International Recording Artist Laura Bryna Featured on the Cover of Southern Beauty Magazine's Fall Issue

International recording artist Laura Bryna is almost as passionate about beauty and fashion as she is about singing. So when the publishers of Southern Beauty magazine approached her for a cover feature on her blossoming career, Bryna jumped at the opportunity.

“It doesn’t get much better than this,” exclaims Bryna, who splits her time between Nashville and Los Angeles, where she is working on a follow-up CD to her critically acclaimed debut, ‘Trying to be Me.’ “Not only did I get to talk to the editors at Southern Beauty about my music and work with the Air Guard and Make-A-Wish Foundation, but I was able to dress up in some of the most beautiful clothing you could imagine. What an incredible experience!”

The new issue of Southern Beauty is being distributed both digitally and nationally and can be seen online at www.southernbeautymagazine.com. Founded in 2007, SouthernBeauty is the only magazine dedicated to the beauty and fashion world of the Southern woman. Featuring celebrity interviews and first-person accounts of Southern glamour,Southern Beauty is the ultimate resource for beauty must-haves and spiritual growth. Other recent feature stories in the magazine have included LeAnn Rimes and Nancy O’Dell.

In the article, Bryna talks about being “blessed” to have the career she dreamed about as a kid growing up in Mt. Airy, Maryland. In addition to her music career and a recent deal with AGR Television Records (through Universal Music Group) to distribute her debut CD internationally beginning in 2010; Bryna donates a large share of her time to several causes that are dear to her heart. They include the Make-A-Wish Foundation (she’s on the board of directors for the Mid Atlantic Chapter), the Air Guard (AG) and the National Guard Youth Foundation. Bryna is a celebrity spokesperson and the voice behind the Air Guard’s national advertising – she co-wrote ‘Hometown Heroes’ which the AG adopted for the campaign.

Most recently, Bryna became a celebrity spokesperson for the National Guard Youth Foundation’s Youth Challenge Program – a 17-month commitment by at-risk teenagers who’ve dropped out of high school to get their lives back on track, and get back in school, graduate and lead productive lives. Towards that end, Bryna is working with the NGYF and the City of Los Angeles on a major Hometown Heroes event and fundraiser to be held sometime next year. This past August, Bryna celebrated some special American Hometown Heroes and Women of the Air Guard with a standing room only performance at the famous House of Blues in West Hollywood.

“Music and entertaining are my passions,” says Bryna. “Being able to make people happy and take their mind off their everyday worries for a little bit is such a thrill for me. But, it’s the other things, like helping kids through Make-A-Wish or thanking the troops who do so much for all of us that really makes it worthwhile.”

“Laura Bryna epitomizes the young, vibrant, caring Southern woman of today,” says Southern Beauty Publisher Shannon Lindsay. “We have been tracking her career for two years and there seems to be no stopping this woman. Her energy, charisma and talent are contagious!”

EKC PR Client News :: Funding Factory Partners With Sony to Offer "Planet 51" Incentive

FundingFactory, the nation’s leading fundraising-through-recycling program, today announces their most recent promotion through their collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment and its upcoming animated comedy Planet 51. The film opens in theaters November 20, 2009.

As part of its search for new, fun and creative ways to introduce kids to the importance of recycling, FundingFactory’s Planet 51 incentive promotion serves to motivate, engage and involve students in the active process of recycling.

Planet 51 is a galactic sized animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he is the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950’s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders... like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion "Rover" and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum.

The Planet 51 campaign will be available to all of FundingFactory’s elementary school participants. Through their partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, FundingFactory will offer the Planet 51 Fun Pack to all participating coordinators. Mailed directly to the classroom, Fun Packs will include such items as Planet 51 movie stickers, temporary tattoos, glow-in-the-dark squeeze balls and other promotional merchandise. Teachers can utilize the Fun Pack to reward students that bring empty printer cartridges and/or used cell phones. Also included in the Fun Pack as motivational and reminder tools are Planet 51 Reminder Trading Cards and “Recycle Here” classroom posters.

To top off their fall promotion, FundingFactory will be offering a grand prize to the class that collects the most recyclable items. The prize will include a free screening of Planet 51 for the entire class. All registered and participating organizations will be eligible to enter a random drawing for the grand prize. For official rules and drawing date, visit: www.fundingfactory.com/Planet51/about.aspx.

“FundingFactory was launched with a vision to help schools raise money through the valuable effort of recycling,” states Sean Michaels, co-president of FundingFactory. “We are extremely excited to work with Sony Pictures Entertainment to help facilitate schools in raising funds and recycling awareness with these fun and creative incentives.”

EKC PR Client News :: Laura Bryna Tells Southern Beauty Magazine Why 'Life is Good'

Country star and philanthropist Laura Bryna discusses her sizzling music career and gives readers a peek inside her charmed life Southern Beauty Magazine's fall cover story:

"Laura Bryna has been surrounded by heroes and amazing experiences the past year and a half. In January of 2008 Bry

na’s year started off with a proverbial bang as she was approached by Master Sergeant Bob Hall and retired Lieutenant Colonel Randy Johnson to represent the Air National Guard in an upcoming advertising campaign. Honored by this opportunity it was easy for

Laura to show her excitement. Says Bryna, 'That was such a compliment. I have such an appreciation for the military. To be an outsider looking in, they really allowed me to become a part of their family.'

After shooting the commercial for the Air National Guard, Laura took

inspiration from the men and women she met during the filming and crafted her latest single, Hometown Heroes. 'Doing the Hometown Heroes video was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! Real life heroes from every war surrounded me. It was absolutely incredible; I kept thinking

"Hi, I’m little Laura",' Bryna says with her charismatic laugh." (read more...)

EKC PR Client News :: Lorena Sarbu Talks Red Carpet Style

Beverly Hills-based fashion designer Lorena Sarbu dishes to the Yahoo Shine fashion & beauty channel about dressing Emmy winners for the red carpet:

"I don’t know about you, but the highlight of any awards show is the Red Carpet coverage. I’m more interested in what the celebrity is wearing than what there nominated for and I am very guilty of switching the channel once the red carpet segment is over! So how excited was I to interview fashion designer Lorena Sarbu, whose fashion creations have graced the red carpets of this year’s Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards shows! She went from designing dresses for her dolls as a child to designing dresses for celebrities such as Sharon Lawrence, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Tamara Braun (one of my favorite soap stars!). She was wonderful enough to talk to me about her design inspirations, her favorite designs and celeb clients, as well as her own line which launches in 2010!" (read more...)

EKC Client News :: David Applebaum on KATIEDID

Eileen Koch & Company's client, "Architect to the Stars" David Applebaum, was in an industry blog this morning.

Check out the entry on KatieDid:

"I received an email this morning about Architect David Applebaum becoming a contestant on Bravo's latest Reality TV Design Competition: Launch My Line. David is an L.A. based architect who has worked with celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Diane Keaton, Rupert Murdoch and Cuba Gooding Jr. Curious, I went on over to the Bravo website to check it out." (read more...)

HOT From Koch :: Laura Bryna to Perform at Salute to Our Troops Dinner Gala

Laura Bryna will lend her talent to the United Service Organizations’ (USO) Salute to Our Troops dinner in Baltimore, Md., on Thursday, November 12^th. The event will honor patients from local military hospitals, and attendees will include military officials, Maryland dignitaries and the families of troops.

A big talent with an equally huge heart, Bryna has long prided herself on patriotism. Her love for her country and passion for giving back are recurring themes in both her music and in her philanthropic work. Bryna’s Los Angeles debut concert, which was held at the famous House of Blues in Hollywood earlier this summer, was a packed performance that served as a tribute to America’s Hometown Heroes and to the women of the Air National Guard. The organization selected Bryna to serve as the official spokesperson and also chose her song, “Hometown Heroes” (which she also co-wrote), for the United States Air National Guard ad campaign.

The Salute to Our Troops dinner event, hosted by The USO and Michael Tabrizi, will be held at 6:00 p.m. ET at Tabrizi’s Restaurant, located at the Baltimore Maryland’s Inner Harbor. To attend Laura Bryna’s live performance, RSVP to Meghan Hardgrove at Meghan@usometro.org or 703-696-0717 by November 5^th.

Disney Soceity's Exclusive Interview with Laura Bryna

Eileen Koch & Company's international music recording artist client, Laura Bryna, was featured on Disney Society for an exclusive interview:

"I had the pleasure of interviewing country/rock singer Laura Bryna. She is one sensational up and coming performer who has opened for Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw and others. She has a CD out entitled Trying to Be Me (Equity Records) and you can listen to some of her music on her website: www.laurabryna.com.

Not only does Laura have an amazing voice and is touching people everywhere with her music, but she is also involved in some other projects, including an animated movie and is a spokesperson for the Air National Guard Campaign. She does it all!

Along with this great interview with Laura, I have 11 of her CDs to give away! You can read the rules of the contest after the interview. Here’s Laura Bryna!" (Read More...)