Streaming Video
Nielson just released numbers concerning time spent video streaming and number of streamers. For the first half of 2011, the amount of time that was spent streaming online videos grew at a faster rate than the number of video viewers.
The Senior Vice President of Nielsen Client Research Initiatives, Joe Holz, believes “the greater increase in time spent viewing compared to the number of unique viewers is likely due to an increase in the amount of video content available for viewers to watch, especially long-form content like movies and TV shows on sites like Netflix and Hulu.”
There were 18 billion unique videos and 164.4 million unique U.S. video viewers in September, according to Nielsen. For this same month the top three online video destinations by total number of streams was (in order) YouTube, Hulu, and VEVO. The top video destinations changed only slightly when determined by unique viewers. The top three (in order) were YouTube, VEVO, and Yahoo!.
These statistics bring to light the increasing role video streaming is playing in daily life. This technology is extremely relevant here at ProMotion Holdings. We utilize video streaming on a daily basis when working within our different divisions.
Our court reporting division, Premier Realtime, utilizes video streaming for depositions. During the deposition, we are able to provide clients with a video stream of the deponent in real time. This can provide co-counsel, experts, and other party’s access to the deposition without having to travel to observe the deposition.
ProMotion Arts offers clients the ability to use streaming video at various events. We can shoot, edit, and transmit event footage LIVE to the web. Graphics and additional content from the event can be streamed as well, giving viewers the same experience as attendees.
Cinderella at the 5th Avenue Theatre
ProMotion Arts has teamed up with Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre once again to produce a commercial for their new production: Rodgers and Hammerstien’s Cinderella. It’s always very exciting to work closely with such an iconic organization in the Pacific Northwest, and of course we’re happy to help promote the arts in any form.
“When the shoe fits, the unlikeliest of girls becomes a princess, and dreams really do come true. The beloved fairy tale with exquisitely romantic music receives a lavish and enchanting staging.” (from the 5th Avenue Theatre website)
To see more commercials we’ve produced head over to our commercial video portfolio and be sure to get your tickets for Cinderella, showing November 25 – December 31, 2011.
Seattle’s Other Holiday Tradition
What would November and December be without Seattle’s Other Holiday Tradition? Plan now to bring your neighbors and friends to the unforgettable experience that is Seattle Men’s Chorus’ (SMC) annual holiday musical extravaganza. This year a live swing band, complete with brass and saxophones, will complement a program filled with holiday favorites like: “Let It Snow,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Sleigh Ride,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Jingle Bells,” and of course “Silent Night.” At the same time, some hilarious fun is in store as the show features characters from the popular television comedy, The Big Bang Theory.
Opening weekend (November 26 & 27) SMC is thrilled to share the stage with Megan Hilty, who made her Broadway debut as Glinda inWicked and went on to perform that role in the first national tour and in Los Angeles. Subsequently, Megan received rave reviews and Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and LA Ovation Award nominations for her portrayal of Doralee Roberts in Broadway’s 9 to 5 the Musical. This February, Megan will join Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston in the premiere of Steven Spielberg’s new NBC television series, SMASH, a backstage look at the development of a (fictitious) Broadway musical. Born and raised in Bellevue, Washington, Megan is delighted to be returning to her Seattle area roots with this guest appearance.
Live Theater Accessiblity
In 2008, the Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) Award was created by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It was established with the goal to acknowledge arts administrators who are advocates for accessibility within their own organization and community.
This year’s award was presented to The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) Access Coordinator Jim Amber and Audience Service Manager Radawna Wallace. These individuals have worked to build access services, such as captioning, at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. During the 2011 season, the OSF will sign interpret nine plays for its deaf patrons, audio describe 100 performances for its blind and visually impaired patrons, and open caption 37 performances for its hearing impaired patrons.
As the OSF consists of live performances the captions are prepared in advance, and are displayed on a portable LED board. A live operator advances the captions to synch with the pace of the performance.
The OSF is one of only a few theater groups nationally to offer such a range of accessibility features for patrons of live theater. After developing an extensive accessibility features, The OSF is continuing to improve their accessibility by makings the 2012 season fully accessible for people with hearing loss. They will schedule 24 open-captioned performances and ten signed performances. If a performance is schedule without accessibility services, the patron can place request ahead of time.
At ProMotion Holdings, our vision is that accessibility is a fundamental right. We are pleased that the OSF is working continuously to increase accessibility for the benefit of their patron’s experience. For more information on ProMotion Holdings accessibility solutions visit Accessibility.
Honoring our Veteran’s
Today is Veteran’s Day, and we would like to take a moment to recognize the brave men and women who fight for our country. This week The University of Washington completed a memorial to honor eight Medal of Honor Recipients who attended the University. Among these recipients is Bruce Crandall, the father of our founder, who received the Medal of Honor on February 26, 2007 for his heroic actions in the Battle of Ia Drang.
We would like to share a segment that The University of Washington aired featuring Col. Crandall.
Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
Thank you.
Tax Consequences for Gifting
Gifting as a marketing strategy for court reporting firms continues to be a relevant topic of discussion for professionals operating within this industry. Recently the DRA and CCRA, California’s two court reporting state associations, sought a legal opinion in the matter of the IRS tax consequences for law firms accepting “gifts” from court reporting firms. The law firm, Hanson Bridgett, states:
Given that the incentives provided by Reporting Firms in exchange for business are payments for services rather than gifts, the [Internal Revenue Code] requires the recipients of those payments to treat the value of the inventive as gross income. This means that recipients must report the value of the incentives they receive as income on their tax returns. Failure to do so could result in the assessment of additional taxes, interest and penalties by the Internal Revenue Service.
Other findings included in the Memorandum released by Hanson Bridgett are related to the tax and IRS issues for the court reporting firm who is “gifting.” Also important to note in the released memo is that even if a law firm has a policy in place prohibiting the acceptance of gifts by employees, the law firm may still face serious tax implications if the policy is not thoroughly enforced.
The National Court Reporting Association (NCRA) has made several attempts to address the issue of “gifting” as it relates to the court reporting industry. The Ethics First Program, was recently established to help educate professionals surrounding the court reporting industry about the importance of impartiality and neutrality of the court reporter, and the negative implications that arise when this is violated by “gifting.” We are proud participant in this program.
For more information please visit the links below.
Did You Fall Back?
When does Daylight Saving Time occur?
In 2007, Daylight Saving Time was extended by one month. It now begins at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, and ends on the first Sunday in November. Spring forward…Fall back. It is now time to turn the clock back one hour and gain not only a little extra sleep, but also some daylight.
History of Daylight Savings Time
Daylight Saving Time is a change in the standard time of each time zone. Time zones were first used by the railroads in 1883 to standardize their schedules. In 1918, the U.S. Congress made the U.S. rail zones official under federal law
The law by which we turn our clock forward in the spring and back in the fall is known as the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The law does not require Daylight Saving Time to be observed, it just states that if it is to be observed, it must be done uniformly. However, the idea of daylight time goes back further than 1966, it goes back to the days of Benjamin Franklin.
Benjamin Franklin, while a minister to France, first suggested the idea of an adjustment for daylight time in 1784. It was published in the Journal de Paris in April of that year. Nothing came of this suggestion and it wasn’t until 1907 that and Englishman, William Willett, suggested it again.
In 1908 Willet went to the British House of Commons with an idea to move the clock ahead by 80 minutes in four moves of 20 minutes each during the spring and summer months. While his suggestion was rejected the idea stuck around, and lead to the introduction of British Summer Time by an Act of Parliament in 1916. Clocks were put one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during the summer months.
The U.S began to observe Daylight Time in 1918. Congress placed the country on Daylight Saving Time for the remainder of WW I in hopes of saving energy. It was observed for seven months in 1918 and 1919, but was so unpopular that it was repealed until WWII in 1942. Again, Congress reinstated the one hour advance in order to save energy during the war.
After the war ended, states were free to make the decision to choose whether to observe Daylight Saving Time, but there was no law regulating the time change. This caused a lot of confusion and lead to the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which stated that Daylight Saving Time would begin on the last Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October. Any area that wanted to be exempt from Daylight Saving Time could do so by passing a local ordinance. This Uniform Time Act has been amended several times in order to adjust the start and end date. Most recently it was changed in 2007.
Who Observes the Time Change?
For the U.S, Daylight Saving Time is NOT observed in Hawaii and most of Arizona. Many countries around the world observe some form of “summer time” and the dates of time change are varied. There is no international agreement on daylight time change.
Goodbye Viaduct
Alaskan Way Viaduct construction, early 1950s. (Seattle Municipal Archives)
For many Seattle commuters, the day of doom has arrived. Today is the first day of a nine-day closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
The double-decker section of State Route 99 was constructed in 1953, and last Friday construction began to demolish it. After the rush-hour commute on Friday, WSDOT sent crews to start knocking down the southern section.
This stretch of highway handles over 100,000 vehicles on a daily basis and this nine-day closure will have a regional impact on transit time, which commuters were greeted with this morning.
The Viaduct is scheduled to re-open on Halloween, a welcome treat for Seattle commuters.
Here are some helpful links for navigating the closure:
The Today Show Visits Seattle
The 5th Avenue Theater’s show Saving Aimee is a musical written and composed by Kathie Lee Gifford. This week Kathie Lee Gifford will bring The Today Show to Seattle to celebrate the official opening of Saving Aimee. The fourth hour of The Today Show will be hosted by Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb. Live broadcasts will take place today October 20th and Friday, October 21st at Pike Place Market and other locations around Seattle.
Planned for this visit will be trips to the Space Needle, fish tossing at Pike Place, and Broadway Sensation Carolee Carmello, the star of Saving Aimee, will perform some of the music from the show. To see this segment, tune in to KING 5 on Thursday, October 20 at 10AM (PST) or Friday, October 21st, at 10 AM (PST).
ProMotion Arts had the great privilege of teaming up with Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre once again to produce a commercial for their new production: Saving Aimee. It’s always very exciting to work closely with such an iconic organization in the Pacific Northwest, and of course we’re happy to help promote the arts in any form.
Head over to our commercial video portfolio to see the ad (as well as other commercials we’ve produced). And be sure to get your tickets for Saving Aimee, showing September 30 – October 29, 2011.
