2-Page Spread Single Page View Thumbnails | LABJ User Guide | Front Page | Table of Contents Previous Page Zoom In Zoom Out Next Page labusinessjournal.com LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNALL TM DIGITAL EDITION THE COMMUNITY OF BUSINESS www.labusinessjournal.com/digital WELCOME TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL DIGITAL EDITION To read your copy of the Digital Edition INSTRUCTION Please select a reading preference FOR PC/MAC How to read LABJ Digital Edition on iPad in iBooks: 1 TAP CENTER 2 TAP ‘OPEN WITH’ 3 TAP ‘iBOOKS’ Wait for gray bar with Wait for scroll down menu menu buttons to appear on and tap the iBooks icon. top of the PDF. Wait for PDF to load in iBOOKS. 2-Page Spread Single Page View Thumbnails | LABJ User Guide | Front Page | Table of Contents Previous Page Zoom In Zoom Out Next Page labusinessjournal.com LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL Volume 33, Number 26 THE COMMUNITY OF BUSINESSTM June 27 - July 3, 2011 • $3.00 Up Angel Investors Talk Up Video Tech Front INTERNET: lion by Tech Coast Angels, the largest network of Vokle’s ‘virtual individual investors in the United States. auditorium’ a funding favorite. Vokle’s technology couples two hot Internet trends: social media and video advertising. By JOEL RUSSELL Staff Reporter Chief Executive Robert Kiraz explained that while Skype is the dominant Internet video service for one-to- When Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul one communications – what he called a video telephone decided to organize a virtual town hall meeting last – and services such as GoToMeeting provide a virtual week, his campaign did it with video streaming tech- boardroom, his company handles large gatherings nology from a Santa Monica startup called Vokle Inc. online in a format that he called a virtual auditorium. The Paul campaign was the latest in a string of “There are lots of video streaming technologies but DirecTV hopes Vokle success stories that have made the company a we’re different because we turn video into a social its germ-resistant darling among small tech investors. This month, the RINGO H.W. CHIU/LABJ remotes will company announced a total investment of $1.26 mil- Please see INTERNET page 49 Socialized: Vokle Chief Exec Robert Kiraz. click. PAGE 3 News & IHOP Aims High Analysis With Middle East DINING: Arab region on the menu for several L.A. chains. By ALEXA HYLAND Staff Reporter IHOP pancakes are heading to the Middle East, but bacon and sausage won’t be served as sides. In its first major expansion outside of North Ameri- Why you see ca, IHOP operator DineEquity Inc. of Glendale more business announced plans last week to open 40 franchise restau- people on bikes rants in nine Middle Eastern countries, an increasingly in Century City. popular destination for American restaurant chains. PAGE 5 The deal, a franchise agreement between Dine- Equity wholly owned subsidiary IHOP Franchise Co. and an affiliate of Kuwait-based M.H. Alshaya Co., is part of the company’s plans to grow the international People market for the IHOP chain, known for its pancakes, eggs and other breakfast fare. In recent months, IHOP restaurants have opened in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Please see DINING page 52 RINGO H.W. CHIU/LABJ Racking It Up: President Steve Lee at clothing wholesaler Esley in downtown Los Angeles. Content Control How Ben Reznik became a Makes Headlines combatant in L.A.’s many MEDIA: Ebyline software helps land-use wars. PAGE 15 clients manage news freelancers. Better Fit By NATALIE JARVEY Free-trade pact tailor made for L.A. apparel firms? Staff Reporter In this age of the incredible shrinking newsroom, MAIL TO: By ALEXA HYLAND That’s because the U.S.-Korea Free Trade how can editors get enough stories to fill the paper? and HEEJIN PARK Staff Reporters Agreement, which the Obama administration is Former newspapermen Bill Momary and Allen Nar- expected to send to Congress in the coming cisse founded Ebyline Inc. in 2009 to provide a solu- OREAN-American Steve Lee and many oth- months, would give duty-free status to a signifi- tion, giving news organizations a way to work with ers in the L.A. apparel industry have long cant percentage of apparel and textiles imported freelance writers and syndicate stories more efficiently. Kmanufactured much of their clothing in from Korea, which have average tariffs of 17 per- Since launching last year, Ebyline has signed up China, mostly with Chinese fabrics. But a big alter- cent and 11 percent, respectively. The agreement some big-name customers, including the Los Angeles ation may be coming to L.A.’s fashion world. also immediately would eliminate tariffs on most Times and Variety. The company now has expanded If a pending U.S. free-trade agreement with South textile and apparel exports to Korea, which aver- its service to include radio and TV stations. Korea is ratified by both nations, Lee and some simi- age 8.3 percent and 12 percent, respectively. Joe Howry, vice president and editor of the Ventu- lar businesses may move their manufacturing to the Lee, president at Esley, which has a show- ra County Star, said Ebyline has helped the paper in United States or South Korea. And Lee, for one, room in the wholesale quarter of downtown the cost-cutting transition from covering news mostly could start using more Korean fabrics in his women’s with staff reporters to using more freelancers. clothing lines, which could lower costs. Please see TRADE page 50 Please see MEDIA page 51 Straight talk. Sound counsel. Practical solutions. Strengthened by time. At Snell & Wilmer, some things never change. www.swlaw.com 2-Page Spread Single Page View Thumbnails | LABJ User Guide | Front Page | Table of Contents Previous Page Zoom In Zoom Out Next Page 2 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL JUNE 27, 2011 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL ® JUNE 27 - JULY 3, 2011 VOLUME 33, NUMBER 26 RINGO H.W. CHIU/LABJ Page 10: Senior Vice President Bill Blake at Zurich North America’s Glendale office. GOVERNMENT – State plan to freeze ON THE COVER Vernon levies leaves businesses cold. .8 INTERNET – Santa Monica startup Vokle’s REAL ESTATE – Glendale continues to video streaming technology has drawn steady bleed businesses despite the city’s tax angel investment. advantages and low asking rents. .10 TRADE – A U.S.-South Korea pact may sow Columns & features – Media Watch 10, more business, especially for L.A. clothing makers. Advertising & PR 12, News of the Week 14 MEDIA – Ebyline is making news with its software that helps news outlets control the PEOPLE cost of buying and selling content. DINING – DineEquity has added Mideast INTERVIEW – Benjamin Reznik gets expansion to IHOP’s menu, hold the sausage a lot out of land use as a partner at and bacon. Jeffer Mangels. .15 UP FRONT THE LIST TV – Satellite operator DirecTV thinks its germ-resistant remote control will help it RANKING – The 25 biggest retail centers check into more hotels. .3 in Los Angeles County, ranked by gross AUCTION – Son of the late actor John leasable area. .17 Wayne sees the western and war star’s items generating a lot of action. .3 RETAIL – Dillon Morgan rolled to the Young INVESTMENTS & FINANCE Entrepreneur of the Year honor on the back of Columns & features – LABJ Stock Index his toy skateboards. .3 36, Econowatch 38 Strengthened by time. Columns & features – Page 3, Regional Report 4 REAL ESTATE NEWS & ANALYSIS Columns & features – Real Estate TRANSPORTATION – Business-backed Column 44 Century City association is pushing alterna- tive transit options to get traffic moving. .5 INVESTMENT – Bullish analysts foresee an COMMENTARY eventual end for veterinary chain VCA’s dog COMMENT – Charles Crumpley worries the days. .5 REAL ESTATE – Developer Alan Casden L.A. City Council may fumble the good NFL has acquired the Westwood Palazzo stadium deal that’s been handed off to it. .54 mixed-use property and removed it from a TRANSPORTATION – Christopher Hill legal problem. .6 calls on L.A. businesses to help drive the Purple LAW – L.A.’s Nossaman takes bigger Line subway through Beverly Hills. .55 downtown digs to accommodate its growing TRASH – Ron Saldana doesn’t want L.A.’s Straight talk. Sound counsel. Practical solutions. legal practice. .6 TV – Crown Media hopes two debt deals will waste collection system thrown out and At Snell & Wilmer, some things never change. improve the cable channel parent’s big replaced with more regulation. .55 picture. .7 Columns & features – LABJ Forum 54 www.swlaw.com Los Angeles Business Journal (ISSN 0194-2603) is published weekly. © 2011, Los Angeles Business Journal. Offices are located at 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 170, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA and additional offices (USPS #492-930). Subscription prices: 51 issues and special issue, $99.95. For new and renewal subscriptions, call 1-800-404-5225. All other inquiries (323) 549-5225. Single copies, $3.00. Mailed copies, $5.00. Back issues, $8.00. Address and subscription inquiries to: Circulation Department, Los Angeles Business Jour- nal, 5700 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 170, Los Angeles, CA 90036. 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