AROUND THE VALLEYS

San Fernando Valley Sherman Oaks Submit: Entries for film festivals can now be viewed through the website for Withoutabox as a replacement for sending out DVDs. The Secure Online Screeners service limits access to filmmakers and the festivals the filmmakers submit their films to by using specific URLs and other features. The site will accept both feature films and shorts with the first submission for free and every additional submission costs $2.95. The service is free to festivals already using its Withoutabox International Film Festival Submissions System. Impact: The Valley Economic Alliance is accepting nominations for its quarterly “Economic Engine” Award. The Award recognizes Valley-based businesses that have contributed significantly to the regional economy and the communities in which they are located. Nominees must be located in the San Fernando Valley for five years or more and exhibit a commitment to the Valley through hiring or doing business with other companies. Nominations will be accepted through Jan. 6 and the award will be given at the Alliance meeting on Feb. 24. Van Nuys Merchandise: MGA Entertainment is securing licensing deals for its new doll lines Moxie Girlz and BFC Ink. The deals will bring to stores clothing, accessories, cosmetics, bicycles, posters, footwear and other items. Moxie Girls was the best selling new fashion doll on the market in the third quarter of 2009. The BFC Ink (Best Friends Club) is anchored by a series of books by Parragon Publishing. “We are thrilled at the range and caliber of our new licensing partnerships,” said MGA Chief Executive Isaac Larian. “We are off to a strong start, but the best is yet to come.” Sun Valley Water: Five water features from WET Design are on view for visitors to the new CityCenter project in Las Vegas. At Crystals, the entertainment and shopping district, are Halo, a series of water vortices held captive within clear cylinders; and Glacia, large pillars of carved ice that rise as tall as 15 feet from a pristine pool. The ARIA Resort & Casino has at its entrance the twisting ribbons and large arcs of streaming water of Lumia; Focus, a 270-foot-long curved water wall made of highly textured stone; and Latisse, a series of two-story-high water walls composed purely of thick, textured glass. “We were challenged to create five remarkable and visually groundbreaking features, like nothing we or anyone else has ever created before,” says WET CEO, Mark Fuller. “Lumia, Focus, Latisse, Glacia and Halo demonstrate the magic that we can create with nature’s elements. With water, ice, light and air we have exploited this magnificent challenge given to us by CityCenter.” Signs: LA ProPoint unveiled new signs along Gallery Row on Main Street during the Downtown Art Walk on Dec. 11. The 25 signs on streetlamps take their inspiration from Southern California’s aerospace industry and are made of ultra-light honeycomb panels and were fabricated by Lexington. “LA ProPoint has a long history of serving arts venues —f rom theaters and concert halls to outdoor stages and amphitheatres,” noted Mark Riddlesperger, founder and president of LA ProPoint. “What we’re finding lately is that the fine art world is taking a cue from the performance art world, creating additional demand for our services.” Pacoima Obit: San Fernando Valley activist and fashion designer Marie Harris died on Dec. 2 from complications due to pneumonia. She was 87. Harris lived in Pacoima for nearly 50 years and established the Pacoima Property Owners’ Association in 1979 to work on community beautification projects and host events. Harris got involved in charities by organizing fashion shows for St. John of God Hospital in Los Angeles and Parks Chapel AME Church among others. She served on many boards and committees, including the Pacoima Senior Citizens Multi-Purpose Center; Olive View – UCLA Medical Center Foundation; Economic Alliance of San Fernando Valley; United LA – Urban Network for Improving Training and Education in Los Angeles; Phoenix House Academy Community Advisory Committee; and Heroes of Life Inc. Encino Suspend: Networking group That New Network will suspend operations until further notice, director Linda Peitzman announced. With the recession, attendance at the group’s events has dropped and adding in other factors it became impractical to continue, Peitzman said. Peitzman thanked all the attendees, speakers, door prize donors and others who contributed to that group. “I hope you will continue networking with each other and that you will stay in touch with me,” Peitzman said. “I look forward to when we all ‘Net’ together again.” Antelope Valley Lancaster Sun: Solar thermal power technology manufacturer eSolar was recognized as a Technology Pioneer 2010 by the World Economic Forum. The company was recognized for its technological innovation and global commitment to delivering a low-cost clean energy alternative to fossil fuels. The World Economic Forum chose 26 technology pioneers from 300 applicants. In August, eSolar began operation of a 5 megawatt solar thermal power facility in Lancaster that supplies 4,000 homes served by Southern California Edison. “We’re at an historic point in time when technology can finally enable clean, renewable energy at a price competitive with fossil fuels,” said eSolar founder and CEO Bill Gross. “For the last 200 years, man burned everything he could to power the planet. Now, before it’s too late, we can make the switch and usher in a new era of low-cost solar energy.” Efficient: The Lancaster City Council approved moving ahead with a long-term project to make every kilowatt used at municipal buildings to come from a renewable source. The first step will be upgrades at city-owned facilities including changing out light bulbs, water conservation, weather station installations, solar water heating, and wind power generation. “It’s all the things you can think of to be efficient,” said Deputy City Manager Jason Caudle said. Future phases will look at the city generating its own electricity and working with Los Angeles County for residents to fund energy improvements by voluntarily placing a special assessment on their property. Mojave Flight: Virgin Galactic showed off for the public its SpaceShipTwo, a craft that will take passenger astronauts into sub-orbital flights as early as 2011. The unveiling at the Mojave Air and Spaceport was another milestone in Virgin Galactic’s role in the private commercial space industry. SpaceShipTwo, dubbed Enterprise, was designed by Scaled Composites based at the Mojave spaceport. The craft can carry up to six passenger astronauts and two pilot astronauts. Enterprise will be carried by WhiteKnightTwo to an altitude of 50,000 feet and dropped before the spaceplane fires its rocket engines for its sub-orbital flight. Santa Clarita Valley Santa Clarita Rides: The Holly Jolly Holiday Trolley will operate between shopping centers in Santa Clarita from Dec. 21 to Dec. 24. The trolley operates from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. with pick-ups every 20 minutes. The route connects shoppers to the Westfield Valley Town Center, Valencia Crossroads, and River Oaks shopping centers. Conejo Valley Westlake Village Films: In-Three will establish a facility in India to convert 2D films and video into 3D under a deal with Reliance MediaWorks Ltd. In-Three, based in Westlake Village and Reliance is expected to be able to cater to 15 to 25 feature films projects per year using In-Three’s proprietary software and techniques for the conversion process. The partnership addresses the growing demand by Hollywood studios and other global content creators for 3D content. “In order to meet the full slate of films that In-Three has lined up for 2010 and beyond we sought out the best possible international partner,” said In-Three CEO Neil Feldman. Finance: Tax accountant Marlene deBoisblanc has opened Whitewood & Associates to provide tax and business services. DeBoisblanc is available for business and individual tax planning and return preparation, bookkeeping and financial statements, estate and trust tax preparation, business consulting, and IRS representation. Active in the financial and tax industry for over 27 years, the accountant previously was a principal staff accountant at one of the largest tax firms in the Conejo Valley. “I work hard to establish strong relationships with clients and provide ongoing services to strengthen their financial success,” said deBoisblanc. “Over the years this attention to excellent customer service results in close attention to detail and accuracy.” Whitewood & Associates is located at 32107 Lindero Canyon Road, Suite 220, Westlake Village.