August, 2019 Digital 96 Three Rivers Regatta Suddenly Cancelled In a stunning announcement made late on ber 2018. The last video the com- An impressive and disturbing list the morning of July 30 --- a mere two days pany added to its YouTube chan- of allegations against LionHeart before its 2019 edition was to start --- the nel was uploaded in December Event Group and its owner, Derek Three Rivers Regatta was cancelled. 2018. The board learned days Weber. At press time, these in- earlier that LionHeart has clude the following: First held in 1978, the Pittsburgh Three "misrepresented" its work and Rivers Regatta is an annual motorboat and "had not met critical benchmarks" Failure to pay the City of river festival. It had been produced for the to ensure the event's happening as Pittsburgh for police protec- non-profit Pittsburgh Three Rivers Re- scheduled. tion in 2017 and 2018. gatta Inc. by LionHeart Event Group. Failure to pay Allegheny "We have launched a probe to County for security expenses A press release indicated issues revolving unravel what has transpired. We in 2018. LionHeart's professionalism are the cause. are also working to communicate Some vendors failed to re- “[The board] learned late last week that the with all key stakeholders affected ceive payment for at least one event management company charged with by today’s announcement, includ- regatta. overseeing all aspects of the regatta failed ing sponsors, vendors, entertain- LionHeart may have falsified to provide the necessary assurances for a ers and others,” Regatta board records submitted to the safe, sanctioned and fully coordinated member Charles D. Scholz an- Three Rivers Regatta board event. They did not secure the mandatory nounced in the press release. “We as well as other parties. insurance for it, which forced us to with- will pursue all legal means neces- Derek Weber was directly draw our application for an event permit." sary to resolve this as we work to responsible for record- determine the future of this keeping, sponsorship reve- Per the firm's web site: LionHeart is owned event.” nue, insurance and required by founder Derek Weber, who once served payments. "He runs this as the Director of Operations for the Re- The future of LionHeart may also whole festival and he has a gatta. The company's portfolio of projects be at stake. whole company he runs by is few in number but many are high profile. himself," former employee LionHeart was launched in 215.Weber and Samantha Moyer told the events coordinator Samantha Moyer are Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's the firm's only full-time employees Jonathan D. Silver. (although there are apparently part-time and free-lance personnel). Moyer told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that she left the company months ago. Check out the KDKA-TV report below. Leading up to the 2019 regatta, PGHevents' James A. Richards (who also publishes Pittsburgh Applause) tried to reach LionHeart to confirm the schedule for the web site. The company never re- sponded. KDKA-TV reports that Weber failed to appear at a planned events meet- ing. LionHeart's Facebook and Twitter profiles haven't had any new postings since Octo- Pittsburgh Applause 2 Pittsburgh Applause Cultural District Safety Issues The safety of patrons, employees Nevertheless, a statement from and residents of the Pittsburgh “I’ve seen it. I’ve read it. He the mayor's office points out sta- Cultural District has grown as an couldn’t have put it in any better tistics show a 3% drop this year in issue --- particu- words,” restaurateur Len Sem- violent and property crimes. larly after a July plice told KDKA-TV's Jon De- WESA-FM has posted an Associ- 4 shooting inci- lano. "He couldn’t have put ated Press story about the situa- dent. [situation] in any better words." tion at https://www.wesa.fm/post/ group-says-pittsburgh-downtown- Two teenage The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette re- safety-declining#stream/0 boys were shot ports that McMahon wrote a letter and hospital- to Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto ized. Camerin Caldwell, an 18- that he should "not mistake this See the KDKA-TV year-old North Sider, turned him- recent incident as just another report by clicking the self in to police on July 15. The isolated holiday spike . the de- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mi- cline in safety in the Cultural Dis- icon below chael Divittorio writes about the trict has been consistently coming charges at https://triblive.com/ to a tipping point." local/pittsburgh-allegheny/suspect -in-pittsburgh-fourth-of-july- Also affecting the sense of safety, double-shooting-arrested/ Semplice told Delano, are pan- handlers who directly approach District stakeholders have appar- diners eating at outdoor tables. ently been quiet about the issue, “People are sitting there, a nice but the shooting in Katz Plaza family, couple, they’re sitting (apparently bullets hit a door at there eating and all of a sudden the nearby Benedum Center) they’re coming up begging for sparked a sympathetic three-page money.” letter to local businesses from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Kevin McMahon. Pittsburgh Applause 4 Pittsburgh Applause Netflix & SAG-AFTRA PSO’s CD With Netflix producing series in regarding harassment and audi- A release date has been an- Pittsburgh, the streaming network tions." nounced for the Pittsburgh Sym- and SAG-AFTRA (which has a phony Orchestra's (PSO) latest full-time local office) have Highlights of the contact are recording. reached a new agreement. available at https:// www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-and- netflix-announce-historic-contract In other news, the union has es- tablished guidelines for nudity Netflix has been functioning un- and simulated sex; define the du- der the standard SAG-AFTRA ties and standards for intimacy television and film agreements. A coordinators on productions. This press release says "the new deal includes acceptable training, vet- also includes gains in theatrical ting and qualifications of intimacy The CD is of the ninth and final residuals, greater rights for mem- coordinators. symphony written by Austrian bers in the areas of options and composer Anton Bruckner (1824- exclusivity, improved overtime 1896). He dedicated it "to the rules for stunt performers and beloved God." The last movement specific protections for members remained incomplete upon Bruck- ner's death. It debuted in Vienna in 1903. PG Cuts Print Edition A PSO press release calls it "an It's a sad sign of the times: the There has also been friction be- iconic work" and one performed financially struggling Pittsburgh tween the paper's staff and pub- by the symphony "in a new and Post-Gazette will cut its print lisher John R. Block. definitive interpretation." The edition to just three days a week. PSO "invites us to explore the "Newsrooms shed almost one- presence of the divine, and to ex- quarter of their employees from perience the beauty of this world, 2008 to 2017," adds Williams, while also facing the darker and "and that was before the loss of more violent abysses." 3,000 jobs announced so far this year. The closure of 1,800 news- The CD, to be released on August papers in the past 15 years has 23, is part of the PSO's meant that half of U.S. counties "Pittsburgh Live Series." Last The digital edition will continue are lucky if they have one news- year, another recording in the daily publication, but the print paper." series won two Grammy Awards. version essentially becomes a weekend paper (Thursday, Friday, Sunday). Rob Williams, reporting for MediaPost.com, quotes an executive "that the newspaper is 'maintaining our news depart- ment,' although it’s not clear whether parent company Block Communications can avoid job cuts in printing and distribution." www.pittsburghapplause.com www.pittsburghaebook.com Pittsburgh Applause 5 Pittsburgh Applause Silver Eye “Pgh Dad” Kenzie Inks Gets $100K Kickstarter Arista Deal Actor-writer Curt Wootton and Singer and Pittsburgh native A grant of $100,000 has been his creative partner Chrs Preksta Mackenzie "Kenzie" Ziegler has presented to the Silver Eye Cen- have launched a Kickstarter cam- signed a 15-year deal with Arista ter for Photography by the paign to finance their next film, Records, reports Variety's Mich- Andy Warhol Foundation for reports Hanah Lynn for Pitts- ele Amabile Angermiller. the Visual Arts. burgh City Paper. “We are so excited to welcome The foundation was created in the The two are best known for their Kenzie to the Arista family,” the will of pop art icon and Pittsburgh popular "Pittsburgh Dad" series of article quotes David Massey, native Andy Warhol (1928-1987). comedic online videos. CEO of Arista. “At just 15 years Its primary focus is to support the old, she has built an incredible creation, presentation and docu- Launched on July 29, the cam- fanbase and possesses so much mentation of contemporary art. paign hopes to raise $10,000 to talent. We are looking forward to bankroll a sequel to their 2017 a very bright future together.” Silver Eye will be using the funds short film "Street Light Stories." for exhibitions and related pro- To learn more, click https:// Arista is part of Sony Corpora- gramming. www.pghcitypaper.com/ tion of America's music enter- pittsburgh/pittsburgh-dad- tainment division. launches-kickstarter-to-fund- sequel-to-street-light-stories/ Rapper & Content?oid=15526765 AE Pact Pittsburgh-based fashion giant Images American Eagle Outfitters is partnering with rapper Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter for a new line of jeans and other clothes, reports MediaPost.com's Sarah Mahoney. The 25-piece men's line, called AE X Young Money, is to debut this fall.