San Francisco Chronicle Uncorks New Interactive Wine Website, "The Press"

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 7, 2017 -- The San Francisco Chronicle, Northern California's largest newspaper, today announces the debut of The Press, an online, interactive guide to the best of California Wine Country.

Building on The Chronicle's decades-long coverage of the wine industry, The Press will allow users to find the best wineries and tasting rooms to visit, plan a day or weeklong trip, and learn more about the beautiful vineyards that make California Wine Country so famed – all via an online portal. It will feature reviews of wineries and tasting rooms, plus guides to Wine Country restaurants, hotels, events, and more from The Chronicle experts' audiences have come to know and trust, including Wine Critic Esther Mobley, Food Editor Paolo Lucchesi, and Restaurant Critic Michael Bauer. The Press is mobile-friendly and easy-to-use, allowing for users to plan their dream Wine Country trip from home or on the road.

"With The Press, wine lovers get recommendations and insight from Esther Mobley, one of the top wine journalists in the country, along with her crew of writers," said Kitty Morgan, Assistant Managing editor for Lifestyle for The Chronicle. "They've visited hundreds of the region's wineries, checked out the tasting rooms and sampled the wines. With this information, those wine lovers can then plan a trip that meets their budgets, time frame and interests. The Press is wine journalism made totally user-friendly."

Beginning on Sunday, August 6th, oenophiles can access The Press via SFChronicle.com directly at SFChronicle.com/ThePress.

About The San Francisco Chronicle
The San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfchronicle.com) is the largest newspaper in Northern California and the second largest on the West Coast. Acquired by Hearst Corporation in 2000, The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 by Charles and Michael de Young and has been awarded six Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic excellence. With name-brand voices and a keen editorial eye, the Chronicle is an authority that still surprises. Follow us on Twitter @SFChronicle.

About Hearst Corporation
Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) is one of the nation's largest diversified media and information companies. Its major interests include ownership of 15 daily and 36 weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union; hundreds of magazines around the world, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, ELLE and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations, which reach a combined 18 percent of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including Lifetime, A&E, HISTORY and ESPN; significant holdings in automotive, electronic and medical/pharmaceutical business information companies; a 50 percent stake in global ratings agency Fitch Group; internet and marketing services businesses; television production; newspaper features distribution; and real estate. Follow us on Twitter @HearstCorp.


SOURCE The San Francisco Chronicle

Lifecrowd Launches Out of MuckerLab, Rolls Out in Two New Cities

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 23, 2012 -- Social activities discovery site Lifecrowd has become the first startup to emerge out of the Los Angeles-based MuckerLab incubator/accelerator program as the company today announced its official launch out of public Beta and expansion into three new regions, San Francisco, Orange County and San Diego.

An online marketplace for social activities, Lifecrowd makes it easy for users to discover and participate in group activities—from sushi making to dodge ball games—and connect them with friends and new people in their area. Lifecrowd emphasizes casual settings with a typical group size of 8 to 10 people—big enough to socialize without being overwhelming. All activities are created by users, called "Hosts," and curated by the Lifecrowd team for quality.

At Lifecrowd, just choose your city, find activities and click to book your spot or add future activities to your Life List. The site also allows users, called "Enthusiasts," to sort and browse sessions by neighborhood and by type of activity—which ranges from indulgent food experiences to physical activities like rock climbing or yoga—and invite their friends to join in. Lifecrowd also uses social filtering via Facebook and personalization methods to recommend activities aligned with their interests.

"We want to encourage users to meet new people and try new activities," said Lifecrowd CEO Bong Koh. "We are excited to bring Lifecrowd to new cities and give people a whole new way to explore unique and fun activities with their community."

"Lifecrowd represents the ultimate mashup between online social connections and in-person activities that perfectly suits the adventuresome spirit of today's consumer," said MuckerLab co-founder William Hsu. "With Lifecrowd, it's easy to become part of something new to enrich your life, expand your horizons and grow your social circle through a platform that is accessible, convenient and fits the mobile lifestyle."

Enthusiasts can find a selection of outings, events and expert-led sessions, view photos, read user reviews and reserve/pre-purchase spots for paid activities. The site also lists a variety of volunteer opportunities, perfect for individuals who want to participate in community service, but don't know what's available, where to go or how to get started.

To begin exploring new adventures today, register now at Lifecrowd.com.

About Lifecrowd

Lifecrowd is a marketplace for social activities connecting people, interests and culture. Lifecrowd inspires its online community to experience offline activities by integrating individual social graphs, user reviews, expert and activity listings and transaction capabilities. Lifecrowd currently includes a network of local regions within Southern California. The company is based in Santa Monica and its team, investors and advisors have helped build pioneering web companies including Zynga, Zocdoc, MySpace, Videoegg, Blackboard, Aggregate Knowledge, Lowermybills, and Yahoo.

About MuckerLab

MuckerLab is a mentorship-driven startup accelerator focused on serving Internet software, services and media entrepreneurs in Los Angeles and broader Southern California. MuckerLab aims to accelerate the growth of the overall technology ecosystem in Los Angeles by filling a critical gap currently in the market for start-ups at the earliest stages—resources, infrastructure, capital and guidance. MuckerLab partners and mentors work side-by-side with the region's best entrepreneurs, enabling them to build, launch and raise financing for exceptional businesses. Portfolio companies go through a structured, 3-month-long program that provides them with funding, office space and access to a deep mentor network of top-tier investors and entrepreneurs. MuckerLab is a proud member of the TechStars Network. www.muckerlab.com .

SOURCE Lifecrowd

TheLoop: The Social Network Alternative We've All Been Waiting for is at GDC 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, March 7, 2012 -- TheLoop, a new social discovery and broadcast network, is celebrating its official launch at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, March 5-9th.

"TheLoop is different because of its social philosophy, which sees the users as partners in the network's success whilst providing them with new forms of social expression," says Adi Engel, Head of TheLoop launch team.

TheLoop offers a social networking experience based on an amalgamation of the networking features that we've all become so fond of, including a dynamic feed (The Feed), the ability to broadcast live (LoopStage), video chatting (LoopCafe), different interest groups (Groups), and a mobile app that lets you stay "in TheLoop" anywhere, anytime.

What sets TheLoop apart from other social networks is its core value - seeking to partner with the users instead of simply gaining from their creativity. "In the coming months we plan to unveil a set of features that will support our unique outlook on social networking," says Ms. Engel. "We believe that in a short period of time, developers, webmasters and the general public will all see the vast advantages of getting into TheLoop."

TheLoop has set a clear goal to partner with developers and webmasters. The site offers developers an opportunity to "grow with TheLoop" rather than develop into overly-saturated existing platforms. As part of their launch, the company is also hosting an App Developers competition in which participants can win up to $10,000.

Source: TheLoop

Grammy Winning Group Train Invites You To Enjoy "Drive By," The Group's Brand New Single from Columbia Records

Available On iTunes, Tuesday, January 10

NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2012  -- Columbia Records is pleased to announce the arrival of "Drive By," the much-anticipated new single from Train, the Grammy-winning multi-platinum group from San Francisco whose iconic hits include "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)," "Calling All Angels" and "Hey, Soul Sister."

"Drive By," the first new music from Train's upcoming sixth studio album, will be available on iTunes beginning Tuesday, January 10, 2012.

The group's fifth (and most recent ) studio album, 2009's Save Me, San Francisco, has sold more than one million copies worldwide while generating online sales of more than eight million tracks. The album debuted, as its lead single, the studio version of "Hey, Soul Sister," which hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Train's highest charting track yet. 2010's top-selling song on iTunes, the digital single was certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA while a live version of "Hey, Soul Sister" took home a Grammy Award (the group's third overall) in February 2011 for Best Pop Performance for a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Train, whose "Brand New Book" served as the theme song for NBC's "The Biggest Loser," performed the track during the show's network finale in December. In addition, the band turned in an electrifying set during the half-time show at this year's Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida. Train spent the Summer of 2011 on the road co-headlining a sold-out tour with Maroon 5.

Train invites the group's fans to enjoy "Drive By" at Trainline.com or click here to listen....or, watch it here:

SOURCE Columbia Records