Skip to main content

San Francisco’s Hatchery Welcomes WeblishPal.com

Inno Spring

San Francisco’s Hatchery Welcomes WeblishPal.com

Start-up is division of InnoSpring of Santa Clara, California

WeblishPal.com is comprehensive platform for Chinese students in North America

media contact: Eugene Zhang / (408) 550-2818 / eugene@innospring.net

27 February 2013 — San Francisco, CA: San Francisco’s Hatchery (625 Second Street) has welcomed the first San Francisco-based start-up for InnoSpring of Santa Clara, California: WeblishPal.com.

Launched in April 2012, InnoSpring is the first Sino-U.S. incubator having successfully recruited over 40 start-ups in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. Through the efforts of ChinaSF (www.chinasf.org) InnoSpring was introduced to the Hatchery, one of the most desired co-working spaces in San Francisco’s red-hot SoMA district. The result: a joint venture for Chinese companies with the Hatchery in the tech center of San Francisco.

WeblishPal.com is an incubatee of InnoSpring’s sister incubator, InnoSpace, at KIC in Shanghai. InnoSpace is fully owned by one of InnoSpring’s shareholders and close partners – China’s Shui On Group. WeblishPal.com aims to build a comprehensive platform for Chinese students so as to better connect with North American educational institutions. The hope: to better prepare Chinese students for American classroom culture before they arrive on campus. Students can practice English with teachers in North America, virtually, in highly-targeted sessions tailored to their needs. For North American universities, it offers a solution to the difficulties in recruiting international candidates.

“The InnoSpring-Hatchey connection has been a wonderful resource for WeblishPal to get in touch with investors and founders solving the complex problems in the global education space,” said Barbara Tassa, co-founder of WeblishPal.com. “We hope to further contribute to the community here and in China as we continue to simplify the accessing of educational resources and also make it more affordable for international students.”

The recent WeblishPal.comn partnership is part of a trend according to Eugene Zhang, CEO of InnoSpring. “We’re hearing from more and more start-ups who are interested in approaching InnoSpring to seek locations at the Hatchery,” said Zhang.

InnoSpring is focused on encouraging startups to expand beyond their home countries to lead huge market opportunities in the U.S. and China. InnoSpring is a joint project between Tsinghua University Science Park (TusPark), Shui On Group (Shui On), Northern Light Venture Capital and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). . Eugene Zhang, president of InnoSpring, has a keen eye for promising start-ups and to help them realize their dreams.

FLAX art & design Celebrates 75 Years of Supplying Creative People with Quality Art Materials

FLAX art & design

FLAX art & design Celebrates 75 Years of Supplying Creative People with Quality Art Materials

www.flaxart.com

22 February 2013 – San Francisco, CA: FLAX art & design (www.flaxart.com), family-owned and operated since 1938, celebrates 75 years as San Francisco’s oldest locally-run supplier of quality materials for creative people. In 1938, Herman Flax opened Flax’s Artists’ Materials in downtown San Francisco, with $100 to invest in inventory and a used cash register, at first living in back of the shop with his family. From this humble beginning, FLAX gathered a loyal following of customers, and expanded to its current location, occupying 20,000 square feet at 1699 Market Street (at Valencia). Now operated by Howard Flax, who represents the family’s third generation along with his sister Leslie Flax Abel, FLAX art & design celebrates this business landmark with special events and promotions throughout 2013, and a grand birthday bash in August.

“FLAX has a long history of being connected to its customers, supporting artists and the Bay Area arts community,” says Howard Flax. “A lot has changed since the early days. Yet for an art store there is one constant, and that is the role we play in fueling a passion for the arts and inspiring creativity. I want to continue the family tradition of a store that is an essential part of our local art community.”

Click below for a video link to an interview with Howard Flax:

Like many American families, Herman and Sylvia Flax lost virtually everything in the Great Depression. Inspired by the success of Herman’s brother Sam in New York, who got his start selling art supplies out of the trunk of his car to vacationers in the Catskill Mountains, Herman took his family west from New Jersey and in 1938 opened a small art supply store on Kearny Street in downtown San Francisco. Flax’s Artists’ Materials was born and soon rose to success, buoyed by the artists’ movement that grew during World War II. Herman’s other two brothers also established independent, successful art supply outlets in Los Angeles and Chicago, and the Flax art supply presence spread to Phoenix, Orlando and Atlanta. In 1955, Herman passed away at an early age, and upon returning from military service, Herman and Sylvia’s youngest son Philip took over the San Francisco business alongside his brother Jerry.

The Flax brothers grew close to their local customers, becoming well known for their generous support of struggling artists and the Bay Area arts scene. Their retail store soon drew nationwide attention for its incredible breadth of products, its helpful and knowledgeable staff, and its ability to inspire creativity through inventive presentation of merchandise.

The FLAX store also played a role in one of the greatest films of all time, its back door providing the lead-in for Kim Novak’s scene in the Podesta Baldocchi flower shop in Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller Vertigo (1958).

In 1981, having outgrown the downtown location, Flax moved to 1699 Market Street, right next to the historic trolley line. The warehouse behind this new retail store also afforded enough space to venture into the mail-order catalog business. In 1989, Flax’s Artists’ Materials became FLAX art & design, a different name to reflect its broader, more diverse products, and moved its distribution and customer service centers south to Brisbane. A bustling e-commerce website soon followed, earning FLAX a listing in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide of 2005. In 2007, FLAX discontinued its mail order and e-tail branches and once again focuses on direct in-store sales to its third generation of customers.

In its 75 years, FLAX has become an icon of creative inspiration and a San Francisco institution. Staffed by artists, designers, and musicians, the store is visited regularly by residents and tourists alike. From established professionals and serious students to weekend dabblers and hobbyists, FLAX art & design has tools, supplies and gifts for every artistic passion and all age levels. Described by one pleased customer as “a candy store for the creative,” FLAX art & design offers a treasure-trove of arts and crafts materials and products.

10 Percent – Listing March 2013

Ten Percent

TV Listing. March 2013

Ten Percent — LGBT-TV for Northern California

Mondays – Fridays, 11:30am & 10:30pm and Saturdays & Sundays at 10:30pm on Comcast Hometown Network Channel 104 in Northern California.

www.comcasthometown.com

Episode # 179
Monday — Friday, February 25 – March 8, 11:30am & 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday, March 2 – 3, 10:30pm

David Perry chats with Tawnee Kendall, lead singer from a local band The Hangover Brigade. Perry speaks with Velina Brown, noted Bay Area actress, about her work in the new lesbian romantic play A Lady and a Woman.

Episode # 180
Monday — Friday, March 4 – 8, 11:30am & 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday, March 9 – 10, 10:30pm

David Perry talks with Christopher White, co-founder and Artistic Director of Mugwumpin. Perry also chats with Barry Barsamian, curator of the San Francisco History Museum.

Episode # 181
Monday — Friday, March 11 – 15 11:30am & 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday, March 16 – 17, 10:30pm

David Perry chats with singer Jason Brock, a previous contestant on the highly rated TV show The X-Factor. Perry interviews Sherri Franklin, Founder and Executive Director of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.

Episode # 182
Monday — Friday, March 18 – 22, 11:30 am & 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday, March 23 – 24, 10:30pm

David Perry speaks with Frank Stenglein and Nick Sabatasso from Bridgemen, a community building project for gay and bisexual men. Perry talks to internationally acclaimed photographer Duane Cramer and Project Runway winner Mondo Guerra, celebrity spokespersons for the I Design AIDS awareness campaign.

Episode # 183
Monday — Friday, March 25 – 29, 11:30am & 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday, March 30 – 31 10:30pm

David Perry interviews Arsen Ari Kalfayan, CEO and co-founder of Travel Labs, a program to encourage service through international travel. Perry chats with Gena Jacob from Fountaingrove an LGBT senior housing facility in Sonoma County, California.

Ten Percent is also available 24/7 through the “On Demand” Feature through your Comcast Cable Network. Choose “Get Local” and “Comcast Hometown” to access Ten Percent. Past shows may also be viewed online at www.comcasthometown.com.

Become a fan on Facebook: 10 Percent on Facebook

About 10 Percent

Comcast Hometown Network (CHN), Comcast’s regional cable network covering Northern and Central California, continues its commitment to quality original programming with Ten Percent, a weekly interview series that focuses on lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender (LGBT) issues. The half-hour show, created and hosted by long-time San Francisco media professional David Perry, airs on Channel 104, Mondays – Thursdays at 11:30am & 8pm and is available to all Comcast digital cable customers throughout Northern and Central California. Each episode will then be available online at www.comcasthometown.com as well as on Comcast’s popular ON DEMAND platform, which is free to Comcast digital customers. To view Ten Percent ON DEMAND, Comcast Digital Cable customers can tune to Channel 1 on their Digital Cable lineup or press the ON DEMAND button on their remote control, then click on the “Get Local” section, then click on “Comcast Hometown.”

“I jokingly call the show ‘Charlie Rose for the LGBT world,” said David Perry, Producer/Host of Ten Percent. “We may be only ten percent of the general population, in round numbers, but our issues are one hundred percent front-and-center in today’s world. Whether it’s the fight for marriage equality or debates about gay clergy or the right to serve openly in uniform, our issues are reflective of the world at large.”

“David has a well-known and unique voice that bridges many communities,” said Jason Holmes, Executive Producer at Comcast Hometown Network. “David’s talents and the launch of Ten Percent further enhance Comcast’s commitment to our communities and Comcast Hometown Network’s compelling, community-based regional programming,”

David Perry & Associates proud to represent FLAX art & design

FLAX art & design

David Perry & Associates proud to represent FLAX art & design

www.flaxart.com

David Perry & Associates, Inc. is proud to represent FLAX art & design (www.flaxart.com). Family-owned and operated since 1938, in 2013 FLAX celebrates 75 years as San Francisco’s oldest locally-run supplier of quality materials for creative people. In 1938, Herman Flax opened Flax’s Artists’ Materials in downtown San Francisco, with $100 to invest in inventory and a used cash register, at first living in back of the shop with his family. From this humble beginning, FLAX gathered a loyal following of customers, and expanded to its current location, occupying 20,000 square feet at 1699 Market Street (at Valencia). Now operated by Howard Flax, who represents the family’s third generation along with his sister Leslie Flax Abel, FLAX art & design celebrates this business landmark with special events and promotions throughout 2013, and a grand birthday bash in August.

Interview with Howard Flax

San Francisco premiere of SHANGHAI CALLING

ChinaSF

Media Advisory / Onsite Coverage Request”:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 4

CHINASF TO HOST SHANGHAI CALLING MOVIE PREMIERE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Media Contacts:

Lalaine Bala, Allied-THA / LBala@AlliedTHA.com / (415) 834-1111
David Perry (ChinaSF) / news@davidperry.com / (415) 676-7007
www.chinasf.org

WHO:

SHANGHAI CALLING’s Star Daniel Henney, Director Daniel Hsia and Producer Janet Yang, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee

WHAT:

ChinaSF will host the San Francisco premiere of SHANGHAI CALLING. Press will have the opportunity to talk to Director/Writer Daniel Hsia and Producer Janet Yang, along with Mayor Lee about the film and its premiere in San Francisco.

WHERE:
Wednesday, February 6th at 5:30PM

BACKGROUND:

SHANGHAI CALLING will be opening in San Francisco at the Presidio Theater on February 8th. Starting February 12th, SHANGHAI CALLING will also be available on demand on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox, PSN, DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, AT&T U-Verse, Verizon FiOS, Cablevision, Cox, Charter, and more.

SHANGHAI CALLING is written and directed by Daniel Hsia and stars Daniel Henney (The Last Stand), Eliza Coupe (ABC’s Happy Endings), Geng Le, Zhu Zhu (The Man with the Iron Fists, Cloud Atlas), Alan Ruck and Bill Paxton. SHANGHAI CALLING is a romantic comedy about modern-day American immigrants in an unfamiliar land – China. An ambitious New York attorney, Sam, is transferred to Shanghai on assignment, partially because he’s Chinese-American. For more information, visit www.shanghaicalling.com.

Established in 2008, ChinaSF is an economic initiative of San Francisco in close partnership with the San Francisco Center for Economic Development. ChinaSF’s mission is job creation in San Francisco, accomplished through the recruitment and retention of companies in San Francisco and also inbound investment, at the same time helping San Francisco companies expand into the China market. Currently with offices in Beijing, Shanghai and San Francisco, ChinaSF is able to provide services to companies and investors with the generous support of Private and Corporate Sponsors. For more information: chinasf@sfced.org