Hooray!!! My first journalism award!!!

Yeah!!! Roger and I won!!!

The Florida Associated Press Award

"Best Photo Essay"

We didn't win first, but we came in second! We won for our "Dean Guitar Factory" segment and I couldn't be happier because we had so much fun filming and writing it, but at the same time, it was also A LOT of hard work. Here's a link to my Dean Guitar blog post.

They did spell my name wrong, but I'll get over it!

NEW on TBOD's "Big Boys' Toys" ~ Kiteboarding!!!

Last Fall, while I was enjoying a day at Pass-A-Grille beach, I saw two guys doing this in the water . . .

Needless to say, I was totally impressed! So much so in fact, that as soon as I got home, I started doing research to find out what this was all about. I quickly learned that "kiteboarding" or "kitesurfing" as it's called, is the newest & hottest watersport sweeping Florida's beaches. Sounded like a job for Big Boys' Toys to me!!!

So, we hooked up with Watersports West in Largo to get the lowdown on all things kiteboarding. . . the history, the lessons, and the gear. Steve "Steve-O" Visnage, kiteboarding instructor extraordinaire, took me under his wing taught me how to take flight (Aww. . . me so corny!). Although it was a little tough at first, once you get the hang of it, you know exactly why surfers and wakeboarders are diggin' it so much!

Airing now on Tampa Bay On Demand, channel 340!!!

Extra special thanks to Steve-O and Watersports West and for hooking me up with the rockin' board shorts harness!

NEW on TBOD's "Bars & Clubs" ~ The Fox Jazz Club

For decades, Tampa's Fox Jazz Club has been the only place to hear the area's best live jazz bands. Cool cats and sexy kittens gather nightly to dance the night away and sip some highly creative cocktails! In fact, the place just oozes sexiness, so much so that you almost expect James Bond or the Rat Pack to walk in and take a seat. It's just one of those special places that can take you back, even if for just one night, to a time of glitz and glamour. If you enjoy jazz, the music here is eargasmic and I won't get into the food, but oh my. . . the pork chop was otherworldly!

Airing now on Tampa Bay On Demand, channel 340!

Until our next night out. . . Rachel

NEW on TBOD's "Bars & Clubs" ~ Sam's On The Beach

Since the Tampa Bay On Demand viewing area encompasses 7 counties (oh, my!), we've set out to shoot Bars & Clubs in all of them. We know Pinellas and Hillsborough are loaded with options, but here comes Pasco sneaking one in on us! Sam's On the Beach, in Hudson Beach (yes, Hudson has a beach folks and it's mighty pretty too!), is a super cool, laid back beach bar with all the crazy drinks (ie: see the fish bowl beside me?) and live bands you can handle. The night we came, this place was PACKED to the rafters with people having a good time. If you are ever in their neck of the woods, check 'em out!

Now airing on Tampa Bay On Demand, channel 340!

Until our next night out. . . Rachel

NEW on TBOD's "Big Boys' Toys" ~ Hacker Craft Boats

Sometimes an opportunity for a shoot arises that you didn't even know existed. Take Hacker Craft Boats for instance. These handcrafted mahogany speedboats and runarounds were the pleasure boats of the rich and famous in the early 1900's, but went out of production shortly after the Great Depression. The only way to enjoy them as of late, was to restore an antique. But, we got a tip that the Hacker Boat is back in production and we have a proud owner right here in Tampa! They are keeping to tradition by building these boats with the original Hacker blueprints. The only difference??? Added modern technologies like nav and stereo surround systems, turbo engines and infrared devices!!!

I was sooooooo excited to take part in this shoot and even got to drive the boat around myself, which I have to say was the smoothest boat ride I've ever experienced. These boats are indescribably cool and I hope you all enjoy the bit of nostalgia that goes along with it as well. I must mention that Roger (photojournalist extraordinaire!) did a bang up job putting the piece together! Enjoy!!!

Now airing on Tampa Bay On Demand, channel 340!

Happy Memorial Day!

Rachel

NEW on TBOD's "Bars & Clubs" ~ Ferg's Sports Bar

When it came to chosing our first sports bar to feature, the answer was simple. Ferg's !!!

Where else can you be so close to all the Tampa Bay Rays action before, during and after a game??? We showed up to film just before an away game was about to get underway and the place was packed even then! In all honesty, I really just wanted to wear my Rays gear for a shoot and have an exuse to order Rays Punch. . . but beware, it turns your mouth blue!

Check out the full feature on Tampa Bay On Demand, channel 340!

Here are some candids of me and CJ doing our thang'. . .

Until our next night out. . . Rachel

Official Launch of NEW Tampa Bay On Demand "Bars/Clubs" !!!

Yep, it's official!!!

I'm now Tampa Bay On Demand's nightlife host! I'll be bringing you the lowdown on all the hottest nightspots in the area and I am super stoked to have been given this opportunity!

The new "Bars/Clubs" section can be found under the Bay Area Guide category on

Tampa Bay On Demand (channel 340 on Bright House Networks) and we will be adding new segments weekly. It's basically going to be a "library" of the coolest places to go, so we will only keep adding titles, not taking them down. . . unless the place closes for some reason!

These are the titles that are already up:

Jackson's

(Harbour Island, Tampa)

The Cider House

(Downtown St. Pete)

Coyote Ugly

(Ybor City)

The Venue

(St. Pete)

Howl at the Moon

(Tampa)

Molly McHugh's

(Lakeland)

Hurricane Alley

(Lakeland)

Shephard's

(Clearwater Beach)

And coming soon. . . PUSH Ultra Lounge and Sam's on the Beach!

Until our next night out. . . Rachel

P.S. I'm still doing "Big Boys' Toys" features as well! Next up? Hacker Craft Boats and KITEBOARDING!!!

My Birthday with the Stanton Warriors!!!

I've been told on several occasions that I'm absolutely nuts because I actually look forward to my birthday each year. And this year was no exception. In fact, it couldn't get here fast enough because one of my biggest dreams was going to come true. I was going to see Dominic B and Mark Yardley of the Stanton Warriors, my absolute favorite dj's in the world, play LIVE at Club Firestone in Orlando that very weekend.

Now, I know this doesn't really mean much to most people, but just understand that I live on their beats and music. In the car, at home, everyday, I listen to something with the "Stanton sound."

Stanton Warriors = a happy Rachel.

So, how was it??? Lookie here:

~Birthday weekend in Orlando to see the Stanton Warriors @ Club Firestone: $200

~Mackin' on Dominic B after the show: free!

~Being invited to sit on stage and hang with my favorite dj in the world: priceless!

~~~

My pics of Dom & Mark didn't turn out, but here's a couple of photos of them really setting Firestone on fire! Love you guys!!!

Photos taken from s1mg.com.

Listen to the STANTON SOUND!!!