L'Italo-Americano

16 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano Bridges built upon innovation SILvIA SIMONETTI Bridges to Italy is a non-profit business association established in 2007 in Los Angeles and with an Italian chapter in Southern Italy, in the Calabria region. It is committed to support Italian technology startups and small or medium-size companies in making themselves known to the US market. Thanks to a wide network of partners, investors and clients, the association represents "a strategic starting point for Italian entrepreneurs looking at the Greater Los Angeles Area as the destination for their international expansion", says President Bianca Dellepiane. Among the initiatives promoted by Bridges to Italy, the first edition of "Italian Pitch Fest" took place on Monday, September 9 at Cross Campus in Santa Monica, in the very heart of the so-called Silicon Beach. The panel, organized in collaboration with the Santa Monica New Tech business community, was introduced by Adam Chapnick, Principal at Indiegogo (the largest international crowdfunding platform), and Richard Koffler from Tech Coast Angels (the largest network of Angel Investors in the US). On this occasion, five Italian startups had the opportunity to present their innovations - from barter platforms to high-tech medical devices and 3D educational science labs – to an audience of potential investors, ven- ture capitalists, crowdfunding experts, and professionals in the field of technology. "Finding investors isn't easy for anybody: it requires more than a great product, because the world is full of good ideas but it is the right implementation that makes them successful in the marketplace. And Italian compa- money and time without achieving the best results." The initiative "Italian Pitch Fest" is meant to become a recurrent event, and additional trade missions focused on different technology sectors are in progress. Bridges to Italy is also partner of the "Best Practices Award" The Italian Pitch Fest hosted by Cross Campus in Santa Monica nies also have to deal with language, cultural and legal barriers. Our task is to make them ready for when they meet potential investors" - explains the President of BTI. Being an expert in this field, her advice for Italian businesses that want to set up in the US is very clear: "do your homework, don't come here unprepared, without a set strategy, as this often means spending lots of created by Giuseppe De Nicola from Confindustria Salerno to support the internationalization and participation of Italian companies also in the "Los Angeles PortTechExpo", relating to green technologies and innovations, which took place on September 10-11; and the "UCLA Global Access Program", a change-agent for students and corporations, occurred on September 12. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 A ray of sunshine from Italy to Los Angeles SILvIA SIMONETTI On the occasion of the celebration honoring the Italian Saint Padre Pio, the President of the San Padre Pio Society Maria Bruno invited to Los Angeles some students from the Med Music Talent Academy of Bari, Italy, to perform in a three-hour concert organized in collaboration with Casa Italiana. Maria Bruno, native of the Apulia region, named the longawaited event A Ray of Sunshine under the Stars of Los Angeles, as she wishes "all these extraordinary young talents to grow into famous music stars at both national and international level." Natalia Bartolomeo, Luana Fraccalvieri, Deborah Loizzo, Maria Adele Divella and Benedetta Coccia are five young women between the ages of 13 and 20, all of them coming from Apulia except for the youngest, Benedetta, who is from Rome. They study singing and stage performing at the school Med Music Talent, trained by soprano Ida Decemvirale who has worked for several RAI TV shows and as a vocal coach for actors, pop and opera singers. voices some great songs by celebrated Italian artists like Mina, Domenico Modugno, Lucio Battisti, Patty Pravo and Adriano Celentano. On a starry background, they performed for a selected Italian American public of 260 people, including the Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles Giuseppe Perrone, the President of the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California Ann Potenza, the President of the Associazione Pugliese del Sud California Vito Mike Foschetti, representatives of the Italian American Lawyers Association, and many other leading figures from the local community. In his introductory remarks, Consul General Giuseppe Perrone underlined the importance of this kind of initiatives, especially in the framework of 2013 -Year of the Italian Culture in the United States, and he said he "enjoyed very much an evening of singing memorable Italian hits by such promising talents." The event was opened by kids from the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School of Glendale, Dante DiPaolo 1926 - September 3, 2013 Actor and dancer Dante DiPaolo, died on September 3, 2013 in Los Angeles, following a short illness. Dante is preceded in death by his parents, Cesare and Concetta DiPaolo and his wife, singer/actress Rosemary Clooney. Dante was born in 1926. His family came from Cansano, Italy, a tiny town in the Abruzzi region. They moved from Colorado to Hollywood, where his father worked behind the scenes at Warner Brothers and Paramount in the set-moving department, while Dante was forging his career on stage. Beginning dancing at 6 years old, at age 13 Dante met Bing Crosby and had a dancing part in his film The Starmaker (1939). A few years later he entered the U.S. Army and was just an hour away from being sent to the front lines in the Philippines. Following the war he returned to his career as a dancer, including a stint with the Ziegfeld Follies (1945). He played notable roles in movies like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954); The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963); Dancer and actor Dante DiPaolo Blood and Black Lace (1964); and Sweet Charity (1969). He also spent several years in Italy where he made twelve pictures. During his career he worked with some of the world's finest artists including Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Ann Miller, Shirley Maclaine and John Barrymore. He met Rosemary Clooney while she was filming Here Come the Girls (1953), where he was assigned to give her dancing lessons. They had a whirlwind romance, but life took them on different paths until they reconnected in 1973 and got married in 1997 in Maysville, Kentucky. During 28 years together they traveled all over the world and spent a lot of time in their "retreat" home in Kentucky, near Rosemary's brother Nick and his wife Nina. Dante's first marriage to Nadine Duca ended in divorce but they remained close friends throughout his life. He has no children of his own, but scores of fans adore him and he is also the object of much love from Rosemary's fans. The funeral services were held on September 22 at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Maria Bruno, President of the San Padre Pio Society, and young singer Benedetta Coccia Many of her students, including Luana Fraccalvieri, have taken part in renowned Italian music contests such as Amici or Ti lascio una canzone. Med Music Talent, founded and managed by Ms. Decemvirale, is meant to be "not only a music academy but also a cultural association deeply rooted in its territory and traditions, as the Mediterranean is an important protagonist of the Italian history and lifestyle." By building on this heritage and these values with strong commitment, perseverance and determination, her students will be able to keep alive the world's interest in Italian traditional and contemporary music. This "amazing and exiting experience" - as vocal coach Ida Decemvirale defined it - represented for these young singers a unique opportunity to make themselves known to an international and exclusive audience by reinterpreting with their clear accompanied by teacher Yolanda Lella Wardeh, dancing a cheerful Tarantella and wearing traditional clothing from Apulia and Southern Italy. "It is nice to see young generations sharing their grandparents' sense of community and cultural identity", commented comedian and master of ceremonies Riccardo Tursi. As a sign of gratitude for her outstanding effort in promoting Italian music and culture abroad, Maria Bruno received a handpainted ceramic gift from the City of Gravina in Apulia, and she has already announced a second edition of A Ray of Sunshine under the Stars of Los Angeles in 2014: the initiative may become an annual appointment for the Italian American community of Southern California, which is "very happy to have a little bit of Italy come and sing for us", as attorney at law and IALA public relation chair Margherita Underhill told us.

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