Can YouTube hear me? Can Google hear me?

This isn't as technical as the title sounds. This is about a young man who is only 20 years of age, named Brandon Fletcher.

He inspired me, so I hope he will inspire you all as well.

Brandon is a producer. He utilizes the YouTube or free online video sharing medium to distribute his creation.

On April 1, 2007, Brandon woke up and made his first post, titled "The Mission" on his new blog, Can YouTube Hear Me? The first line of the post reads; "Today is the day that I get up and become the catalyst for my own dreams." How often do you hear someone say that, let alone a 20-year old?

Brandon documents his journey with this blog located at www.CanYouTubeHearMe.com. He makes a bold attempt at trying to get his idea heard by editors at YouTube and even makes the trip out from his hometown of New York all the way to Northern California. This was after all the email attempts he's made, only to find himself hitting dead ends.

To find out what Brandon has created/produced, visit www.CanYouTubeHearMe.com. Brandon's inspiration comes from Aaron Stanton, the creator of www.CanGoogleHearMe.com. Aaron documented his journey to get a big company, like Google to hear about a great idea, from a little-guy like himself. Aaron had no actual company, no employees, only an idea in his head. He made the trip from Idaho to Mountain View, California and sat in the Google lobby until someone heard him out. He also met a lot of interesting people in his journey and is currently working to get his project rolled out WITH Google.

Most of us, are little guys and we feel that our voices are never loud enough to be heard. Well, sometimes you get noticed when you travel the road less traveled. Sometimes you get heard when you move out of your comfort zone. Sometimes you get heard when you do something you've never done before. We're never too young, or too old to take charge of our own lives. This is why I have created this blog. Reign is defined as the exertion of control over something. Rain is defined to be precipitation, normally in the form of water, but applies to other things as well. So, with that in mind, I define RAIGN as having the power or control over your own precipitation, whether it be money, happiness, or anything else you may desire. Thanks for reading.

Golden State of Mind: Warrior Girl TRYOUTS

I don't care whether you're a Warriors fan or not, but the Warrior Girls are one of the hottest NBA cheerleading squadrons to grace the hardwood present day. It is as much hype as our new up and coming star, Bellineli.

Are you a female dancer? Do you enjoy choreographed dance routines with dance teams? Do you bring your own unique style when you dance on your own? So you think you can work them hips? I actually meant if you think you can work the crowd...haha, then sign up today! Tryouts begin tomorrow! Registration is open and located here.

Location for all dates:
ClubSport of San Ramon
350 Bollinger Canyon Lane
San Ramon, California 94582
(925) 735-8500


DATES:

Initial Tryout - July 21, 2007
*Registration begins @ 8:00 AM

Semi-Finals - July 22,2007
*Interviews and photo shoot will begin at 8:30 AM. All remaining finalists will perform the routine that was learned on July 21, 2007 when the interviews are completed at 1:30 PM.

Mandatory rehearsal dates for finalists:
DAY 1: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 from 8:00-10:30 PM

DAY 2: Thursday, July 26, 2007 from 8:00-10:30 PM

FINAL SELECTION WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON
WARRIORS.COM ON A DATE TO BE DETERMINED

Auditions:
Please fill out the online application by clicking here. You will need to bring a head shot to the initial tryout on July 21, 2007. If you do not have a professional headshot, a personal photo will be sufficient. In addition, please bring a dance résumé to the initial tryout as well. A dance résumé should consist of previous and or present dance experience. Any workshops, classes, teams, conventions or skills pertaining to cheerleading or dance should be included on your dance résumé. Please list any professional team that you have been a member of or affiliated with, including the director’s name.

The Warrior Girls auditions are closed to the public. Also, score sheets will not be made available to those auditioning.

AUDITION REGISTRATION

Attire:
At auditions you are required to wear a half top and form fitting shorts. Please wear shoes that you will feel comfortable dancing in, such as dance sneakers, jazz shoes or athletic-type shoes. All shoes should have non-marking soles. Knee pads are strongly recommended, and full hair and make-up are encouraged. Additionally, tattoos and piercings are acceptable.

Additional Photos:

BAPE - Behind A Popular Enterprise

What is it?

BAPE is the acronym for the largely popular urban apparel label, A Bathing Ape. World renown stars from Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, all the way to David Beckham have garnered BAPE on their frames. The ape and camouflage are it's most notable design.

What does it mean?

It is short for a Japanese saying "a bathing ape in lukewarm water." It is a reference to a generation that is young, spoiled, and complacent. (Lorraine Hahn, Talkasia)

Who's behind it?

Nigo, as the world knows him, keeps almost all personal aspects of his life well-guarded. His real name is Tomoaki Nagao. He founded A Bathing Ape in 1993, which began as a small store in trendy Harajuku, Japan.

Prior to opening up shop, Nigo was a student, magazine stylist, and a DJ. Creating and designing BAPE was totally a side job and hobby. When the time came, back in '93, he found a store owner who allowed him to borrow 4 million yen to start the business. Surprisingly, that same store owner leased the store to him as well. Little did Nigo know, would soon be repaid in a year's time.

When he first started producing shirts, he would make 50, give 30 away to friends and put 20 up for sale. It made zero business-savvy whatsoever. Therefore, the exclusivity of the brand was totally unintentional. The reason he didn't produce a large supply of each design was that he did not want everyone wearing the same clothes. Economics went into play to turn Nigo and his brand into a phenomenon. It wasn't long before magazines began calling him the boom of backstreet Harajuku fashion, and iconic (Lorraine Hahn, Talkasia).

What has his fame and fortune afforded him?

Nigo admits that he is quite materialistic, as the things he collects are an inspiration for new designs. He says that if all his collections were taken away from him, it'd be his end. He is known in Japanese as an "otaku" -- a collector. He collects guitars, cars, watches, action figures, art, and a host of other things which are worth millions.

In his home, he's got cars in their own rooms sitting on the hardwood floors. His car collection includes multiple Rolls Royce Phantoms, a Bugatti Veyron ($1.8 million car - fastest and most expensive street car built to date), Porsches, Ferraris, you name it. He collects things related to Star Wars and has a huge admiration for George Lucas' hands-on and 100% control approach to his franchise.

What is the current state of BAPE?

Nigo still owns 100% of the company and has full artistic control over each design. BAPE currently has 33 stores across Japan and numerous other stores across Asia, Europe, and the US, in cities like London and New York. He also operates a BAPE music label, cafes, and hair salons.

Pharrell Williams has collaborated with Nigo to produce his own ever so-popular and ultra-exclusive/ultra-expensive lines of Apparel Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream.

He has collaborated with the likes of Kanye West and other American hip-hop artists to produce music for his BAPE music label.

So, what's next?

Nigo wants to open up a "lifestyle" hotel. A hotel, that embodies "cool," separating itself from all the rest. Nigo likes to do things his own way, and cares little for the criticism from others. To each his own, Nigo!

Additional Photos:

Prettiest Gangster Couture

What is it?

Couture's current definition is the top end of the womens-wear market. A more familiar brand utilizing the word couture in the label is "Juicy Couture." Most women with a sense of fashion know what that is.

Prettiest Gangster Couture is "Crystal by the Cases'" or Crystal's second plunge into the world of fashion, but this time strictly just womens-wear. The image to your left is actually Crystal getting comfortable with her favorite champagne.

Why is she being featured?

Crystal is a VIP in the Las Vegas scene. She does it big. She doesn't just reside where the action is. She lives in the action in a suite in the Palms Casino and resort. She is a permanent resident there.

At the age of 19, Crystal and a partner wanted to start a documentary about the lifestyles of the young, rich, and famous. We now have Paris Hilton and she probably would've found her way in the documentary if it were ever produced. The title for the gig before any production was to begin was "Beverly Hills Pimps and Hos".

They began to produce a marketing campaign before the documentary. Promotional hats and t-shirts were made to help spread the word. They began to tell others about them and before they knew it, everybody wanted the trucker-style hat that read "got ho's?" on it. The promo hat alone was being called "The Hottest Hollywood Must Have Item." That became the inception of the Beverly Hills Pimps and Hos brand. Their primary niche was the Hollywood celebrity. It was a cross between "rock" and "hip-hop". Their original street campaign had a poster with Crystal bearing the hat and one of their signature shirts with cash piled in front of her plastered all over Los Angeles. Crystal says that it was one of the most memorable moments of her life. She is no longer with BHPH as she is developing for her own brand now after being able to make incredible amounts of money, partying with celebrities, and living the life.

Crystal describes herself as a proven winner and she's running with it. That's why she came up with the idea of her own clothing label. The launch of the first couple of products is expected to be released late this summer or early fall. While there is no store setup, there are a couple of small photos displaying what the items look like on the website located at www.PrettiestGangster.com. Crystal's not an actual gangster, so one need not be afraid. Her line is described as the embodiment of originality, respect, love, power, money, success, fame, and glamor. It is also an attitude with a combination of style and taste, not for just any pretty face. We'll keep you posted on the actual release of the line and Crystal's status. Below are some photos of the person behind the reigns. She's a certified Raign-maker.

Photos:


Links:
Crystal's Myspace 1: Click Here
Crystal's Myspace 2: Click Here

Stars823 Records / Stars823 Music & Publishing - Natalise Kalea

This is my first real post about an up-and-coming entrepreneur some of you may have never heard of. Natalise is currently a recording artist, musician, record label owner, songwriter, publisher, and actor. What makes Natalise special? For starters, she is Asian-American and it is far more difficult for people of color to break into mainstream entertainment, but she is definitely paving way.

Natalise resides in Burlingame, California, located in the Bay Area between San Francisco and San Jose. She attended Stanford University and graduated in 2005 with a degree in Communication. She made a pact with her parents, that if she graduated in 3 years from Stanford, she could pursue her dream of having a musical career.

She began her music career a long time ago, but the first time anyone took notice to her music was back in 2002 when she had a single titled "Love Goes On" placed on a CD called "Import Jams" with various artists. She's come a long way since then and is currently promoting her second album, titled "I Came to Play." While she does not have mainstream popularity yet, despite being featured on MTV, MTV Chi, the WB, UPN, and ABC, she's definitely made her mark with DJ's across the nation who have sampled her music and thrown it into their mixes and jams.

She recently started her own music/recording label titled Stars823. The biggest reason for this huge step was because it was the only way she could do an album that she was backing 150%. She's currently on a daily grind making phone calls, writing emails, and making daily business decisions. Her work ethic is unrivaled when it comes to her career. She puts her music under the genre of "Indie" and while most people don't tackle every aspect of the music, business, and marketing, Natalise does.

Natalise is still very very young, but very promising. We'll keep you updated on her status and conduct a personal interview with her down the line, with questions YOU want answered.

Learn more about Natalise, her music, her career, and her music label (Links):
http://www.natalisemusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/natalise

Photos: