Finally Friday, 2015, December 19 – Happy Holidays !!

A Word From the President

Gudrun Giddings

Hej Alla,

Hope you are getting into the holiday spirit !!
We have a very exciting newsletter below with everything from how to attend “Julotta” in LA to make your goals happen, in 2015. Including how to win cash prizes in a film festival and there is a fun article about the Lot, where the SACC-LA office is located. You will also receive a nice Christmas gift from Swedish Press, their Holiday issue, downloadable just below.
We thank Kristoffer Diös from Phosworks who have created a nice short film from the Eliason Merit Award 2014. You can view it today, in this Finally Friday. Fun memories !!
I also want to express my gratitude to all of you for supporting us at SACC-LA. For me it is humbling being part of an organization that is so proud of two great countries, Sweden and the U.S., and being able to help bridge and create opportunities between you and these two nations, is an honor.
As this is the last newsletter for the year and Los Angeles is known for making dreams come true, my wish for you is;

In the end of this newsletter is a video that I think will evoke some sentimental emotions for at least all the Swedes, so ….
From All Of Us to All of You – en riktigt GOD JUL ☺

Happy Holidays !!
Gudrun Giddings
President of SACC-LA


Eliason Merit Award 2014

Watch this awesome short film from the night of the year !!

Thank you Phosworks for this great film !!

Enjoy a Swedish “Julotta” at the Swedish Church in Los Angeles

On Christmas Morning

Welcome to a traditional Swedish “Julotta” at the Church of Sweden in Los Angeles. On the 25th of December we meet at 7 am to celebrate Christmas together. The choir will perform and service is followed by coffee and Christmas ham sandwiches. 
Visit the Swedish Church’s website here for more information about “Julottan”

Goal & Soul Group Coaching Program

Kick off the New Year with Lotta Alsén’s goal & soul group coaching

Do you have a dream of writing a book? Starting a new business? Moving to a new country? Or losing weight? Start off the new year by realizing one of the dreams and ideas you’ve been wanting to make happen. This program is an invitation for all of you who are ready to pick ONE SPECIFIC GOAL that you want to achieve in the coming two months and want support in getting there. 
Choose something specific. If you want to write a book, narrow it down to something that you can achieve in 2 months, e.g. writing the outline and the first chapter of the book. Or, if you want to launch a new company or product, decide on something particular, e.g. like creating a written business concept, find 5 clients and launch a one-page website. Or, launching a new show, deciding on the outline and creating a first act. These are just examples to highlight the
importance of making the goal FUN and DOABLE!
This 8-week group program is geared towards helping you reach your goal, in an affordable way, but it’s done in a way that also feeds your from the inside. Concretely this means that we will look at HOW you go about achieving your goal and how you can make sure that your goal is aligned from the inside out. We will work with intention-setting, inner-guidance and inspiration. We will also address blockages coming up, such as how to deal with ‘the judge’, false vs true will, and pacing. The program also includes meditations and a heart-felt practices, including a method to embody the goal. You will therefore learn practices of connecting with your heart, while pursuing your goal – and making sure that the energy of what you want to achieve is aligned from within.
TIME
Start Date: Tuesday, January 20 – End Date: Tuesday March 17
Weekly call times are Tuesdays at 11AM PST, 20.00 in Sweden.
Lotta Alsén is a Board Member and Former President of SACC-LA. She is also an International Leadership and Executive Coach and has worked with hundreds of people helping them think big, realize their dreams, and becoming much more impactful leaders and entrepreneurs.
Lotta also has started and led several companies and is currently building Quickenings Leadership Institute, which also includes a story-driven  video game for leaders. Read more about here at lottaalsen.com and at quickenings.com. Here are a few testimonials from former clients.
“Lotta calls you up to your highest essence, and won’t let you settle for less than excellence. Those fortunate enough to drink from the fountain cannot resist the infectious energy and come away charged with their own fire.”
Social networking site entrepreneur, Silicon Valley
Lotta dared me to dream again: to live without fear of failure; to accept the amazing gifts I’m given every day of my life. She is a wise old friend, an insightful business mentor and a challenging yogini, all in one. Meeting Lotta has changed my life.”
Managing Director, Private Equity Company, New York
CONTENT

  • 8 weeks of phone-based weekly group-coaching for 60 minutes. The calls will be recorded if you can’t attend live.
  • Goal definition sheet and an outline for how you are going to achieve the goal in these 8 weeks.
  • Weekly follow-up sheet.
  • Bi-weekly audio-file sent to you where I talk about a theme related to the path of achieving your goals through overcoming obstacles and leading from within.
  • Bi-weekly audio-file with meditation sent to you.
  • Private Facebook group.
PRICE

The price is $345 (approximately 2600 SEK). You can also choose a payment plan of two payments of $195 each. If you sign up and pay before December 31st, you get a free private coaching session of 30 minutes to help you determine your coaching goal. There is also an additional individual coaching session package that you can add. Read more here.
AND as an added bonus, as a newsletter subscriber, you get 10% off, so you will only pay $310 if you reference Finally Friday when you apply. As a member of SACC-LA, if you sign up and pay before December 31, you get $75 off, so your price is then only $270. You have to be an active paying member in order to get this bonus.
Sign up here or contact lotta directly at lotta@lottaalsen.com

Unlimited Access to Adventure Films

And great cash prizes at Film Festival Flix

If you have ever wished for a library of adventure films you could watch from the comfort of your couch, you’ll want to know about Film Festival Flix’s Mountain & Adventure Film Festival.
Film Festival Flix is an online distribution option for independent films. With roots in the outdoors, CEO Benjamin Oberman and festival director Joni Cooper plan to leverage the online platform to collect & host the world’s first online mountain film festival, which will grow to a video-on-demand library of adventure films. “Our goal is to create more opportunities for filmmakers and a place where great mountain films (past, present and future) can be easily found and enjoyed by all”, says Benjamin.
Filmmakers need an audience and audiences need a place to find films. Film Festival Flix’s goal to create a home for adventure films is one that resonates.
Film Festival Flix is accepting submissions to the festival and since they are looking to curate a library of films, filmmakers are invited to submit films produced in any year. As readers of Adventure Film School, Film Festival Flix is extending a waived submission fee if you submit
before the end of the year. To do this, submit your film and skip paypal on submission. Film Festival Flix will accept all submissions through January 15th, 2015. Festival winners will be announced March 10th, 2015 and presented theatrically in select US cities.
After the film festival, filmmakers will have the opportunity to distribute their film on Film Festival Flix non-exclusive video-on-demand platform, their affiliate promoter networks, and branded channels. Since the opportunity is non-exclusive, filmmakers can still distribute their film through other channels.
As filmmakers, we put blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of heart into making a film that may only get its 5 minutes of fame before the next one comes across our screens. So many films deserve much more. Though we can put our films on our channels or websites, it relies on discovery, which can be hit or miss. We don’t want to send our films to die in the vastness that is the Internet. We’d rather let them thrive among other amazing films. The Film Festival Flix Mountain & Adventure library is an opportunity to build an audience and go where they are. We’re excited about that idea and we’ll be watching!
Text from “Unlimited Access to Adventure Films at Film Festival Flix” by Nasa Koski, December 17, 2014
PRIZES
“Best Film” – $4,000 Cash Prize
“Best Feature” – $2,000 Cash Prize
“Best Short” – $2,000 Cash Prize
“Best Climbing Film” – $1,000 Cash Prize
“Best Sport Film” (Non-Climbing) – $1,000 Cash Prize
“Best Environmental Film” – $1,000 Cash Prize
“Best Adventure Film” – $1,000 Cash Prize
As a Finally Friday subscriber you have the opportunity to use the promo code MAFF2015 and get 25% off! This discount code is valid until Christmas (December 25th) so make sure to use it before!

The Lot

The SACC-LA office have a lot of excitement surrounding it

Those of you, who have visited us at the SACC-LA office in West Hollywood, know that it isn’t quite what you expect. Oh sure, the office itself is as ordinary as “bread and butter” but surrounding it, is a block filled with buildings, people and history that hold a fascinating place in Hollywood. 
In 1922 in a time when West Hollywood wasn’t quite the bustling metropolitan melting pot it is today, and definitely wasn’t as prone to traffic jams, Pickford-Fairbanks Studios was founded on a lot on Santa Monica Boulevard.
Since that time the studio has gone through multiple eras, becoming Samuel Goldwyn Studios in 1955 and Warner Hollywood Studios in 1980. During that time the studio has put its
stamp on a great many things throughout the 20th and 21st century. It was a favored recording spot for Frank Sinatra in the 50s; so much so that the building he worked in for so many years, now goes by the name the Sinatra Bungalow. Guys and Dolls, the Frank Sinatra Show and the album The Concert Sinatra are among the many titles affiliated with the studio. West Side Story, the first two Starwars movies and Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Arc are other examples of tremendous successes that were worked on in that same studio lot. Perhaps most importantly however for those of us biased toward everything Swedish; for six intense seasons, the Lot was the home to the TV-series True Blood, starring our own favorite vampire: Alexander Skarsgård.
One of Frank Sinatra’s album, “The Concert Sinatra”
Alexander Skarsgård as the vampire Eric Northman
Maybe it was the craze of the fast approaching Y2K or it was just time for renewal but in December 1999, what was originally known as Pickford-Fairbanks Studios became what we still today know as The Lot Studios, home of SACC-LA, and a great many other things.
Marketing Managers Fia Cristoferson and PetroNella Edwardzon outside the Lot
Working at the Lot could be described as the fast track to learning about Hollywood and all the strange and amazing things that come with it. Take lunchtime for example, which we usually spend outside in the sun, enjoying a well-deserved break while simultaneously keeping an up to par tan. Now, spending a lunch outside in the sun usually isn’t all that special, however when two nuns, a dog dressed for a wedding and a camera crew suddenly occupy the neighboring table, lunch suddenly isn’t about chewing and tanning anymore. The first time this happened we were quite overwrought, thinking we’d ended up somewhere we shouldn’t be.
As it turns out however, Funny or Die, the delightfully whimsical comedy video website, is headquartered at the Lot, and a lot of their sketches are performed and recorded right outside.
Another fascinating tenant of the recently built Formosa South building is the Oprah Winfrey Network who is in the process of moving in. The combination of office space and studios make the Lot a perfect solution for a wide array of organizations, and it also makes for a very exciting place to work with many  unexpected, interesting and fun experiences on a daily basis.
Adam McKay & Will Ferrell are the founders of Funny or Die
Oprah Winfrey Network
Text: Oscar Holm, Marketing Manager at SACC-LA

Swedish Press

Christmas gift – free December issue

Swedish Press, which was founded as Svenska Pressen in Vancouver in 1929, is the world’s leading magazine on all good things Swedish. The stunningly designed Swedish Press features the innovation and imagination that Sweden brings to the world. Like the globally minded readers nowadays, Swedish Press is contemporary, colourful and curious about the world around us.
Readers benefit from stories on Design, Travel, Music, Fashion, and Culture while enjoying a round-up of carefully selected news. From interviews with fascinating personalities and award-winning companies along with stories on Traditions and Heritage, there is always something to discover. In 2015 Swedish Press is expanding distribution and will be actively increasing its presence around the world. In addition it is introducing an exciting new touch with editorial themes related to all the ingenious and creative things that Sweden brings to the world.
For inspiration and updates from the nation that brought you ABBA, IKEA, Spotify, and Skype… you’ll find it all in Swedish Press.
For more information, please visit Swedish Press website or look for Swedish Press on Facebook.
As a Holiday gift – Finally Friday gives all of you subscribers the December issue of Swedish Press !!
You’ll find your free issue of Swedish press here
Swedish Press Dec 2014/Jan 2015 edition Vol 85:10

From All of Us to All of You

Happy Holidays !!

Team SACC-LA would like to wish all of you a wonderful holiday – in true Swedish tradition, we’ll let Jiminy Cricket help us with this, just like back home in Sweden on Christmas Eve.

GOD JUL & GOTT NYTT ÅR !!

Are you a talented professional seeking career opportunities in the entertainment capital of the world?

Please visit SACC-LA’s exciting career site to find a job that suits you!

Are you a high-demanding company looking for new brilliant colleagues to your organization?

Please contact SACC-LA to put a work placement ad on our career site!

Swedish Holiday Specials

Make your own “julbord” at home – here are some delicious classics !

How to make Swedish potato and fish gratin

Feeling the need for some comfort food during the cold weather? The dish Swedes call Janssons frestelse is popular during the winter and is often found on the Christmas smorgasbord. Food writer John Duxbury shares his recipe with The Local…

Swedish Christmas treats, Ice Chocolate, Nougat & Knäck etc.

During Christmas Swedes eat a lot of food and treats, here are the recopies to some of them that you can easily make at home. ‘Pepparkakor’ – regular ginger snaps. White gingersnaps. Ice chocolate. Knäck. Not without my wiener nougat! Saffron pears…
Read more

Not a member yet?
SACC-LA offers:

– Visibility through different marketing efforts
– Matchmaking opportunities
– Discounted deals for members
– Consulting service(s) and market research
Read more 

Looking for talented Swedish trainees to join your company?

As a Member of SACC-LA your company has access to students and recent graduates of Sweden’s top Universities through our Trainee Program.
Read more 

ABOUT US

MEMBERSHIP

SACC-LA is a non-profit organization that enables innovative and creative exchange in order to create business opportunities and enhance trade between Swedish and American companies.  The Los Angeles chamber is one of 20 regional chambers in the United States and was established in 1988.  With 25 years of experience SACC-LA is skilled in navigating this hotbed for entertainment, creativity and innovation.
Copyright © 2014 The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, All rights reserved.
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