(L-R) George Stamatakis with his brother Nikiforos showing their creation
When George Stamatakis left Greece to come to the States he had a lot of dreams for his future and a goal: “To study music at the highest level.” However, back then- he couldn’t have imagined where the journey would take him. Instead of creating music himself, he created a revolutionary tool for the world to create music. The software StudioMini for iPhone and iPad, a creation of George and his brother, Nikiforos, is a unique tool for musicians to produce music entirely on mobile devices like if they were in a studio.
George and his brother are responsible for the recording of hundreds if not thousands of songs that may otherwise never have been recorded. The Greek brothers have made such a high quality product that it is able to give the ability to everybody to record sound professionally outside of a music studio.
In December, StudioMini gained national attention when the British rock band Gorillaz announced that they recorded their new CD on an iPad, using StudioMini, among a few other apps.
In our interview, we talked with George Stamatakis about the creation of StudioMini, and his future plans.
What is your educational background?
I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from USC. Specifically I studied Jazz Guitar at the Thornton School of Music.
Where are you from?
I’m from Iraklio, Crete. My father is from Crete and my mother is from the U.S.
How and why did you come to the USA?
I moved to Los Angeles from Crete to attend USC. It was the summer after I graduated high school and I was 17, which seems crazy to me now but I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to study music at the highest level. I also wanted to be in a university environment surrounded with people from other disciplines.
Where you always good with computers?
I was always intrigued by computers, and I convinced my parents to sign me up for a programming class in Basic when I was in the sixth grade. I was never into video games though. I started really getting into computers when I was at USC, where I started recording and producing music using all the latest software. I’m really close with my brother, who is an amazing software developer, and I’ve learned a lot from him over the years.
Was this the job that you always wanted to do?
Not really! I wanted to be a professional musician first and foremost, which I was doing until I decided to follow my current path a couple of years ago. I was looking for a way out of playing and teaching music full time, I guess I felt I wanted a new and different challenge.
How did you get the idea for your application?
My brother and I were home for Christmas a couple of years ago, we were talking and it just popped up: why don’t we do something for the iPhone? I immediately got very excited and realized that this was the new direction I was looking for. I started spending all my time reading books on computer programming and UI design, along with reading all of Apple’s documentation for developers. When I felt I had a working understanding of the iPhone OS I started brainstorming for App ideas. I wanted to create something I really believed in, I didn’t want to do something gimmicky just for the money. That’s when the first idea for StudioMini came about.
Please explain to us what does the application do?
StudioMini is a multitrack recording app. It’s an audio recording and production tool for musicians of all levels that lets users layer tracks, just like they do in professional studios. The audio quality is amazing, it records in true CD quality audio. Users can use built in pro-quality audio Loops for accompaniment, there is a tuner, a metronome and users can create final mixes and email them without leaving their iPhone/iPad.
Did you imagine becoming successful?
Well, I fantasized in the beginning, but it didn’t happen overnight. We slowly and gradually built up our sales by constantly improving StudioMini and getting great reviews from our users. Our big break came this past December when the British rock band Gorillaz announced that they recorded their new CD on an iPad. They used a number of apps, and StudioMini XL (our iPad version) was the one they used for multitracking. The story made CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The New York Post, etc. That really sent us to the next level making StudioMini a consistent Top 20 Music App.
Do you have any more applications in mind? Please tell us a little about your upcoming projects.
I have tons of brainstorming ideas, which I write down. I’ve been so busy with StudioMini and with starting my company that I haven’t had time to really get into the next one. Hopefully I will be able to soon! I would like to stay in the music field and create more tools that will help musicians.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
Establishing myself in the audio software/hardware world, growing my company, hiring people full time, and creating great new tools for musicians.
Is it tough to work with your brother?
Not at all actually! We’ve always been very close and we get along extremely well. We never argue and working with him is the easiest thing in the world for me.
Tell us a few words about him.
My brother’s name is Nikiforos and he lives in Manhattan, where he’s a Senior Software Developer for the NFL. He mainly creates original software that the NFL uses for some cutting edge projects. He studied Computer Engineering at the University of Michigan.
The Centre of the Greek Culture Foundation in Belgrade will host an exhibition displaying 30 characteristic samples of iconography by The Cretan School from the Image Collection Sekulić. These will include works by Cretan artists such as Andreas Ritzos, Constantine Tzanes and their students. The 165 images are part of a collection amassed during the second and third quarter of the last century by the collectors Milan and Pava Sekulić and donated to the City of Belgrade. Since then, they form a special section of the Museum of the City of Belgrade (Uzun Mirkova 5 / I). The collection contains striking images not only from Serbian artists, but from Greek and Russian ones too.
The Sekulić collection features approximately sixty images created by the Cretan painters and their students. These works were created during the period from the late 15th to the 19th century and are the best collection of Greek iconography that can be seen in Serbia gathered in one place. The exhibition will be held on Tuesday, the 24th of May at 7:00 p.m. The duration of the exhibition is from 24. 5.2011– 14. 6. 2011 Hours are: Mon – Fri.: 12:00 to 19:00
A lecture on the activity of Greek communists in Bucharest during the period 1944-1948 will be held at the Center of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture, by Dr. Oana Barbălată. She is a professor of History and researcher at The Romanian National Archives. She analyses the way Greek communists affected the Greek community in Bucharest, whose aim was to establish the union of the Greeks in Romania and the fight against fascism.
Delphi may be considered the “earth’s navel” due to the ancient history of the area, but today the municipality of Delphi took part and won first prize in a European competition. It was awarded for being the best sustainable tourism destination of the country for 2011. The competition had been organized by the European Commission and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on the occasion of the program “European Destinations of Excellence” (EDEN), which has a different topic every year. For 2011, the topic was “Tourism and Regeneration of Physical Sites”. The state-members of the EU, which participate in the program through specific processes, were asked to choose one winner and four runner-up destinations. Candidates do not have dominant characteristics of mass tourism and have regenerated a site of the local heritage in order to transform it into a tourism attraction and which can be used as a “catalyst” in the wider local tourism development.
In recent years, Sotheby’s was accustomed to enjoying the gains offered by Greek sales. However, on Monday, with the closure of the first Greek Sale for 2011, the gains of the day were slightly disappointing.
Sources say that many people in the UK had thought that Greek ship owners who live in London would be eager to participate in the tender offers bidding on auctions that were considered to be a safe investment.
Unfortunately, the “limit-up” of the past is a distant dream. The largest amount was given for a work of Giannis Moralis from the series “Erotiko” but it did not exceed the evaluation ranging from 200.000 to 300.000 pounds.
The times when the works of Volanakis and Gizis were sold for more than 200% of their value have apparently passed and it is uncertain if they will ever return.
The UN Secretary General is looking forward to meeting the leaders in Cyprus in a trilateral meeting, late June – early July, either in New York or in Geneva, said Tuesday UN Secretary-General`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer, after his meeting with President Demetris Christofias.
“We want to make it a really useful meeting, a meeting that will move the process up a gear”, said Downer, adding that they will focus on that a little bit closer to the time, taking into account what will happen between now and then.
Downer did not exclude the possibility of further trilateral meetings after late June and early July, saying however that it’s premature to be speculating on that at this stage.
Replying to a question on reports that the Secretary General agrees that December is the end of negotiation process, the Special Adviser pointed out that Ban Ki-moon has never said that in public or privately to anybody, adding that he has spoken to him very recently.
Downer had meetings on Tuesday morning with President Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu. The Special Adviser said that he is looking forward to meeting with them together on Thursday, adding that they are pressing on with discussions on security issue. He also said that the representatives of the leaders are meeting this afternoon and so is the subcommittee on treaties that hasn’t met since the end of 2009.
Replying to another question, Downer said that the leaders will possibly meet again next week. He also said that the May 22 elections in Cyprus and the Jun 12 elections in Turkey have their own dynamic to the process. (source: cna)
Singapore’s status as a world financial hub has driven its economy to historic heights, prompting people looking for new job opportunities abroad to choose this Southeast Asian country as their immigration destination.
Singapore’s foreign population has risen from 20 percent of the total population in 2001, to 36 percent today. In just one year in 2010, the country saw a 14.5 percent expansion in its economy. This is largely thanks to the large number of foreigners choosing to immigrate to Singapore.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore wants to attract investment and talent from abroad, stating that this will lead to further growth for the country’s economy. He added that this would create jobs and bring prosperity for its citizens.
Singapore, along with other popular migrant destinations such as Hong Kong, offers a range of immigration schemes for skilled migrants.
Skilled migrants can come under the Singapore Landed Permanent Residence scheme. This scheme offers skilled foreigners permanent residence if they have the right qualifications and experience to meet the immigration requirements for the Singapore LPR scheme.
Loukas Giorkas, the singer representing Greece in Tuesday’s Semi-Final for the 2011 Eurovision contest passed to the final round, together with nine other finalists. The other countries are: Iceland: Sigurjon’s Friends – Aftur Heim (Coming Home) Russia: Alexey Vorobyov – Get You Finland: Paradise Oskar – Da da dam Hungary: Kati Wolf – What About My Dreams Switzerland: Anna Rossinelli – In Love For A While Azerbijan – Running Scared Georgia: Eldrine – One More Day Greece: Loucas Yiorkas feat. Stereo Mike – Watch My Dance Serbia: Nina – Caroban Lithuania: Evelina Sasenko – C’est Ma Vie
Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) has announced the 2011 line-up of films for its 5th annual Festival, which runs June 9-12 at the Laemmle’s Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.
In recent years, the Greek American diaspora has made leaps and bounds in the fields of art and science, playing an active role in the advancement of modern Greek culture in the USA and around the world.
LAGFF is witnessing a new wave of Greek Cinema emerging from an irreverent generation of young filmmakers who insist on breaking ties with past trends and seeing things in their own unique way. The results are impressive and include recognition in global film circles and the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that nominated Yorgos Lanthimos’ DOGTOOTH in the foreign language film category.
This year, seven feature films, five documentaries and nine shorts, including three world premieres, ten US premieres and eight LA premieres will be presented during the 4-day Festival. The Festival has also added an industry panel “Crossing Borders: Foreign Films in Hollywood” to the schedule this year.
“This year’s films represent all facets of Greek life – humor, music, wine, erotica, and family… with a twist! Los Angeles audiences will not be disappointed,” says Ersi Danou, LAGFF co-founder. “The growing Greek film community is rapidly proving itself a formidable source of truly groundbreaking cinema and I am proud to help bring these incredible works to the Los Angeles screen.” states Owen Ward, Director of Programming.
Opening night gala will showcase Lea Binzer’s documentary PELICAN’S WATCH about a small community of elders on the island of Santorini charged with the unique duty to preserve the traditions of vine-growing and winemaking in the face of changing times that threaten their ancient and world renowned art. The screening will be followed by a reception featuring some of the top Greek wines.
Santorini winemakers and the filmmakers are expected to attend. On Friday June 10, LAGFF presents the US premiere of Roy Sher’s MY SWEET CANARY, a documentary that recounts the story of Roza Eskenazy, the Diva of Rebetiko or “Greek Blues,” whose music shaped the soundtrack of Greece and Asia Minor for almost a century.
The legendary music composer Mikis Theodorakis will be presented with a Honorary Orpheus Award during the awards ceremony on Sunday, June 12, at the Writers Guild Theatre.
The award acknowledges the man’s iconic status as a leading figure in a nation’s struggle for freedom and peace as well as his
body of work in the world of music and contribution to world cinema with scores for milestone films such as Z, SERPICO, STATE OF SIEGE, and ZORBA THE GREEK. Accepting the Orpheus on his behalf will be Asteris Koutoulas, a longtime collaborator as well as the director of the featured documentary MIKIS THEODORAKIS, COMPOSER, which will be shown on Saturday, June 11.
The Festival comes to a close Sunday, June 12 at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills with a Gala event and world premiere of BURNING HEADS (To Gala), directed by Giorgos Siougas. This poignant story, based on the Greek play To Gala by Katsikonouris is a hardcore look at immigration and resulting family dynamics in Greece today.
Immediately preceding the feature LAGFF will host its closing night Orpheus Awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Angelo Tsarouchas. The evening ends with sumptuous Mediterranean food reception. The reception, to be sponsored by world-renowned Greek-owned Earth Friendly Products, will be green-themed in support of green action in Greece and around the world.
Co-founder Angeliki Giannakopoulos adds, “We are also pleased to expand the festival beyond the Greek borders to address the changes that are happening within the independent film distribution arena as a whole. We have added the “Crossing Borders: Foreign Films in Hollywood‟ panel with experts who are able to address new avenues outside the traditional route.” While still marginal players in the US distribution and exhibition domains, foreign films have a growing effect on both studio and independent domestic filmmaking, shown by an increasing number of international co-productions and Hollywood studio remakes.
The 5th Annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) runs from June 9-12 at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, located at 8000 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles. Closing night will take place at the Writers Guild Theater at 135 S. Doheny in Beverly Hills.
Tickets can be purchased online via the LAGFF website at LAGFF.org beginning Tuesday, May 10, 2011.
Elite Pass Members are $300 online and $350 at the door (includes VIP preferred seating to all films, opening and closing night tickets, and access to all events – industry, panel and seminar). General film tickets are $12 each. For more information, including how to purchase Screening Passes, Event information and Elite Passes, please visit http://lagff.org
LAGFF 2011 Program Page 3
LAGFF Full Schedule:
Opening Night Film:
PELICAN’S WATCH (I Vardia tou Pelekanou)
Greece, 2011, 67 min, US Premiere
Director/Producer: Lea Binzer [TRAILER]
A small community of elders on the island of Santorini is charged with the unique duty to preserve the traditions of vine-growing and winemaking in the face of changing times that threaten their ancient and world-renowned art.
When Russian immigrant Adonis introduces his bride-to-be to his mother and schizophrenic brother, deep-rooted rifts within their family explode as Adonis seeks to ease his guilt and his mother tries to restore the bond their family once knew in their long-lost homeland.
Fiction features
A WOMAN’S WAY (Strella)
Greece, 2009, 113 min, LA Premiere
Director/Producer: Panos Koutras
When Yorgos is released from prison and seeks his estranged son, he meets and falls in love with the matriarchal transsexual Strella, discovering that the two have much more in common than expected and that she might even offer the key to his lost happiness.
BILOBA
Greece, 2009, 97 min, LA Premiere
Director: Sofia Papchristou
Producer: Sofia Papachristou, Stavros Meleas
Engineer Peter sets off to build a power generator fueled by toxic waste on an uncharted island, but unexpectedly finds magic amongst the backward islanders and is faced with a difficult choice.
Thessaloniki Film Festival 2009: Audience Award
THE DEATH I DREAMED OF (O Thanatos pou Oneireythika)
Greece, 2010, 94 min, LA Premiere
Director/Producer: Panagiotis Kravvas
Based on a true story, this horror tale follows a group of teenagers as they encounter a mysterious stranger who at first gathers them in a celebration of the occult but eventually unleashes a very real display of death and destruction.
HARISMA
Greece, 2010, 83 min, LA Premiere
Director: Christina Ioakeimidi
Producer: Alexandra Boussiou
When unsophisticated bus driver Haris thrusts himself into the seemingly controlled life of young teacher Ismini, both have to abandon their safety nets in order to find true love in this light-hearted comedy.
In this artful B&W account of a decaying middle class, Nikos moves in with his brutish uncle to guard his dogs, but soon finds out that he must pull himself together in order to set things right.
WITHOUT BORDERS (Horis Sinora)
Greece, 2010, 97 min, US Premiere
Director: Nick Gaitatjis
Producers: John Apostolou, Sandra Staggs
With the help of his eccentric cousin, Thanasis embarks on a journey across continents in search of his six-year-old adopted daughter, redefining the meaning of familial love along the way.
Documentaries
THE GAME MUST GO ON (Ta Paidia Den Paizei)
Greece, 2010, 80 min, LA Premiere
Director: Angeli Andrikopoulou, Argyris Tsepelikas
Producer: Rea Apostolides [TRAILER]
Tired of being hassled by their neighbors for playing soccer in the streets, an ambitious group of children set out to build a playing field of their own by daring what most adults would not: Cutting through the red tape and going up against the machine of local politics.
MIKIS THEODORAKIS, COMPOSER (Mikis Theodorakis, Komponist)
Germany, 2010, 53 min, US Premiere
Directors: Asteris Kutulas, Klaus Salge
Producer: Klaus Salge
This in-depth portrait of Mikis Theodorakis explores the roots of the life and work of Greece’s legendary composer whose music became identified with the struggles of a nation torn by war and strife in the 20th Century.
MY SWEET CANARY
Israel/France/Greece, 2011, 89 min, US Premiere
Director/Producer: Roy Sher [TRAILER]
The story of Roza Eskenazy, the Diva of Rebetiko or “Greek Blues,” whose music shaped the soundtrack of Greece and Asia Minor for almost a century is unveiled through the journey of three modern musicians who retrace her steps and perform her songs.
WITH GREAT POWER: THE STAN LEE STORY *
USA, 2010, 80 min
Directors: Will Hess, Terry Dougas, Nikki Frakes
Producers: Paris Latsis, Will Hess, Nikki Frakes, Terry Dougas
Get up close and personal with Stan Lee, the artist behind world-famous Marvel comics and comic book favorites like Spiderman and The Fantastic Four in this star-studded documentary that explores how one of today’s great creative minds came to be.
Short films
1.2 MILLION CHILDREN (1.2 Ekatommyria Paidia)
Greece, 2010, 3 min, US Premiere (Animated)
Director: Effie Pappa
Producers: Effie Pappa, Stelios Polychronakis
This animated short brings light to the tragic issue of children being bought and sold across international borders.
6th Animfest 2010: 2nd Animation Award
EBGE Hellenic Graphic Design & Animation Awards: Special Merit Award
13 ½
Greece, 2010, 21 min, US Premiere
Director: Haris Vafeiadis
Producer: Yiannis Exintaris
The road to adulthood is fraught with peril for this young teenage girl who comes to understand the value of her lost innocence.
Greek Federation of Film Societies Drama Film Festival: 2nd Fiction, Best Female Performance, Best Film)
ALTER *
Greece, 2011, 9 min, World Premiere
Director: Petros Antoniadis
Producers: Maria Vlachaki, George Antoniadis
An unconventional artist finds that he must embrace all parts of his psyche in order to reach fulfillment.
COMMENTARY *
USA/Canada, 2010, 8 min, World Premiere
Director: Jonathan Crow
Producer: John Kapelos, Ira Miller
What starts as a simple behind-the-scenes commentary recording session between a film producer and director becomes a hilarious conflict of personal relationships.
MARIOS AND THE RAVEN
Greece, 2010, 22 min, US Premiere
Director/Producer: Yiannis Bougioukas
On his 53rd birthday, Marios seems to have everything he ever wished for- until a bird dropping from the blue reveals his happiness to be far more fragile than it seemed.
16th International Short Film Festival in Drama 2010: Best South and Eastern Europe Film Award
33rd National Short Film Festival in Drama 2010: Best Actor (Errikos Litsis)
PYRAMIDS OF ATHENS (Pyramides tis Athinas)
Greece, 2010, 15 min
Director/Producer: Yolanda Markopoulou
A young Egyptian immigrant in Athens observes suspicious activity in the abandoned building where he is squatting and decides to take matters into his own hands despite language and cultural barriers.
One man simply trying to adjust his TV antenna sets off a chain of comic events that bring an entire apartment community together.
THE DOG (O Skylos)
Greece, 2009, 23 min, US Premiere
Director: Nikos Charalabopoulos (aka Labot)
Producers: Nikos Charalabopoulos, Louizos Aslanidis
The arrival of a young suitor and his dog means war for a father who compulsively protects his only daughter.
WHAT TIME WILL YOU BE BACK? (Ti Ora tha Gyrisis?)
Greece, 2010, 20 min, US Premiere
Director: Maritina Passari
Producer: Panayiotis Karabinis
When Eurydice rebels against her mother to follow her dream of becoming a punk-rock singer, she realizes that the mother-daughter relationship is not one-way.
NOTE: All films include English subtitles, except (*) indicates English original language.
The German government will await the result of an ongoing evaluation on the Greek bailout program by the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission before commenting on whether any further steps are necessary, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday.
“We can only draw conclusions when we know the outcome” of that evaluation, Merkel told foreign journalists at a press conference.
The German Chancellor made her comments after a senior Greek government official earlier Tuesday had told Dow Jones Newswires that Greece expects a new package of nearly EUR60 billion in aid as early as next month that will cover its financial needs stretching into 2013.
Previous troika missions didn΄t result in any complaints, Merkel said.
“We need to see what the findings are this time. Only then I can decide what or whether anything at all needs to be done,” Merkel said.
Asked about possible additional aid measures, Merkel said she wouldn΄t do Greece any favors if she engaged in speculation. (source: Dow Jones)
Loukas Giorkas, the singer representing 
