dinner without having to write a check. 

Pocket Change’s security is a state-of-the-art design. In addition 

to being able to turn the debit card on-or-off using the phone app, all online 

purchases made with Pocket Change are made using a temporary CVV 

number, assigned at the time of purchase and valid for only 20 minutes. 

“It wouldn’t matter if a card thief knew your name, your card 

number, your card’s expiration date, and the CCV number you used for 

a purchase last night,” said Binford. “They could not make a purchase 

with your card this morning, as they would not have a valid threedigit 

CCV number. And if this patented card security protocol isn’t 

enough to put your mind at ease, your money and your account are 

100 percent insured from loss, by Visa, MasterCard and the FDIC.” 

The virtual card has the ability to link to and control an 

unlimited number of bank cards, including gift cards, and bank 

accounts. Pocket Change, designed with users’ convenience in mind, 

is free for use. No monthly fees, free to load, free to send-and-receive 

money transfers between users, and no fees to use the card at pointof-purchase, 

when signing a sales receipt rather than using a PIN. 

“With the functionality of an actual account and all the consumerfriendly 

features that we will be offering, more than Google Wallet, PayPal, and 

Coin, it’s clear that we’re not just a really cool gimmick for your pocket,” said 

Binford. “Our Pocket Change card is going to become your new best friend.” 

For more information on the Pocket Change Card, go to www. 

PocketChangeCard.com. 

Pocket 

Change 

Images Courtesy of Pocket Change 

18 



FIND YOUR PERFECT TRAVELING MATCH 

About TripTogether.com 

Image Courtesy of Trip Together 

Most people prefer to travel with someone, but not everyone has a friend 

or partner to accompany them, or someone in a destination country 

to meet with. With this in mind, TripTogether was born. The brainchild 

of a small group of diffident but aspiring entrepreneurs with modest 

experience across travel, IT and social media. 

TripTogether.com is a social travel website designed to 

match single travelers for communication and sharing mutual interests 

through live chat, joint vacation planning, and discovering diverse 

cultures. TripTogether’s active membership has grown in a short time 

to now exceed 300,000 travelers and aspiring travelers from around 

the globe. The travel portal’s visitors come from more than 100 

countries and 11,000 cities, with to date over 80,000 trips discussed 

through the site. 

A great advantage of TripTogether is that members can 

instantly connect and chat live online with other members anywhere 

in the world in real-time. This feature is complimented by the site’s 

robust and user friendly email system. With exciting features including 

Live Chat, Trip Planner, and Email, members can map their journeys, 

discuss planned excursions, meet with new friends from overseas, 

show visitors their favorite places, and share their tips on travel. It’s the 

perfect time for a social travel network of this class. 

TripTogether provides an easy-to-use service catering to the 

natural desire of travelers to not only explore the world but to enable 

them to meet new people. 

RAINE: What inspired you to create Trip Together? 

TRIP TOGETHER: The growth of the travel sector, the growth of social 

networking especially online, plus understanding that there exists a 

basic human need for companionship, especially when traveling alone. 


TRIP TOGETHER: We’re privately funded by individuals, starting on 

a shoestring budget. 


TRIP TOGETHER: At least increase our sales by 

170% for the last half of this year over the first 2 quarters, but we’re 

hopeful to at least keep pace with the growth rate of revenue within the 

travel industry, but a 

RAINE: What has the response been like to Trip Together? 

TRIP TOGETHER: Response has been very robust, but we like to think 

this is due to our aggressive and savvy marketing approach. 


TRIP TOGETHER: Persons 25-65, average to above average 

income, highly socialized, active users of social networks, looking for 

new contacts in the field of travel. In 2014 there were 1.087 Billion 

travelers worldwide (UN World Travel Org). So THAT’S our market. 5% 

of these are active on travel social media and we see this trend rising. 

RAINE: What has been the greatest challenge your company has had 

to overcome? 

TRIP TOGETHER: The public’s understanding and therefore their 

embrace of the concept. Older users aren’t as computer savvy ad 

younger users, who take to our service very naturally. However, it’s the 

35+ demographic that has the disposable income to travel. So ours is a 

challenge to inform, educate, and create, if you will, a market. 


TRIP TOGETHER: Assume an attitude of perpetual optimism, don’t 

take yourself too seriously, read everything, and have at least one 

big laugh per day... 



Wonderloop is designed to replicate the type of first impression that people make 

in real life. People use the invitation-only app to create short profile videos (up to 

20 seconds) that allow them to express their personalities in ways that online photo 

albums cannot. Wonderloop helps users eliminate the endless stream of photos and 

extensive bios that plague other social media sites and introduce themselves in more 

personal and engaging ways. 

Wonderloop is not just about what you do, but about who you are and what 

you want for the future. It is a platform for meeting new contacts through personal 

introductions. Wonderloop’s mission is to change the way people connect in all aspects 

of life. Using Wonderloop gives people access to job opportunities, connections to 

people with similar interests and new friends. 

Download the app in App Store and your account will be approved after 

a couple of hours after signing up. Use the #rainemagazine to network with other 

readers! 

RAINE: What inspired you to create Wonderloop? 

AASE: I used to watch Oprah on TV when growing. The happiest moments for me 

was when I saw the joy on people´s faces when she gave something away. From that 

point I have thought about how to scale giving and connecting with people you don´t 

necessarily know. 

Conclusion was always that you need to see who the person is first. It´s the 

first step in every action when it comes to a new person. Now years later after growing 

up with Oprah, and I grew up mostly alone, I´m obsessed with seeing the power of 

how an app can change peoples lives as well as the technology being available to the 

world. We are in invite-only mode now, in order to not grow to fast and to keep up with 

also building the company. My vision is to get one billion people on a video-profile and 

chance the way we hire, invest, give and connect to others. 

THE WONDER 

OF VIDEO 

NETWORKING 

INVITE-ONLY IPHONE APP TO ADVANCE 

HUMAN CONNECTIVITY 


AASE: I self-funded the initial $250,000 to create the first version of the product. It 

was in many ways a challenge in the beginning because the money wasn´t exactly 

lying around waiting to start a company. But when there is nothing else you want 

to spend your life on, I believe there is always a way and I found it. At this point we 

have external investors who are helping us to raise our first seed round.After that first 

stage, As launching a product is also expensive, Wonderloop had been lucky to find 

one investor before our launch. We are now raising our first official seed round. 


AASE: Rather than focusing on numbers we want to see lives change and people 

networking with other awesome people. Instead we focus on the quality of the product 

and the experience of using the app over pushing our numbers. 

RAINE: What has the response been like to Wonderloop? 

AASE: It´s been great. The feedback from our users is that they think 

that Wonderloop is the coolest networking app ever. 


AASE: In many ways it´s the youth of today’s generation. We want to become the new 

young LinkedIn, with the US as our main market and focus. The app itself is filtered 

by age so that we can include all age groups without disturbing age differences too 

much. We want users who dare to share their dream--who want to connect with others 

and open themselves to networking across cities and countries. 

Image Courtesy of Wonderloop 

RAINE: What has been the greatest challenge your company has had to overcome? 

AASE: The tremendous amount of work a technical product demands in which you 

have back-end developers, front-end developers, designers, Apple guidelines - 

everything has to align just right. It’s like building a website every single day. 


AASE: Often we want big changes in life but without wanting to change it because 

it´s more comfortable not to. Do what makes you uncomfortable--focus and build 

something. 

20 


BESPOKE MEN


Dare to be 

Different 

Photographer & Creative Director: Lalo Torres 

Photographer Assistant: Bradley Carver 

Model: Benjamin Watlington @ The Dragonfly Agency 

Groomer: Stephen Jaime 

Shirt: Theory

Shirt: Unconditional 

Pants: Onassis 


Jacket: Zara 

Pants: H&M 

Belt: Gucci

BUSINESS | TRENDS 

Alumnify is a location based professional networking 

application that enables communication between mutually 

interested alumni. Using LinkedIn profiles, Alumnify pulls users 

professional information and uses filters to match potential 

graduates who are most likely to have similar interests based 

on their geolocation, industry, and education. Based on the 

outcome of potential networking candidates, Alumnify allows 

users to anonymously connect with members. If two graduates 

want to connect with each other then the users are “matched” 

and the application introduces the users in an open chat. This 

creates a job-networking tool that fosters relationships based 

on the affinity users have with their University that is fun and 

addicting. 

Leading up to their soft introduction of Alumnify, cofounders 

Eghosa Aihie and AJ Agarwal participated in two 

accelerator programs; Velocity SI Indiana and T-Minus Six 

where they learned how to build a viable product based on the 

lean startup methodology. During their time in Indiana the two 

founders created software program called Greekpull. It helped 

fraternity and sorority chapters raise money for projects 

through their alumni. 

After receiving customer discovery feedback from 

several universities that wanted every student on campus to 

have these opportunities, they decided to make a pivot into 

university marketing. Just graduating from the T-minus six 

programs in South Carolina, Alumnify is on its way to beta 

testing at several smaller schools in Southern California before 

releasing to their flagship school, the University of South 

Carolina, at the end of August. 

Images Courtesy of Alumnify 

26 



Reaching New Heights in Realestate 

Photo by Jason Jaskot 

At the young age of 24, entrepreneur Michael Comandini is on top of his 

game and proves that hard-work, coupled with a vision for the future is 

a recipe for success! Before entering into the ultra-competitive New York 

City real estate market, Michael worked in the fast-paced world of fashion 

as a male model. He has also had stints as a bartender, construction and 

has studied engineering, all of which lead him into his current venture. 

His varied background might seem disparate for a realtor, but consider 

the rise of the “reality tv” realtor; shows like Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing 

feature realtors with backgrounds ranging from soap opera actors to adult 

films, while HGTV has a cadre of camera-ready realtors showing amazing 

properties around the world. 

In his current position with Citi Habitats in Manhattan, Comandini 

has successfully worked the ups and downs of the housing market and 

most recently started his own team within the company. 

Beyond the sometimes outrageous television persona of modern 

day high-powered realtors, the sheer spectacle and ever-more-expensive 

NYC market, we talked with him about breaking in, what makes NYC 

special, and everyday business reality versus television fiction. 

RAINE: You’re originally from NJ, but you’re living and working in the NYC 

market. What drew you to NYC? 

COMANDINI: Living in NYC has been my goal since I can remember. New 

York is the greatest city in the world, and it has the greatest real estate 

in the world. Owning a piece of the island is very highly desirable and I 

couldn’t imagine doing what I do elsewhere. I have always been a person 

to shoot for the stars and this city and industry have no ceiling. 

RAINE: Before realty, you tried your hand at modeling, and some of those 

photos are still out there on the web. Have any of your clients questioned 

you about that? Does that confidence in front of the camera carry through 

to your confidence when you show an apartment? 

COMANDINI: Not as much as you would expect. Actually, I can only recall 

a few times it‘s come up. And I have always been a confident person. That 

carries through to everything I do. My confidence is built on my ability to 

perform. I know the inventory like the back of my hand and follow trends 

very closely. 

RAINE: Shows like Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing” and some of the HGTV 

shows definitely glamorize realtors; on “Million Dollar Listing” one of the 

realtors is even a former soap opera actor. How does that image compare 

to the real life grind of the real estate market? 

COMANDINI: I get this question a lot and always have to make the point 

that it is reality TV. While this industry is fascinating and has its moments of 

greatness and drama, it is definitely exaggerated on TV. Offers are usually 

not negotiated over dinner with buyers and sellers on the phone until the 

deal is made. If they filmed our actual everyday encounters, there ratings 

wouldn’t be nearly as high! 

RAINE: You recently started your own realty team, with a focus on lower 

Manhattan. How did that come about? 

COMANDINI: At the turn of the New Year I sat in my apartment and thought 

about what I wanted to accomplish this year, in 5 years, in 10 years. I want 

to be a top producer and sell multi-million dollar properties. I wanted a 

partner, and I thought of just one person who had my hustle and likeminded 

ambition. His name is Gill Chowdhury, an associate I have worked 

side by side with since my start in the industry. Thus the Comandini- 

Chowdhury Team was born. I live in the Lower East Side and work in the 

East Village and I absolutely love it downtown. Starting out I worked every 

neighborhood in Manhattan. The neighborhoods south of 34 th Street down 

to Canal were my favorite. I loved the unique and historical neighborhoods 

and knew this was where I wanted to work. This area is also the most 

competitive. Everyone wants to live downtown and is willing to go above 

and beyond to do so. We are now seeing record breaking price per square 

foot in many buildings. To me, there is no greater satisfaction than securing 

my clients amazing apartments in these hot neighborhoods. 

RAINE: Most important, how is your approach to the market innovative? 

What sets you apart from the other NYC realtors? 

COMANDINI: My approach to real estate is more innovative because of my 

engineering and contracting background. When I step into an apartment I 

immediately visualize what it could be. These renovations can be as simple 

as taking down a wall in the kitchen to make the layout more open, to as 

complex as rearranging the layout completely. I once had a listing in the 

East Village that had near original renovations and needed work. I spent 

three days renovating the apartment and brought in an extra $70k over the 

sellers asking price. Engineering has brought me an advanced knowledge 

of numbers that helps clients see the true value of an investment. It amazes 

me that nearly 80% of brokers do not so much as know how to calculate a 

mortgage. I love working with numbers and closely analyze market trends to 

see where your money has maximal potential for growth. The combination 

of my knowledge of the 

market paired with my 

math expertise allows me 

to prepare reports for my 

investors to show them 

not only cap rates, but 

how your investment will 

grow year over year. 

RAINE: You’re heavily 

involved in some 

charitable causes, tell me 

a bit about those? 

COMANDINI: Citi Habitats 

has a volunteering 

organization called Citi Cares. 

I’m my office ambassador, 

in charge of organizing 

events both company 

and office wide. I am very 

fortunate to be where I am 

in my life and I never take 

that for granted. This year 

I was asked by someone 

to help volunteer at a soup 

kitchen in the Lower East 

Side, and it happened 

to be on my birthday. It 

felt so great to give back 

and It was by far the best 

birthday gift I have every 

received. The next day 

I joined Citi Cares. We work with City Harvest to prepare foods for less 

fortunate New Yorkers, volunteer at soup kitchens throughout the city, work 

with Habitats for Humanities and host fundraisers for the American Cancer 

Society and Relay for Life. 

RAINE: There’s been a lot of talk about the changing upscale real estate 

market in NYC. The Village Voice recently ran a piece about old businesses 

being forced out, and Spike Lee has railed against gentrification in Brooklyn. 

What would you say to people who claim NYC is now a playground for the 

rich and has priced out “ordinary” people? 

COMANDINI: I would have to agree. The rising price per square foot on the 

island is making it more and more difficult for “ordinary” people to afford to 

buy here. This is forcing people outward to Harlem and the outer boroughs 

and thus causing a rise in gentrification. In fact, the market in South 

Brooklyn has nearly caught up to Manhattan. A record-breaking townhouse 

was recently purchased in Harlem for $3.6M by Neal Patrick Harris. I am 

also seeing many first time home buyers relying on gifted money from their 

parents. This allows them to afford the hefty down payment required to 

purchase these properties. 



THE 

CASUAL 

SIDE OF 

THINGS 

Trunks by Rufskin 

Photographer: Jason T. Jaskot; Stylist: Renessta Olds ; Make-up and Hair: Juliette 

Laracuente for Artist Makeup Academy ; Model: Tim Gabel, Silver Models

Shorts by G-Star Raw 


Board Shorts by Robert Graham, 

Shirt by G-Star Raw, Watch by Iken

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY


Ten Things Entrepreneurs Need 

to Know About Online Marketing 

by Alex Theis 

Online marketing is growing rapidly and getting the spotlight on your 

business can mean the difference between do or die. Here are our tips 

to successfully keep up with internet marketing and grow your brand. 

1. Your online brand is everything and everywhere 

Establishing your personal and, or company brand is essential 

in today’s business world. Your success depends on the brand 

you build and the presence you create. It’s everything. It’s also 

everywhere. From social media to your website, to what gets 

posted about you in a forum, take your online brand seriously. 

Marketing starts with your brand story, and your brand story 

is told online. 

2. Have a strategy, based on your goals 

Oh wait, you don’t have a goal, or is it just to make sales? The 

old S.M.A.R.T. acronym for goals applies to online marketing 

too: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely. 

The big goal of getting clients and sales starts with smaller 

goals. Once you know what you want to accomplish, create 

your strategy to get there. Many entrepreneurs fail to employ 

a strategy, which leads to online marketing failure. 

3. Analytics and metrics matter 

Measuring your progress helps you see what parts of your 

strategy are working and what are not. You can then make 

course corrections to get the most out of your online 

marketing. Google Analytics is a great place to start. 

4. SEO is worth the time (and money) 

If your potential customers and clients can’t find you online, 

you are missing opportunities, big time. Search engine 

optimization, or showing up high in a Google search, is critical 

to staying in front of eyes online. SEO isn’t just about showing 

up first when people search for your name or company. It’s 

also important that you show up when your ideal customer is 

looking for a solution, not just your name. 

5. Email marketing is alive and well (sort of) 

The days of spam and blind email marketing are dead. While 

you will still see companies trying it, unsolicited email is largely 

ignored, if not despised. But permission marketing through 

opt-in campaigns is alive and well. The important piece to 

takeaway is this: are you collecting email addresses from web 

visitors? If you need some ideas to get people opting in to 

your emails, see No. 10. 

6. Get help where you need it 

If you don’t understand SEO or analytics aren’t your specialty, 

get help. Your areas of expertise probably lye in your business 

model and product offer. Why waste precious time on these 

areas when you could be focused on what you’re great at? 

Even on a tight budget, you can find the help you need to 

grow your online marketing. Use social media and referrals to 

locate what you need. 

7. Use Twitter 

One of the biggest benefits of Twitter is the number of business 

people, entrepreneurs, and thought experts using it. Twitter 

is simply a great place to meet like-minded people, promote 

your brand to a new audience, and learn from others. Twitter 

doesn’t have to take much time either, and there are fantastic 

tools to help you use it effectively. 

8. Get a business page for Facebook 

A business or fan page is an excellent communication tool. 

People are spending hours a day on Facebook, and they 

love to check in with their favorite brands while logged in. 

Prospective customers may not be visiting your website daily, 

but they will see your Facebook updates and posts, which 

creates engagement and sales. 

9. Having a blog brings traffic and gives value 

Offering tips, advice, and education through a blog provides 

another place to drop people into your marketing funnel. With 

great content you can drive subscriptions, opening up more 

email marketing. When someone likes your blog material, they 

share it on social media, introducing you and your brand to a 

new audience. Keep in mind that a blog does not have to be 

written. Podcasts and YouTube videos can serve the same 

purpose, sometimes better. 

10. Scrap the database 

When marketing online, you want as many people put into the 

top of the funnel as possible. Instead of an offer that attracts 

less than 1 percent of people who see it, think of ways to 

appeal to a larger audience. Creating free, value-packed 

downloads or other offerings will get people clicking your ad, 

post or tweet, and viewing your website. Giving away great 

value also builds trust which is more important than ever 

before, with millions of online choices for consumers. 

32 



Three Innovators 

in Business from 

Alleywire 

image credits courtesy of Alleywire 

AlleyWire 

Neil St. Clair is the Founding Correspondent & CEO 

of AlleyWire, a media outlet showcasing founders and 

emerging brands in New York’s innovation community 

through video-centered original editorial content. Think of 

AlleyWire as Fast Company with a more visual voice. 

AlleyWire is a discovery platform showcasing the most innovative emerging 

brands and founders based in New York or affecting New Yorkers through original, 

editorially-driven coverage focused on telling human-centered stories for real people, not 

insiders. 

For the companies and founders we highlight, our goal is to help raise awareness 

about what they’re doing through video vignettes and our special segments–to introduce 

them to a new audience. 

For our viewers, we aim to inform and inspire–to give them access to ideas and people 

that help make things a little more extraordinary and allow us all to ‘Live Innovatively.’ 

AlleyWire’s ultimate mission is to stand in the shoes of our viewers, and find for 

them the most reliable and remarkable innovations and innovators, and allow everyone to 

connect in the City we all call home, New York. 

Courtesy of Straybootst 

STRAYBOOTS 

Stray Boots is an NYC-based tech startup that creates digital tools 

for the mobile traveler, enabling you to explore the world in new and 

engaging ways. Stray Boots lets anyone create their own personal maps 

or self-guided tours and share them with friends, or potentially make 

money off of their expertise by publishing their creations to the Stray 

Boots marketplace for public consumption. 

Stray Boots digital maps allow people to seamlessly create and 

share lists of their favorite places with friends in a way that’s simple 

and easy to use on any device. Maps can be created in a matter of 

minutes: you just log onto the Stray Boots site, plot a list of your favorite 

spots, add personal notes for each one, and share via a unique URL. 

For people who want to take things a step further, maps can also be 

converted into tours and delivered via the Stray Boots native iPhone and 

Android apps. 

Tours delivered through the Stray Boots platform are not your 

average self-guided experience; rather they play out like scavenger 

hunts, turning exploration into an interactive adventure; customers 

liken it to doing your own private ‘Amazing Race.’ Anyone wishing to 

try a Stray Boots tour can pick from over 75 experiences the company 

currently offers in 18 cities across the US & UK, or you can create your 

own tour anywhere in the world via the Stray Boots platform. Your tour 

is privately available to family and friends via invitations, or if you wish to 

make your tour publicly available on the Stray Boots website and app, 

you can submit it for approval by Stray Boots editors and receive 50% 

of the revenue generated by your tour. 

Since its launch, Stray Boots has received extremely positive 

reviews not only from travelers, but from locals as well, receiving a 4.5 

rating for their apps. Listed as one of the Top 5 Travel Apps to Watch in 

2013 by Travel and Leisure, Stray Boots has been widely embraced by 

the press, including the NY Times, TechCrunch, and Disney’s Family Fun 

Magazine. For more information visit www.strayboots.com. 


PLATED.COM 

Plated.com, an online dinner kit delivery service, is changing 

the way people across the country eat by delivering chefdesigned 

recipes and fresh ingredients directly to your 

doorstep. 

Founded in October 2012 by Harvard Business 

School friends Nick Taranto and Josh Hix, Plated brings 

restaurant-quality recipes home by providing pre-portioned 

ingredients, beautiful photography and easy-to-follow, stepby-step 

instructions with each recipe. Weekly menus are 

designed to include a range of cooking techniques and often 

incorporate exotic or hard-to-find ingredients. 

“Today, more than ever, consumers want to find the 

best [and easiest] way to eat better by cutting out processed 

foods and ingredients they can’t pronounce. Our motto here 

at plated is ‘eat better...live better,’ and we couldn’t be more 

excited to spread the word,” says Nick Taranto, CEO at Plated. 

Plated sources & ships fresh, seasonal produce and 

the finest cuts of meat. Each meal contains a generous helping 

of fruits and vegetables and is specially designed to be low in 

saturated fat; a typical entrée falls between 600-800 calories. 

In addition to offering vegetarian options, Plated also regularly 

offers gluten-free, dairy-free and pescetarian-friendly dishes to 

meet the needs of various dietary restrictions. 

To order from the menu, consumers visit www. 

Plated.com to view and choose dishes. The seven recipe 

options change weekly and include both vegetarian and nonvegetarian 

dishes. Based on the selected menu items, Plated 

delivers all the perfectly-portioned ingredients needed to 

make each meal. Customers may choose as many meals as 

they would like, and can cancel orders up until the day before 

orders ship. 

Courtesy of Plated 

KAPITALL 

Kapitall is the new way to invest, opening up the next category in the marketplace 

for engaging and accessible investing. Founded in 2008 by video game entrepreneur 

Gaspard de Dreuzy and financial technologist Serge Kreiker, Kapitall uses the gaming 

experience to break the established online trading mold. Jarrett Lilien, former E*TRADE 

President and COO, joined the team as CEO in 2012. Based in SoHo, New York, Kapitall 

has more than 210,000 members. 

With a focus on an intuitive and playful user experience, Kapitall is the next 

generation investing platform where modern investors can learn about the market, 

research stocks and funds, share investing ideas, and build virtual and real brokerage 

portfolios. Interacting with company stocks is as easy as drag, drop and trade℠. 

Kapitall empowerS investors with the tools they need to navigate today’s 

turbulent markets. And with rising expectations for user experience and self-directed 

financial life, we believe it is more important than ever to make learning about and 

playing the stock market radically more simple, exciting and engaging, something you 

want to do, not something you have to do. 

Kapitall is aa new type of investing platform, fueled by simple, engaging, friendly and 

intuitive cloud-based tools, to help you take control of your financial life, grow your 

skills and maybe your net worth. If you can drag and you can drop, you can trade. It’s 

as simple as that. 

Courtesy of Kapitall

MUST READS 

Chances are that you didn’t list your Facebook or Twitter accounts as business 

assets or sources of income on your tax return. 

But if social media consultant and network marketing expert Brian Krogstad 

is right, many of us will soon be doing just that, thanks to the launch of an innovative 

Internet-based business model, called Social Network Marketing. 

“Social Network Marketing is a business model that combines social media 

with traditional network marketing,” says Krogstad. “With this new hybrid business 

model, we’re going to teach people how to take their social networking skills, their 

social media platforms, combine that with a business opportunity, and turn it into a 

way to make money.” 

At the heart of Krogstad’s innovative marketing model is a powerful 

platform, called Social Network Marketing University (SNMU), an online education 

portal, much like University of Phoenix, that features a series of video modules which 

instruct would-be social network marketers how to set up and operate virtually all of 

the popular social media applications found on the Web. 

“When a student enrolls in SNMU, they undergo an online assessment 

to determine their level of understanding of each social media application,” says 

Krogstad. “If they already have a Facebook account and a Pinterest account, but 

don’t own a WordPress account and don’t know how to blog, then the WordPress 

blogging module will be one of the first modules they’ll encounter on their customized 

individual educational pathway through Social Network Marketing University.” 

Social Network Marketing University enrollees will be asked to join the 

“Ditch the Can” movement, a nationwide push to replace energy drinks sold in metal 

cans with a powdered, low-sugar energy drink packaged in paper sticks that users 

mix with water. A $9.95 purchase of the powdered drink serves as full enrollment 

tuition for Social Network Marketing University. 

“Our goal is to take someone who has never used social media and who 

has never done network marketing, and teach them how to set up and use social 

media apps to build social networks and provide them with needed products that 

they can sell online,” says Krogstad. 

“We’re not just about teaching people how to Tweet. We want to teach 

people how to be better online, how to better manage their business, how to better 

manage their time, and how to best monetize their social media.” 

Those interested in taking a tour of Social Network Marketing 

University or sharpening their social media skills can register at www. 

socialnetworkmarketinguniversity.com. 

Turning “Tweets” and 

“Likes” into Cash: 

New Online University 

Teaches Students How 

to Build & Monetize 

Their Social Media 

ABOUT BRIAN KROGSTAD (www.SocialNetworkMarketingUniversity.com) 

Brian Krogstad is an author, network marketing expert, and social media consultant 

whose clients include celebrity magician Criss Angel and a few select others. He is 

one of the co-founders of Social Network Marketing University. 



Innovative Financing with Funding Wonder 

At a recent venture funding event put on by Funding Post, Editor in Chief, 

Nova Lorraine met a truly innovative entrepreneur with a desire to help 

thousands and hopefully millions of small business owners receive funding. 

The gentleman was Michael Mildenberger, co-founder of Funding Wonder, 

a new social lending concept. 

Michael discussed his dissatisfaction with the staggering number 

of entrepreneurs that fail in their business, not because they don’t have a 

great idea but simply because they run out of cash. He and his co-founders, 

Sebastian Storfner and Alan McGlade are determined to reverse this trend 

with Funding Wonder. Funding Wonder is a novel way for founders to 

receive capital to grow their business. It eliminates the worry of mounds of 

paperwork as well as unrealistic guidelines that prevent so many talented 

and enthusiastic entrepreneurs from getting the funding they truly deserve. 

Michael took a few moments to shed light on how he and his cofounders 

will help fuel a new generation of entrepreneurs! 

RAINE: Where did the idea of Funding Wonder come from? 

MILDENBERGER: The idea started three years ago. Three of our founders 

are partners in an M&A firm called CFP Americas and we were thinking 

about raising a fund. In our research we came across the concept of raising 

money for investments from regular people (non-professional investors) 

“the crowd.” The power of this new crowd-funding model intrigued 

and inspired us to the point that we decided to found the company 

Funding Wonder in May 2013. We also learned during the course of our 

research that the debt market is a much bigger market than the equity 

market. Meaning that the market of loans to small and medium size 

businesses (SMBs) was 20 times bigger than the Venture Capital Market 

last year. ( $600 billion SMB Loans, $30 billion VC Equity Investments) 

RAINE: What are the benefits of choosing Funding Wonder over a traditional 

bank? 

MILDENBERGER: First of all, since the financial crisis of 2008 many 

community and regional banks disappeared and larger banks hardly issue 

loans smaller than $200,000. Therefore, access to capital from traditional 

banks dried up. As a result small and medium businesses (SMBs) have to 

go thru a lengthy process full of paperwork and often still do not get their 

loan approved. For example 80% of the small businesses in Florida could 

not get financing in the last 6 months. With Funding Wonder, SMBs can 

get a loan faster, easier and with a higher probability than with traditional 

banks. 

RAINE: How do you differ from other competitors in the crowd financing 

space? 

MILDENBERGER: Our focus is different. Most other crowd-funding 

companies target crowd based equity investments in start-up companies 

or have donation based models like Kickstarter. Our focus is bringing 

investors together who want to lend money to existing small businesses 

with a good financial track record who are looking for a loan of $20k-$150k. 

In addition our goal is to be more than just a financial site but to build a 

lending community. We believe that major factor of our success will be 

the stickiness of our site. In other words, it is important to provide small 

businesses with more than just money, but with tools, which help them to 

manage their business in a more efficient way. 

RAINE: Who is Funding Wonder’s target demographic and market size? 

MILDENBERGER: Our target is the $600 billion SMB Loan Market & nonaccredited 

investors. 

RAINE: How would you forecast your growth over the next 3 years? 

MILDENBERGER: We believe our platform will transact over $1 billion in 

loan volume in 3 years 

RAINE: What has the response been like from the small business 

community? 

MILDENBERGER: Extremely good. Most of the small businesses have had 

an extremely hard time receiving financing and not because they are bad 

businesses but because traditional sources do not want to lend them the 

amounts they are asking for. 

RAINE: What challenges have you had to overcome concerning your nontraditional 

means of investing and borrowing? 

MILDENBERGER: The biggest challenge is to overcome regulatory hurdles. 

Based on the JOBS ACT the US government agency SEC is going thru the 

process of implementing a regulatory framework, which will make it a lot 

easier for crowd-funding companies like us to operate. 

RAINE: Do you see crowd financing as the future of small business loans? 

MILDENBERGER: Yes. We believe that crowd financing will become the 

preferred model for small businesses to obtain loans in the future. Crowd 

Financing will become the way people invest in the growth of the community 

they live in. It will not be dictated anymore by the banks, which business in 

your neighborhood will be financed and which one not, but by the people 

who know and interact with these businesses on a regular basis. 

RAINE: What requirements do you have to meet to become an investor? 

MILDENBERGER: Currently who have to be an accredited investor. In 

order to qualify as an accredited investor you have to have a certain level 

of income and net wealth. Only about 5% of the US population fulfill the 

required qualification. This means the US government does not allow 

95% of our people to participate in directly investing in new or existing 

businesses thru crowd-funding platforms 

RAINE: How will the US government’s new legislature regarding crowd 

funding affect Funding Wonder and other sites such as Kickstarter and 

Indiegogo? 

MILDENBERGER: Amongst industry insiders it is believed that the Jobs 

Act based new legislature will take effect sometime this year. This would 

clear the way for the 95% of non-accredited investor to finally participate. 

Kickstarter and Indiegogo already include 

non-accredited investors as people do not 

invest directly in companies, but donate 

money and get some kind of product or 

service from the companies in return. We 

could imagine that these donation based 

companies might change their business 

model toward direct investments. Funding 

Wonder’s concept, business model and 

technology was designed from day one 

towards non-accredited investors and 

loans for existing creditworthy small 

businesses, which is a very different 

approach than most of any of the existing 

crowd-funding platforms have today. 

RAINE: How can people get involved in 

reaching out to their local legislature in 

bringing crowd financing to their area. 

MILDENBERGER: In order to ensure 

and speed up the process of the SEC as 

well as of government authorities in your 

home state, we suggest you contact 

your elected officials. So call and e-mail 

your Congressmen, Senators, State 

Representatives and Governor and let 

them know that you support any crowdfunding 

and crowd-financing initiative in 

order bring growth and more jobs to our 

local communities. 

RAINE: How can an entrepreneur position 

themselves for successful funding through 

your platform? 

MILDENBERGER: There are several things 

which make a crowd funding campaign 

more successful like including a wellmade 

video, which explains your business. 

Once a business is approved through our 

platform, our team will help and guide 

them thru the process of how to make their 

funding a success. 

Co-founders pictured from top to bottom 

Co-founder Alan McGlade, co-founder 

Michael Mildenberger, co founder Giovanni 

Soleti 

Images Courtesy of Funding Wonder 

36 


RAINEQUARTERLY 

INSPIRE CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS [I.C.E] 

H O L L Y W O O D I S S U E 

VOL 

19 


PRIYANKA CHOPRA’S TAKING OVER! 

THE SERIOUS PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS 

SIMPLIFYING BUSINESS FINANCING 

HI-CAN’S $57,000 HI-TECH BED 

HOLLYWOOD HEALTHY 

T H E W O R L D ’ S M O S T F A S H I O N A B L E B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E 

GET YOUR RAINE APP TODAY! 

WWW.RAINEMAGAZINE.COM

TECHNOLOGY | TRENDS 

KICKSTARTING 

INNOVATION 

MYO AMBAND 

The sensors in the Myo armband were designed and built from the 

ground up at Thalmic Labs, making Myo incredibly innovative. These 

revolutionary sensors measure the electrical pulses in your muscles to 

wirelessly control devices like your computer, mobile device and other 

electronics based on the swift movements of your forearm and hand. 

This gives its users the ability to change the song, surf the web, and hit 

play on a video with natural and effortless movements. 

Myo has a great number of use cases and, through opensource 

code, can be configured to an endless number of devices 

through third-party developer applications. In the future, the armband 

user will be able to browse the internet, play video games, edit videos 

and create music just by using simple gestures and motions with their 

hands. Users of Myo will be able to seamlessly interact with their digital 

world as technology becomes an extension of their body. 

Myo uses an assortment of motion and muscle-tracking 

sensors to assess the orientation of a person’s arm in space. Unlike 

other gesture control or motion control devices, Myo doesn’t require 

a motion-sensing camera, freeing users from the confines of a fixed 

space in order to maintain a connection. The device connects wirelessly 

over a Bluetooth Low Energy connection and can essentially connect to 

any Bluetooth-ready device for which applications 

are built. 

The wearable device enhances our abilities as humans, 

bridging the gap between biology and digital technology. The objective 

is that the device will open the doors for further human-computer 

interaction, giving the user a more seamless way to interact with the 

digital technologies that they encounter in their everyday lives. 

Photos Courtesy of Thalmic Labs

Courtesy of Go Devices 

GOKEY : THE ULTIMATE 

ON THE GO CHARGING 

SOLUTION 

Go Devices Inc. Founder and CEO, 

Doros Kyriakoulis, discovered 

one day as he was walking down 

the streets of San Francisco and 

having his phone suddenly run out 

of power – no backup charger in 

site, that there had to be a better 

solution for charging your phone 

on the go. It was that moment 

that he conceptualized a charging 

device that could practically 

travel anywhere with you. As 

he stared down at his keys, the 

idea crystalized – create a mobile 

solution that sits alongside your 

keys and thus delivers the ultimate 

answer for convenience. 

GOkey created a simple 

and beautiful device that solves 

everyone’s charging 

needs. The handy device gives 

you some juice when you need it 

most and is practical enough to 

use as an everyday USB charging 

and syncing cable. But they didn’t 

stop there; GOkey wanted to make 

this device smart and connected. 

A truly worthy key-ring companion 

is what they sought out to create. 

GOkey uses Bluetooth 

technology to help locate a lost 

phone or lost keys. If you have 

your camera app open and 

press GOkey’s button, you can 

take photos. And, if you listen 

to music on your phone, you 

can play, pause and skip songs 

using GOkey. We also created 

the device to store either 8, 16 or 

32 GB of flash memory with the 

ability to transfer those files to 

your phone as well. 

GOkey’s innovative 

approach solves multiple needs all 

within a small device that attaches 

to your key ring, so it’s always 

with you. At the time of this article, 

Gokey successfully raised almost 

$900K dollars and hopes to break 

the $1million dollar mark before its 

Indiegogo campaign ends. Gokey 

will soon be offered both online 

and at retail stores before years 

end. 

Courtesy of LIX 

LIX: THE WORLD’S TINIEST 3D PEN 

ENABLES YOU TO DOODLE IN THE 

AIR; LITTLE IDEAS MADE BIG 

Writing and drawing in the air is now possible with 

LIX. London based LIX 3D printing pen is a small and 

smart pen that does not require paper. It enables you to 

doodle in the air. You can make anything out of it within 

just a few seconds. With its unique design, LIX offers 

enhanced features exploring new dimensions. 

Essentially, LIX 3D printing pen functions 

similarly to 3D printers. It quickly melts and cools 

colored plastic, letting you create rigid and freestanding 

structures. Something interesting about this lightweight, 

engineered pen is that structures can be formed in 

any shape. User can experience the pleasure of three 

dimensions and make turn their creative imagination 

into reality. 

Lix is innovative because it is smaller in size as 

compared to other brands, LIX enjoys this competitive 

edge in the 3D printing market. This smart pen fits 

perfectly in your hand, giving you extreme comfort and 

balance while you draw with it. LIX is highly portable 

with its small size and a power cable that plugs into 

any traditional USB port. Its size makes it an ideal 3D 

printing pen for all those who want to give their creative 

skills a try. 



f a s h i n v e s t e d i t o r s p i c K S 

Arriving in Miami after years in the center of 

fashion, founder Jessica Anderson was struck 

by a paradox: While Miami possessed a fashionfocused 

culture; it lacked a serious organized 

force to meet demand. 

Instead of pursuing a standard retail 

e-commerce play, Miami Fashion Network (MFN) 

chose a less competitive space that services the 

needs of suppliers and designers worldwide to 

sell their products. Their scalable model integrates 

B2B and B2C by using online and offline services 

to support member businesses across the fashion 

value chain, while simultaneously enabling fashion 

enthusiasts to authentically engage with industry 

professionals. 

Miami Fashion Network leverages Web 2.0 social 

technologies to drive sales for designers and 

suppliers. They replaced the circa 2000 web 

directory with the social tools we’ve all come to 

expect and appreciate. 

Their online platform uses social tools 

to help suppliers and designers connect and 

collaborate to grow their businesses. Designers 

present their lines, while suppliers promote 

their latest trims and product. Meanwhile MFN 

provides industry experts real world assistance. 

But to be clear, technology supports 

their business, instead of being the product. 

Miami Fashion Network’s linchpin is a physical 

Design Lab in Miami that offers workspace tools 

to designers, product placement to suppliers, and 

industry engagement to enthusiasts. The Lab is 

an epicenter to promote designers and suppliers, 

market emerging lines, and attract fashion lovers 

with exclusive access. 

In essence MFN exists to help suppliers 

and designers increase sales! That’s what 

concerns them. They aggregate spend to promote 

member products via events, trunk shows, trade 

shows, and digital marketing. 

Photo credit - Stephane Chiche for Flash Life Miamit 

F i t b a y 

Fitbay (www.fitbay.com), the discovery platform 

that solves the problem of buying clothes 

online in the wrong size or style, has closed 

a $2 million USD seed funding round, lead by 

New York-based Steadfast Venture Capital and 

Stockholm-based VC firm, Creandum, an early 

investor in Spotify. 

Fitbay wants to remove the “will-itwon’t-it 

fit experience” from online clothes 

shopping by only showing users clothes that 

will fit their unique size and shape. Fitbay does 

this by connecting users with similar body types 

and style preferences, sorting them into groups 

so that information on fit and particular brands 

can be shared with other users who have similar 

body shapes and tastes. This crowd-sourced 

feedback allows Fitbay to provide its users 

with a personalised feed of products that will 

both fit and flatter their unique body type – all 

without having to input measurements. Users 

can also follow their ‘body doubles’, sharing 

tips and inspiration with others who will have 

similar experiences with the style, fit and sizing 

of different brands. 

According to research carried out 

by Credit Suisse in January 2013, 40% of 

online clothing purchases are returned, often 

as a consequence of inconsistencies of sizing 

between brands, or sizing standardisation 

ignoring the reality of different body shapes. 

Christian Wylonis, Founder & CEO of Fitbay 

comments, “Only 15% of all clothes are bought 

online, indicating a relatively low consumer 

adoption of ecommerce within fashion. People 

are frustrated by the online shopping and returns 

process, and don’t have the patience or time to 

use virtual fitting rooms that require very specific 

body or clothing measurements. Using social 

shopping, Fitbay can crowd source size and 

fit information from thousands of unique body 

types to only show our users clothes that will fit 

them – without measuring tapes.” 

Having been invite-only since its 

launch in February 2014, Fitbay is now available 

to the general public as an open beta on the web 

and iOS. Having grown an average of 110% per 

month, Fitbay is now able to recommend and 

link to over 2 million perfectly-fitting products for 

its users, from brands both big and small across 

the web. Founded in Copenhagen, and with a 

commercial office in New York, over 40% of 

Fitbay users are based in the United States. 

Christian Wylonis, Founder & CEO of 

Fitbay comments, “Over the past four months 

we have had an overwhelming response from 

our users, and we are looking forward to the 

next stage in our journey as a result of both 

Creandum and Steadfast Venture Capital’s 

backing. With the launch of the Fitbay app, 

mobile is a core part of our business model, and 

at the heart of what we offer our customers. By 

sharing and seeing photos of their body doubles 

wearing specific items or brands, users can get 

an idea of how certain clothes will look on their 

own frames, and shop online accordingly. We 

describe this process as ‘selfies with a purpose’ 

because it’s the first time that selfies actually 

have a practical application.” 

40 



images courtesy of Slyce Courtesy of Ringly 

Visual search company 

Slyce is redefining 

the way retailers 

and brands engage 

with their customers 

by asking a simple 

question: “What if 

you could connect 

customers directly to 

your products at any 

time, not just when 

they are in your store or 

on your site?” 

It’s a simple 

question, and a very 

powerful one. Being 

able to offer products to customers at the point 

which Mark Elfenbein, President of Slyce describes 

as, “the moment of inspiration” is incredibly 

captivating to retailers, publishers and brands 

who are struggling to keep up with the changing 

habits of consumers. Of particular concern is 

‘showrooming’, a practice where customers use 

brick and mortar stores to research and investigate 

products, but then purchase them online, usually 

from a different retailer entirely. In order to survive, 

retailers and brands must turn to innovative 

solutions. Enter Slyce. 

Using proprietary ‘Visual Search’ 

technology, Slyce allows customers to take a 

picture with their mobile device or scan a picture 

on their desktops and search for those products 

Meet Ringly the smart jewelry that connects to your phone and sends 

you customized notifications through vibration and light. Crafted with 18K 

matte gold 3 micron plating using precious and semi-precious stones, 

Ringly not only notifies you of what matters most to you but keeps you 

in high style. 

Simplicity and style is what makes Ringly innovative. Most 

other fashion wearable products are gadget-y and geeky, and take a 

unisex approach to design. Some companies even think that turning 

something pink makes it more appealing to women. That doesn’t work. 

At Ringly, we design our products with style in mind that would subtly 

integrate into a woman’s life. We are not a tech company that is trying 

to be fashionable. We are a fashion-first company that’s packing small 

and powerful technology into beautiful jewelry. Ringly is not trying to 

replace your phone, rather we want to integrate simple technology to 

make your life easier. 

Slyce Turns the World 

into a Storefront 

on participating retailer sites. Slyce has 

been described as “Shazam, but for 

stuff.” Because it integrates into retailer’s 

already existing e-commerce platforms, 

the experience for the customer is largely 

seamless. 

Slyce is currently paired with six 

of the top twenty retailers in North America, 

and that is likely to increase as retailers 

and brands begin to understand the 

incredible power of connecting products 

to customers at the all-important “moment 

of inspiration.” In a very real sense, Slyce 

is turning the entire world into a storefront, 

and that’s a very powerful idea. 



Tech Toys 

By Javin Forrest 

IBIS SMART WATCH 

This decade ushers in new life into fashion and technology. Last year we saw the 

debut of Pebble SmartWatch and Samsung’s Smart Watch. This year we look forward 

to the unveiling of Apple’s much rumored iWatch device. However, there lurks another 

player in the SmartWatch game. Make room for Creoir’s IBIS Luxury Smart Watch. 

This Finnish firm has crafted a Luxury Smartwatch with dual screen Layout. 

Displayed above a traditional analog quartz is a small OLED screen. All of this is 

mounted onto a stainless steel body keep the traditional watch goer happy. This 

particular design was noticeably developed with a woman in mind. Being that is a 

luxury watch can expect that it will cater to a market above the overage smart phone. 

Release date: TBD during 2014; http://www.creoir.com/#about 

KEVO 

With the coming of the digital age, we were introduced to many innovations that revolutionize 

how we live, from laptops, to interacting with social medial on your mobile phone, and even in 

our homes. No matter which area we choose, security has always been a major concern. The 

company Kwikset has stepped up to address such concerns in the new digital with Kevo, An 

eKey. No, not email but yes, an eKey. An eKey that allows you to easily get in or out of your 

home without a physical key. How does it work you ask? I have no idea. I’m kidding. Using 

with a mobile device (that is enable with Bluetooth 4.0) or key fob, it communicates to the 

kwikset lock to allow entry. Kevo uses positioning technology to detect whether you are inside 

or outside the door. You can even add access to additional users who have a smartphone or 

another person can be given a keyfob for keyless entry. 

It’s a clean operation after the initial setup. You just simple walk up to the door, touch 

the lock and the door opens. Kevo used a deadbolt lock and still uses a traditional key for entry 

if it’s necessary. 

Kevo: $219; http://www.kwikset.com/ 

SMARTCUP 

These days there are so may innovative ideas coming out all the time. You have smartphones, 

SmartWatches, Smart Cups… Wait, Smart Cups? Yes, now there is a smart cup. It’s called 

the Vessyl. A sleek designed, thermos looking cup that can identify whatever drink that you 

have poured into it. It comes with a spill proof lid and within about ten seconds its internal 

sensors will not only identify its contents, but can also show it’s contents on the side of the 

cup from its built in display. 

With an accompanying app that can be downloaded onto your mobile device, 

the Vessyl will not only present you with the nutritional information of that beverage, 

additionally it track your daily hydration habits. Designed to be companion of your life 

style, the Vessyl holds 13 ounces of liquid, connects to an iPhone with Bluetooth 4.0, and 

will integrate with well-known health trackers. It comes with wireless base for charge and 

off a single charge it last up to 7 days. Shipping in 2015, the Vessyl be available in three 

colors, along with several lid accent options. 

Preorders are $199 but will retail for $199; https://www.myvessyl.com/

WeMo Switchs 

And along came Wemo… a new way to light up your home. Wemo is 

more than a light switch that gives you the power to control lighting 

in you home or from anywhere for that matter. It’s a modular system 

designed to simply your lighting needs. Using a wireless connection 

you can connect to Wemo to control your lights with the rising and 

the setting of the sun via home automation triggers. These home 

automation triggers can be used in conjunction with Smart LED lights, 

Wemo Motion sensors, Wemo Smart plugs with endless options. To 

setup Wemo you can download it’s app to your iPhone, Andriod or tablet 

device. From there you can personalize your lighting option to turn on 

before daybreak or setup daily tasks to reduce power consumption. 

Wemo light switch can replace any standard light switch or outlet and 

even it backlight for night light use. 

Starter set: $129.99; http://www.belkin.com/us/F5Z0489/p/P-F5Z0489/ 

TONINO LAMBORGHINI ANTARES 

After a good time amongst some friends, imagine coming home only to 

realize that you have grabbed the wrong phone off the table. To avoid such 

an inconvenience many of us are constantly looking for unique phone cases 

to enhance the character of our smart phone. But why not just enhance 

the phone itself? Built to handle such a task, the Lamborghino Antares 

smartphone does just that. 

Unrelated to the sports car company, Tonino Lamborghini is owned 

by the son of Ferruccio Lamborghini and does use similar branding. As one 

would expect, the phones design has a look that is very distinct so that no 

one would confuse it would a Samsung Galaxy or an iPhone. Although it 

features a 4-inch screen similar to the iPhone 5 and it is noticeably bigger, the 

functionality is closer to an HTC One as it runs on a Android based operating 

system. It features a 13 Megapixel rear camera, comes with 32GB of storage 

plus a slot for a microSD Card. 

Available in Rose Gold, Gold, Black and Stainless Steel, this phone 

is status symbol and will make you and your network stand out. 

Price: $4,000; http://www.lamborghinimobile.com/en/collection/ 

AUTOMATIC LINK 

Ever have your engine light come on… and then off… and then on 

again? Ever walk outside the shopping mall and wonder where it was 

that you parked your car? Ever have your car fallen… into a crash and 

it can’t get up? Well now… accompanied by a nice little device, there’s 

an app for that too! It’s called the Automatic link. A very simple device 

those does complex things for you. 

After the device is installed into your vehicle, it connects 

to your smart phone or mobile device and can remember where you 

parked your car for you. Using it built in accelerometer, it can identify 

severe accidents for you and contact emergency support. The install 

requires no tools. It simply plugs into the same port that mechanics 

use to diagnose your car and becomes your driving assistant. 

Communicating with the cars onboard computer, it can read 

diagnostic errors that may cause the engine light to come on and 

alert you of possible service needs. Additionally it can give you feed 

back about your daily trips, breaking, acceleration and display a trip 

timeline helping you conserve on fuel economy. 

Price: $99; https://www.automatic.com/ 


WEARABLE 

TECHNOLOGY 

WHEN FASHION COLLIDES 

WITH TECHNOLOGY


HÖVDING – ONCE UPON A TIME… 

In 2005 Hövding co-founders, Anna Haupt 

and Terese Alstin started working together 

on a joint master’s thesis in industrial 

design after four and a half years studying 

at LTH, the Faculty of Engineering at Lund 

University in Sweden. The law that had 

just been introduced in Sweden making 

bicycle helmets compulsory for children 

up to the age of 15 had triggered a heated 

debate on whether it should be extended 

to include adult cyclists too. To people 

like us, who wouldn’t be seen dead in a 

polystyrene helmet, the thought that we 

might be forced to wear one by law was 

cause for concern. Producing a bicycle 

helmet that people would be happy to 

put on looked like a much better way to 

go than legislation forcing people to wear 

one or else. We realized that our industrial 

design master’s thesis was the perfect 

place to find out whether the traditional 

bicycle helmet could be improved on. 

We started out with a survey, 

asking people on the streets why so few 

people wear bicycle helmets. They came 

up with plenty of reasons: “They’re a pain 

to carry about, they all look hideous, they 

ruin your hair, nobody else wears them, 

you can’t get your hat on underneath.” 

Some good arguments, it’s true, others 

more like excuses. It was clear that bicycle 

helmets are a hot topic that everyone has 

an opinion on and strong feelings about. 

Cycling is something we do every day and 

there’s a sense of freedom that goes with 

it. Although people are well aware of the 

risks on the roads, the vast majority are 

choosing to cycle without a helmet. When 

it comes down to it, people do really want 

to protect their heads in road accidents, 

but there are limits. It isn’t the cyclists who 

need to change, it’s the product. 

When we asked people what 

they’d ideally like the bicycle helmet of 

tomorrow to look like, we got responses 

like these: 

“Like a cool hat with a built- ‐in 

helmet.” 

“Something small that you can 

fold up and put in your pocket.” 

“Something that lets you change 

what it looks like, like you can with mobile 

phone skins or wigs.” “Invisible.” 

The instant we heard the word 

“invisible,” we realized what the world was 

waiting for--an invisible bicycle helmet. 

Since that day we’ve learned 

that nothing is impossible. We’ve learned 

that people who call themselves “realists” 

are actually scaredy- ‐cats who just 

aren’t brave enough to think big enough. 

Hövding is the Swedish for “Chieftain” 

and our Hövding is a leader and a role 

model, with its sights set on changing 

the world. We want to encourage others 

to follow in our footsteps and dare to 

demand something better, to stand out 

from the crowd, and believe in themselves 

and their own capabilities. We may be 

a small company but we think big and 

we aim high. Delusions of grandeur are 

exactly what it takes! 


NARRATIVE CLIP 

The Narrative Clip is the world’s smallest, 

wearable camera, GPS and accelerometerintegrated 

device on the market. The 

camera connects to your clothing with a 

small stainless steel metal clip and subtly 

captures every special moment happening 

around you. Think of it as your third eye 

capturing images every 30 seconds, 

shots you could have missed. Later you 

can upload all images taken through the 

Narrative app which catalogs the moments 

by time, date, place and even lighting 

conditions. 

Narrative was founded by six 

Swedish serial entrepreneurs in 2012. 

Martin Källström, formerly founder and CEO 

of blog search engine Twingly, shaped the 

concept of the Narrative Clip, a wearable 

camera able to create a continuous life 

log for the user. For this task he recruited 

his friend Oskar Kalmaru, founder of an 

online video provider, as well as Björn 

Wesén, who was, at the time, a freelancing 

designer of high-tech electronics. The small 

team has expanded to about 30 people with 

over 7K users. Their definition of growth is 

to be able to constantly provide value to 

their customers. 

46 


Photo courtesy of Misfit Wearables 

MISFIT 

Misfit is focused on developing highly wearable 

products: things that people would want to 

wear all the time for a long time. A pioneer in 

the emerging world of wearable products, the 

company is making products and services in the 

consumer health and fitness space to inspire 

people to be more active and develop healthy 

habits. Misfit’s first product is the award-winning 

Shine, an elegant physical activity tracker that you 

can instantly sync with your smartphone just by 

placing the device on the screen. 

Misfit Shine is an elegant physical 

activity monitor that you can wear anywhere on 

your body and to any occasion. Set your personal 

activity goals on the Shine app and then wear 

Shine anywhere on your body: hip, neck, wrist, 

shoes, chest, shirt, etc. Tap Shine and a halo of 

lights appear through the metal shell to show 

your progress toward your daily goal. Winner of 

the Red Dot, GOOD, and A’ Design awards, the 

Shine is super-strong and water resistant to 50 

meters so it’s great for swimming. It is carved out 

of a solid block of aircraft-grade aluminum and is 

built to last a lifetime. To sync the device to your 

smart phone, simply place Shine on the screen of 

your mobile device and the data is transferred in 

seconds. The device is powered by a regular coincell 

battery which the user can easily replace by 

themselves, Shine lasts for 4 months - no cables 

for syncing or charging ever. 



Reinvent Yourself 

Photographer: Dave Brown 

Model: Emory Ault @ Women NY 

HMUA: Kadie Murphy 

Wardrobe Stylist: Nicole Schaap 

Assistant: Lynzi Judish 

48 


Dress: Worth 

Bracelets: Stella & Dot 

Ring: Rachel Zoe 

Disco Ball Necklace: Vintage

Dress: Worth 

Bracelets: Stella & Dot 

Ring: Rachel Zoe 

Disco Ball Necklace: Vintage

ENTERTAINMENT

TELEVISION 

Alysia ReinER 

Alysia Reiner has made a name for herself in the entertainment 

industry over the years with the characters she has brought 

to life on the big and small screens. Often recognized for 

appearing in the Oscar-winning film SIDEWAYS, Alysia has 

expanded her roles over the years from actress, to producer, 

humanitarian, outspoken environmentalist, and mother. 

More recently Alysia can be seen in Netflix’s awardwinning, 

hit series “Orange is the New Black.” She stars 

as “Natalie Figueroa,” or “Fig,” the tough as nails assistant 

warden, who runs a tight ship. 

Join us as we find the secret to Alysia’s entrepreneurial 

success as an actress and beyond. 

RAINE: Why do you love acting? 

REINER: I love learning. I love exploring and experimenting. 

I love getting into the mind, psychology, heart, soul, life, family, 

and profession of another being that I get to co-create. I fall in 

love with each character and I love the compassion that then 

brings me for every person I meet. 

RAINE: Funny career story? 

REINER: Most people don’t know this but I was once a “Miller 

Beer Girl,” Super Bowl commercial and all, and in the commercial I was 

caught staring a guy’s big...feet. 

RAINE: Biggest challenge to overcome? 

REINER: In life? I think the biggest challenge is maintaining a sense of optimism, joy and 

gratitude. It’s so easy to look at what’s wrong in the world, in your life, in your career - and 

for me, what I’m doing wrong - and obsess over it. No life is perfect, we all have major 

losses, ranging from the death of someone we love to not getting a role you wanted - and 

they all hurt. So feel ‘um and shed ‘um. 

There’s magic every day if you look for it. I think I can be prone to negativity, so I work 

hard - with yoga, meditation, healthy lifestyle - to practice looking for those amazing 

moments every day. 

I just read a brilliant quote about this from Brene Brown: 

“A good life happens when you stop and are grateful for the ordinary moments that so many of 

us just steamroll over to try to find those extraordinary moments. To me, my good life is soccer 

practice and a carpool line. And tuck-ins. And date night. That’s the good life for me. And 

knowing that it’s good. Acknowledging and stopping and saying that it’s good.” - Brene Brown 

RAINE: If you could do it all over again what would be the one thing that you would 

change in your career? 

REINER: I would choose to be a child star, then get too famous and go to rehab, 

then make a comeback at 25 and end 

Photo Credit: Josh Merwin 

up right where I am today. Nah, just kidding...I 

wouldn’t change a thing. 

RAINE: Where do you see yourself in five years? 

REINER: My dream? I’ll be filming Season 8 of 

“Orange Is the New Black,” and Fig will have 

had an amazing journey over the years. I hope I 

get to serve the world a ton, like the work I have 

been doing with the women`s prison association 

(http://www.kirakira.com/products/WPA-Limited- 

Edition-Locket.html). 

A few awards wouldn’t suck. In five 

years I hope I’ll have continued to work in film and 

theatre in awesome ways, to tell awesome stories, 

with awesome folks like some I have worked with 

recently, and even some new heroes like Wes 

Anderson, The Duplass brothers, Tom McCarthy, 

Tina Fey, Katherine Bigelow, Nicole Holefcenter, 

Mark Rylance, Tracey Letts... I could go on and 

on. Oh, and I’m really excited about an idea I 

have for a female driven thriller that I’m working 

on with a producer, and we just hired writers, so 

hopefully in 5 years you will say it was one of your 

favorite films! So basically playing, contributing, 

storytelling and of course I’ll be looking exactly 

the same as I do today! 

RAINE: Tell us three things on your bucket list? 

REINER: 

An Oscar 

Trip to India with my daughter 

Visit my new family in Australia! My sister just 

married an Australian bloke!!! 

RAINE: What has been the most helpful advice 

that someone has given you that has contributed 

to your success? 

REINER: “Don’t push the river,” just be yourself 

in the boat and let God’s river carry you along 

wherever it goes, there’s a bigger plan. 

RAINE: What words of wisdom can you share with 

other creative entrepreneurs? 

REINER: Don’t wait, create! Never wait for that 

magical chance or opportunity - you can create 

every day and be of service in a billion ways. 


FILM 

Al Sapienza 

From an infamous mafia hit man 

going head to head with Tony 

Soprano, to a corrupt mayor 

with a good heart, and a union 

lobbyist who duels with Kevin 

Spacey, Al Sapienza has brought 

to life some of the most memorable 

characters in film and television 

today. With a career spanning 

over thirty years, Sapienza has 

made a name for himself in the 

entertainment business for not 

only his undeniable talent to create 

unforgettable characters, but also 

his commitment to hard work and 

dedication with each project he is 

working on. 

Al Sapienza is a true artist 

who has the rare ability to explore 

a boundless range of characters 

through acting dancing and singing, 

on both the stage and the screen. 

Read along and find out what is the 

driving force behind his creative 

genius. 


SAPIENZA: I love acting because 

I get to play cops and robbers, 

or cowboys and Indians just like 

I did when I was little and I get 

paid for it. Everyone is nice to 

you on the set even if they hate 

you. They pretend to like you while 

you’re shooting. They feed you all 

day. You get to play all different 

kind of people with very different 

professions than your own. You get 

to kill people and not go to jail. You 

get to kiss and be married to a 

lot of beautiful women in different 

shoots. You get checks 20 years 

after you did a job for that same 

job. You get to constantly express 

yourself. What’s there not to love 

about being a working actor? It 

beats delivering mail! 

RAINE: Funny career story? 

SAPIENZA: In my first Broadway 

show I was 21 and I was in 

rehearsal. I hooked up with 

and spent the weekend with the 

Directors daughter and we had a 

wild fun weekend. When I went 

back to work on Monday I was 

fired. I was rehired a week later. I 

guess he didn’t like me spending 

a weekend with his daughter. I’m 

friends with both of them to this 

day! I’ll never tell you who! 

RAINE: Biggest challenge to 

overcome? 

SAPIENZA: Never getting the 

A leading roles in movies or 

series. Always being the other 

guy! I still think those roles will 

come. I am an internal optimist. 

But then again I still believe world 

peace is possible. 

RAINE: If you could do it all over 

again what would be the one thing 

that you would change in your 

career? 

SAPIENZA: I would have gotten 

really serious about the craft at 

14 years old instead of 29. In my 

twenties I just thought it was all 

a giant party. I didn’t really start 

digging deep into the psyche of the 

characters I played until later in life. 

RAINE: Where do you see yourself 

in five years? 

SAPIENZA: Wherever this 

wonderful ride I’m taking will take 

me. As an actor you never know 

what project will pop up every other 

month and where it will take you. I 

just love that. 

RAINE: Tell us three things on your 

bucket list? 

SAPIENZA: 

Making love to Angelina Jolie 

Flying in outer space 

Learning to fly a Helicopter 

RAINE: What has been the most 

helpful advice that someone has 

given you that has contributed to 

your success? 

SAPIENZA: When I first came to 

LA. The wonderful actor Paul 

Gleason told me not to worry 

about my career. Just work on the 

work really hard and they will find 

you because they always need 

GOOD actors. He was right. Great 

consistent work is the best thing 

you can have going for you. 

RAINE: What words of wisdom 

can you share with other creative 

entrepreneurs? 

SAPIENZA: You want to be 

creative. Look at your friends 

in medical school. The friends 

who are doing residency shifts 18 

hours a day 6 days a week. Look 

at your friends who just graduated 

law school. How many hours a 

week do they work at their new 

firms. You have to work harder and 

LONGER hours per week. Writing, 

learning, studying, reading plays 

and screenplay, filming student 

films anything to put in creative 

hours per week and you have to 

assign those hours every day to 

yourself. Sit in a chair and write for 

9 hours a day! Or rehearse scenes 

for class. Just put in the hours 

every week. No shortcuts. No 

laziness. Do that and you will have 

a career within 10 years. I guarantee 

it! The difference between an 

amateur actor and a pro is this. An 

amateur does shitty work, gets 

discouraged and quits. A pro does 

shitty work and keeps going for 

however long it takes to get it right! 

Photo credit: King PDT

FILM 

Meet Erich Bergen, one of the stars in the film Jersey Boys by Clint 

Eastwood, which follows the life of Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons 

on their rise to fame. Erich Bergen, who played the role of Bob Gaudio in 

the national tour of the Tony Award –winning Best Musical Jersey Boys, 

returns to the role of the multi-talented singer, songwriter and musician 

Bob Gaudio. Although a veteran to the acting scene, this will be Bergen’s 

second feature length film to date and promises to continue to catapult 

him into stardom. 

Read on as we find out more about Bergen his ambition and what 

drives this young star on the pursuit of his dreams. 

Erich Bergen 


BERGEN: I love how art affects people. I love being on stage and seeing 

people in the audience laugh, cry, sing along, whatever it is. I love how 

movies inspire us to be better people. The immediate reaction from people 

taking in your art...that’s what I love the most about acting. 

RAINE: What is a funny story that you can tell us regarding your career? 

BERGEN: I’ve got plenty of them, but in regards to Jersey Boys, when the 

movie was first starting pre-production, it had a different director attached. 

They were seeing all sorts of actors, including those who had been in the 

stage version (which I had for 3 years on tour and in Las Vegas). I went to 

the audition, and while I knew that it could go anyway, I thought I had a leg 

up on the competition. A few days after the audition, my agent called the 

casting director asking what the status was of my audition. Her answer… 

”he’s not right for the role.” My agent asked “the role he’s played for 3 

years?” The casting director simply said “yes” and that was that. I’ve never 

been more speechless in my life. Thankfully, that version of the film fell 

apart and the rest is history. 

RAINE: What has been the biggest challenge that you have had to 

overcome? 

BERGEN: I had a horrible habit of looking sideways as opposed to forward. 

I always compared myself to others. I do it much less now then I used to, 

but that was certainly a self-induced challenge that I had to get over. 

RAINE: If you could do it all over again, what would be the one thing that 

you would change in your career? 

BERGEN: I wouldn’t change anything in my career. All of the highs and 

lows are exactly what I needed. Even when I think “I should have saved 

more money”, I realize I needed to know what not having money felt like. 

Photo credit: Collin Stark 

RAINE: Where do you see yourself in five years? 

BERGEN: I’d love to make the producing side of my career more active. 

Unlike most actors, I don’t have a great desire to direct, but I know I’m a 

great producer and I love making stuff happen. I love working with people 

that I think are insanely talented, and I’d love to be in a position where I 

could employ them as well. My production company, 6W Entertainment, is 

just starting up, and I can’t wait to get to work on it. 

RAINE: Tell us three things on your bucket list? 

BERGEN: 

Star in a Broadway show. 

Write a song that hits the Top 40 charts. 

Host the inevitable return of the game show “Supermarket Sweep.” 

RAINE: What has been the most helpful advice that someone has given 

you that has contributed to your success? 

BERGEN: “Get paid in cash.” - Joan Rivers 

RAINE: What words of wisdom can you share with other creative 

entrepreneurs? 

BERGEN: I think whatever you are doing in life, you have to LOVE, LOVE, 

LOVE it. The money will eventually show up, even if it takes a while, but 

you can never chase the money. If you do, you may have periods in your 

life where you are financially rich, but those periods come and go and you’ll 

hate every second of it anyway. Put in the time doing what you love and 

become the master of it. Eventually, everyone will turn to you and say “how 

did you do it?” 


MUSIC 

SOCIAL SENSATION 

P E N T A T O N I X 

IS BREAKING THE MOLD IN MUSIC 

Top left photo: Brandon Lyons all other 

images go to Esther Kaplan 

56 


Sweeping the world with their energetic and spirited performances, vocal 

sensations PENTATONIX are taking instrument-free music and reimagining 

the timeless doo-wop style of the 40’s and 50’s and adding a breath of life 

to the music industry. 

The group, comprised of Scott Hoying, Kirstie Maldonado, Mitch 

Grassi, Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola, has enjoyed tremendous success 

with their signature style of music that pulls equally from their individual 

strengths. Their musical inspiration draws from a wide range of genres, 

which include pop, jazz, R&B, indie, folk, dubstep and electronica to name 

a few. Pentatonix’ Mitch Grassi takes a brief moment during their European 

tour to share some insight with Raine Magazine. 

RAINE: How was the group formed? Is there a meaning behind the group’s 

name; Pentatonix? 

PENTATONIX: Kirstie, Scott, and I were in an acappella trio in high school. 

When Scott went off to college, he had heard about auditions for NBC’s 

The Sing-Off. He wanted to audition with us, but his colleague suggested 

that we add members to fill out the sound. We found Avi through a mutual 

friend, and we discovered Kevin on YouTube because he had had a viral 

video going around at the time. Thus, the group was formed. The name 

“Pentatonix” comes from the word for the five-note scale that is popular in 

modern music, namely, pop and R&B. 

RAINE: As creative entrepreneurs in music how would you describe your 

sound? 

PENTATONIX: Pop music with heavy electronic and soul influences. 

RAINE: What other musicians inspire you? 

PENTATONIX: We all have various influences. My main influence is a 

musician by the name of Imogen Heap. I draw a lot of vocal style from her, 

and her ambitious and attentiveness to creating her music really inspires 

me. 

RAINE: Pentatonix covers a wide range of musical genres how do you 

decide who to cover and why? 

PENTATONIX: If one of us is especially inspired by a particular song, we will 

bring it to the group and gauge their reaction on whether or not we could 

do a good rendition of it. If we decide to move forward, we arrange it as a 

group. 

RAINE: Moving forward, will the group continue to do covers or can fans 

expect to see more original music? 

PENATONIX: There will definitely be a lot more original material in the 

future, but we’re known for our covers, so I think we will keep doing them. 

RAINE: What has been your biggest challenge in breaking into the business 

and how did you overcome it? 

PENTATONIX: I would say being an acappella group in itself has been fairly 

challenging. A lot of people don’t think it’s marketable, and we’ve been told 

“no” a number of times. But we never let that discourage us, and I think it’s 

worked out pretty well so far! 

RAINE: Who are some other artists and producers that you would like to 

collaborate with in the future? 

PENTATONIX: I would love to write with Frank Ocean. He’s a brilliant 

songwriter and I think his style could really lend itself to what we do. I’d 

also love to see a major EDM producer remix one of our tracks. 

RAINE: What are some upcoming projects you can tell us about? Are you 

working on a new album? 

PENTATONIX: Yes, we are! We will also be releasing another Christmas 

record this year, I believe. We have a few ideas for some YouTube videos, 

as well. 

RAINE: Where do you see Pentatonix in the near future? Are there other 

pursuits that the group is interested in as a whole or individually? 

PENTATONIX: That’s a tough question to answer. Hopefully, we’ll be playing 

huge rooms and arenas! Other than that, I’m hoping to have a ton of original 

material. 

RAINE: What has been the most embarrassing moment you have had on 

stage? 

PENTATONIX: The only thing I can think of is when my hat came off on stage 

in Nashville and my hair looked atrocious. Which isn’t super humiliating, but 

I’m glad that’s been the worst of it! 

RAINE: What advice do you have for aspiring musicians? 

PENTATONIX: Don’t compare your material to anyone else’s. It’s okay 

to draw influence, but putting yourself down because you think you’re 

incompetent in comparison to your favorite artist is unhealthy. 

RAINE: What are three fun facts about Pentatonix that people might now 

know? 

PENTATONIX: 

a.) I’ve been practicing DJing and I’m hoping to land some gigs soon! 

b.) Avi and Kirstie are massive Game of Thrones fans. 

c.) Kirstie, Scott and I are the only band members with tattoos! 


ENTERTAINMENT

A J o u r n e y w i t h 

B r u c e S p r i n g s t e e n 

Frank Stefanko Profile 

Meet Frank Stefanko the fine art photographer whose work graces the 

album covers of American legend Bruce Springsteen. Hi work has been 

seen by millions on the covers of some Bruce’s most iconic albums, 

including: Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River, Southside Johnny’s 

Hearts of Stone album cover. Frank’s photographs also appear in Bruce 

Springsteen’s Live 75185, Greatest Hits, Tracks and the Essential Bruce 

Springsteen. 

Beyond Frank’s Rock photography, he has been assembling a 

portfolio of landscape photographs that feature places where the footprint 

of man has not yet touched. 

In addition, Frank is working on compiling his collection of vintage 

photographs, mostly from the New York underground of the CBGB, Max’s 

Kansas City era. Shot in the seventies, these photos feature individuals, 

locations and scenes from a unique era that nurtured art, music and poetry. 

Whether Frank’s photographs are of rock icons, street scenes, or 

landscape photography, the glue that ties them together and gives them 

Frank’s signature, is the soulful, moody, dignity that transcends the work. 

RAINE: When did you realize you wanted to be a photographer ? 

STEFANKO: I was always fascinated by optics and optical illusions and I 

found myself drawn to the texture and composition of old black and white 

movies. So, one day, when I was eight years old, my father gave me an 

old box camera, and you might say he gave me the key to the universe, 

because I was instantly hooked. 

RAINE: How did you get your start ? 

STEFANKO: I had been making photographs all my life, but I would say my 

actual start was when Bruce Springsteen had seen some of the photographs 

I took ofPatti Smith in New York, and asked me to start working with him on 

the album cover of “Darkness on the Edge of Town” back in 1978. 

RAINE: What are some of the rewards that you get from being a 

photographer? 

STEFANKO: Beside the flattery and monetary reward, when folks pay good 

money for my work at the galleries that represent me around the world, 

there are other more meaningful rewards. Because of what I do, people 

have come to me over the years, for artistic advice and shooting tips. Many 

of these people, from around the world, have become good friends, and 

I’ve seen some of them grow and gather followings of their own. 

The largest reward, however, is when I look back at my work, over the 

years, and think how lucky I am to have been able to make all those images 

that will linger on. 

RAINE: What inspires you ? 

STEFANKO: Life inspires me, it is so precious. I’m the kind of guy who 

wakes up each morning in wonderment. I get as much inspiration from 

shooting the face of a mountain, as the face of a person. 

RAINE: When looking through the lens of a camera, how do you see the 

world ? 

STEFANKO: I believe good photographers get to be good photographers 

because they inherently have an advanced sense of vision. Vision coupled 

with enough intelligence to realize the value of what they see. An excellent 

example is the work of Elliot Erwitt, who has an intelligent sense of humor. 

Once having locked in on that particular vision, the next step is refining that 

composition through the lens. 

RAINE: Who has been your favorite subject to work with and why? 

STEFANKO: My favorite subject has always been Bruce Springsteen. 

It is always a collaboration. He has a strong sense of how he wants to 

be portrayed, and I have a sense of how I want to portray him, and we 

meet somewhere in the middle. He is easy going and gracious, hence the 

working environment is relaxed and fun. His way of scheduling a shoot, 

is to call me up and say, “Hey Frankie...let’s get together and make some 

photos, and have some fun.” 

RAINE: Is there anyone that you have not worked with, that you would like 

to capture on film? 

STEFANKO: Keith Richards, Johnny Depp, Annie Lennox, and Lucy Lui, 

to name but a few. All these artists have wonderful faces and a powerful 

persona. 

RAINE: Can you talk about your work with Bruce Springsteen ? 

STEFANKO: I started working with Bruce in 1978, while shooting the cover 

for the “ Darkness on the Edge of Town” album. I was already a fan of 

his before we met, but in the days we spent together working on those 

photographs, I realized we had much in common. We both had Italian 

mothers and non-Italian fathers. Both our families were working-class and 

we were both from New Jersey. 

I admire Bruce’s work ethic as well...he knows what he wants; 

he takes control of his art and keeps it his own. He maintains his vision, 

his dignity, his art, and his sense of humor. He knows how to pace himself 

for the long haul, in a business that has burned out many stars. But most 

important, is that this prolific artist keeps on being relevant, decade after 

decade, with a following that is global. 

I started working with Bruce in 1978. I shot the covers for 

“Darkness” and “The River” as well as many other projects....that was thirty 

five years ago, and I’m happy to say we’re still friends. 

RAINE: If you could only choose one of your photographs as your favorite, 

which would it be and why? 

STEFANKO: I made a photograph of Bruce titled, “Frank’s Barbershop”. 

In this photograph, Bruce is leaning against a barbershop pole with AI 

Pacino “Dog Day Afternoon” hair. The photograph has a lot of hidden 

symbolism. His defiance, standing in front of the barbershop with long hair, 

two reflections of Bruce’s face, showing three faces of this complex artist. 

The number “seven” above the door forluck. The religious artifacts in the 

barbershop window, for his religion. A surfboard in the adjacent window, 

reflecting his love for the ocean and the Jersey shore...and his dead-on 

stare right at the camera, saying” This is me...take it or leave it. Yes....that’s 

my favorite. 

RAINE: What do you feel your legacy has been to the world of art 

photography? 

STEFANKO: Hopefully, that I made truthful, revealing photographs... 

whether they be my portraits, my landscapes, my street scenes, or my stilllife’s. 

Also that the photographers that I helped along the way, or influenced 

along the way, will come into their own and pass the torch even further 

along. 

RAINE: What can others learn from your success? 

STEFANKO: Simply, that you must follow your dream, stick to it, and never 

give up. If you truly believe that this profession is for you, and if you have 

what it takes...then persistence will pay off. Just like anything else, you 

must have the true passion to keep going, even in adversity. But if you truly 

believe you can do it, and stay with it, good things will happen. 

RAINE: What words of wisdom can you give to aspiring photographers? 

STEFANKO: This is an easy one...don’t shoot what you think others want to 

see....shoot what you see! 


FRESH FACES | FASHION 

Antoinette Rose 

Hometown: Denver, CO 

Agency: Independent repesentation 

Height: 5’10 

FUN FACTs: 

1. I love spending time with my two amazing 

young men. 

2. My birthday is the first day of Summer, so I 

hate the cold and I love entertaining guests at 

the house all the time. 

3. I have been wanting to ride in a hot air 

balloon since I was little, but now that I›m 

older and taller I›m afraid of heights. 

Photographer: Lynzi Judish www.lynzijudish.com; Makeup 

Artist: Nicole Hernandez ; Model: Antoinette Rose

Photographer Bart Ruzik 

Patrick Vidal 

Height: 5’9” 

Waist: 29 

Agency: Independent representation 

FUN FACTS: 

I just finished competing in a physique competition 

in Hartford, CT. As you can imagine I am very into a 

health and fitness. 

I like to help others to encourage them to continue 

with healthy lifestyle habits. 

I want to do more modeling in the future along with 

competing. 


BEAUTY & FITNESS

FITNESS 

9 WAYS TO GET YOUR SUMMER BODY 

By Maik Wiedenbach 

Photo credit Gaul Porat 

Are you ready for the summer? We sure are, so we have put together some 

of our best tips from trainer and fitness enthusiast Maik Weidenbach. So get 

going and get ready for the new you! 

1. NO MORE CARDIO FOR A WEEK 

Yes, you heard me. I know that goes against everything you have ever heard 

but stay with me. Here is what usually happens when most people start to 

diet: they cut calories, start doing excessive amounts of cardio, and take 

some form of fat burning supplements. The result? Unfortunately, these 

types of diets always lead to a flabby, over-trained physique that is lighter 

in weight but not visually pleasing (also sometimes called “skinny fat”). 

Sounds familiar? Read on! Stopping cardio for 5-7 days will give your body 

a chance to recover, lower your cortisol level, as well as drop some water 

weight so you can judge for yourself what is fat and what is not. Plus, it will 

save you some muscle mass in the process. Slowly reintroduce yourself 

to cardio by doing 20 minutes two days a week after your week of rest. 

2. DOUBLE YOUR CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE FOR 3-5 DAYS 

As I pointed out in Myth Buster #1, you are most likely over trained so 

doubling your carbohydrate intake for 3-5 days will create an anabolic 

reaction, up-regulating your HGH, T3, insulin, and IGF1 levels. In simpler 

terms, the body will turn anabolic and you’ll stop losing muscle mass. With 

this reaction, chances are you’ll still lose more body fat wile still being able 

to enjoy your Cap’n Crunch because you just saved your metabolism from 

going into hibernation! After 3-5 days of eating, cut the carbohydrates again. 

If strength drops by more than 20%, add another 1-2 carbohydrate days. 

3. ADD GREEN POWDERS AND LEMON WATER 

It may be a bit difficult to constantly pay attention to little details such as 

keeping your body alkaline, but the fact is that it is much harder to make 

progress if your body is in an acidic state. My weakness? Eating my 6 

servings of vegetables every day. If you share the same weakness, green 

powders are an easy and tasty option to get your recommended servings in. 

It also makes for a great post workout shake if mixed with whey protein, as 

the concoction blunts the body’s cortisol response very effectively. Another 

great addition? Lemon water in the morning. One of the main jobs of the 

liver is to pump fat out of the body, however if it is constantly busy with 

getting rid of toxins, it simply becomes much less effective. Lemon water 

a day will detoxify your liver so that it can do its job and get you looking 

leaner! A functioning liver is a must have for fat loss and overall happiness. 

4. DROP THE CAFFEINE 

One of the side effects of over training is elevated cortisol level, which visually 

translates to a watery physique. Don’t want flabby arms? Drop the caffeine! 

Yes, we all love our pre-workout supplements, shots of espressos, and energy 

drinks, but adrenal fatigue is the #1 killer when it comes to progress at the gym. 

When caffeine is introduced to your body, your CNS gets over stimulated, and 

in turn, your cortisol levels stays constantly elevated. Which brings us back to 

that watery physique! My suggestion: take a weekend where you don’t have 

too much on your plate and go cold turkey (plan to sleep a lot). After one 

week without caffeine and other stimulants, you can reintroduce them twice a 

week into your system. You’ll be shocked how much your body will harden up 

once the cortisol gets flushed out! If you absolutely need the caffeine to focus, 

adding some choline can be very helpful (think 3-5 grams daily). 

5. DIGEST WHAT YOU ARE EATING 

Most bodybuilders and fitness fanatics are eating the same foods over and over 

again that their bodies, over time, become less effective in taking the nutrients from 

what they are fed. As a result, a majority of the consumed protein is not properly 

broken down and causes digestive issues. The remedy? Digestive enzymes are 

a great and cost effective way to keep your intestinal flora up and running. 

Being able to properly break down your foods is the first step to getting leaner! 

6. CHANGE GYMS 

A new environment can work wonders, so if you are able, change it up! Take the bus 

into the scary part of town and get a day pass, see what happens. You will have to 

re-instate your type A personality status, which will require you to work that much 

harder. Also, there might be potential dates to impress! And lastly, the machines 

will be different which means new angles for your muscles to work against. 

7. START ADDING MAGNESIUM 

Magnesium is responsible for 400+ different processes in the body and 

unfortunately, the majority of westerners are deficient. Some of the benefits 

include: 1. Better sleep, which leads to a higher output of primary fat burner, 

HGH, 2. Higher testosterone levels, …enough said, 3. Lower inflammation, 

which allows your body to heal faster from workouts, stress, etc., and 4. 

Lower cortisol levels, which lessens the amount of muscle break down and fat 

storage, especially in the abdominal region. 400-600 mg of magnesium a day 

should do the trick. ZMA, which includes magnesium, can also work wonders 

for sleep and recovery after a long day at work. 

8. TRY THIS WORKOUT INSTEAD 

Tired of your current workout? Try my workouts instead. Workouts A and B 

are timed, 35 minutes max (that means a hard stop after 35 minutes!). The first 

two workouts are intended to increase your work capacity. Workouts C and 

D are focused solely on strength and power, the primary goal being to keep 

as much muscle mass during the diet (so yes, each rep matters!). The golden 

rule for workouts C and D is 1 second going up (positive), 3 seconds coming 

down (negative). Add as many warm up sets as you see fit; just keep in mind, 

for workouts A and B, warm up sets do not count towards the 35 minute time 

frame. 

WORKOUT A 

CHEST/BACK/SHOULDERS 

2x10 Pull Overs @ Nautilus (or with dumbbells) 

3x10 One Arm Cable Rows 

3x10 Cable Flyes (high) 

3x10 Incline Dumbbell Bench 

3x10 Overhanded Lat Pull Downs 

2x10 Floor Flyes 

2x10 Dumbbell Arnold Presses 

2x10 Seated Side Raises 

2x10 Cable Uncrossovers 

2x10 Stiff Arm Pull Downs 

WORKOUT B 

LEGS/ARMS 

2x10 Cable Pull Throughs 

2x10 Step Ups 

2x10 Siff Lunges 

2x6 Stiff Legged Dead Lifts 

2x10 Leg Presses 

2x8 Standing Sled Calf Raises 

2x10 Face Pulls 

3x10 Incline Curls 

3x10 Mushroom Press Downs 

2x10 Side Raises (hold on top) 

2x10 Cable Concentration Curls 

2x10 Rear Delt Flyes 

WORKOUT C 

2x10 Bent Over Rows 

3x8 Arnold Presses 

2x20 Squats, superset with Dumbbell Pull Overs 

3x10 Incline Bench 

3x25 Calf Raises 

WORKOUT D 

2x10 Face Pulls 

3x8 Dips 

3x8 Drag Curls 

5x5 Dead Lifts 

3x8 Seated Rows 

3x8 Poliquin Raises 

9. LASTLY COMMIT 

Pick an event or a goal date for your big reveal. This can be a bodybuilding 

show, a pool party, a photo shoot... you name it. Mail in your application, put 

down your deposit, and announce your very presence to everyone. Make a 

promise with yourself. Once you are committed, you will be less likely to back 

out! 


FITNESS 

Versatile, valuable and consistent are just a few words that teammates and coaches 

use to describe clutch running back, Chris Ogbonnaya of the Cleveland Browns. A true 

chameleon on the field, Chris plays receiver, running back and even special teams, 

making him extremely knowledgeable on a variety of positions and strategy for each. 

In his off season, Chris focuses time on giving back to the community. He 

has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for many years and has plans to establish 

his own foundation helping underprivileged kids. Chris can often be found speaking 

to schools to motivate youth on the importance of staying in school and obtaining an 

education. 

Chris was selected to be a style ambassador for the athletic-inspired dress 

shirt line, Mizzen + Main, and can often be found on the red carpet mixing styles to 

perfect his overall unique look. A true sneakerhead, Chris’ shoe collection is always 

expanding including the recent addition of a pair of customized Air Jordan 5’s with 

featuring his jersey number, the vintage Brownie Elf, team logo and colors. 

On the Field of 

his Dreams with 

NFL SuperStar 

Chris Ogbonnaya 

Join us as Chris takes a moment to share with us what give him his competitive edge 

and the secrets to his success. 

RAINE: What was your biggest obstacle reaching your sports career goals? 

OGBONNAYA: The first time I ever got cut was in 2009. After flying collegiately - you 

always were on scholarship. For the first time, there was not that job security. 

After it happens a few times, you understand that this is a business and you have to 

have a thick skin - as one door closes, another door opens. It humbles you and you 

understand that it is a privilege to play and not a right. 

RAINE: Did you have any childhood entrepreneurial pursuits? What was the earliest 

experience? 

OGBONNAYA: In high school, we use to do this thing called Spring Fling. We had to 

sell booklets in exchange for rewards, i.e. a day off of school - you were responsible for 

the sum of your group. The idea behind Spring Fling was to help the group understand 

that in order to receive rewards, everyone needed to pull together and perform to reach 

our goals. 

RAINE: Tell us about your interest in helping under privileged youth? 

OGBONNAYA: I have always understood that as an athlete and being in the spotlight, 

you have to set an example to kids, families and what have you. I try to dedicate myself 

to being shown in a positive light. 

RAINE: What is one fitness fact that you would like to share with our readers? 

OGBONNAYA: Run, run, run - that’s what I do. In order to be at your best, you need to 

be at your ultimate shape - your conditioning has to be at its peak. 

RAINE: What are 3 fun facts that you fans don’t know about you? 

OGBONNAYA: 

1. I Come from a big family - 2 brothers and 2 sisters - spread all over the place 

2. Very competitive 

3. I like fashion a lot 

RAINE: What was your most surprising moment on the field? 

OGBONNAYA: Being around great players. It humbles you when you are up against 

other good players and they get the best of you. It is something you understand is 

going to happen, but it pushes you to go further and try to get more plays than they do. 

RAINE: What words of wisdom do you want to share with aspiring athletes? 

OGBONNAYA: Don’t ever give up and always persevere. Keep in mind that it’s about 

“discipline,” you have to constantly perfect your craft and continually re-invent yourself. 

Have patience and always work hard to reach your goals.

BEAUTY 

Blond Ambition 

Photographer: Lisa Ramsay; Make-up: Gayle Carbajal; Hair: Joe Oso; Fashion 

Stylist: Pe’a Monique; Model: Aline Thiel, Muse Model Management; Retoucher: 

Brandi Napier and Lisa Ramsay; Dress: Long Tran; Earrings: Living Dolls 


Crown: Jade Chui 

Gloves & Necklace: Living Dolls 

Corset: Ping 

Hairstyle: Side Braid Updo

Hamess: Jade Chui 

Uodo: Pompador

BEAUTY 

MUSIC AND MAKEUP WITH 

ARDENCY INN AND 

SINGER RANDA LEIGH 

ARDENCY INN, a new makeup brand rooted 

in the downtown New York music scene, is 

excited to announce the launch of its Summer 

2014 campaign featuring lead singer Randa 

Leigh of Shadows on Stars, alongside a highly 

anticipated new product collection. 

James Vincent, Director of Artistry and 

Education, said: “The Shadows on Stars look 

was inspired by Randa herself. With a nod to 

new wave, I made the bright pink lip and classic 

eye look fresh and modern using MODSTER 

Eyeliner in Cream and MODSTER Lip Color in 

Forward.” 

Shadows on Stars weaves electronic, 

dance-hall and ‘trap’ sensibilities with alternative 

soundscapes to establish a pop sound of all 

their own. In an era of overstated pop anthems, 

Shadows on Stars relies on restraint. The 

result is an infectious sonic environment that 

you can’t quite put your finger on. Lead Singer 

Randa Leigh and producer Brian V are not to 

be compared. On their forthcoming album, 

Shadow on Stars has reinvented themselves by 

cooking up a confident blend of stylish genredefying 

pop. 

ARDENCY INN Summer 2014 product collection 

is composed of: 

MODSTER Lip Balm & Primer – A lip balm 

that protects and primes with a cool minty 

kick. Provides all-day moisture and protection to 

the lips with a cool peppermint scent to freshen 

breath and a slight green tint to neutralize lip 

color. 

MODSTER Long PlayTM Supercharged Lip 

Color in Forward – a full coverage long lasting 

lipstick with the comfort of a balm. Forward is a 

provocative pink with blue and violet undertones. 

MODSTER Smooth Ride Supercharged 

Eyeliner in Cream – a creamy waterproof 

eyeliner supercharged with pure pigments. The 

Cream shade brightens the eye when applied on 

the water line. It adds an interesting element of 

style to any eye look. 

AMERICANA Soft Focus Moisturizer – An 

imperfection blurring daily moisturizer. Use 

alone for a hydrated, luminous skin or mixed with 

AMERICANA Custom Coverage Concentrate to 

create your customized tinted moisturizer, liquid 

foundation or concealer. 

The ARDENCY INN Summer Collection is 

available at select Sephora stores, Sephora. 

com, UrbanOutfitters.com, and ArdencyInn. 

com. Shadows on Stars music is available on 

iTunes. 

Image courtesy of Ardency Inn 

70 


BEAUTY 

Courtesy of Hair Room Service 

B E A U T Y O N W H E E L S 

REVOLUTIONIZING THE HAIR INDUSTRY WITH HAIR ROOM SERVICE 

Founder and celebrity hairstylist, Michael Dueñas has revolutionized 

the beauty industry with the introduction of Hair Room Service in 

2009. Hair Room Service was one of the first mobile salons to hit the 

streets in New York City and Los Angeles and soon after its opening 

was awarded Best of New York and Best of Los Angeles by esteemed 

publications. These awards further proved the need and demand for 

such a service in both markets. 

Michael found a niche in the industry, saw what was missing 

and transformed the future of how salons would operate, simply by 

listening to his clients and their needs. To date, Hair Room Service 

offers their clients a luxury service of hairstyling, blowouts, manicures, 

makeup, personal styling and more in the comfort of their home, hotel, 

or office. Not only does this save the client the expense of traveling to 

a salon, but also saves them time and energy. 

While the innovation of Hair Room Services started with a 

great idea and someone that could turn it into reality, there were still 

certain roadblocks encountered since there was no storefront for the 

salon. Developing innovative events, such as the Beauty Bus, was 

one of the ways that Michael found could create the “store front” he 

needed for Hair Room Service in some of the most highly sought-out 

locations of the city. The Beauty Bus was simply a see-through truck 

built into a salon. The mobility of it being a truck stayed true to the 

concept of his mobile salon, all while giving him the exposure needed 

in any location throughout the city. 


Visit www.epiceinternational.com and use code RAINE20 for a 20% discount upon checkout.

FASHION TO LIVE FOR


Photographer: Robert 

Wilde; Wardrobe Styling: 

Mike Sam @ The English 

Clientele; Makeup: Eugene 

Conde; Hair: Eugene 

Conde; Janera Rose; 

Models: Daisy Clementine 

and Pyper America, 

represented by Next 

Management LA 

Pushing Boundaries 


Model: Daisy: Pleated drop waist 

gown - Coco Johnsen

Model: Daisy: Leather Poncho - Shelley 

Caudill; High-waist panty- English Clientele; 

Patten leather pumps - Red Lable Vivienne 

Westwood; Wire cuff - Stylist’s Own; Hair 

Eugene Conde

Left: Model: Pyper; Silk corset 

gown - English Clientele 

Couture; Hair: Eugene Conde 

Right: Leather jacket - Jad 

Ghandour; High-waist Leather 

shorts - Free People; Suede 

w/Silver metallic detail - 

Vivienne Westwood; Hair: 

Eugene Condea

RAINEMAKER 

MEET BEN CARSON

Ben Carson Talks Entrepreneurship 

I looked up and saw across the room a very poised, confident yet 

humble gentleman that fit the description of who I was scheduled to 

meet. He had a gentle expression on his face and a very kind smile. As 

I approached and we both realized we connected with the right person, 

his ease increased and smile widened. 

We chatted casually for a few minutes and made our way to 

a comfortable lounge area in the Orlando Rosen Hotel to begin the 

interview. I was excited to discuss some of the important topics in 

his newest literary creation: One Nation. It was a story of hope and 

inspiration - two words that are 

very important to an entrepreneur’s 

success. 

Dr. Carson came from very 

humble beginnings. He and his brother 

were raised by his mother after she 

divorced their Dad when they were still 

very young. Although his mother did 

not have much of an education, she 

made it a priority for her sons to read 

vigorously and appreciate the value of 

learning and getting a good education. 

As a result, Dr. Carson rose out of 

poverty, attended Yale Medical School 

and became a pediatric neurosurgeon, 

one of the most intense specialties in 

medicine. 

He didn’t stop there; he went 

on to become the Director of Pediatric 

Neurosurgery at John Hopkins Medical 

Center, regarded as one of the leading 

medical institutions in the country. 

During his tenure there, at age 33, Dr. 

Carson became famous for being the 

first surgeon to successfully separate 

conjoined twins joined at the head. 

His personal story as a surgeon was 

turned both into a book and feature 

film, called Gifted Hands. 

Dr. Carson’s passion for 

education empowered him to create 

a foundation, The Carson Foundation, that awards academically 

accomplished youths of which over 5000 recipients have been awarded 

to date. His entrepreneurial spirit extended beyond his not for profit and 

poured into his desire to share his story and viewpoints from a different 

perspective in both America the Beautiful and his newest work: One 

Nation. 

Meet Dr. Ben Carson, academic luminary, accomplished 

neurosurgeon, common-sense political activist and inspiration to the 

many lives he has touched. 

His journey to the present day is an incredible one - a story 

that can give hope to millions. Dr. Carson shares a few moments with 

Raine during a very busy bookour to discuss how his newest literary 

creation relates to entrepreneurism. 

RAINE: How would you equate your journey to someone who is looking 

to start their own business? 

CARSON: When I started as a pediatric neurosurgeon, there were a 

lot of challenges. There were a lot of things that people said shouldn’t 

be done or couldn’t be done. The same kinds of things that people 

encounter that are trying to start businesses. Similarly to business, 

medicine requires conviction and courage to do things that are new 

and different but you have to have an understanding that it is going to 

work. 

RAINE: How would you ignite a great 

number of entrepreneurs to move 

forward with their goals, or increase the 

number of small businesses growing in 

America? 

CARSON: What we would have to do 

starts with the government. Right now, 

every week there are dozens of new 

regulations that come out, encircling 

business, industry, academia— 

everybody. If the government doesn’t 

like what you are doing they just start 

pulling the noose. 

About twelve weeks ago the last lead 

smelting plant was closed in America 

because the EPA just came in and 

said, “You violated this… “This will 

cost you this…,” or “you can just shut 

down.” That’s just not helpful. We have 

much better ways of controlling things. 

Instead of shutting things down we 

should be looking at the safest ways 

of producing things. You look at all the 

energy resources we have; we should 

be looking at the safest ways and the 

most environmentally friendly ways 

to do that, rather than ways to shut 

businesses down. That is what will 

increase entrepreneurship and at the 

same time encouraging new sources 

of renewable energy. There are a whole 

series of ramifications that come with doing things in a wise manner. 

RAINE: I like the points you brought out in the book about visionary 

leadership—wisdom versus knowledge. Can you go into that a little 

bit? 

CARSON: It is primarily the atmosphere that one creates that creates 

entrepreneurship. Early on in our nation, we created an environment 

where if somebody did something and it was very productive they 

become wealthy, their families become wealthy and their communities 

become wealthy. Because unlike the land barons of Europe, our people 

would create more factories, textile mills and create things that allowed 

others to be able to work, which is how we created the most dynamic 

middle class that the world has ever seen. That is really where our 

economic power came from, and I think there are some people that

don’t seem to understand that concept anymore. 

The whole world recognizes us as entrepreneurs 

and acknowledges us of the fact that the system we 

had is one that promoted people doing new things 

and coming up with new things. The more we stifle 

that with rules and regulations the less common it is 

going to become. 

RAINE: Running the country is like running a 

business. Do you agree and if so how? 

CARSON: In the business world you have to be 

able to consider a whole host of things, you have 

to be able to take into consideration what is good 

for all the people. That is the real key to good 

governments. The same goes for business, when 

people feel like they are a part of the process they 

are willing to throw themselves into it and the whole 

organization benefits. 

RAINE: This is something that stuck with me 

when I was reading your book, “tomorrow is not a 

guarantee, if something needs to be done, just go 

ahead and do it.” Can you share how that principle 

can be used by entrepreneurs? 

CARSON: Things have a tendency to change fairly 

rapidly, therefore if you have a good idea there 

is absolutely no benefit in waiting, because the 

situation may change fairly quickly, and all of a 

sudden the window is no longer open. Besides that, 

time goes by really fast and the older and wiser one 

gets, the more one recognizes that procrastination 

is not a good thing. 

RAINE: Historically, physicians have been some of 

the most notable entrepreneurs in our country. What 

are your thoughts on that? 

CARSON: A lot of people don’t know that physicians 

were involved in the Constitution, Bill of Rights, 

Declaration of Independence--five of them signed 

it, but also have been so involved with community. 

Unfortunately, over the last few decades they have 

withdrawn to their laboratories, clinics and their 

operating rooms. I think this has been a detriment 

to society; physicians are trained to make decisions 

on evidence and not on ideology. We’ve reached 

a point in our nation where those who have one 

ideology or another and if they propose something 

and it doesn’t work, they just say, “We didn’t do 

enough of it, Let’s just do more of it,” and of course 

that is just completely idiotic but that is how we 

have gotten into an idiotic situation. I encourage 

people to start thinking about getting involved in 

their communities again, and fortunately this year 

there are 24 physicians running for Congress, so 

things are starting to change. 

RAINE: In relating to your book, how would you 

equate your ideas to being an entrepreneur? 

CARSON: In terms of being able to look at things 

differently - for instance, when I talk about healthcare 


RAINE RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS 

(Dr. Carson had only a few seconds to 

answer each) 

CARSON: 

Sprite or 7-up – Sprite 

Volleyball or kickball – Volleyball 

Tea or coffee – Neither 

Purple Raine or Thriller – Thriller 

Khakis or blue jeans – Kakis 

Gucci or Calvin Klein – Calvin Klein, only 

because I know the owner 

Pizza or hamburgers – Pizza 

Star Wars or Avatar – Avatar 

Montego Bay or St. Tropez – Montego Bay 

and healthcare reform in the book, I am talking about 

making healthcare available to all of our citizens. Because 

I am not a particular fan of the Affordable Care Act, people 

say, “Well he doesn’t want people to have healthcare.” It’s 

just the opposite, I want everybody to have healthcare but 

I want them to have good healthcare. I don’t want there to 

be a two tier system--the way to do that is health savings 

accounts. If everybody has a health savings account, 

there in charge of how the dollars are dispersed. There 

are a number of different ways we can populate these 

account financially for a lot less money than were using 

right now for healthcare and everybody can go and have 

whatever they need done. If you sprain your ankle and you 

think you need an x-ray; it’s coming out of your HSA. You 

need a physical exam; it’s coming out of your HSA. You 

need birth control pills; it’s coming out of our HSA—no 

hobby lobby. Consequently, very few things are impinging 

on your major medical or catastrophic insurance, which 

means that the cost of that plummets. 

Also, if you give people flexibility with their HSA within their 

family it makes every family their own health insurance 

company, with no middle man and provides enormous 

flexibility. By utilizing health saving accounts, it brings the 

whole healthcare system into the free market, and that is 

what controls price, and that is what controls quality. 

RAINE: Would the HSA be funded by the employer, the 

individual or both? 

CARSON: It can be funded through a whole list of different 

things: employer, gifts, tax returns and for the indigent 

through the government. For what the government already 

pays into the indigent, this would be considerably less, 

and yet would give people considerably more flexibility. 

RIANE: What cultural or historic figure have you been 

most compared to? 

CARSON: It depends on whether you are talking about 

people on the right or people on the left. People on the 

left would say I am more like a demon, and people on 

the right would compare me to something good. I don’t 

really care that much about that; what I do care about 

is doing the right thing. So many people who spend all 

their time with their finger in the air seeing what people 

think. No one who ever accomplishes anything great 

does that! You have to be convicted about what you 

are doing. I just worry about doing what’s right. I also 

happen to be a person of faith and I do believe there is a 

difference between right and wrong and when I talk about 

compassion, I am talking about it from the point of view of 

actually improving people’s lives and not making people 

dependent. 

RAINE: What words of wisdom would you share with 

rising entrepreneurs? 

CARSON: I would say learn how you learn, because 

everybody learns in a different way; play to your strengths 

and away from your weaknesses. The more you know, 

the more valuable you become and the more options you 

have. In terms of entrepreneurship, don’t close yourself 

off to anything. 

Images courtesy of MNS Publicity

CULTURE


CARIBBEAN BREEZE 

By Sean Drake 

Photographer: Sean Drakes Designer: Claudia Pegus Stylist: Crystal Ivy London Models: Karielle 

& Zoe Makeup stylist: Jodi Balfour Coordinator: Marlon Jeffers Special Thanks to: Rachel-Ann 

McSween, Janelle Johnson, Tourism Development Company. Shot at Coco Reef Resort


For her 2015 Resort Collection, Claudia Pegus delved into the West 

Indian paradise of Tobago. The collection titled “Caribbean Breeze,” was 

inspired by the tropical ambiance of Tobago: sand, sea, sun and warm 

tropical breezes. The color palette was influenced by the flora and 

fauna found throughout the beautiful island and are a true expression of 

the colors of Tobago. 

The fabrics used were silk chiffon for a light and airy feel, 

styled with vibrant wooden beads; the finishes are all hand-beaded. The 

collection will be shown in several Caribbean islands before delivery to 

stores in St. Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Bequai, and Trinidad and 

Tobago.» 

Contact via: ClaudiaPegus.com

TRAVEL | EAT. STAY. CHILL 

10 THINGS TO DO IN 


Argyle Waterfalls 

Hikers can discover the island’s highest falls at the end of an easy 15-minute 

hike along a trail lined with cocoa trees and The Main Forest Ridge, the oldest 

reserve in the Western Hemisphere that runs along the island’s central ridge. 

Main Ridge Rainforest 

The reserve is the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. It was established in 

1765 as a means to preserve the watershed of the island. The forest offers 

great biodiversity including many species of birds, mammals, frogs and 

non-poisonous snakes. Local tour operators offer rainforest excursions into 

the reserve primarily along the Gilpin Trace trail. Nature enthusiasts and 

birdwatchers walk into relatively undisturbed forest and feast on the flora 

and fauna. The reserve has consecutively won the award for World’s Leading 

Ecotourism Destination by the World Travel Awards from 2003 to 2007. 

Cotton Bay 

Cotton Bay is a tourist friendly, uncrowded and serene private beach and can 

only be reached by boat.

Turtle Beach 

Turtle Beach is a mile-long sandy, sloping 

beach famous as a nesting site for giant 

leatherback turtles (March-August). 

Radical Sports 

(wind surfing, kite boarding) 

Those who prefer wind or kitesurfing can 

visit Radical Water Sports, Tobago’s only 

professional windsurf and water sports center. 

The center is the perfect pit-stop for beginners 

and advanced surfers alike as it is located on 

the northern tip of the world-famous Pigeon 

Point Heritage Park which is protected by 

the Buccoo Reef, making it ideal for all levels 

of windsurfers. One side the beach faces 

the Nylon Pool lagoon where beginners can 

learn their techniques, while less than 100 

yards away the beach on the leeward side is 

sheltered and unaffected by wind, making it 

excellent for swimming and sunbathing and an 

ideal location for those with non-windsurfers 

in the family. For more information, visit 

radicalsportstobago.com. 

Nylon Pool 

A veritable tranquil paradise in the ocean, Nylon 

Pool was given the name by Princess Margaret 

after her visit there in 1962, who thought the 

water was as clear as her nylon stockings. 

This unique feature of the reef complex allows 

swimmers to enjoy their own private swimming 

pool. Depths are no greater than 7-10 feet at 

high tides. Local folklore promises that a swim 

in the waters of the Nylon Pool will make you 

look five years younger. 

Pigeon Point 

Located on the leeward side of Tobago, 

Pigeon Point is perhaps the island’s best sea 

and land encounter with over 1600 meters of 

white sand. The islands most famous beach 

can boast of powdery white sand and leaning 

coconut palms. Located on a private coconut 

estate, the small admission fee entitles you 

to use of the beaches facilities. There is a 

gift shop, washroom/ showers, snack shop 

and entertainment stand. One of the most 

memorable landmarks of Tobago is the little 

coconut palm covered shelter at the end of 

the jetty. Pigeon point is also a popular fishing 

destination, offering a number of different 

game fish throughout the year.

Buccoo Bay/Buccoo Reef 

Buccoo is home to goat racing and is a 

very popular tourist destination, especially 

known for its diving. Buccoo Reef is the 

largest coral reef in Tobago and was 

designated as a marine park in 1973. The 

popular dive site contains a reef system of 

five flats separated by deep channels. As a 

true coral reef, divers can find thousands of 

barrel, rope and tube sponges on the reef, 

which are home to countless invertebrates, 

hydroids and fish. The coral in Tobago is 

in excellent health and large sizes such as 

the brain coral heads (reported as being 

the largest in the world) are estimated to 

be hundreds of years old and span more 

than 13 feet across. A spectrum of color is 

offered by the coral gardens and the marine 

life supported by the reef. 

Castara Bay 

Castara, located on the north-western 

side of Tobago, is a quiet, peaceful fishing 

village in an area which includes a cove 

surrounded by sheltering mountains 

protecting a beautiful beach. Activities in 

the area are snorkelling, diving, fishing, 

and hiking. There is a waterfall nearby and 

Castara Beach is approximately 8,200 feet 

long. 

Speyside 

Speyside is a leading scuba diving 

destination attracting divers who come to 

experience the Brain Coral and magnificent 

Speyside Bay Reef. Kayaking is popular in 

Speyside, as visitors can paddle for about 

an hour across to Little Tobago Island or 

along the island’s West Coast that features 

deserted beaches along the route. There 

are also glass-bottom boat tours for a trip 

around Angel Reef, the Goat Island and 

Little Tobago Island. 

Little Tobago Island 

Little Tobago is a small island off the 

northeastern coast of Tobago. Less than 

a half a mile in area, the island. The island 

is the perfect spot for birding, as a number 

of different species can be spotted on the 

island in addition to birds that can be seen 

from neighboring islands.

CULTURE 

Purchased from founder Lexi Scott, 6 years ago, Workbook 

started as a directory to provide the commercial artist a way 

of selling their art to buyers. From those initial steps, current 

Owner and CEO William Daniels III, has shaped Workbook into 

the leading platform that provides adaptable marketing tools 

available to photographers, illustrators, letterers and designers 

who are serious about reaching the most active and important 

art buyers in their fields. 

Although very dedicated to their original 

mission, through Daniel’s carefully executed vision, 

Workbook has grown into three distinct resources for the 

creative community: Workbook Print, Workbook Portfolio 

and Workbook Directory. Most recently, Workbook acquired 

Dripbook, an online platform that allows creatives to develop 

and present beautiful and dynamic digital portfolios that they can 

also share virtually. The addition of Dripbook allows Workbook 

an extreme advantage over its competitors, becoming a one 

stop shop for professionals in art, illustration, architecture, and 

photography who want to best showcase their work and have 

it seen by those who most seek it. 

Workbook Print 

Workbook Photography and Illustration are sets of creative 

industry resource books featuring a combined collection of work 

from emerging and established advertising photographers, 

illustrators, letterers, and designers. The industry classic, 

Workbook has a proven track record for connecting art 

directors, designers and creative buyers with the right artist for 

their projects. 

Workbook Portfolio 

Workbook Portfolio is an online resource featuring over 900 

established and emerging photographers, illustrators, letterers 

and designers and their representatives. It offers the fastest and 

easiest way to search, browse, and bookmark creative talent, 

with the ability to narrow results by specialty or location, as well 

as to view new and updated Portfolios. 

Image courtesy of Workbook 

Workbook Directory 

Workbook Directory provides wide-reaching and aggressivelyupdated 

creative industry contacts, including advertising 

agencies, design studios, corporate in-house/client-direct, 

photographers, illustrators, letterers, artist representatives, 

stock agencies, industry resources and support services. 

In addition, Workbook has branched further into 

the creative world to do for the modeling industry what it has 

done for the art—innovate! Already working with a handful 

of agencies, Workbook aims to help promote agencies and 

provide a new way of delivering top agencies to the masses 

to fill a need. In its 36th year as a leader in the art industry, 

Workbook is dedicated to providing the creative community 

premium sourcebooks, and a website with comprehensive 

features and resources for finding top talent and services. 


CULTURE 

I N T R O D U C I N G O N L I 

A THIRST QUENCHING MUST HAVE 

Palm-Beach based beverage company, Onli, has taken the beverage 

industry by storm! Onli specializes in chef inspired sparkling water, providing 

a healthy option that brings together exquisite taste with simple, natural 

flavors. Drink it alone or mix it with a cocktail--great for any occasion! 

Nadav Heimberg, founder and CEO explains, “Our vision for a 

healthy beverage was clear, we knew our necessary qualities: healthy, 

natural, different and exceptional taste”. 

Not new to launching successful companies, Heimberg, is 

a serial-entrepreneur in every sense of the word, with Onli being his 

sixth operation. In his early years, he helped launch several companies 

in various industries, including high tech, automotive and merger 

acquisition. Onli, came about when he was asked to research and acquire 

a beverage company for a group of investors. In turn, they looked to 

Heimberg to run the company. 

What makes Onli unique is its natural taste. All flavors 

contain healthy ingredients and are made with delicious fruit extracts. 

Not only is it one of a kind in taste but you feel better drinking it 

as opposed to similar beverages filled with sugar. Some of the main flavors 

include: Hibiscus Pomegranate Aronia, Huckleberry Pomegranate 

and Lemon Watermelon to name a few. 

Recently, Onli was featured at the 100 Years of Fashion on Worth 

Avenue, South Beach Food and Wine Festival, International Polo Palm 

Beach, Boca Raton Wine and Food Festival, Miami Magazine Men of Style 

Events, The Atlanta Men of Style, Taste of Speed Atlanta and Art Basel 

Miami Events. 

So go ahead and crack open an Onli! We are sure you will be able 

to enjoy it on its own or as part of a tasty cocktail creation to be paired 

with your favorite foods. 

Images courtesy of ONLI 

92 


CULTURE 

cooking with gold 

Her hair is flaming red, and her gourmet dishes are 

outlandishly creative and deviously delicious. And 

now, award-winning celebrity Chef Adrianne Calvo 

is bedazzling diners at her five-star Miami eatery with 

appetizers, entrees and desserts glittering with 24-karat 

gold. 

Chef Adrianne takes pride in being a culinary 

maverick, always on the lookout for outrageous and 

unexpected colors, tastes and textures with which to 

atssault her patrons’ palates, but her decision to use 

gold in her recipes is based on more than a mere desire 

to sprinkle a little eye candy onto her patrons’ plates. 

“Gold has always been considered to be a 

mineral with medical and healing properties,” Chef 

Adrianne said. “It’s been used for centuries to calm 

joint inflammation and arthritis, treat skin disorders, and 

improve overall health and wellness, so it seemed like a 

perfect ingredient to add to the mix.” 

Chef Adrianne features gold-themed dishes 

once every month during her restaurant’s “Dark Dining 

Nights”, a two-hour event where patrons heighten their 

senses by wearing blindfolds while enjoying a specially 

prepared multi-course gourmet meal. 

“We’ll gradually be incorporating gold into our 

regular nightly specials so more of our diners can have 

the gold experience without wearing blindfolds,” she 

said. Chef Adrianne has incorporated gold in entrees, 

such as steak tartare, desserts and pastas. 

“We’ve even sprinkled it on kale, to make a 

Super Green,” she said. “With gold as an ingredient, the 

possibilities are endless.” 

Photos courtesy of Chef Adrianne Calvo 

ABOUT CHEF ADRIANNE 

Filled with the love for food at a young age, Adrianne 

focused her efforts on her one true aspiration, cooking. 

At age 27, Adrianne has enjoyed an incredible number 

of accolades during her remarkable journey in becoming 

a nationally acclaimed chef. Coining the catch phrase 

“Maximum Flavor”, Adrianne has managed to exceed 

to the maximum degree. From graduating top of her 

class at Johnson & WalesUniversity, to now owning 

and operating her own restaurant, Chef Adrianne’s 

Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar, Adrianne continues 

to influence the culinary community as well as the way 

people experience fine dining. 

Most recently, Chef Adrianne’s restaurant 

and wine bar was featured in the Miami New Times’ 

“Best of Miami”, Urbanspoon’s Miami “Top Rated 

Restaurants” and “Most Popular”, and was listed as one 

of “The Five Best Celebrity Chef Restaurants in Miami” 

by Hopperblog.com. 

Chef Adrianne is a frequently invited quest 

on local Miami TV cooking-and food-programs andsegments, 

and she can be seen regularly on Foodable 

WebTV Network, on her own show “Food as a Lifestyle”. 


CULTURE 

image courtesy of Riudavets 

Riudavets 

INNOVATING SIMPLICITY AND QUALITY 

The humble beginnings of the first Avarca sandals have their start 

rooted deep in the rustic terrain of the Menorcan countryside, where 

the land is hard and dry. Given these conditions, villagers needed 

work shoes that were versatile, yet simple in design. 

Established in the late 1920s, and currently run by the third 

generation, the t family were innovators long before it was hip to be a 

part of the creative class of entrepreneurs – solving problems for the 

masses. 

Today Riudavets Avarcas are a Mediterranean lifestyle 

staple, worn by locals and island vacationers alike, including the 

Royal Family of Spain. You will struggle to find someone who has 

visited the island of Menorca and hasn’t taken a pair of Traditional 

Avarcas home with them. In many ways Avarcas sandals mirror the 

values of Menorcan society—simple, comfort with a respect for the 

environment. These are all values that are held in high regard by the 

Riudavets family and are the building principles that are found in 

each pair of expertly crafted hand-made Avarca sandals. 

What makes Avarca sandals innovative is their less-ismore 

approach to shoe design. Known throughout the world for 

the exceptional quality and comfort that only three generations of 

experience in shoe making can provide, each pair of Avarca sandals 

feature a hidden side stitch, high quality leathers and a rubber sole 

made from recycled tires. And let’s not forget their obvious fashion 

appeal that will take you from day to night in seconds flat—no fuss 

required. 

Riudavets are the obvious choice for a new generation of 

fashion savvy customers whose out-of-the-box style is as enduring 

as the original Avarca sandals from yester-year. 

94 


CULTURE 

TECHNOLOGY + GIVING BACK + FUN = 

501 AUCTIONS 

Volunteering at a local charity auction in the spring of 2010, Jon Carrier was convinced 

the event had the potential to raise more money if a better system could be found to 

collect auction bids and process payments. That same summer, when most of his 

fellow MBA students were interning with DC firms, Jon, a software engineer by training, 

set out to build a fundraising platform. Designed with the fundraising professional and 

donor in mind, it allowed guests to bid on their mobile phones, while streamlining many 

of the administrative tasks involved in running a fundraising event. 

The University of Virginia’s Public Interest Law Association (PILA) 

agreed to use the new platform in the fall with tremendous success. 

Fundraising revenue increased by 34% and guests loved the excitement 

of bidding on their own smartphones. With that, 501 Auctions was born. 

The online silent auction in the lead-up to the live event “gave people an 

opportunity to research items,” PILA President Ashley Matthews said. “The 

fact that it was online helped people to aggressively bid on items, and 

increased our revenue total.” 

Encouraged by the results, Jon reached out to his own network in 

an effort to source new clients. A technologist at heart, he soon realized he 

needed a sales and general business partner if he was truly determined to 

scale the service. 

Upon their return to school in the fall, Jon reached out to a friend and 

classmate, Teddy Jones. With five years of sales and product management 

experience in the software-as-a-service industry, Teddy immediately saw the 

potential in the system. “The market need was clear,’ he says. “The system’s 

ability to make bidding easy and fun for guests, as well as streamline many 

of the time intensive tasks for the event organizers meant it was a service 

that I knew people would want.” 

Profitable from the beginning, 501 Auctions now employs a full time 

staff of twelve with more than one hundred part time workers and helps 

nonprofits run events nationwide. The secret to their success: hiring the right 

people. “Time and time again, we hear our clients praise both the usability of 

the software and the unparalleled customer service our Account Managers 

provide”, says Teddy. “Our full commitment to our customer’s happiness 

and success is the main reason our clients return to work with us again and 

again.” 

Both founders have a clear vision for the future of the company. 

“We’re both very different people, and therefore complement each other’s 

skillsets well”, says Teddy, “while we don’t always agree, it’s a healthy 

dynamic and one which improves our collective contributions and efforts.” 

In 2014 alone, they are set to help nonprofits raise more than $30 million 

dollars for important causes across the US. A concentration on reliable technology, 

excellent customer service and an emphasis on listening to the needs of their clients, 

means the list of those they have worked with, including the US Tennis Association, 

Ronald McDonald House, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America, is set to grow. 

The world of fundraising is increasingly using technology to achieve their 

fundraising goals and broaden their reach. “We believe every nonprofit has the potential 

to raise more money”, says Teddy, “and 501 can help them.” 



FINALLY...A FORWARD TAKE ON ECO-FASHION 

By Michelle Winters 

Rising Indian Designer, Sruthi is the young and inventive 

talent behind OWL Fashions. Her Eco-Fashion brand is 

proudly bending the rules. Recently, Sruthi debuted her 

collection in Portland Fashion Week and enticed the audience 

with light and luxurious looks which are made from the 

most innovative origins. When asked about the concept 

behind her collection and environmentally friendly brand, she 

commented: “To use unadulterated inspiration sourced from 

nature, to create and weave a guilt-free fabric of style, comfort, 

expression, and to give back to the Ecosystem - even as we 

take from it. OWL Fashions is a conscious effort and a real 

solution to the fashion world seeking an intelligent, natural 

expression to being stylish.” 

Sruthi and her team have successfully invented ecofriendly 

fabrics from various blends of more than 12 different 

natural sources: banana, pineapple, beachwood, milkweed, 

tapioca, aloe vera, and more. Some of her fun and versatile 

textiles are also produced from recycled wastes and plastics, 

making OWL Fashions one of the leading sustainable 

manufacturers in India. When asked to expand on more detail 

behind the composition of some of her fabrics, Sruthi responds, 

“For example, now we eat banana fruit and we use banana leaf 

but we neglect the stub. For getting fibers from banana, its 

stub is used while saving this precious material from going into 

a landfill. The same case happens with aloe vera too, we use 

the pulp but we negelect the skin. So, using the skin actually 

allows farmers to get extra income and also provides jobs to 

people for separate fibre. So, it all adds value to the economy.” 

In terms of her designs, Sruthi continues to broaden 

her range of creativity. “ We use techniques for weaving and 

embroidering of which are ancient and traditional and have 

been followed by the artisans for ages. These techniques are a 

preserved form of art. By doing this we are helping one of our 

ancient techniques to be prevailed. Also, handmade painting 

is used in our designs to portray the work of the artist while 

honoring old and rich heritage - all the while showcasing their 

work worldwide. This also includes handmade printing as 

opposed to digital. 

Our team is comprised of a majority of women who are handling 

farming, weaving, and tailoring. They are our strength.” OWL 

Fashions is offering an industry changing product with a social 

cause, in which ten percent of profits are donated. The globe 

awaits more exciting designs and perspectives on eco friendly 

fabric from international designer, Sruthi and welcome her 

growth in an industry seeking innovators like herself.

Photos courtesy of OWL Fashions 


CULTURE 

Nicole Noonan 

A N E W N I C H E I N F I N A N C E 

Crowned the “Fairy Godmother” of divorce by the New 

York Post’s Julia Marsh, Nicole is a founding partner and 

President of National Divorce Capital, Inc. and directly 

oversees NDC’s client relations. 

NDC offers necessary funding for women 

who are seeking assistance to cover attorney’s fees, 

accountants and personal living expenses while going 

through a difficult time their lives. NDC provides a 

customized approach to funding to help create a balanced 

situation for those that need help. 

Even though Nicole’s duties for NDC does not 

include acting as an attorney or giving legal advice, she 

is committed to promoting self-confidence in women 

so that they may feel empowered to overcome hurdles 

in their personal relationships. Her background includes 

being an experienced matrimonial attorney who practiced 

with a number of top-rated divorce law firms throughout 

her career. She was instrumental in the litigation of a 

large number of complex family law cases involving both 

financial and custody disputes, including some of the 

leading reported cases on these areas. 

She has held the prestigious role of General 

Counsel at one of New York’s largest real estate appraisal 

firms, and has significant expertise in the areas of family 

law, custody and visitation, domestic violence, complex 

financial issues, commercial litigation and property 

law. Nicole understands the nuances of the divorce 

system from the inside out and is frequently quoted and 

has appeared in national media on divorce related issues. 

She has created a unique opportunity for women to seek 

financial assistance during what could be one of the most 

challenging times in their lives. Nicole is passionate about 

helping woman and has used an out of the box approach 

to doing so. 

98 


For Work or Play 

riudavetsusa.com 

For Sun or Shade

RAINE MAGAZINE Volume 20 | Innovate

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?