Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Inside Village Vines' Rooftop Terrace Bash at the Thompson


The amazing view of the city from the rooftop of the Thompson Hotel.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

My gallery from the Village Vines rooftop celebration:

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

NBC NiteSide NiteByte Posts

New York:

Miami:

DC:

Meet New York's Top "It" Girls

My latest gallery went live today. I put a lot of work into this one with the research for the captions. I think it turned out pretty well!

They're chic, elite, and socially superior. Meet the women who run in the city's top social circles while watching their lives play out in the pages of the society section and under the scrutiny of the flashbulbs. Meet New York's Top "It" Girls

Friday, June 25, 2010

Inside the Official NBA Draft After Party at the 40/40 Club


Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

Here's the photo gallery I created from the NBA Draft After Party at 40/40.

NBA No. 2 Draft Pick Evan Turner Parties at Jay-Z's Club


Evan Turner on the red carpet at Club 40/40.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Recent Ohio State grad Evan Turner said last night that the thrill of being the No. 2 pick in the first round of the NBA draft -- and being grabbled by the Sixers -- had yet to sink in.

"I'm just so tired right now because I've been going all day," the 21-year-old hoops phenom told NiteSide at the Official NBA Draft After Party at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in Manhattan last night.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I can relive this whole thing with my friends and family."

Friends, fans, and fellow NBA ballers -- including Chris Bosh -- attended the bash sponsored by Skullcandy/RocNation Aviators &Ace of Spades. Turner, who will play for the 76ers, said his rise to fame has been a whirlwind.

"This has been fun times," Turner said. "I'm making great memories and am trying to enjoy it all."

Turner is not only looking forward to tomorrow, but also for what his future now has in store for him.

"Coach told me I need to be ready to play hard," he said. "That's what I'm gonna do."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.


Update: This story got picked up by NBC Philadelphia and ran on their homepage!!! It ran under the headline "Sixers New Star Parties at Jay-Z's Club"

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Inside the Sunset Cruise Benefit Aboard the Yacht Atlantis


New York City skyline at night, taken from the Yacht Atlantis
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

Last night, I was lucky enough to attend a benefit for the Friends of Animal Rescue. It was aboard the Yacht Atlantis, which was docked on the East River and then took off for a cruise, bringing all of us to see the sparkling lights of the city and the Statue of Liberty all light up at night. It was stunning and an outstanding experience.

I created a photo gallery, which was leading the NBC New York website today.

Meet the Party Captain: Luxury Cruise Helmsman Fred Ardolino

me and Captain Fred Ardolino at the yacht's helm.

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Capt. Fred Ardolino has been at the helm of his luxury yacht The Atlantis for countless number of formal events -- but the swank sunset cruise held on board the sleek vessel last night was among his favorites. 

Last night, the Friends of Animal Rescue hosted a cruise around Manhattan where patrons sipped cocktails and bid on a silent auction to benefit animals as Capt. Ardolino navigated the East River alongside the glittering skyline. 

"I'm an animal lover, too," Ardolino said during the cruise. "I have enough of my own: three turtles, two dogs, fish all over the place and a bird."

The 150-foot custom cruiser was designed by Ardolino and boasts three massive decks, a dining salon that can fit 300 guests and amenities that include a Jacuzzi, VIP suite, and custom fish aquarium. He has hosted weddings, benefits and even events for the USA Olympic basketball team aboard his ship. But this benefit was different. 

"The people that are here are animal lovers and they wanted to do what they can to find a quality home for them and many times it's out of their own pockets," he said. 

He added, "An animal is a true friend. He doesn't care about what you look like or where you are. He's just going to be loyal to you."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

1000 Awesome Things Blog Author Neil Pasricha Mulls TV Gig


Neil Pasrichas at the 14th Annual Webby Awards
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Blogger Neil Pasricha, the mind behind the positive-thinking site 1,000 Awesome Things, said his blog has already inspired book and now he's in the process of creating a TV show.

"I think it's just awesome that something like the Internet, that costs no money, can reach millions," Pasricha said on the red carpet before the Webby Awards Monday night to close out Internet Week.

The blog author began the site in June 2008 during a turbulent time in his life that included his wife filing for divorce and his best friend committing suicide.

Now, Pasricha posts one positive post per day and bases each entry on personal experiences and those of friends and strangers alike. He had no idea the popularity of the site would skyrocket.

"I now get letters from people saying that my site helped them when they were thinking of committing suicide," Pasricha said.

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Lisa Kudrow Gives Advice to Recent College Graduates


The amazing Lisa Kudrow at the Webby Awards.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer
By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Actress Lisa Kudrow recently spoke at the commencement ceremonies at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. While most graduation speakers talk about what lies ahead in the students lives, Kudrow focused on what lies within each of them. She attended the Webby Awards last night and talked about what she felt was the best thing for young people to remember.

“I told them that everyone has their own path,” Kudrow said. “I wanted them to remember that their 20’s is a time for them to encounter crossroads, but it will all work out.”

She said that her speech focused on letting the students know that they aren’t alone in what they face after graduation and even though it may not all be easy, “moments of doubt are just moments.”

Kudrow graduated from the college, with a degree in biology, in 1985. She won this years’ Webby Award for Best Comedy: Long Form or Series, for her web series, “Web Therapy,” which is currently in its third season.

Inside the Exclusive Webby Awards Gala After Party With Ne-Yo


Ne-Yo performing at the Webby Awards after party.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

Here is my gallery for NBC from the Webby Awards after party:

"The Office" Star B.J. Novak: Working With Steve Carell Is the "Greatest Privilege"


B.J. Novak, aka Ryan from The Office, was the host of this years Webby Awards.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
"The Office" star B.J. Novak, who hosted the 14th annual Webby Awards in Lower Manhattan last night, said working with sitcom co-star Steve Carell is the highest honor in the business.

"Working with him is the greatest privilege in comedy," Novak said on the red carpet at the Webby Awards.

The actor, writer, and comedian confessed he was nervous to fulfill his hosting duties for the award show that closes out Internet Week because celebrity critic Roger Ebert was in the audience.

"I'm so scared to host tonight because Roger Ebert is going to be in the audience," Novak said. "The entire time, I will be watching his thumbs for any movement in the right direction."

He added, "I will be composing his review in my head so my mind will be going."

Hosting duties at this year's award show isn't the only recent connection the actor has had with the Internet. On this year's season finale of NBC's "The Office," Novak's character, Ryan, decided to create a social networking site called "Woof" that links up all other social networking sites for a monthly fee of $12.95.

"It's the worst idea I've ever heard," Novak said, laughing. "But he's a smart guy and it will be good for him."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

PS-22 Chorus Named Webby Artist of the Year

PS-22 students got a standing ovation.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer


By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
The school chorus from PS-22 in Staten Island -- a group that boasts millions of YouTube page views -- was honored as Artist of the Year last night at the annual Webby Awards.

The fifth graders, whose renditions of pop hits like Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" have made them viral video wunderkinds, performed Ne-Yo's hit single, "Closer," on stage after being presented with their award by the R&B artist himself at the ceremony held at Cipriani Wall Street.

"We lost hours of time at work watching these kids online," confessed award show host and "The Office" star B.J. Novak.

The cast of the reality web series "The Specials" also won big last night, taking home the honor of Best Reality Web Series. The group traveled to New York from the U.K. just to accept their Webby.

Critic Roger Ebert won Person of the Year -- and kept his speech brief. "Veni. Vedi. Vici," he said, meaning I came. I saw. I conquered.

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

The 14th Annual Webby Awards


Lisa Kudrow (FRIENDS), Dylan Ratigan (MSNBC), and Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post) on the red carpet at the Webby Awards 2010.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

I attended the 14th Annual Webby Awards last night for NBC. I was at Cipriani Wall Street in lower Manhattan for the red carpet and the award show. I also went to the Webby Gala After Party, held in the Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime Hotel.

This was a phenomenal event and I met some amazing people, including Lisa Kudrow, B.J. Novak, Buzz Aldren, Amy Poehler, Roger Ebert, Ben Folds, Gilbert Gottfried (with the Aflac duck in his arms), Neil Pasricha, and the band OK Go!

My stories about this event will follow...

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Inside the Glam Webutante Ball


Attendees enjoying the evening at the Webutante Ball.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer


This is the photo gallery I created for NBC's NiteSide with the pictures from the Webutante Ball last night. It was the lead story on the site and also was put on the NBC New York home page.

Friday, June 4, 2010

NBC NiteSide NiteByte Posts

I just started an internship with NBC in the NiteSide department and I absolutely LOVE it! Here are the links to the four NiteByte stories I've posted in my first week at my internship at NBC NiteSide.

These two are posted in New York City:

This one is posted in Miami:

This one is posted in Washington DC: