BREAKING:  

savvyplanners.com & subsidiaries approved by film commission

to serve movie studios, producers and celebrities.

 ”Hollywood South” gains new secret weapon in special needs care

March 20, 2012 Shreveport, LA- 3:48PM CDT

 Global wedding and event design firm savvyplanners.com, and all of its subsidiaries, have been added to the restricted roster of service providers approved by the Shreveport/Bossier (LA) Film Commission.

 Having been authorized to appear in the commission’s database, now makes savvyplanners.com and its companies front and center in the minds, and within reach of Hollywood and worldwide filmmakers, directors, producers, actors and crews seeking professional lifestyle and celebrity care assistance.

 The savvyplanners.com brand family includes: A private jet fleet; Worldwide, V-VIP concierge care; global, luxury villa and estate rentals available for film locations and celebrity hideaways and more.

In addition to the company’s principal event design business, the company’s subsidiaries include: savvyTravel™ (a full-service travel agency); savvyLiving™ (Conciergerie); savvyAir-on-Demand (Private Jet Aviation); and savvyStays™ (High-end, luxe, villas, mansions and estates around the world).

“I am beyond thrilled that the film commission deemed us acceptable and worthy of placement on their list! This is right up our alley as a brand” said General Manager and Senior Event Designer, Marcinho Savant.  ’I am greatly looking forward to the pending meeting with the Director of the commission up in Shreveport, awaiting scheduling opportunities.

 ”Caring for celebrities in high-importance, high-pressure situations is first-nature to me. It is what I’ve been training for, and living, all my life and the skills I’ve shared with all, key, members of our management team.”

The list placement happened today, so the company has yet to book any contracts with the studios or industry members.

The company’s Global Technical Director, Frank Eckert, was truly elated at the news of this development.  ”This is so outstanding!  I’m honored to be a part of this dynamic and groundbreaking company and all our efforts to bring the very best care, across our brand spectrum, to clients all over the world”, he said.

Shreveport has earned the nickname “Hollywood South” and has been the home of many film projects including:

• The Guardian (2006): Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner
• Not Like Everyone Else (2006) (TV Movie)
• Factory Girl (2006): Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce
• Initiation of Sarah (2006): Morgan Fairchild and Jennifer Tilly
• The Great Debaters (2007): Denzel Washington
• Mr. Brooks (2007): Kevin Costner, William Hurt, and Demi Moore
• Premonition (2007): Sandra Bullock and Julian McMahon
• Blonde Ambition (2007): Jessica Simpson and Luke Wilson
• Cleaner (2007): Samuel L. Jackson
• The Mist (2007): Thomas Jane, Toby Jones, and Marcia Gay Harden
• The Last Lullaby (2008): Tom Sizemore
• Wonderful World (2007): Matthew Broderick
• Soul Men (2008) Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac
• Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008): Michael Clarke Duncan and Martin Lawrence
• The Longshots (2008): Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, and Fred Durst
• Disaster Movie (2008): Vanessa Minillo, Matt Lanter, and Kim Kardashian
• Year One (2008): Jack Black and Michael Cera
• W. (2008): Josh Brolin, Richard Dreyfuss, and James Cromwell
• Front of the Class (2008): Treat Williams, Patricia Heaton
• Mad Money (2008): Diane Keaton, Ted Danson, Katie Holmes and Queen Latifah
• Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008): John Cho and Kal Penn
• Deadly Exchange (2009): John McTiernan
• The Killing Room (2009): Chloë Sevigny, Nick Cannon, and Timothy Hutton
• I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009): Matt Czuchry, Jesse Bradford and Geoff Stults
• Haynesville (2010) (Documentary)
• 6 Month Rule (2010)
• Vampires Suck (2010): Matt Lanter, Diedrich Bader, Jenn Proske
• Straw Dogs (2011) James Marsden, Kate Bosworth
• Drive Angry (2011) Nicolas Cage
• Battle: Los Angeles (2011) Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan

At this year’s Academy Awards,  Shreveport-based Moonbot Studios’ animated short film, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”, won the OSCAR for “Best Animated Short”.

“There are such a good number of talented people and companies in the database that have been serving the film community since Shreveport/Bossier became a location of choice for shooting films.  They have blazed the trail here, thank heavens.  I look forward to being of any assistance I can to them all.

“I’m just very honored and pleased to be blessed with the opportunity to enhance the offerings to the movie professionals, and to be able to care for a host of their needs, at a very high level,  with only one phone call to us!” Savant added.

savvyplanners.com is not an employee of the film commission, rather, a sub-contractor for hire to fulfill the critical needs of the film industry, before, during and after their shoot here in Northwest Louisiana.

Placement of the company on the film commissions resource site is already made and services will be provided as soon as practicable.

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Contact: Nico Pellegrini, Dir. PR & Marketing

877.529-0587 or 646-688-4461

Evidently, the editors at Maharani Weddings saw the deep significance and beauty of such a simple, wish-granting event for our clients. Clearly, it’s not all about money. Sometimes, it is only the client’s fantasy that matters most.

If you have been to busy to get it all together in time, just give our office a call! We may be able to help you save the day and look like a rock star. There’s no shame in needing a hand. They only shame may have been not calling us sooner! Pick up the phone: 877.529.0587. You might want to call us now!

Some people will celebrate this weekend.  Purists will mark the occasion on Tuesday.

Here are some tools to help take you out of your romantic rut!  Enjoy!

It gives me great pleasure to learn that a client had a, mostly, positive encounter with one of the chain’s New Jersey stores. I got an email from them yesterday showing me the gowns the brides selected. When I saw the source of the garments, I took a deep breath, and, rather than giving in to my prejudices, or concerns, I asked the client what their experience was really like. Here’s how it went down:

Even though it is unpleasant to contemplate, funerals and memorials are actually an “event”. One that is filled with sadness, anger, confusion, stress, pressure, tension and many other outpourings of grief. Why is it considered an “event” in my eyes? Because funerals and memorial services frequently have people invited to attend. Often, even, people show up unexpectedly to show their respects after learning about or reading a death notice in the news or obituaries. There are many details which require direction and management.

I’ll apologize, in advance, for the rant:

The Fairy-Wedding-Father™

An OP/ED by Marcinho Savant,

The Fairy-Wedding-Father™

Now all of our vendors know how highly I respect them and how much I treasure our relationship, because without them, I am not able to assure my clients’ joy and amazement on their day!

But at this moment, I’m outraged at the, seemingly increasing, lack of concern and professionalism I’ve encountered of late!  Today’s affront comes out of an attempt to book a, last-minute, event rental order of  $1,000 or less for a private soiree at a client’s home tomorrow.

Yesterday afternoon, I called ******** party rentals for linens, table runners, Roll-top Chafing trays, tables and chairs for a client’s event for +/-70 guests.  I requested delivery for this morning, if possible.

The person who answered the phone had all the finesse and business style of a Mannequin.  She was terse, bored, disinterested and more concerned that it was almost quitting time.  The sales person I was connected to was equally rushed, ill-exposed, incapable of claiming ownership of the requests and utterly paralyzed when it came to thinking outside the box to make something difficult, something achievable in the circumstances.

She made blind procedural demands “I can’t do this or that because…”, instead of devising a way to overcome the challenges. She acted as though ******* was doing me a FAVOR by filling the order.  When I told her I was unable to provide, at the moment, the client signature she demanded prior to releasing the order— I even offered her a reason for my inability to immediately comply.  ”The client is unavailable to sign or fax anything right now, because she is hosting foreign dignitaries at a Tea in NYC at the moment.”  She giggled as though the entire concept of high-end clients, their particular situations or realities was as silly as “The Loch Ness Monster” or “Beetlejuice”!!  Is tea with high-level politicos FUNNY???  Inconceivable?  Really?  really.

Even forgiving her lack of exposure to anything other that the “norm” of her day-to-day, she clearly didn’t believe my explanation, nor did she have the slightest inkling how to conquer and overcome an unusual situation.  She showed zero initiative and zero concern.

All that said, vendors have the nerve to complain that they are not making any money?  Really??  Well HERRRRRRRE’S yer SIIIIIIGN!”  Here are just a few ideas one might consider implementing when working in customer service:

1. FORGET that ‘no’ is a word you’re EVER allowed to use… before even TRYING to be of help.  You couldn’t even reach out to a supervisor to ASK if rule 98457 could be bent a tiny bit to help me help my (and by extension, YOUR) client?
2. Recognize that when you’re contacted by a go-between like myself, we’re representing the needs of a client, but get a HUGE vote, because they trust us, in to whom their money goes.
3. Bear in mind that your behavior toward me as a go-between, reflects on your entire operation.  If you’re ineffectual and disinterested with ME (???), how on Earth will you treat my client?  Not going to risk subjecting my client to that sort of surly disinterest on the day-of.
4. Remember that yours is not the only “game in town” and that you still have to WORK to earn a job.  There is no free-lunch on earth, but rest assured, the vendors that are EATING, are the ones providing exceptional, innovative and accommodating customer service and finding ways of “feeding’ themselves by making it work! Whatever it (the challenge) is.

So, as a result of the treatment and lack of care I received, I chose to go with another supplier.  They were BUSY, but pleasant, concerned, willing, helpful, accommodating, out-of-the-box solution-finding TEAMMATES, who were CLEARLY all about making it work!  Period.  They aren’t “hungry”.

Something to ponder:  The only person who is ANGRY as a guest at a buffet, before whom ALL the world’s fineries are laid (such as an order that is waiting to be fulfilled), is the idiot who REFUSES to pick up the fork and EAT!

Some vendors need to remember to pick up the FORK!  Find a way to make the “impossible” … POSSIBLE.  We can’t do it without each other, can we?  We each thrive because of one another.  Some of you are expecting to “thrive” without doing your share.  So please, either, come to practice, run your laps, come to the game, do your best… or get off the FIELD!  There’s work to be found out there in this business!  Perhaps it’s that you aren’t working as though you’re hungry?

I guess we’re still here because our customers KNOW that we’re not just going to spend THEIR money just ANYWHERE with just ANYONE!!

The rant has ended.  The Peace of the Tribe be with you!

Go with ColiDaviSamiPresto CowiTuterGoldberailey! Ahh-men.

Asked how he felt about his upcoming appearance, Kroell eMailed: “Step aside Martha Stewart, SavvyLiving is what it is all about! I’m so pumped to spend my afternoon with Marcinho and his loyal listeners. No topic is off limits, so let’s get Savvylicious.” The star will discuss many facets of his life with the host.

Will this wedding have ANYTHING by way of impact on the business of weddings going forward? What? And for how long?

Destination Wedding Expert, CORRINE STATIA, has confirmed today’s chat on the debut of “SavvyLiving!™ w/ Marcinho Savant” http://ht.ly/4C2hB