Official uVu Blog

uVu, from 2011 to 2012

As a producer, 2011 was an exciting one for uVu. From art to food, Miami was the perfect canvas for new expression. Many restaurants opened, while many others closed ( we actually started a game at the office called the 3 months test for new restaurants). uVu was there when people ate in the dark for the first time at City Hall The Restaurant, or when Miami Spice hit records attendance during the summer.

Food topics were always a biais for me as a producer as mixing personal pleasure and business  was supposed to be a "no no" in the industry until I realized that Miami is full of foodies and the culinary world has become a trademark for the sunny city as much as its beaches and breast implants women.

So the new year will start with a new online series on local chefs. If you know any food maestro , feel free to nominate them as we will profile five of them in January. 

Another area of uVu 2011 was art. uVu did not need to wait for Art Basel to display the great local talents Miami has to offer. Many renowned artists such as Jen Stark , Huong have been featured on uVu for the last couple of years, but we always made sure to give a voice to the upcoming ones as well such as Nancy Martini, Serafima Sokolov among many.

For those who keep comparing Miami to New York as far as the culture scene: complaining that there is not that much to do here, please stop. It is like repeating over and over that "it does not snow in Miami, and the holiday season is not the same" It is true. We are not New York, and we are not trying to be. We are a mix of different activities and culture, which at times are still too segregated into their own communities, but it is changing slowly but surely. Every art event we cover creates a new hope in the true "melting pot" definition that Miami tries to have. Haitian attend Jamaican concerts, Cubans enjoy French cuisine, Colombian learn African dancing alongside caucasians and asian people for example. It is changing and that in itself is a true art piece.

So on that hopeful note, uVu wish you a great holiday season and encourages everyone to become more involved in the Miami scene. We can shape this city into a wonderful cultural mecca where its citizens would be creating new outlets of expression, organizations to help the youth, and ways to expose everyone to new ideas and culture.

Jessy Schuster, uVu producer

 

Miami Today Profile: Julie Grimes

When Julie Grimes is not busy overseeing operations at the Hilton Bentley Hotel in South Beach as its managing partner, she invests her time helping the community through numerous organizations. She has helped provide training and opportunities for inner city residents, particularly those residing in the Overtown area. 

Among her main efforts has been her involvement with Miami Dade College’s Hospitality Institute, a program that provides Overtown residents in need training for jobs in the hospitality industry. Funding for the program primarily comes from grants from the Southeast Overtown/ParkWest Community Development Agency and through funding partners. Over 1,000 people have gone through the five-day program, with about 300 of those getting jobs in hospitality. Her goal is to expand the program so it can reach people beyond those in Overtown.
“We need additional funding partners into the Hospitality Institute so we want to go beyond the CRA and get corporate partners engaged with funding and job opportunities for those in need,” she said.
Through the Hilton Bentley Hotel, she has also helped spearhead the hotel’s community outreach program. The hotel currently works with Big Brother Big Sister, providing high school students the opportunity to shadow someone in the hospitality industry and be eligible for a college scholarship. She is also on the board of the Miami Dade College Foundation and the Camillus House.
Her dedication to helping those in need has gone beyond Miami city limits and for the past couple of years she has been involved with World Vision, which not only has helped provide supplies to Haiti in times of need but is also providing training for residents to help developed rural communities in Haiti.
Originally from Canada, Ms. Grimes said she has noticed Miami transform into an international hub full of wealth in the past 20 years. She said she hopes her community outreach efforts will help inner city residents not be left behind and have opportunities available to them as Miami growths.
“I just wish everyone would give more, not only of treasure but of their time,” she said. “I think it’s coming to an understanding that those that are in a position to help really if ever there was a time to do so, this is the time to do what you can, to connect with those in need and really reach out and touch them.”
Ms. Grimes discussed the need to get Miami business leaders involved in the community and her goal of expanding the Hospitality Institute with Miami Today staff writer Patricia Hoyos in her downtown apartment.

Frank Brogan at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches

State UniversityChancellor Frank T. Brogan tackled the issue of revamping Florida’s university system when he addressed the Forum Club Dec. 12.  Gov. Rick Scott has called for state colleges and universities to be on the front line of his fight to create more jobs.

Brogan is a former Florida lieutenant governor and a past president of Florida Atlantic University.

Frank Brogan began his career as a classroom teacher before serving as a dean of students, assistant principal, principal, superintendent and finally Florida’s Commissioner of Education.  He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1998 and re-elected in 2002.A year later, he was selected to be president of Florida Atlantic University, a position he held until 2009 when the Board of Governors of the State University System unanimously chose him to serve as Chancellor of Florida’s public universities.

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Moon over Miami? Probably Not But Don't Worry

Miami Today Profile: Braulio Baez

As the newly appointed executive director of the Florida Public Service Commission, Braulio Baez has dedicated his career to the state’s many utility and telecommunications industries.

After working as a chief advisor for the Public Service Commission from 1994 to 1998, Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Mr. Baez to serve as a commissioner, a position he held from August 2000 to January 2006, eventually serving as chair.

As a commissioner Mr. Baez put his utility experience to work, using the knowledge he gained at Leibowitz & Associates to help the Public Service Commission regulate utilities statewide.

As an associate at Leibowitz & Associates, Mr. Baez worked to advance legislative policies and negotiate municipal agreements in all aspects of telecommunications law. He held this position from 1998 until 2000 and said that it gave him the experience needed to succeed in the commission.

 “If nothing else, exposure to policy issues has helped me gain an understanding of how the agency works,” he said.

Mr. Baez was serving on the commission during the 2004 hurricane season, when Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne flew through Miami waters. Calling the storms the “transcendent issue” of his time, the commissioner helped rebuild South Florida utilities.

“You never realize how much you take for granted – the fact that when you flip a switch the light comes on or you have a dial tone when you pick up the phone – as when you don’t have it,” he said. “Everyone having lived in South Florida has the unfortunate experiences of learning that the hard way.”

From 2006 to 2010 Mr. Baez worked for Holland & Knight and Akerman Senterfitt, developing legal strategies involving critical infrastructure issues for Florida utility providers and telecommunications firms.

When the Public Service Commission’s former executive director, Timothy Devlin, resigned after 35 years of service, it was Mr. Baez’s experience that catapulted him to the top of the pack. During a national search for a new head, Mr. Baez’s beat out more than 130 applicants for the top spot.

In October Mr. Baez moved to disband his own consulting firm, the Baez Law Group, to dedicate himself to the commission full time.

“I felt I brought to the position an understanding of what the agency does, how it works,” he said. “I did have a history with the staff, with working with them through my private service. I understood what the folks making the decisions go through on a daily basis, having served on the commission. I think that experience spoke to [the selection committee].”

Mr. Baez discussed the Public Service Commission current initiatives and his push to create a sense of stability among staff with Miami Today staff writer Ashley Hopkins at the Miami Today offices.

NEW THEATRE FINDS HOME WITH THE ROXY THEATRE GROUP FOR CURRENT SEASON

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary, The Roxy Theatre Group (RTG) a non-profit youth arts organization is honored to welcome professional theater company, New Theatre to The Roxy Performing Arts Center (1645 SW 107^th Ave. Miami, FL).  This collaboration marks the first time in recent years, an educational performing arts program houses a resident theatre ensemble in Miami-Dade County.  As education and the creative spirit of the arts are instrumental principles for both organizations, this effort shall strengthen Miami’s arts network.

New Theatre had to seek another venue, as the 100-seat locale where they commissioned and world premiered over fifty ground breaking productions, such as Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Anna In The Tropics (2003), since 2001 is to be demolished in January, 2012.  Established in a renovated movie-house since 2002 and best known for their children’s performing arts programming, The Roxy Theatre Group is thrilled to provide New Theatre with a headquarters for the 2011-2012 season. 

As part of the partnership, RTG’s advanced students will have the opportunity to audition and work backstage for New Theatre’s shows, enabling young performers to gain Actors’ Equity Association credentials, essential for theatre professionals.  Artists from New Theatre will also provide theater workshops to RTG students.  While this commences an extraordinary culmination, each organization will remain producing artistic endeavors separately.