Articles

Marketing firm hopes to give 3-D new shape: Scofield Editorial one of first Midwest firms to add bells and whistles to models initially used by architects

Scofield Editorial, known locally as an innovator in video and post-production work, is burnishing that reputation by becoming one of the first firms in the Midwest to combine three-dimensional video modeling with traditional editing touches such as animation, sound effects, and other audio and video. Three-dimensional modeling was introduced by engineering firms about a decade ago, and has also been used by some video game manufacturers. But only recently have advertising agencies combined 3-D with traditional video editing touches. “There…

Read More

ROSE awards ceremonies honor hospitality workers: Eleven employees commended for top-level service

After the passing of the restaurant’s general manager, “Mama” stepped into the grief-filled void, providing leadership while consoling the staff. During a charity silent auction, Camerone auctioned off herself as an inhome chef for an evening. She ended up generating the most proceeds, enough to make a dream come true for a child during the Make-a-Wish Telethon. Pamela Evans, customer service agent, American Airlines Evans is a customer service agent for American Airlines and her territory often can be among…

Read More

SPORTS: Checking in with little brother at the Pacers front office

It is no secret that I share the same last name with David Benner, the director of media relations for the Indiana Pacers. We also share a mother (who still likes me best), a father, a brother, a sister, a “Bob & Tom Show” parody and-long, long ago-a bedroom in our farmhouse down in Center Grove. It’s funny how it all works out. David followed me into the newspaper business at The Indianapolis Star, which he joined as a copy…

Read More

Champ Car spinning its wheels: Open-wheel series facing many questions heading into 2007 season

What was supposed to be a breakthrough year for the Champ Car racing series is looking like a season of more pain than gain even before the first green flag has dropped. A little more than a week before the season opener April 8 in Las Vegas, the openwheel race series had no confirmed car count, fewer sponsors than usual, and a lack of continuity in race schedule and television broadcasts that jeopardizes its fan base. The series bought four…

Read More

SPORTS: A tribute to the sportswriter who took a chance on me

Most of us have those “who-knows” people in our lives. Meaning, “who knows” what might have become of us had these people not come into our lives. P r o f e s s i o n a l l y, right at the top of my list is Cyrus W. “Cy” McBride. Cy died last week in Montgomery, Ala. He was 78. I would be remiss if I let his passing go without sharing the profound impact he had….

Read More

SPORTS: Time to honor a man who bleeds high school basketball

About a year ago, we had to move my wife’s father into an assisted-living facility and sell his home in LaPorte. That also meant going through his many possessions and determining what were keepsakes. My father-in-law, John Parker Jr., always has been a huge fan of Indiana high school basketball, and he spoke proudly of the many times he made the drive down to Indianapolis to witness the State Finals. Lo and behold, as we rummaged through boxes and drawers,…

Read More

Pledge blitz buoys Bowl bid

The team leading Indianapolis’ bid to host the 2011 Super Bowl is calling on the corporate community to get in the game fast.
More than a dozen business leaders are rushing to raise $25 million before May 23, when NFL owners are expected to select
a host city from hopefuls Indianapolis; Dallas; and Glendale, Ariz.

Read More

PROFILE: ELIZABETH HAHN ELLIS: Love of sports, organization really ‘peying’ off Foundation director coordinates philanthropic moves for Colts quarterback Peyton Manning

PROFILE ELIZABETH HAHN ELLIS Love of sports, organization really ‘peying’ off Foundation director coordinates philanthropic moves for Colts quarterback Peyton Manning There’s hardly a Hoosier today who hasn’t heard of Peyton Manning and his amazing plays on the field. But quietly coordinating the philanthropic plays behind the scenes for Manning’s PeyBack Foundation is Indianapolis native Elizabeth Hahn Ellis. As executive director of the 7-year-old charitable foundation, Ellis, 36, deftly fields requests from not-forprofit organizations seeking grants, contributions from individuals and…

Read More

Commentary: How to improve Indy’s 2011 Super Bowl

Feb. 4, 2007, will be a day fondly remembered in Indianapolis for generations to come. It was the day the Indianapolis Colts emerged victorious from Super Bowl XLI. The Super Bowl media exposure, combined with the city’s proud history of organizing and hosting some of the world’s largest sporting events, should position us well to serve as host for the 2011 Super Bowl. Already, a host committee has been formed and seed funds committed. The General Assembly has passed legislation…

Read More

SPORTS: Rome won’t burn if we remember to stick together

Recently, I attended a Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Seminar at the Downtown Marriott. Members of the socalled “City Committee”-a group that convened three decades ago to brainstorm and map the future of India n a p o l i s – w e r e addressing younger professionals who well could be involved in determining the direction for our city over the next 30 years. Louis Mahern, who was then a leading state Democratic senator helping to push bipartisan support…

Read More

NFL Combine could leave Indianapolis after 20-plus years: Event organizers want better deal after 2008

Despite moving their headquarters from Tulsa to Indianapolis last year, the organizers of the NFL Scouting Combine said the event could move following 2008. “We’re still in the midst of data collection, so it’s difficult to evaluate this year’s event,” said Jeffrey Foster, president of National Invitational Camp, which runs the Combine from its office at Pan Am Plaza. While the primary concern of agents and players-the speed of the 40-yard dash track-was worked out, a new set of concerns…

Read More

SPORTS: Here’s Bird’s take on the Pacers’ fall from grace

Timing is everything, which meant I was in the caboose of the media train that rolled through Larry Bird’s office recently. So by the time I sat down with the Indiana Pacers’ president of basketball operations, Bird had pretty much heard, and answered, every question with regard to the frustrating state of our NBA franchise. There’s no pretty picture to be painted: The off-court incidents, first at the infamous Club Rio during training camp, then at the Eight Seconds Saloon;…

Read More

SPORTS: Here’s how a referee makes the hall of fame

As the boys’ and girls’ high school swimming seasons come to a close, my thoughts turn to a man who in April will be inducted into the first class of the Indiana High School Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame. It’s notable because this person never swam a competitive lap in his life. That said, I can’t think of anyone more deserving. In the big picture of local sports-where the major leaguers and the major colleges reside-not many have heard…

Read More

NBA set to OK more revenue sharing

A push from Indiana Pacers co-owner Herb Simon and seven other National Basketball Association owners is spurring league officials
to adopt broader revenue-sharing measures. But those measures might not be enough to pull the Pacers out of the red.

Read More

MICKEY MAURER Commentary: Nothing new in athletes misbehaving

There were lots of empty seats at Conseco Fieldhouse the other night. It seems thousands of fans of professional basketball in Indiana are no longer “ready to rumble.” At this rate, Pacers leaping into the stands will have no one left to cold-cock. Local media has exacerbated the situation by an ad nauseam comparison of the world champion Indianapolis Colts to the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately for the Pacers, the Super Bowl and the latest melee occurred within hours of each…

Read More

CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Snowstorms make you wonder

CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary Snowstorms make you wonder Television weatherpeople are weird creatures, and I mean that in the nicest way. I know a few of them, and they are very fine individuals. But while most folks get anxious over “weather events” like Feb. 13’s snowstorm, TV weatherpeople get excited, downright giddy. Their eyes gleam with intensity. They become more animated. Their nervous systems crank to high alert. They are like the veritable kid in the candy store. Weather events are…

Read More

SPORTS: Sports media turns blind eye to coaches of faith

In today’s America, the separation (or lack thereof) of church and state is a political lightning rod. The separation of church and sports is not of concern. That’s because the media already has taken care of it. In the sports media, references to religion in general or of a higher being in particular are not welcome. For athletes or coaches to say their success has come from the gifts given to them by their Creator does not compute in the…

Read More

Squabble threatens ABA’s credibility

Rival board members are at war over the future of the American Basketball Association just as the Indianapolis-based professional
league appeared to be on the cusp of breakthrough growth.

Read More

NOTIONS: If you want to be your best, Easy Street’s a dead end

I’ve been driving around Indiana with my pal, the professor. For four consecutive Thursdays, we rendezvoused at dawn, grabbed cups of caffeine and headed to the northeast corner of the state to teach grant-writing. Our students, desperately seeking funds for the not-for-profit organizations they lead, were eager to learn and engaged in our lesson. The conversations en route were equally engrossing. We talked about our families and their health, our kids and their activities. We covered politics, sports and our…

Read More

SPORTS: Pacers pull us back from Super Bowl’s warm afterglow

Let’s see now … The city of Indianapolis announces it is formally pursuing the 2011 Super Bowl. Indiana University defeats second-ranked University of Wisconsin in Assembly Hall, ending the Badgers’ chances of becoming the first team since IU in 1976 to go through the league unbeaten. North Central High School’s Eric Gordon goes for 43 points in a nationally televised game against a Chicago high school team featuring the two sons of Michael Jordan, who watches from the bleachers. Butler…

Read More