Since the Tampa Theater opened its doors in 1926, it has been a Tampa institution and icon.  The Tampa Theater website sums it up best by saying, “Tampa Theatre is a passionately protected landmark and one of America’s best-preserved examples of grand movie palace architecture.”  This is the precise reason why Tampa attorney Kevin Napper, of law firm Carlton Fields, pledged his support to the theater for years.

Kevin Napper is an ardent supporter of film and the arts, so his involvement with the Tampa Theater is naturally symbiotic.  Much like his support of and work with WMNF, Kevin quite enjoys giving back to his community.  He thinks that the Tampa Theater serves a special purpose in the community, in a variety of ways.  “Something like 60,000 school kids go to the theater every year on field trips in one form or another. They go for musical performances, for lectures, for puppet shows, for musical acts.  And it also serves as, I think, an important bridge, sort of an historical bridge between Old Tampa and New Tampa,” says Napper.  The theater’s cultural and artistic significance isn’t lost on him either.

It was the first air conditioned theater in the South. It’s been continuously operating since 1926. They don’t make them like that anymore. John Eberson who was the architect that designed it, also designed the Gusman Theater in Miami Beach, which is another historical theater.”  Mr. Napper’s appreciation of the theater grew so much, that he eventually joined the board of directors, later becoming the chairman of the board for 3 years (1999-2002).

“I was on the board for 6 years at least; maybe 8 in four two year terms.  It’s a great historic theater.  It’s on the national register of historic places.  It’s the Tampa city landmark.”  Kevin continues discussing his fondness of the theater, noting, “I have been there a lot for concerts and movies. My wife and I both like films, we go to a lot of films there, and I just really liked it.”  Eventually his patronage of the theater got noticed.

“The former board chair…knew that I liked the theater and they had a board opening coming up, and asked if I was interested on applying.  I did.  I got appointed to the board…just sort of worked my way up. Attended monthly board meetings, and we started a capital campaign during that time.  We started a number of things when I was on the board including the largest annual fundraising activity they have.”  Kevin helped the theater immensely by working through the complex real estate challenges facing it.

“We were able to consolidate some of the real estate through the city and the theater.”   The real estate consolidation led to a “… partnership with the county, the city, a private foundation, and the state.  And we get funding from the feds, the state, the city, and the county, so it was very complicated; a lot of moving parts, and very unmanageable arrangement in terms of budgetary concerns,” says Napper.  He concludes saying, “It’s a very difficult financial arrangement, and it’s very difficult to manage and to keep all the parts moving. You have a 100 year old building that needs a lot of expensive maintenance, that the city is primarily responsible for maintenance and upkeep but a little bit of the county is responsible, and a little bit of the state, and you get a little bit of funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. It’s a difficult situation.”  Nevertheless, you can tell that despite the challenges and hard work, Kevin’s tireless support and passion for the theater never wanes.

About Kevin Napper

Kevin J. Napper is one of Carlton Fields’ top attorneys. A graduate of the University of North Dakota School of Law, Mr. Napper has been practicing for over 28 years, and he has successfully represented executives in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations involving allegations of bribery of foreign government officials. He has also successfully represented executives involved in federal grand jury investigations into a range of allegations, including violations of criminal antitrust law and the Food and Drug Act.  Kevin Napper is widely recognized as a leading expert in the field of white collar defense.

Links:

• http://dooid.me/kevinnapper
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevin-napper
• http://about.me/kevin.napper
• http://www.kevinnapper.com
• http://www.legalprofile.info
• http://www.lookuppage.com/users/kevinnapper/
• http://www.kevinnapper.net
• http://www.kevinnapper.org
• http://www.kevinnapper.weebly.com
• http://www.kevinnapper.info/
• http://www.quora.com/Kevin-Napper
• http://500px.com/kevinnapper

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The story of the Cigar City Brewery is one of success. Its good work has meant that what started out as a crazy idea three years ago is now a reality that feeds almost fifty employees. The message seems clear: “We brew beer that we like to drink,” says Cigar City Vice President Justin Clark.

Their success can also be seen in the number of crafted beers they produce. In its first year, this company based in Tampa made over 300 types of beers. For Cigar City Brewery, not just the number of beers, but their quality has brought them to win several prizes, such as the Best Florida Beer Championship, the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting or the United States Open Beer Championship. For Justin Clark, product quality is the most important: “We focus on using the highest quality ingredients.”

Imagination is another key to Cigar City Brewery’s success. Their beers are made with different and creative ingredients. An example is the Hunaphu beer, which is made with cacao nibs, madagascar vanilla beans, ancho chili, pasilla chilis and cinnamon. This idea is the result of the work of their over forty employees, “an entire team where everyone is creative and able to collaborate, contribute or pitch an idea for a new beer”, says Justin Clark.

Being part of the Tampa community is a pride for the Cigar City Brewery. Their name comes from Tampa’s nickname, since this city used to be the cigar capital of the world, “so its says Tampa without saying Tampa,” Justin Clark said. Some of the beers are also named after Tampa’s culture. For example, Jai Alai, their most popular beer, is named after a Spanish game connected to Tampa. Tampa’s heritage and culture is also reflected in the local ingredients used when making the beer.

This is the interview that Toonari Post got from Justin Clark, the Cigar City Brewery Vice President.

Toonari Post (TP): Looking at your name, one might think that you also produce cigars. Do you?

Justin Clark (JC): No, our beer are paired nicely with cigars, but we do not manufacture any cigars.

TP: How many beers types do you produce?

JC: In our first year of existence we had over 315 unique beers, and we are always encouraged to be creative. We are kind like a corner bistro, if something is on season, we will figure out someway of making a beer of it.

TP: I guess that in the process of coming up with so many type of beers, some of them have failed, right?

JC: We never had any beer that we brewed that we have dumped out, but there have some ones that we have only done once.

TP: How long does the brewing process usually take?

JC: It depends on the beer itself, once the beer is brewed or boiled, we move it into the fermented, and it just depends, we’ve had some beers that we can turn be finished in eight days, and others that take longer than 45 days.

TP: The Hunaphu beer has won several prices. What makes it so special?

JC: Because its an awesome beer. It won the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting when we were only a month or two old as a brewery, and now Hunaphu is sold here only one day a year, on the Hunaphu day, when we have a big celebration. Last year we had over 5,000 people. The beer is 20 $ a bottle and we have to limited for only two per person. The beer is a Russian Imperial Stout with cinnamon, madagascar, vanilla beans, chilli peppers. It is a liquor mole. Back to that culinary approach, there are lot of layer flavors. You get a lot of roasted and dark chocolate at front, and then in the finish you start to pick up some of the heat from the peppers. It is a really hard beer to make, so we only brew it once that’s why we sell it only once a year, and have a big celebration.

TP: Jai Alai, your most sold beer, is a Spanish game. Did you know that? Why did you choose that name?

JC: There used to be a fronton (place where Jai Alai is played) here in Tampa, so is named after the Spanish gambling sport. In Orlando there is a fronton, where they serve our beer, while you watch Jai Alai.

We use a lot of the Tampa culture in our names. This beer is our number one seller, 60% of the beer we sell is Jai Alai.

TP: Could you recommend each of your beers for different occasions?

JC: It depends on what you are eating, Beer pairs very nicely with food. But the consumer decides what is special for each occasion. We would not dictate that because you may have your own tastes. We think any time drinking our beer is special.

TP: Do you have a lot of competition?

JC: There are a lot of other people that sell beer in our market, but when you are talking about craft beer, we are kind of working together, so we meet up, we collaborate, we share ingredients, talk about best practices, because the big brewery in the world still control everything. For us making the best liquid is the important, so we tend to collaborate with the other craft brewery. Like this we all become better.

TP: Have you tried to distribute out of Florida?

JC: We had distribution out of Florida in New York, Philadelphia, Georgia, Alabama and Denmark. But Florida is buying more and more beer, and we rather keep it all in our backyard in the state of Florida. We do not pasteurize anything, so the closer it is to the brewery, the better it is for the product, the less time spends on a truck. 95% of the beer we sell is in Florida.

TP: What makes you guys special?

JC: We focus on using the highest quality ingredients. We brew beer that we like to drink and hope other people enjoy it too.

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Tampa, U.S.A. — This month’s Republican National Convention is expected to bring approximately 50,000 visitors to Tampa and drive delay times on the city’s major roads by 18 percent. The insight, released today by INRIX, the largest global traffic intelligence platform in the world, unveils a number of likely problem areas for drivers including:

• Routes South of Whiting Street will be closed, including the Platt Street Bridge and the part closure of the Selmon Expressway, between Willow Avenue and 50th Street
• Traffic will likely reroute to the I-275 or Kennedy Boulevard with delays increasing to more than 25 minutes on the busiest days, from an average of 10 to 15 minutes
• Overall traffic volume will significantly rise, with 350 charter buses and more than 500 private vehicles expected, with no plans to set aside specialized lanes on the interstates
• Short traffic signals could bring downtown Tampa to a standstill, with the biggest concerns being traffic signals on Kennedy Boulevard and Ashley Drive
• Road closures are anticipated to be lifted after 6PM on Friday August 31 st and will start from Saturday August 25 th

Jim Bak, Director of Community Relations, INRIX, shares advice to Tampa commuters: “There will likely be a conference session that clashes with the morning rush hour on Monday August 27 th and commuters should get an early start to avoid the anticipated delays. Staggering work hours around peak commuting times and working around the road closures as much as possible should help alleviate some of the pressure on the roads, we advise drivers to plan journeys in advance as much as possible.”

Current Top three worst bottlenecks in Tampa:

• I-275 Southbound from Floribraska Ave/28th Ave/Exit 28 to US-92/Dale Mabry Hwy/Exit 23,  traffic moves through this 4.2 mile stretch of road at rush hour at 33 mph for 24 hours each week
• I-275 Northbound from FL-60/Cypress St/Exit 39  to FL-574/Exit 46B where traffic crawls through this four mile stretch of road at an average speed of 22 mph for 13 hours each week.
• Veterans Expy/FL 569 Southbound where it intersects with Linebaugh Ave/Exit 7 is a half mile stretch of road where cars crawl at an average speed of 23 mph for 10 hours a week.

The Republican National Convention runs August 27 th to August 30 th 2012 across various locations in Tampa.

image Courtesy of    Voices Empower with Alice Linahan

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Tampa, U.S.A. – To welcome guests for the 2012 Republican National Convention (RNC), local artists will apply their own style and creativity, painting 50 identical life-sized dolphin sculptures that will be displayed at Pier 60 Park from August 6 to September 4.  Sponsored by the Sheraton Sand Key Resort, one of the 50 bottlenose dolphins will be painted by two young artists,Emily Harris, age 16, and Alyssa Neuman, age 18.

The art project is sponsored by the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce. The idea was rooted in the worldwide attention inspired by Winter, the dolphin, a local hero who starred in the Warner Brothers picture, ‘Dolphin Tale’.

“We are excited to be part of this project and I still can’t believe we were chosen to paint one of the dolphins,” said Emily Harris. “Our vision is to portray Winter, the dolphin as an artist with a knack for painting.” Complete with a palate, an artistic brush and a classic beret, Harris and Neuman have created a beautifully painted dolphin that captures the lasting memory of the Clearwater Dolphin pod for prosperity.

The young artists were invited to participate on behalf of the Sheraton Sand Key Resort and when the show ends, the dolphin will be relocated to the resort. “We’re in the hospitality business and we all know that our guests are excited to arrive at our beautiful beach. But to be greeted by 50 Dolphins, each with a special personality makes a statement that this beautiful area is all about fun!” says Russ Kimball, Manager of the resort.

While many of the dolphins will be painted by local professional artists, Sheraton Sand Key felt that sharing the experience with young people would set a positive tone consistent with the objectives of the Chamber of Commerce effort.

Image Courtesy of  Frontpage / Shutterstock.com

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Tampa, Florida, U.S.A - City mayor, Bob Buckhorn is declaring  from June 24th to June 30th , 2012, Lightning Safety Awareness Week, noting that education is the key to understanding lightning’s dangers.  Lightning safety advocates from the Lightning Protection Institute (LPI), the Lightning Safety Alliance (LSA), the National Weather Service (NWS) and other partnering organizations joined Mayor, Bob Buckhorn and Tampa Fire and Rescue Chief, Thomas Forward for a press conference at the Tampa Firefighter’s Museum at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 21st  to kick-off Lightning Safety Awareness Week and share educational resources. Dave Andreychuk of Tampa Bay Lightning was on hand at the event to help introduce a newly-produced, radio Public Service Announcement (PSA). The PSA will be used by the NWS to promote lightning safety to men ages 20-50, as 80% of lightning victims are typically male.

“People often underrate the dangers of lightning, yet it is a leading storm-related killer,” said Donna Franklin, director of the National Weather Service’s Lightning Safety Awareness Team. “Lack of awareness about what to do during a thunderstorm seems to be a common factor in many lightning injuries and deaths, which is why the National Weather Service launched the annual lightning safety campaign in 2001.”

“Tampa is known as the lightning capital of the country,” said Brian LaMarre, meteorologist-in-charge of the Tampa Bay area’s National Weather Service. According to the NWS, on average 54 people are killed by lightning every year in the United States.  Unfortunately, Florida usually leads the count with ten deaths across an area known as “lightning alley” stretching across central Florida—focusing on theTampa Bay region.”Tampa averages almost three million potentially deadly flashes each year—so lightning is a concern for us in terms of personal safety and property loss,” explained LaMarre.

“Lightning safety week is a perfect time to remind the fire prevention community and first-responders about the dangers of lightning and provide the public with information to help protect families and property,” saidBud VanSickle, LPI executive director. “Collaboration with like-minded partners, including those participating in our 2012 Tampa kick-off event, helps us align existing efforts and pool our expert resources accordingly, to better address lightning safety needs.”

The collaboration is part of LPI’s educational initiative to remind the public and the fire safety community about the dangers of lightning, an underrated and often forgotten weather hazard. LPI recently partnered with the Lightning Safety Alliance (LSA) launch a lightning safety initiative to provide educational resources for outdoor recreational facilities. The “Safer Design for Safer Play” initiative dovetails with new efforts by the National Weather Service to promote greater lightning safety at outdoor venues.

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Orlando, U.S.A. — Bright House Sports Network (BHSN) have announced that it has signed an agreement with the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) to become the Official Television Partner of the Florida High School Athletic Association. Under the agreement, Bright House Sports Network will produce and distribute all FHSAA state quarterfinals, semifinals and final series games for the next three years.

Bright House Networks customers in Tampa and Orlando can now enjoy live coverage of a minimum of sixty high school post-season games each year in High Definition (HD), including football, boys and girls basketball, boy and girls soccer, boys and girls lacrosse, baseball, softball, swimming and diving, girls volleyball, wrestling, and competitive cheerleading on Bright House Sports Network, channel 47, HD 1147. Bright House Sports Network has also teamed up with Comcast, Cox, Charter, and Time Warner Cable to make available select games throughout Florida and 19 other states, expanding the number of potential households that will be able to view the games to more than 20 million.

“This is a historic development for Florida high school sports coverage,” said Elliott Wiser, Vice President of Local Programming for Bright House Networks. “We are excited to partner with the FHSAA to produce a wide spectrum of sports live for our customers. High school sports have quickly become an important part of the television sports landscape.”

“The Florida High School Athletic Association is very proud to jointly announce the partnership agreement which designates Bright House Sports Network as the official television partner of the FHSAA,” said Dr. Roger Dearing, executive director, Florida High School Athletic Association. “The ability to showcase the quality of talent and level of competition among our high schools in Florida is of paramount importance to our member schools and our student-athletes. The wide variety of events, and multitude of sports covered, will certainly be of interest to every sports enthusiast throughout the state.”

“We are pleased to add the FHSAA state championships to our robust schedule of regular season high school games and events,” said Paul Kosuth, General Manager of Bright House Sports Network. “BHSN has the largest staff in the state devoted to producing and covering high school sports, and with this new agreement we can focus on providing the most comprehensive coverage anywhere.”

After the playoff and championship games air live, there will be multiple replays available. Bright House Sports Network also airs more than 200 regular season high school games throughout the season.

Image Courtesy of   Florida High School Athletic Association

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Turning prison facilities over to for-profit companies will not save Florida taxpayers any money and will probably cost them more, said Teamster correctional officers, their families, their neighbors, and union officials who came to the Statehouse on Monday.

Former Sen. Ron Silver, attorney for Teamsters Local 2011 in Tampa, testified against the privatization proposal at a hearing of the Senate Rules Committee.

“This is yet another proposal based on empty promises of savings to the state,” Silver said.  “The thousands of families and hundreds of local communities impacted by this proposal deserve better from their state officials. What recourse do they have after they lose their jobs and the promised savings are never realized? This is about real people, real families, and real communities facing irreparable harm.”

Ken Wood, Acting President of Local 2011, said the rush to privatize correctional facilities has nothing to do with cost savings. ”After many conversations with our members and a great deal of research, I’m convinced that privatization is about political payback, not saving money,” said Wood. “This is just politics as usual.”

There is almost no evidence that Florida’s for-profit prisons have saved money, according to a 2010 Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy report. The report noted that prisoners who are most costly to handle, such as high-security risks, are usually housed in public prisons.

Wood said the proposed closing of 11 facilities is directly related to privatization. “Whether it’s a closure or a privatization, these reckless proposals will hurt thousands of Florida’s working families,” he said.

Capt. Mark Prevatt, a correctional officer at Jefferson C.I., said closing the institution will have a major impact on the staff and on the community, which is a rural area of critical economic concern. “There are no jobs for this county, this is it,” he said. “Closing the facility will put the small businesses under because there will be no one there to support them.

“None of the private facilities was subject to the same criteria as the public facilities, and non-specified, non-weighted factors were used. It isn’t right, and it isn’t fair.”

The plans include closures of the New River Correctional in Raiford, Jefferson Correctional in Monticello, Demilly Correctional Institute in Polk City, Gainesville C.I., Indian River C.I. in Vero Beach, and the women’s prisons Broward C.I. in Fort Lauderdale and Hillsborough C.I. in Riverview near Tampa.

The department also plans to close work camps in Gadsden, Washington, and Hendry counties and the Levy forestry camp.

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With more than 100 different hot and cold tapas, paellas, and cazuelas, most of which are imported to maintain authenticity, Ceviche, a restaurant with flavors from the northern and Catalan regions of Spain that also houses a flamenco bar couldn’t get any better.

Ceviche is owned by Gordon Davis. The restaurant is truly the perfect end to a night on the town. Ceviche is bustling with people of all ages and backgrounds wafting with the exotic aromas of Spanish flair. Guests may be torn between dancing the night away in the mysteriously sexy, fun bar below deck and an unforgettable dinning experience above. Why choose? At Ceviche you can have your cake and eat it, too. Literally!

After ordering from the seemingly endless $4 Tuesday menu and gorging on tasty shrimp cocktails, rich sautéed mushrooms, rice, calamari, and what was voted best Sangria in Tampa, I was torn. I had already eaten more than my share of zesty ahi soaked in lemon and lime juice and sprinkled with leeks.

I had gorged on the hot, crispy, chunky potatoes, drizzled in spicy, sharp cheddar cheese. I had eaten my weight in pesto chicken, sweet spinach, date salad, and plowed my way through the ox tail. Now I had to choose a dessert! Torta valenciana is a rich chocolate cake served with vanilla cream, raspberry sauce, orange zest, and fresh berries.

Crema catalana is a traditional Spanish creme brulee in a dark chocolate shell. Or try the trilogia de chocolates, a trilogy of white, milk, and dark chocolate mousse with white chocolate rum sauce. And that’s just to name a few! What’s a girl, or anyone else for that matter, to do but come back to Ceviche again and again.

The zesty, spiced food, white sangria, live band, and exotic, entrancing whirl of the Spanish dancers in the basement had me in another world. I found myself clapping and stomping to the beat, as my photographer caught the swirl of colors dancing across the small stage. My mouth, eyes and ears started tingling with the Ceviche experience, and it won’t be the last time.

The service is quick, the atmosphere is unbeatable, and the food inspiringly delicious, making Ceviche a top Toonari pick for Florida. Ceviche is located at 10 Beach Drive St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Don’t miss this exquisite cultural, food experience.

The dining room is open on Sunday and Monday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. The flamenco room is open on Sunday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday to Thursday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Happy Eating!

Image Courtesy of   http://www.ceviche.com/

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“I love music. The best thing of doing music is the people you get to meet and the opportunities you get to have to help people out. I’m grateful that we are able to do something that can benefit others.” These are the words of Simeon Lawrence, Jr. (“Young Sim”) talking about his Record Label Feel Good Music Coalition.

Feel Good Music Coalition, is a unique record label that tries to make a difference in regards to its music and production. In a personal interview, we had the pleasure to speak with Simeon, the CEO, Founder and Artist of the record label. Young Sim talked to us and gave us an inside look into his music production, the values and mission of the record label, along with some insight into the rest of the members forming the project.

At the beginning of the interview he told us about his background and roots. Young Sim was born in 1984 in Monrovia, Liberia. At the young age of 4, Simeon and his family left Liberia due to the civil war and ended up moving to United States. When asked about how this experience affected him as a person Simeon responded, “That is probably one of the most poignant experiences in my life as you know my character concerned.”

He explained how he and his family ended up moving to the US to seek political asylum. The Lawrence family found roots in Upper Darby (West Philadelphia), PA and restarted their whole life over from nothing. “Growing up as an urban kid and all of that just instilled me with the confidence that you can make something out of anything out of nothing,” Simeon said. “That was a very poignant experience in my life that shaped me as far as the man I am today.”

Growing up in Philadelphia, Young Sim fell in love with music and sounds. At the age of 7 while at Stonehurst Hills Elementary, Simeon began playing the Viola and continued until he graduated high school. “I don’t even know why I picked the Viola,” he said. “I just liked the sound and kept playing until I graduated. That really shaped my mind with how sounds are concerned. I fell in love with how sounds can set your emotions.” A lot of people don’t know that Simeon can still play the viola today. His label mates try to get him to pick it back up, but I have a feeling we won’t be seeing Young Sim with the viola in any videos any time soon. Listen to any of Young Sim’s tracks and you will hear his passion for music and different sounds and you’ll feel his emotion through your speakers.

When asked about the relation of his music and emotions Simeon replied, “For me music has the ability to take me to specific time periods. It has the ability to take me to specific settings. My beats are like the soundtrack of my life. How I feel is one of the first things I tackle in order to write a song.” Simeon’s passion for music and urban environment led him to the ever evolving world of hip hop.

“I was a victim of my circumstances,” he said chuckling. “When we came to the United States, we moved to West Philadelphia, and that’s a hot bed for hip hop. I grew up listening to Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff and all the pioneers. And that was just the voice for our culture.” Simeon’s experiences, love of music and frustration with the corporate structure of the music industry led him to start his own label. “I was 17 when the idea came up,” Simeon said.

“I was frustrated that a lot of my friends were making good music, and they were being asked to cater to the executives, who think they know the culture and know what people want to hear. I am a big fan of putting the power right back in the hands of the people, and so the only way to do that is to do it from the ground up, revolutionary style. So I just figured, I am going to set my guidelines and how I feel about music, and anyone that wants to join me can”.

Once Young Sim went full steam ahead, he created the record label and decided to name it Feel Good Music Coalition. When asked about how the name came about, he laughs. “That’s a good question,” he said. “In hind sight, it came from the emotion of the music. People used to come up and say I can really feel what you’re saying in your music and it makes me feel good. Then I just started saying we make that feel good music. And then coalition is just because I am trying to build it into something bigger than myself. I want this movement entertainment company to outlive me.”

Feel Good Music Coalition is a unique hip hop record label and is not willing to stray from their definition of good music. They also differ from other hip-hop labels in the sense that they don’t curse or use sexual innuendo in any of the lyrics. “It is just something I am uncomfortable with,” Simeon said. “I got a mother who wouldn’t listen to my music if it was like that. I got a grandmother and I just take the responsibility as a person that feels responsible for his actions. I just refuse to do something that I wouldn’t feel comfortable having them listen to.” Some may think that being based in Utah, Feel Good Music would have a difficult time being embraced by the community, but that would be a misconception. Simeon told us, “The community has been great in embracing us. They appreciate good music. And the hip hop community in Utah itself can hold their own against any city in the United States.”

The team at Feel Good Music Coalition is large and growing. Simeon refers to them just as one big family that loves music. “We are always looking to add to the label. Right now we are focused on a lot of individual projects, but we are looking to put a compilation album for everyone to get to know the label.”

For those of you not familiar with Feel Good Music Coalition, you can check out their song “Teach Me How to Jimmer” track, which went viral a day after being released. “That was crazy,” Young Sim said. “That song definitely got us a lot of buzz here in Utah. Definit approached me to do the chorus. And it actually sat in my in box for a day. After I listened to it, I thought it had some potential. So I did the chorus and added a verse and the very next day we put it out and it went crazy.” I highly recommend picking up a copy of Young Sim’s “Audio Diary” available on iTunes.

There you will get a look into the label and some of his label mates such as Definit, another younger talent with an interesting story. So far, Feel Good Music has experienced some success but is has all come from hard work. Anyone that knows Simeon knows that he is really low key, but a workaholic. He is ether in the Studio, shooting a video or doing an interview every day.

Young Sim has a very positive outlook on life and knows it’s take a lot of hard work to be successful. He lives his life with the motto, “Progress is a process, period.” He believes life is supposed to be hard and it’s supposed to be fun. “I feel like take the opportunities that you have to succeed and don’t live for yourself. Don’t be selfish. Do what you can to help others, and you’ll have a much more enjoyable life.”

His main message would be if you have a dream, focus and do what you can independent what other say.” You check out Feel Good Music Coalition’s tracks, projects, events and upcoming shows on their site anytime: www.feelgoodmusiccoalition.com.

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