DAVIS, CA – July 13, 2011 – Currently starring in ABC’s new summer hit, “101 Ways to Leave a Game Show,” Jeff Sutphen today announced his partnership with the acclaimed kids-only social media destination Yoursphere. Sutphen is known in the broadcast industry for creating energetic, highly rated family-oriented programming and he selected Yoursphere.com as the ideal place to establish his first online social presence because of the site’s pioneering focus on age-appropriate content, online safety, and rich interactive features.

Through his new “Jeff’s Madness” sphere, Sutphen brings his customary zaniness in interacting personally with his young fans in an environment where member safety and privacy come first as a result of Yoursphere’s compliance with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). From this personal platform he offers exclusive clips, photos, trivia, games, contests and more.

Sutphen is the latest celebrity to align himself with Yoursphere, which recently debuted similarly engaging spheres for Sony country music recording breakout 17-year-old Jordyn Shellhart as well as TV’s Animal Planet stars Victoria Stilwell (“It’s Me Or the Dog”) and Donald Schultz (“Wild Recon”).

“I have worked in kids’ TV for many years and have gone to great lengths to create fun, safe programming for my audience,” Sutphen said. “It’s refreshing to see Yoursphere.com doing the same, which is why I jumped at the opportunity to get on board. I am not part of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, FaceSpace, Twitterbook, MyFace or any of the other social networking sites out there where I felt like my information and personal content was up for grabs. But being a part of Yoursphere makes sense to me. I just wish I had thought of it first!”

Yoursphere Founder and President Mary Kay Hoal said that Sutphen’s sphere is already abuzz with activity and excitement, especially around the topic of his latest program, “101 Ways to Leave a Game Show,” which airs 9 p.m. Tuesdays on ABC.

“We are excited to have Jeff’s fun-packed sphere as the latest in our lineup of celebrity spheres. Jeff is an absolute fire hose of creative energy and he is bringing this exuberance to his new sphere. The kids love the opportunity to ask him about his career, his hit shows, where he gets ideas, and how they can get on TV too,” Hoal said.

Sutphen is also the host of the hit game show “BrainSurge” and has been seen on MTV, E!, VH1, CBS and other channels as well as Nickelodeon’s Annual Kids’ Choice Awards where he has hosted the LIVE Pre-Show for the past nine years, interviewing the hottest A-list celebrities for what is known as the network’s flagship event.

Sutphen’s comedic timing and energetic hosting has helped make “BrainSurge” a ratings juggernaut, ranking as the most-watched kids program on all TV in its time period, delivering an average of two million total viewers per episode. He is currently developing shows with his wife, Stacy, under their newly formed production company, Part Time Hero Productions.

About YOURSPHERE.com

Yoursphere is the social network for kids and teens that offers the best of the Internet while providing a vibrant and interactive experience that supports the talents and aspirations of its members. Kids share interests through Yoursphere’s innovative “spheres,” interact with other kids, benefit from a scholarship program, can create their own blog, play hundreds of games and explore a virtual world. Member safety and privacy come first through the application of commonsense safeguards and compliance with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Yoursphere teaches kids to be “Internet safety smart” and rewards responsible online citizenship. Free and exclusively for children and teens through age 17, Yoursphere is approved by the Privacy Vaults Online Safe Harbor of the Federal Trade Commission. Founder and President Mary Kay Hoal is a nationally recognized Internet safety expert who also provides safety-focused practical technology tools and tips for parents at YoursphereForParents.com. For more information, visit Yoursphere.com.

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NOTE TO EDITORS & PRODUCERS: Jeff Sutphen and Mary Kay Hoal are available for interviews. Contact Jackie Flaten, 650-468-6252, Jackie@MediaOwls.com to arrange, or for more information / images.

DAVIS, CA – March 22, 2011 – TV’s Animal Planet stars Victoria Stilwell and Donald Schultz have joined forces with Yoursphere.com’s vigorous approach to online threats like cyberbullying, sexting, and identity theft ensuring a safe and content-rich online destination for kids only. Internationally respected dog expert Stilwell is partnering with Yoursphere.com because of its trailblazing dual reputation for online safety as well as spawning personal growth of its young members. World adventurer Schultz said that although the Internet can be a dangerous place, he is championing Yoursphere’s rigorous methods for protecting kids online and welcomes this unique channel to personally connect with and educate his young fans.

A vanguard pioneer in providing both proactive child safety as well as vibrant, engaging and age-appropriate content for the often overlooked ‘tween set, Yoursphere has been profiled in the media on CNN, Bloomberg, BBC, and Fox News among numerous others, and was recently the subject of a three-part Lifetime TV series. An upcoming feature exploring Internet realities is currently in the works with a major news network, and Yoursphere’s mother-of-five founder and president Mary Kay Hoal will also appear in the upcoming documentary on cyberbullying, “Submit.”

Victoria Sitwell, internationally respected dog expert & star of 'It's Me Or The Dog' launches her own sphere on Yoursphere.com

Through their individual spheres, the Animal Planet stars will connect with kids who want to learn more about their lives as animal experts, and provide videos, games and other features designed exclusively for the Yoursphere community. Stilwell, Yoursphere’s new celebrity mom, is one of the world’s most recognized and respected dog trainers, reaching audiences in more than 40 countries. As the star of Animal Planet’s hit TV series “It’s Me or the Dog,” also airing on the new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Stilwell shares her insights for humane, force-free dog training and counsels families on their pet problems all over the world. (View clips and videos: Yoursphere.com/press.)

Stilwell said of her new status as an official endorser of the site: “As the mother of a seven year old daughter, I am keenly aware of both the strong pull of the Internet (and social media in particular) and the potential dangers it poses for an unsuspecting child who is just beginning to become familiar with all of the amazing benefits that being online can provide. That’s why I was so excited when I heard about Yoursphere: it’s the perfect way to introduce kids to the power and fun of joining an online community and giving them the freedom to discover on their own. Parents have the comfort of knowing they’re protected. It’s also a great way for me to be able to connect to my younger animal-loving fans in a unique and dynamic way.”

Donald Schultz is a world adventurer, writer and photographer who travels the globe in search of wild animals.

Just returning from leading an eco-tour in Costa Rica, Schultz is a renowned venom expert, writer, and photographer who works with scientists all over the world to collect DNA from wild animals. He said: “Yoursphere is the online destination for kids I can feel good about. My fans know I’m hooked on adrenaline, but I also make sure they know I’m about being safe and smart in my explorations, whether I’m collecting deadly venom or being the first person in North America to fly the new Vampire 4 Wingsuit! On Yoursphere, I can connect with my fans, knowing the kids are on a site that values and teaches cybersmarts. Yoursphere is the ultimate online destination to let me share personally with kids the fun of learning about the wonderfully wild creatures on our planet.”

Chockablock full of stimulating activities designed for their main ‘tween audience (ages 7-12), Yoursphere.com strives to enrich young minds by challenging their creativity and curiosity about the world; the site also welcomes teens through age 17. Uniquely, much of Yoursphere.com’s content is created by the kids themselves via new “spheres” they generate (on average four per visit).

Yoursphere’s safety-first motto is achieved via implementation of proprietary policies including input from their Law Enforcement Task Force populated by former Secret Service, FBI agents and other law enforcement officials. In addition to its utilization of law enforcement behind the scenes, Yoursphere adheres to the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and is approved by the Privacy Vaults Online Safe Harbor of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Yoursphere’s companion site, YoursphereForParents.com, equips families with practical tools for handling the online world and is read by parents in more than 96 countries.

In combination with this scope and its growing US popularity, Yoursphere is expanding internationally. Stilwell, born in England, and Schultz, a South African native, have both built broad international appeal through their programs broadcast to a global market. Yoursphere is the first and only social networking site with designated “spheres” where selected celebrities can connect with their fans in a privacy-first, age-appropriate environment. Yoursphere will be announcing the launch of additional celebrity spheres in the coming weeks.

Yoursphere.com offers free as well as premium memberships to its young audience, ages 7-17.

Kids are, in general, pretty savvy about the internet. They want to be online connecting with their friends, they see their adult role models glued helplessly to the site, they can figure out how to navigate the virtual world in a flash…. Trying to shield them from this alternate plane is not an option and besides, there are benefits to being able to navigate the web’s offerings.

The problem is, for one thing, Facebook is supposedly for 13 years of age and older. We’ve all seen younger kids on there who’ve fibbed about their age to open up a FB account, apparently with parental okay. But even if you’re 13, remember that Facebook was originally created for college age adults, contrives the loosest possible standards for privacy, and has never pretended to be suitable for kids. Its goal is to make money – and that’s by doing whatever they can to squeeze info out of people and appeal to advertisers.

And then there is the abundance of unsavory stuff on the site, along with the assorted weirdos and meanies.

What’s the alternative?

Check out Yoursphere.com – it’s a full-featured social networking site specially designed for and by kids and teens. Not only is Yoursphere packed with activity kids like, it’s specifically for young people up to age 18 (no adults allowed). The site fully complies with federal privacy laws for youth, and it is the only community that gives out terrific rewards just for being an active participant along with opportunities to win scholarship money, support favorite charities and much more.

We’ve just started working with the talented team at Yoursphere, and the more we learn the more we appreciate what this company is offering. Led by nationally known children’s online safety expert Mary Kay Hoal, Yoursphere has created a site that parents and kids can feel good about joining (I say this with personal experience).

We’ll post more about Yoursphere in the days to come — in fact a nine-year-old little lady who lives with us is also an enthusiastic advocate who wants to write about why kids should join Yoursphere.

One example of a creative outlet for her: this past year she discovered a “really, really old” series of books that none of her friends had heard about nor could she get them interested. (Animorphs, from the dusty olden days of the 1980s.) On Yoursphere, she was able to create her own “Sphere” specially dedicated to Animorph obsession, which has drawn other Animorphees, and has been a big thrill for her.

I’m totally paraphrasing here but Yoursphere founder Mary Kay said something along these lines which really stuck with me: ”When your kid wants to learn how to ride a bike, you don’t just shove them onto the freeway and shout encouragingly, ‘Figure it out but be careful!’ No, you help them learn the ropes, maybe bolt a couple training wheels onto their little bike, make sure they’re in a safe area where they can practice and explore without getting run down by an 18-wheeler.” Think of the wild woolly world of adult social networking. Maybe a little more age-appropriate, safe and fun platform is a good first step instead.

The following comes from Yoursphere’s FAQ page. If you have young people in your life who want to play in the social networking realm, this is a terrific site for them to learn the ropes, safely and while having fun. -jdf

From Yoursphere.com:

Why should I join Yoursphere?

For lots of good reasons:

• The most dynamic online home for you and your friends to connect, play, and share videos and photos
• Spheres full of people interested in the stuff you care about
• A private virtual world where you can create your own avatar, roller blade, go to the beach, fly, and more
• Amazing gifts you get for free
• Opportunities to earn a scholarship, mentorship, or once in a lifetime experience
• Hundreds of FREE games
• Kid and teen-only community (that means no one over 18; no predators, sex offenders, or anonymous users)
• Weekly contests with great prizes
• Regular donations to youth philanthropies that help children and families, or to schools that need extra support

Related Articles

• Yoursphere Before Facebook for Tweens and Teens (connectwithyourteens.blogspot.com)

The 2010 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure and hosted by and benefiting the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength is proud to host another online auction presented by Quinn & Co. with 100% of the net proceeds going to help these community based organizations fight hunger.

The online auction is live and will run through October 15th. Visitors have a chance to take a piece of the festival home and make it last just a little bit longer by bidding on amazing dining packages, exciting getaways, insider experiences and many other luxury items.

Place Bid Silver Moon Desserts – BiddingForGood Fundraising Auction.

The Drunken Nut — Silver Moon’s Bourbon Vanilla ice cream liberally adorned with stout caramel and Bourbon pecan sauces, pralines, peanuts and whipped cream — proved to be quite popular. (And it seemed like people enjoyed saying, “I’ll have two Drunken Nuts, please.)

Never really considered myself a big jazz aficionado but thought it would be a hoot to scoop ice cream  and soak up some cool-cat vibes. Sundae-making actually turned out to be very rewarding, especially when I was forced to eat a spoonful of hot fudge every so often. For quality control purposes, of course. When Sheri wasn’t looking.

It was also a genuine thrill to see the reactions of people who were getting their first taste of the Silver Moon Desserts phenomenon. Lots of “Wows!” and “Amazing!” and “Ooh, that’s GOOD.” And you could tell people meant it, they weren’t just being polite.

But truly wonderful was the experience of being exposed to incredible artists who blew me squarely into diehard jazz fandom. Even in the food pavilion, we could hear – and feel – the riveting Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and his band Orleans Avenue.

Uncontrollable bootie-shaking and air tromboning antics ensued in our little booth as Shorty’s fiery horn action mercilessly propelled us about. Mac McDonald at the Monterey County Herald review says it all:

“…From the opening blast of his trombone, the youngster from the Big Easy had the audience by the scruff of the neck and shook it for all it was worth. Andrews was on both trombone and trumpet and backed by a smoking-hot band. The rising star had a usually laid-back arena crowd on its feet, clapping, dancing and responding to his frequent call-and-response rejoinders.” More here.

And then there was Jake Shimabukuro and his magic Ukulele. I love music across the spectrum –rock, alt, folk, Swedish techno-goth, yet never had really considered delving into the ukulele genre. By pure wonderful chance and having no idea what was on tap, we got a seat just as the Hawaiian legend took the stage. Jake introduced himself, talked a little about how he got his first ukulele when he was four years old, and his different influences. Then he began to play.

His music: beautiful, evocative, humorous, complex, intense and deeply moving. (Again, there are others who can recap it better than I – check out Blog Monterey for more.) Suffice to say we were stunned by this young man and his talent.

The first song hooked us, the second, “Blue Roses Falling” had me in tears and then he completely knocked us out with renditions of the Beatles’ “In My Life” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” We could almost hear the late great Freddy Mercury in the uke’s expressive voice. Just to frost the cake, he came back to encore with a ukulele-shreddin’ version of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” And then, the huge crowd stumbled blissfully away into the night. – jdf

Above: Jake soaks up the crowd’s adulation after his wondrous encore rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

We all know that landing a five minute segment on Oprah or the Today Show can be a life changing experience. But how do you go about getting on a talk show in the first place?

We met under a perfectly cloudless azure sky at Rendezvous Charters, where the kindly Captain Steve and his crew welcomed us aboard, listed the maritime rules and then proceeded to guide our ship across (mostly) smooth waters.

Heading out from Pier 40 we passed under the Bay Bridge, sailed past Alcatraz Island and almost to Angel Island, the whole time enjoying gorgeous panoramic views of San Francisco’s skyline, the Golden Gate, and the East Bay hills.

We could also see, from a distance, the $300 million Russian Mega Yacht that recently floated to California and is owned by super-rich Russian guy 38-year-old Andrey Melnichenko (energy, fertilizer and banking concerns).

Anchored in Sausalito’s waters, Motor Yacht A looked spectacularly giant even from afar – it has a funny platypus-like front end and has been described as looking like a “submarine on steroids”.

The SMD party tossed around some ideas for getting the gazillionaire Mr. Melnichenko’s attention. A wet-suited Sheri Tate swimming up to the ship bearing a lovely pint of Pomegranate Martini, or perhaps a vigorous lobbing of said pint toward the behometh? Alas, we never did have the opportunity to share Silver Moon treats with, or offer an exclusive investment opportunity to the extravagant Muscovite yachtsman.

Youngest passenger, eight-year-old owlet MJ, was invited to helm The Bay Lady for awhile. She was, of course, thrilled, and under Captain Steve’s expert guidance even brought the sailboard “about” (I understand that term to mean “turn around”) and back to Pier 40. What a fantastic way to spend a sunny San Francisco afternoon! -jdf