The Wave of Change

There was a time in this great land of ours that the cell phone was thought to be just a passing fad. The personal computer was a simple game tool that everyone (with the exception of a few visionaries) thought would fall by the wayside along with the Betamax. The television, telephone and countless other revolutionary devices have all taken root and have been woven into the fabric of our daily lives. At PC House, we have found the next innovation that will improve the quality of our lives; Aquaponics.

Aquaponics is the melding of aquaculture, which is the cultivation of fish, and hydroponics, the gardening without soil, to form a symbiotic ecological relationship. The fish deoxygenate and contaminate the water with waste. This water is toxic for the fish, but makes a wonderful fertilizer for plants. The contaminated water is fed into grow beds that have a form of grow medium; such as clay pellets, rocks or pea gravel. Plants are planted in the rocks, not soil. As the contaminated water passes through the medium it feeds the plants and it is filtered and re-oxygenated. This water is then pumped back into the fish tank to complete the closed loop system.

An aquaponics system can produce food at an incredible rate, much faster than growing in soil. An added bonus, you get to eat organic fruits and vegetables as well as the fish you are growing in your tank.

Visit EasyPonix.com for more information

Security And Peace of Mind Leads To Freedom

With the cost of food skyrocketing and almost daily reports of what types of poisons, pesticides, pink slime and the like we are feeding to our families, systems like this will begin to become more of the norm rather than a great idea that just a few folks are doing. We believe that, just like the TV, Aquaponics systems will be a mainstay in the average household and we think this based on two very important points; security and freedom.

It may sound like a stretch but the security of knowing exactly what you are feeding your family is paramount. You will save money. You will eat fantastic food and you will be able to do so at your beckoning call. Simply walk out to your garden and pick it.

We think that this will not only make sense for the home and family but for businesses and organizations as well. Restaurants could easily grow their own menu. Churches and missionaries could set up systems for entire communities around the world and in just about any climate. This even holds true right here at home.

It is no secret how PC House Productions feels about Interfaith Emergency Services. They are an organization that is on the forefront in our very own community, lending God’s hand to those in need. Interfaith has a wide variety of programs that clothe, house and even feed the less fortunate.

The biggest reason that PC House is so special is because of our Clients. We think that we have the best Clients around. We would like to help Interfaith install and maintain an aquaponics system to aide them in all of the great work that they selflessly do for our fellow Ocalians. If any of our Clients would like to help in this endeavor please give us a call here at the office. There will be a plaque with your name on it, literally, in the greenhouse to honor your gift. I know that we can all help to make a difference.

What’s Cookin’ with The Common Chef

What would a PC House newsletter be without bringing you up to date on what is going on with The Common Chef! We just released episode 10 and in this episode we build our very own aquaponics system. In honor of the 125 tilapia that we have growing in our wonderful garden, we cooked tilapia 3 ways. The menu was spectacular; we made a salad, a soup and a red wine spaghetti sauce with tilapia being the main ingredient in all 3 dishes. You can see the episode Sunday mornings at 10:30 on Fox 51 or online at anytime.

We are ecstatic about our next episode because we will have the chance to cook for some of the firefighter’s right here in Ocala (and we may get to ride in a fire truck too). We have consulted with the firefighters and the gauntlet has been thrown down and they want it SPICY!!! We think we can accommodate. We do have few sponsorship spots still available so if you would like to be a part of this episode honoring our firefighters, there is still time. Here is a list of our next few episodes that we are doing that still have room for a select few sponsorship and product placement sections:

Episode 11

Filming April 21 at an Ocala City Fire Department building. The Common Chefs will show up to the station to cook a fabulous meal for our local civil servants. A salute to them and the job they do for us. Episode runs on air in the month of May.

Episode 12

Filming May 5 at Taste of Ocala event. The Common Chefs will film the event and showcase it as a local foodie fund raiser. Mr. PC is a judge at the event. The chefs will also be cooking for attendees to Taste of Ocala.

Episode 13

Filming Mid June at the downtown square. Lowes sets up a full deck and outdoor cooking appliances and the chefs grill and cook outside for the guests of the Ocala Farm Market. Episode runs on air in the month of July

Episode 14

Filming July and airing the show in August. Scalloping – The Common Chefs will go out on the boat and feature scalloping in Florida. The chefs will not only cook gourmet food on the boat grill during the harvest but they will also cook a gourmet meal with freshly caught scallops.

Episode 15

Filming the show in August and airing in September. RV Episode – The Common Chefs travel to another city in an RV and not only enjoy the sights but throw down with a gourmet meal made in an RV camper.

Episode 16

Filming the show in September and airing in August. Camping – The Common Chefs take their gourmet prowess to an open camp fire to put on a fun family camping expedition.

Have a great spring everyone, get out and enjoy this weather. Talk to you next month…

First of all The Common Chef continues to grow bigger, stronger and better. With the addition of our new partner, Ocala Style, The Common Chef has now spread its visibility even further into our local community. Every month Ocala Style will do a feature about the goings on of The Common Chef and the next episode. We are very excited about this partnership because Ocala Style is the premier area lifestyle magazine. Welcome aboard Ocala Style!!!

Speaking of The Common Chef, the latest episode is online and on Fox 51 on Sunday mornings at 10:30. This episode is entitled “Supa-Fry”. It was filmed during a Common Chef Super Bowl party. We decided that the fry daddies were going to get a work out on this episode because as you have probably guessed, everything was fried (almost). The menu was out of this world. Some highlights of the scrumptious spread included seafood balls made from fresh grouper and shrimp, mashed potato balls stuffed with cheddar cheese and a fried Twinkie filled with moose track ice cream. This must literally be seen to be believed. We really want to thank Best Buy for the 70” flat screen they donated for the show and Porta Shots for supplying the delicious libations that we all enjoyed during the party.

While The Common Chef arm of PC House Productions continues to build momentum, PC House itself continues to hone our services and skills to serve our Clients like no other can. Whether you are in need of a top quality website, a brochure or a marketing campaign to set your business apart, PC House Productions not only has the expertise but the creativity to put forth a consistent and unique message. As always consultations are free so there is nothing to lose. We know that you most likely know several people who do web design. Perhaps your brother’s son, or an uncle’s friend. But do you know another company that continues to innovate, another company that has a full staff waiting to solve your problems at the drop of a dime, another company that continues to deliver effective marketing and web for over 16 years? When you have an issue next year, who will still be there to answer the phone? That’s right, a company with a proven track record. Give us a call and let’s talk about a low cost solution for your next website. If you are looking to freshen up your current web design, we’d be happy to help you with that too. PC House Productions has a low cost, high yield content management system that we are exciting to tell you about.

Be on the lookout for some upcoming news about a brand new venture around the offices here. Just a spoiler for you because we know that you are on the edge of your seat waiting…. PC Vision…. It is more than just a video production company, it is a way of going about things, a way of looking at a specific project, and it’s a vision (pun intended). More news on this coming very soon.

Enjoy your March out there; Happy Gardening.

AlveyUSA.com

View their New

eCommerce Driven

Website

Happy winter out there Superstars and welcome the latest edition of our newsletter.

The continuing transformation of The Common Chef is sure keeping us on our toes around the Mother ship lately.

Episode 8 – “The Most “InShane” Meal Eva” is by far the most delectable episode yet. Shane’s Rib Shack made it possible for The Common Chef to cook an out of this world gourmet meal for the great folks over at Interfaith Emergency Services. It was truly an honor to be a part of something so special. We cooked for the residents, volunteers and staff and smiles were ear to ear. Shane himself came down from the main Rib Shack to not only see everything go down, but he got right in and started cooking. He ended up making a batch of awesome chili. He was put on the spot and delivered like a true champ. The secret ingredient was some of his own smoked pork he brought in from the restaurant.  Mr. PC just about outdid himself this time with his “world famous” double whammy noodles and award winning teriyaki beef sticks. Alex devised a real unique lettuce wrap with chicken sausage that was topped with roasted corn.  Chris stepped up with an artery clogging 5 way mac-n-cheese.  This dish had goat cheese, feta, smoked gruyère, sharp cheddar, and mozzarella. For a “normal” person you would think that this would be enough, but this is The Common Chef, and “normal” just won’t cut it. We just had to find a way to sneak some BACON in somewhere so we generously coated the top with crumbled bacon goodness.  There were more delicious items, but you will just have to watch and see.

With our bellies barely recovered from “The Most “InShane” Meal Eva” The Common Chef pressed on and began planning episode 9. This episode was filmed during the Super Bowl. We started thinking about football and football types of food and came up with the name before the menu….Super Fry…. I am not going to spoil any surprises in the episode, just know that your heart may not be able to take it. Like us on facebook to be the first to know when it is released.

The recipe contest is going well but there is still time left to enter.  Visit our website at http://www.thecommonchef.com/ to enter. Submit your recipe for a chance to be a guest star in an episode and cook your dish, on TV. Remember our motto if you really want to impress us… “Something that has never been done before!”

Remember that The Common Chef is not only blowing up the internet, you can also watch it every Sunday morning at 10:30 am on Central Florida’s very own Fox 51.

Happy New Year to everyone and welcome to 2012.

Although 2011 was a great year for us here at the home base, we are still looking forward to all the excitement and possibilities of a brand new year.

It is a time honored tradition to bring in the New Year with personal New Year’s resolutions. Well your business shouldn’t be left out in the cold. This is the year that you take your business to the next level. While that “next level” will be specifically different for each business, the philosophy behind it will be the same; more business. How? While there may be many ways of going about growing your business, a good start is to distinguish yourself from your competitors.

All too often people want a product that is like their competitors. This can be true of most anything whether it is an ad for a magazine, a TV commercial or even a website. Some business owners want to match or keep up with what the others are doing. Why? Why try to blend in with everyone else? If your product or service is better than your competitor, don’t try to simply match them. In this new and ever evolving digital world, your competition is literally a click away. What sets your product or service apart from the next line down on a Google search? Think of yourself as a consumer. Not just any consumer, but the person that will be looking for your good or service. What are you looking for? You may be looking for price, quality, guarantee, image or any multitude of things. 

Now look at your website. What does it say about who you are and what you represent? What impression does that first time visitor get about your company? Is your “virtual storefront” nice, neat, clean and organized? Or is it cluttered, messy and hard to get around.

Make 2012 the year that you stop keeping up with what everyone else is doing and start setting the bar that everyone else is chasing. Give us a call here at the mother ship and schedule your update consultation today. There is no cost or obligation and the only thing you have to lose is more business. Are you looking for a fun, unique and exciting way to market and showcase your business? The Common Chef is a local TV show that allows you to place your business directly in the middle of a fun cooking show. What a great way to set yourself apart. Each episode is customized and tailor made to show you or your business in the best light possible. You can even showcase a charity or organization. Visit www.thecommonchef.com or call 352-789-6093 for more details. The Common Chef has released episode 7 “Operation Delicious”. We had the opportunity to cook and serve a Christmas dinner to the founders of Operation Shoebox. In case you don’t know about the work they do please visit operationshoebox.com to find out more about this great organization. We started out the evening with a homemade fondue served in a bread bowl. We then moved onto the good stuff… the meal! We threaded bacon throughout a ham and then bacon wrapped the ham and baked it with a rum, brown sugar and pineapple glaze. Wow! We also roasted a turkey with a fruit stuffing that made the turkey so juicy that it dripped. We also roasted some carrots, potatoes and onions with the turkey and later turned them into homemade gravy. There is a lot more than that but you’ll just have to watch the episode. 

We also recently shot episode 8 with Shane’s Rib Shack. The owner of the franchise came to Ocala and teamed up with The Common Chefs to cook a feast for the good folks at Interfaith. This episode is due out in February. A great time was had by all. You can view some of the images of this upcoming episode as a primer. 

Episode 8 Shoot Gallery

Watch The Common Chef online in high definition at, thecommonchef.com or on Fox 51 Sunday mornings at 10:30

How are your website statistics looking these days? Not sure, then give us a call here at the office and lets go though them together. The analytics have a lot of useful information about how your site is performing. 789-6093

Greetings fellow Super Stars. We’ve been in slight recuperation mode since Culinary Combat, which was held on October 2, 2011. It was a tough event to pull off but we are proud to announce that we raised more than $20,000 for the Shriners Hospitals for Children! Thanks to all of our sponsors and all of our fellow Super Stars that attended the event. What a great evening. You won’t want to miss the next event to be sure.

A big high five and pat on the back to our brand new champion Chef James Schumann of Cuvee Wine & Bistro. Chef Schumann and sous chef Jeremy Zajac were ready, willing and able to step up to the plate and create a masterful 3 course meal showcasing the secret ingredient; venison. Hats off and knives up to our new champion, and we look forward to seeing (and tasting) what he comes up with next year, when he comes back to defend the title.

The Common Chef

PC House Productions has also released episode 5 of The Common Chef, “Three Little Piggies Went to Market”. We have teamed up with the Ocala Farm Market to create our gourmet dishes with local, fresh product. Watch episode 5 here. Our next episode with be done with Sunshine Air Conditioning. And there is more exciting news we are going to start airing the episodes on Fox 51 starting Sundays at 10:30 in November.

If you are interested in being a featured sponsor for our one of our up-coming episodes or if you are interested in product placing your business or service in one of the up-coming episodes please contact us.

No Business is an Island

It seems that the more technologically advanced we get, the less time that we actually have. All these things that we have are supposed to save us time by enabling us to multi-task. There was a time in which a phone was just a phone, to simply make phone calls. Now they seem to be interwoven into parts of our lives. They remind us when it’s Moms birthday. They let us have access to our emails almost anywhere in the world. They even allow us to record our favorite TV show on our home DVR. It is truly hard to find an area of our lives that is not touched by the digital age in one way or another. All these advances that we barely even take notice of anymore were designed for one thing; to make our busy lives streamlined and easier to manage. The same should be true to business as well. There are so many aspects of running a successful modern business that sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming.

As poet John Donne wrote “No man is an island”. That is why it is important, now more than ever, to have an experienced team behind you especially when it comes to marketing your business. In this day and age (and economy) you need to make sure that every dollar is spent wisely. Time is valuable and wiggle room for error is few and far between.
When considering your marketing, make sure that you are looking at the big overall picture. Be consistent not only in the look and style of your various marketing materials, but also in your ad message. What is it about your company that you want to emphasize? How do you want your customers to remember you? What is your hook? This consistency should be maintained across everything, including business cards, letterhead, envelopes, invoices, signage, banners, newspaper ads… everything.

You can spend hours, days or even weeks meeting with different companies, going over the same messaging details. But how much time is that taking away from your real job – Your Business.

Here at PC House Productions we have the team with the knowledge, experience and know how to take care of ALL your marketing needs. From logos and corporate identities to media buys to run your brand new T.V. commercial, we do it all under one roof. We take the time to get to know you and your business needs. Call us today to schedule your consultation.

Hello Superstars

This month we are going to talk about weathering the storm. And by that we’re not talking about storms like that of Irene who just recently skirted by us. We are talking about weathering the current storm known as The Modern Economy, or what most business owners are calling the graveyard. We talk to business owners from different walks of life every day. The one thing that remains constant is how bad it is out there in the marketplace.

When business starts to get a little slow, the first thing the business owner looks at phasing out is their advertising and marketing. That’s the “easiest” place to cut, but is it the best idea for your business? The answer my friends, is a resounding “No”.

Look at the companies that you consider successful and you will see robust, well rounded and targeted marketing, even in lean times. Most particularly, companies are turning to the web to get the most ‘bang for their buck’. And there is a very good reason that, because everyone else is cutting back. The most successful business owners know that this is the time to pick up market share. Your business may find itself open to an untapped customer base that your competitor may have had locked up. For small businesses there is still an economical approach to effective marketing.

CEO Jason Swenk of Solar Velocity, an Atlanta-based interactive marketing agency, has the perfect analogy for this exact scenario, “It is hard to hear conversations, if you are in a noisy room. But, if no one is speaking, a whisper can be heard loud and clear. If your competition is not advertising, your marketing dollars will go much further than you expect.”

“Advertising in a down economy is even more important than advertising during the good times,” says Joyce Gioia, president of the Herman Group, a firm of strategic business futurists in Greensboro, N.C. “That’s when you can build market share. That’s when you have less competition for share of mind. While others are in a cocoon, hibernating until things blow over, it’s a great time to invest in your business.” ~ reference – signindustry.com written by Jennifer LeClaire

There was a study done by Yankelovich Partners and Harris Interactive and in it they found more than 85% of business executives believe that down economies provide the best opportunity to increase the market share of their companies.

By no means do we mean to go out there and start throwing money around all willy nilly like. The keywords here are well rounded and targeted. What we mean by that is know your target market. Know how to reach them. Know how to give them what they want or need.

PC House Productions is here for all you advertising and marketing needs. We offer you a personal customized solution to help your business from getting swallowed by the storm. Contact us for more information about how we can help you in this rough market. It is our job to help you make money.

Culinary Combat

Culinary Combat is sneaking up on us pretty fast this year and already the excitement level is almost at a fever pitch. Now we want to introduce you to this year’s contestants.

First, is our 2 time champion Chef Rick Alabaugh, Executive Chef of the Country Club of Ocala. After winning the prestigious honor 2 years in a row we had to look pretty hard to find someone to take Chef Rick on. We found Chef Chuck Hurley of O!O Garden Grille in Gainesville and Chef James Schumann Executive Chef of Cuvee Wine and Bistro right here in Ocala.

Please visit www.culinarycombat.com for full details of the event and complete bio’s on this year’s Chefs. Remember tickets are going fast so don’t be the one on your block that is left out of this year’s fun. All the proceeds go to the Shriners Hospital for Children, but the memories are yours for a lifetime.

Video News

In other news, we just finished our very first music video. Our very own Chris Brack wrote a song to his daughter about being a divorced father. It has a very powerful message that resonates with any parent or anyone who has parents. Please click the like button (thumbs up) and leave a comment for us. If you think of someone that the video may touch, send them the link as well.

The Common Chef

Another one of our exciting products is The Common Chef If you haven’t heard about this project yet, pay close attention because it is about to blow up. The Common Chef follows a group of friends who have no training in the culinary arts. Yet, they are able to create some of the tastiest concoctions. One week they may be cooking for a bible study group, the next may be an executive chef at a fine restaurant. Our latest wepisode, “Curry Up And Wine” is available for your viewing pleasure at thecommonchef.com.

The next video is slated for shooting this Saturday on September 3^rd. The fellas from The Common Chef will be shopping and highlighting the delights of local, fresh product at our very own Ocala Farm Market on the downtown square. We know one of the dishes will be a tasty mixture of lamb, rib-eye, bacon, goat cheese, mint and some other secret ingredients. The rest of the menu is under tight wrap until the webisode is launched. Watch for this video due out in a week or so. You can like us on FaceBook to stay in the know.

Click here to visit Sunshine A/C's website

Every business has a product that they are proud of and want the world to see. We here at PC House Productions are no different. One of the things that make our product so unique is that our product helps to make our Clients shine. We don’t just settle for a sparkle, with PC House on your side, you are a SUPERSTAR!!!!

Here is our SUPERSTAR of the month. Sunshine Air Conditioning Sunshine Air Conditioning has been a loyal and valued Client since 2007. Back then we started with a brand new imaging campaign. We had the chance to let our creative side go wild on this project. We started with a (pardon the pun) cool new logo. The logo should always be the cornerstone of a branding campaign. After the logo was implemented, it was time to move on the website. A normal site just would not do, so we went with a totally customized look and feel. One of the most interesting parts of this project was coming up with a brand new mascot, and that’s how Sonny was born.

With those implements in place it was time to now get to work with a muli-tiered marketing strategy. Direct targeted mail, email blasts, strategic marketing, social media marketing, radio and T.V. commercials, and a huge creative campaign all helped to take Sunshine and Sonny to the next level. One of the things that make Sunshine A/C such a superstar is their commitment. We are not just talking about the commitment to their customers. That’s a given, you can’t get to where they are without that, but their commitment to the community.

Along with the many other charities that Sunshine generously donates to, Sunshine A/C is a cash sponsor of the 2011 Culinary Combat, an Iron Chef style competition to benefit the Shriners Children’s Hospital. We here at PC House Productions are very thankful for all the support from Sunshine A/C.