On Wednesday, February 13, a cast of characters came together to fete the new non-fiction book by Sherri Snelling – A Cast of Caregivers – Celebrity Stories to Help You Prepare to Care. The day before the big event, the Big Apple experienced a Big Chill, with snowfall covering the city. Sherri hailed cabs and ran errands the day before the event near the locale at Madison Avenue and 41st Street snuggled between the iconic Chrysler Building and the majestic New York City Public Library.
The Location: Writer’s Den in the Bookmarks Lounge of the Library Hotel
The cocktail party crew will take over The Writer’s Den of the Bookmarks Lounge – a gorgeous book-infused space with leather armchairs, warm fireplace and enclosed atrium to be found on the 14th floor of the Library Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Located on the same street – Madison Avenue – where Mad Men is set, in the shadow of the historic Empire State Building (where Sleepless in Seattle has its final romantic scene) and down the street from the iconic and appropriate New York Public Library (where Mr. Big jilted Carrie for take one of their wedding in the Sex and the City movie), there is no better place for a party about a book which has a movie/TV motif.
The Producers: Event Hosts Alex Witt and Brooks Kenny
Alex Witt, anchor and host of “Weekends with Alex Witt” on MSNBC is Sherri’s USC sorority sister – a long-running friendship with a bond which lives up to the quote, “A good friend gives you bail money, a best friend is sitting in the jail cell beside you.”
Brooks Kenny is a businesswoman and top executive focused on programs to prevent Alzheimer’s and promote brain health. Sherri and Brooks began their friendship based on their projects together as Lotsa Helping Hands and Caregiving Club.
When you put Alex, Sherri and Brooks in a line-up all you can think of is Legally Blonde.
The Cast: The VIPs
Although there will be no red carpet, this is a VIP, invitation-only event for those in the world of caregiving and publishing or friends of the blondes. Picture the fabulous party scene from Breakfast at Tiffanys and you get the picture.
Luminaries include: Joni Evans of wowOwow, Beth O’Connell of NBC/Universal, Sherri’s editors from Next Avenue – Gary Drevitch and Rich Eisenberg, Huffington Post and Jane Farr of ThirdAge, Leigh Haber from O Magazine, Steve Heyman from the New York Times Magazine and Ben Dickinson of ELLE, pr and advertising gurus such as Scott Daly of Dentsu USA, Sean Woods and Amanda Bonzo of RLM Finbury, Golin/Harris, James Grant of JGPR, Glover Park Group and Vincent Esposito from Media Planet; the healthy and caring team from The Monday Campaigns including Sid Lerner, Peggy Neu and Cherry Dumaual, corporate friends such as Michael Duffett of Canon and caregiving advocates including Alan Blaustein, CEO of CarePlanners, Robert Bua, CEO of CareScout, a Genworth company, Greg Johnson of EmblemHealth, Dr. Mary Mittleman from NYU, Gig Barton of RLTV, Celeste Carlucci of Fall Stop Move Strong, Rie Nirregaard of Omhu, as well as non-profit organizations and fellow authors and writers and broadcasters.
The Headliner: Author and caregiving expert – Sherri Snelling
Sherri is grateful for a group of Friends that were supportive in the writing of her first book. She also feels blessed for the great reviews and success of her book.
The book launch party in New York City was followed by other events in Los Angeles hosted by dear USC college friends, Vicki Guttridge and Kim Demshki. In keeping with the celebrity interviews in Sherri’s book, the event was a Oscars watching party for friends and Hollywood contacts in the TV and movie business.
Another event was hosted by Sherri’s dear friend and mentor, Mary Furlong, a serial entrepreneur in the longevity economy and fellow author. This event was held in Las Vegas during the annual CES conference and included many friends in the age-tech and caregiving worlds.
All of the book events were what Sherri called, A Night to Remember!
The Book: A Cast of Caregivers – Celebrity Stories to Help You Prepare to Care
A blend of celebrity caregiving stories, expert advice on what to expect when caring for a loved one, self-help wisdom for caregiver wellness and pop culture references to help the reader embark on a journey of preparing to care for a family member or other loved one. Click here to read more about the book and the author and read the advance reviews.