2023 The Side Bar - Edition IV

THE SIDE BAR

ALL OF OUR DUCKS IN A ROW Letter from the Editor — p. 2

THE RACE TO THE SKY Art All Around Us — p. 3

THE MANY LIVES OF JAMES E. HEAVEY Barton Spotlight — p. 5

STORIES WORKING 24/7 Unique Clients — p. 7

THE PENFED FOUNDATION Community Heroes — p. 9

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Broadway to Broadway — p. 11

THE FUTURE AIN’T BRIGHT, BUT IT ALSO AIN’T BORING Shot for Shot — p. 13

LOCATIONS

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New York, NY 10017

Phone: 212.687.6262

Nashville, TN 611 Commerce Street Suite 2603

Nashville, TN 37203

Phone: 615.340.6790

Los Angeles, CA 100 Wilshire Boulevard

Suite 1300

Santa Monica, CA 90401

Phone: 424.428.1101

bartonesq.com

Gin Rickey

2 oz gin

MIXOLOGY 101

MIXOLOGY 101

In this edition, our first article begins in the Roaring 20s. It would therefore be criminal not to include a drink recipe for at least one popular cocktail during the Prohibition Era.

½ oz freshly squeezed lime juice

4+ oz soda water/club soda

Fill a highball glass with ice and add the lime juice and gin. Top off the glass with chilled soda water or club soda. Add a lime garnish and enjoy!

Barton is committed to providing our clients with the highest quality legal services delivered in an effective and efficient manner. We believe that a better product, value and client experience are achieved by providing our clients with highly skilled senior attorneys who work directly on their matters and who take the time to understand clients’ organizations, objectives and long-term goals. We know that clients prioritize managing their resources and creating efficiencies, and they want lawyers who are able to do the same. We invite you to experience the difference and Discover Better Law with Barton (bartonesq.com).

a Row

Sometimes you’ve just got to take a break from leveraging your synergies and shifting the paradigm.

We can’t all be disrupting the status quo all of the time, can we?

So take a breather from maximizing your bandwidth and utilizing your assets to move the needle. Forget about scaling your core competencies for a second, put down that cutting-edge technology you’re holding and, instead, take a deep dive into this robust edition of The Side Bar.

We’ve cast a wide net with this edition in order to diversify our storytelling. Let me drill down on the deliverables:

•We parse out the history of the famous Chrysler building’s creation (#growthmindset) and the larger Art Deco movement that swept through New York from the 1920s-1930s.

•We touch base with Barton Operations Partner James Heavey and track his multi-faceted career path from undercover federal agent, to attorney, to judge.

•We visit with Barton client the Casbah Group, whose creative and experiential approach to their work has facilitated their success in the fast-paced industry of advertising.

•We discover how the PenFed Foundation is driving results by changing the lives of military veterans through an entrepreneurship training program and investment fund.

•We provide strategic insights into the history of New York and Nashville’s famous nicknames, analyzing how these monikers reflect cultural value alignment.

•We take a look at how six different films envision dystopian or post-apocalyptic versions of New York—ones where humanity clearly didn’t futureproof its initiatives.

So, do we have your buy-in, 110%? You can always circle back.

Roger E. Barton Managing Partner

e Race to the Sky

e Chrysler Building & the Rise of Art Deco

It’s hard not to love the Chrysler Building. Located at 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue—just three blocks from Barton’s New York office—the Chrysler Building rises 1,046 feet into the air, its 77 stories of brick and steel culminating in a crown and needlelike spire. The building was designed by architect William Van Alen under the commission of Walter P. Chrysler, the founder of the eponymous automobile empire, the Chrysler Corporation. However, the Chrysler Corporation did not own a stake in the building, although it did house its headquarters there for several years. The project was in fact a personal one for Walter Chrysler who wanted to leave a legacy for his children—a legacy that cost almost $20 million to build, approximately $330 million today.

At the time construction on the Chrysler Building began in 1928, the Chrysler Corporation had emerged as one of the “Big Three” American automakers, alongside Ford and General Motors. Walter Chrysler had been named by Time magazine as the

Man of the Year in 1928 and had set out to conquer the skies by building the world’s tallest building.

But Walter Chrysler wasn’t the only competitor in what would come to be known as the “race to the sky.” About four miles downtown, a building being constructed by the Manhattan Company at 40 Wall Street was also gunning for the title of world’s tallest building. The race between the two competing skyscrapers lasted almost two years, with the public anxious to see who came out on top. Incidentally, the very top of the Chrysler Building was to be the deciding factor.

Unbeknownst to those over at 40 Wall Street, Van Alen had built the Chrysler Building’s signature 125-foot steel spire in secret, hiding it within the shaft of the building during construction. In 1930, after construction of the Manhattan Company Building had concluded and the developers were celebrating having built the tallest building in the world, the Chrysler Building’s spire was revealed and quickly erected for an uber dramatic, come-frombehind victory for the ages. Thus, the Chrysler Building became the tallest skyscraper in the world—a title it held briefly until it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931.

While the Chrysler Building was no longer the tallest, it remained—and still remains today—one of the most striking

in composition and design. Part of this was the direct influence of Walter Chrysler, who fashioned the building as a kind of monument to his commercial success, arranging for the building’s adornments to mimic the features of his cars. A frieze depicting fenders, wheels, and hubcaps wraps around the outside

Outtake: Winged helmet adornments and a frieze depicting car parts on the Chrysler Building are nods to the Chrysler automobile empire.

Walter P. Chrysler stands next to one of his company’s car models, complete with winged helmet radiator cap.

of the 31st floor. The outer four corners of this level are also accented with winged helmets symbolizing the Roman god Mercury, incidentally the god of both commerce and speed. The winged helmets are also replicas of the hood ornaments/radiator caps that adorned some of the Chrysler car models at the time. On the 61st floor, eagle-head gargoyles watch over the city from their perches. The eagles are yet another reference to speed, while also a nod to the booming American capitalist machine of the 1920s that had made Chrysler such a wealthy man.

But perhaps the most recognizable feature of the Chrysler Building is its dome, made of terraced arches and embedded with triangular windows. Observers have described the top of the Chrysler Building as resembling everything from beams of a sunburst, to jeweled tiers of a crown, to spokes on a wheel. The dome and spire are made of diamond-honed KA-2 steel, a metal invented in Germany and selected for the Chrysler Building because of its intense gleam when struck by the sun.

The Chrysler Building’s design elements make it one of the most recognized examples of the Art Deco architectural movement. Art Deco (from arts décoratifs) as an artistic movement began in France, but the style elements

pull from many different cultures and schools of art. The Art Deco Society of New York notes that Art Deco uses Ancient Egyptian forms and decorative motifs; borrows geometric patterns used in African tribal designs; utilizes the Mesoamerican stepped design of the ziggurat; mimics the Greco-Roman use of mosaics and embellishments; and also draws influence from schools such as Cubism, De Stijl, and Bauhaus.

The Roaring 20s were marked by economic and technological advances as well as a real estate boom, helping spur the construction frenzy that produced an abundance of new skyscrapers in the early 20th century. Many of these buildings were created in the Art Deco style, both for cultural and practical reasons. The time period was that of both the Machine Age and the Jazz Age, a combination of both efficiency and style, both progress and pizzazz. The interplay of these zeitgeists was reflected in Art Deco design: an overall streamlined aesthetic; geometric elements such as chevrons, arcs, sunbursts, fountains, and floral abstractions; and shapes and angular patterns invoking the illusion of speed and movement.

On a practical level, Art Deco design provided a solution to the restrictions set by New York’s 1916 Zoning Resolution, which laid out regulations

regarding the parameters and bulk of buildings in the city. In order to keep the streets of New York from being smothered by the shadows of behemoth skyscrapers, the zoning resolution required that, as buildings rose higher, they must be set further back from the street to allow sunlight to reach ground level. Since many developers at the time were trying to build the world’s tallest buildings, the only way to go higher without violating the law was to build tiered or “wedding-cake-style” structures. Art Deco design already used this stepped, ziggurat-like form and was therefore the ideal solution. As a result, many of the buildings erected during the late 1920s and early 1930s use the Art Deco style, including the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the El Dorado, the Bryant Park Hotel, and 70 Pine Street.

While Art Deco had fallen out of favor by the late 1930s, it had already made its unmistakable mark on the skylines of cities all over the U.S., not the least of which was New York. Today, the Chrysler Building has transcended the mere functionalities of an office space. It remains a monument to the city’s rich history as a hub of progress, change, art, and culture…and of a time when New Yorkers began to realize that the sky was truly the only limit. ♦

Some examples of Art Deco patterns and styles (L to R: 30 Rock Entrance, Madison Belmont Building, Empire State Building Lobby)

e Many Lives of James E. Heavey

An Interview with Barton’s Favorite Operations Partner

So as I understand it, before you became a lawyer, your first career was in law enforcement. How did you get into that line of work?

I come from an extensive law enforcement family consisting of federal Special Agents and New York City police officers. My dad was the Special Agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service New York Office. My uncles and aunts were all agents and detectives. Then my older sister, who was a role model to us little ones, became a Special Agent. We were always surrounded by very brave, principled, established role models that any kid would look up to and want to emulate.

In that environment, we were required to move every few years of my life. I learned a lot about how to adapt to new environments. Competitive sports were a big way in which my sisters and I assimilated into new communities all around the country—it helped make up for our funny New York accents. I ended up playing Division I lacrosse at Duke University. Playing sports provided a foundation for collective success and relying on others. I think my athletic experience definitely contributed to my continued desire to be part of a team and compete in life, whether it be on the street in law enforcement or in the courtroom.

What kind of work did you do in law enforcement?

I worked as a detective on a New York State Police Task Force and as a Special Agent on a federal strike force. In these roles, I worked undercover investigating narcotics and money laundering. When I was undercover (back when I had long hair and a beard), I primarily bought drugs or investigated the smuggling of drugs. I happened to be very effective at purchasing drugs undercover in scenarios where they hadn’t found success sending other agents. I think a lot of it goes back to my general competitive nature and learning to quickly adapt to new situations.

Before 9/11, I worked exclusively in narcotics and money laundering. After 9/11, the efforts and resources dedicated to narcotics were redirected to the immediate commercial aviation security concerns. The majority of agents in narcotics were reassigned to airplanes. I ended up working as an Air Marshal for the Department of Homeland Security on a counterterrorism team out of the New York area providing security on domestic and international flights.

So how did you end up in law school then?

Being an Air Marshal was actually the most boring job I’ve ever had because we really didn’t do much enforcementwise. I was basically stuck on an airplane for 14 months, so I started

buying a ton of LSAT study books and reading the material as a mental exercise to pass the time. I studied those books for months and eventually one of my partners said, “If you don’t take that test, I’m going to kill you.” So I took the LSAT and did surprisingly well. Then it was like, Well I guess I have to go to law school now.

My exposure to the criminal justice system also helped push me towards law school. It became clear to me that the people that had the most influence in the justice system were the attorneys and judges. I realized that even when I was the person putting people in handcuffs, I was playing a secondary role once we got to the courtroom. To some degree, I looked at that as another challenge. So I left federal service and law enforcement to complete law school in my late 30s and work full time. I saw it as an opportunity to build on my body of knowledge and develop a more refined understanding of the law. While that was the end of my law enforcement career, it certainly wasn’t the end of my career in law.

James and his dog, Piper, return from a hike in the town of Westcli e, Colorado, where he serves as the Municipal Judge.

As a lawyer now, what are your primary areas of practice?

Today, my practice is primarily focused on litigation in the financial services industry. Our team at Barton works a lot of cases involving enforcement and regulatory authorities like the SEC, FINRA, and the DOJ. I have a general comfort level dealing with federal and regulatory agencies, particularly in adversarial situations and defense scenarios. I’m very comfortable arguing in court, examining witnesses, and being in front of a judge. A lot of this goes back to my experience being a witness in numerous trials during my time in law enforcement. I got to learn firsthand by watching some of the best defense attorneys in the country operate in the courtroom.

Our team at Barton does a lot of defense work representing national broker-dealers and institutions in litigation involving alleged theft of trade secrets, misappropriation of client information, and poaching of high-level personnel. We’ve actually had a lot of national press for our work in the broker-dealer world in instances where brokerdealers have left one firm for another. The former firm often alleges that the broker-dealer is misappropriating client lists and trade secrets and tries to stop the broker-dealer from “stealing” clients with a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). We’ve been really successful at defeating these TROs in federal court all over the country.

What’s this whole thing about you being a judge now, too?

During Covid, I was out in Colorado volunteering at a local legal clinic when I had the opportunity to meet the Sheriff and the Mayor of the local towns. Their county hadn’t had a judge on the bench for 16 months and therefore couldn’t collect any revenue on behalf of the towns for things like misdemeanors, municipal violations, and code ordinances. So in June of 2021, I was appointed as the City Municipal Judge of the towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, Colorado. A few days a month, I fly out there and hear all the cases on the docket. In doing so, we generate some revenue and goodwill for the towns. As part of our pro bono efforts here at Barton, I defer any compensation so that the money is put back into the legal resources of the local community.

Being a judge is a unique opportunity to give back to the community and to be a problem solver in disputes where I would typically be advocating for one side or the other. I take my judicial responsibilities very seriously—even though the cases I preside over may not be big issues from a legal or monetary standpoint, they do have a lot of extenuating factors beyond the simple question of whether or not the law was violated. I’m also very mindful that I’m making decisions that affect real people, and those decisions have to be supported by law and facts that would hold up under appellate review. This helps keep me grounded both on the technical aspects of the law and the decisions coming out of the court. That’s an element of being in the judge’s chair that’s completely unique to me and something that I’m still learning. The experience has definitely broadened my perceptions of the litigation process.

How have all of your different roles and careers complemented each other?

The skills that I learned as a Special Agent apply on so many levels to what I do now as a lawyer. I utilize numerous techniques I learned in law enforcement in my litigation investigations, such as crossexamination and interviewing of witnesses and dealing with adversarial or hostile individuals. The volume of cases I dealt with as an agent, my evidence and discovery responsibilities, and my experience with the litigation preparation with U.S. Attorneys’ offices uniquely prepared me to support my current legal practice and clients. Conversely, being an attorney has subsequently broadened my diplomacy and interpersonal skills to communicate and represent clients more effectively. As for being a judge, that role has really broadened my perspective on it all, which I find benefits the way I approach my clients’ matters.

Each role I’ve held in the justice system has had its own challenges and has allowed me to take on different perspectives. I’ve tried to carry certain principles throughout my life and career by building on my skill sets to be the most effective agent, lawyer, and judge possible. I believe there’s always room to grow, and I look forward to doing so with my clients here at Barton. ♦

James and his niece enjoy a favorite pastime— hanging ten at the beach.

Stories Working 24/7

e Casbah Group

On paper, Barton’s client, the Casbah Group, is a marketing company. But in reality, they’re much, much more.

Comprised of three subdivisions— Exposure, SEEN, and THREESIXTY, each with its own unique flavor and industry niche—the Casbah Group is an independent marketing agency with a footprint in London, New York, Paris, and Tokyo. Founded by Raoul Shah in 1993, Exposure was the very first of the three agencies and has made quite a name for itself by way of its authentic story-driven approach to advertising, branding, and experiential marketing. The group has done work for some of the best-known brand names in the world: Coca-Cola, Nike, adidas, Dr. Martens, Levi’s, Converse, Samsung, 1800 Tequila, Absolut Vodka, Fenty Beauty, Sony Music, LEGO, Nordstrom, and Aesop to name just a few.

Exposure Gets Its Start

After leaving university, Raoul Shah began his career in marketing at Pepe Jeans. When he left the company in 1993, Shah became involved in running and managing clubs in London. The London club circuit in the 90s proved to be a hub for young creatives, and Shah befriended many emerging figures in the fashion, art, and music industries. It was through one of these relationships that Exposure was born.

“The marketing director for Converse shoes used to come to my club,” recounts Shah. “And she’d ask me how she could get everyone in the club to start wearing her brand of

shoes. So I would come down to the club every week with boxes of shoes, and we’d give them away to people. And then, without me planning it, various people at the club would either be photographers, or working at magazines, or were editors. Suddenly, Converse started appearing on a lot of people’s feet and in a lot of magazines. It was the rebirth of the Converse brand and the beginning of Exposure.”

Jonathan Fozard, General Counsel for the Casbah Group, found his way to the company via a different route. He originally joined the business in 2006 as a “runner,” distributing mail and milk in the office and running errands all over London. He quickly progressed into the business’s PR team, working on campaigns for a host of fashion and lifestyle brands. After leaving the marketing sector to retrain as a lawyer, however, Fozard was drawn back to the Casbah Group several years later in 2018

when he found out they were looking to hire their first General Counsel. “It’s quite a nice circular journey,” says Fozard. “I realized that I was in the unique position of having the skill set from working in public relations and of knowing the industry, plus my training and skill set as a lawyer. While I’m looking at the legal aspects that might be associated with a campaign that we’re running, I also understand commercially what’s involved to bring that campaign to life.”

The Casbah Group Finds Success in Great Campaigns

Shah and Fozard credit the success of the Casbah Group’s many marketing campaigns to a combination of authentic storytelling, cultural relevancy, and consistency. “For us, we’ve always said our role and purpose as an agency is making brands culturally relevant,” notes Shah. “We’re trying to find the single most resonant idea and space within which we can give that brand a chance to stand out and communicate with an authentic voice and, therefore, hopefully have consumers engage in that dialogue.”

More often than not, the group creates this dialogue in the form of

Your Voice, Your Power, Your Vote Campaign

storytelling. “Compelling storytelling is probably the fundamental foundation of where we come from. Consistency is really important in how we tell stories, and stories have to come with truth, authenticity, and values,” adds Shah. “I think consumers are very sharp and tuned in to what is authentic and believable. The story’s got to continue and build—you don’t just make one bit of 15-second content, put it onto Instagram, and think that’s a job done. You’ve got to think of the story as something that works 24/7 as a continuum. You can look at the work 10 years from now and go, ‘That’s still a great campaign.’”

While the Casbah Group has run a variety of out-of-the-box marketing campaigns, they shared some of their personal favorites:

Your Voice, Your Power, Your Vote for Sony Music was an Exposureproduced non-partisan campaign that encouraged young voters in underrepresented groups to vote in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The campaign featured Sony’s roster of musical artists including Pharrell, will.i.am, Shakira, DJ Khaled, P!nk, Camila Cabello, and Bruce Springsteen.

The World’s First Bar On a Glacier for Reyka Vodka was a different sort of campaign involving the actual construction of a fully functioning bar on a glacier in Iceland—the most remote bar ever built in history, in fact.

A group of adventurers was then invited to visit the bar in Iceland to really experience where Reyka comes from, its history, and its heritage.

forging relationships to working with inspiring co-creators to helping create campaigns with high impact.

Fozard also cites the enjoyment he gets from working as a lawyer in a creative business. “What we do is very rarely dry. As General Counsel for a business, by its nature, your work is necessarily varied because you’re not operating in one niche practice area, you’re working across everything. But more so, the nature of the work the agency does itself is exciting. You’re negotiating with big players and then you get to see the fruits of your labor as a team, that the outcome is a fantastic campaign that we’re delivering for our client. Because I’ve gone on that journey from having worked here and then having come back, it probably puts me in the position where I’m a little more passionate about this type of business in this sector.”

The 1800 Essential Artists Series for 1800 Tequila saw Exposure partnering with Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel to release a line of limited edition bottles with original artwork. The vibrant, colorful, and geometric bottle cover art was then reinterpreted to create an immersive augmented reality experience where users could virtually interact with the art via their smartphones.

Finding Fulfillment

When asked what they find most fulfilling about their jobs, Shah and Fozard mention everything from

Shah says that one of the most fulfilling parts for him personally is the opportunity to work with incredible people and brands. “Having been an independent startup back in the day ourselves, we also work with young emerging artists and creative companies who we treat no differently than the industry giants. We want to work with people who are as inspiring to us as we are to them. That includes the people here. I’ve got a fantastic group of colleagues that I love working with. The ideas that are generated from influences around culture and the world around us come from having a really diverse team of people who are immersed in so many different things. They bring incredible amounts of knowledge and information and challenging ideas into the agency, and that’s what helps us generate great work for clients.” ♦

Learn more about the Casbah Group at https://www.thecasbah.net/

e 1800 Essential Artists Series Campaign

e World’s First Bar On a Glacier Campaign

e PenFed Foundation

Deploying Resources for Military Veteran Entrepreneurs

Imagine for a moment that the delicious sugar-free ketchup and BBQ sauce you picked up at the store were created by a Navy helicopter pilot. Imagine that the AI platform insuring your rental lease was conceived by a Captain in the Air Force. Imagine that the yoga studio down the street was founded by an Air Force veteran as a way to make a positive impact after returning from deployment in Afghanistan.

Now imagine that these scenarios are not imaginary at all, but three real businesses—True Made Foods, LeaseLock, and Honest Soul Yoga. They are just a few of the veteran-owned companies that the PenFed Foundation has accelerated through its Veteran Entrepreneur Investment Program (VEIP).

PenFed Credit Union, the second largest federal credit union, has been serving U.S. military members since 1935 and currently offers financial services to 2.7 million members worldwide. In 2001, the PenFed Foundation, a national nonprofit, was created by the credit union to “empower military service members, veterans, and their communities with the skills and resources to realize financial stability and opportunity.”

Originally, the PenFed Foundation primarily focused on assisting returning service members who had been injured in combat. This initiative eventually developed into multiple projects across the country meeting unmet needs in the areas of caregiving, education, housing, and financial assistance for all veterans, not just those who were injured.

As the PenFed Foundation grew, so did the scope of the opportunities it was able to offer. In 2018, VEIP was launched to support veteran-owned startups and businesses through access to networks and capital.

“About 200,000-250,000 people a year transition from the military service into the civilian community,” says James Schenck, President and CEO of the PenFed Credit Union and

CEO of the PenFed Foundation. “There’s a constant flow. And we found that not everybody wanted to go into corporate America. We had a lot of military-transitioning individuals who wanted to launch their own businesses. And that was really the impetus for VEIP.”

VEIP is a multi-faceted entrepreneurship program that provides an array of resources to veteran entrepreneurs under the umbrellas of education, preparation, and investment. The program provides entrepreneurship training through workshops, webinars, and “bootcamps.” But instead of mudcrawling under barbed wire or vaulting over an obstacle course wall, members are trained in skills such as financial planning, pitching, networking, and fundraising. For veteran-owned companies at the growth stage, VEIP also offers an intensive one-year master’s program that acts as a fundraising accelerator.

Additionally, the PenFed Foundation leverages its network of over 1,700 business partners from different industries to provide veterans with mentorship regarding business considerations such as finance, marketing, intellectual property, leasing, and employee management. VEIP also serves as a conduit to a larger business ecosystem where veteran entrepreneurs can connect with potential distributors, venues, and other business partners.

Along with mentorship and a business network, veteran entrepreneurs also need access to capital. Because veterans have traditionally been underrepresented in receiving venture capital, VEIP holds two funds dedicated solely to the investment in veteran-owned ventures.

The PenFed Foundation has recognized that many of the soft skills that military members develop during service—things like mental fortitude, teamwork, adaptability, leadership, and resourcefulness—translate well to the building of a successful business.

“We have found that these individuals bring unique professional skills and a sense of grit, determination, and resilience,” says Schenck. “They’re used to being agile and are very focused and mission-oriented. When they have a goal, it’s not an option—they’re going to accomplish that goal. We love to invest in entrepreneurs that bring that mindset to the table.”

The proverbial table in this instance is a set of “ignition challenges” and open calls for applications that the PenFed Foundation issues throughout the year in order to source hundreds of business plans that compete for seed money. Applicants go through workshops and participate in Shark Tank-style pitch competitions where their business plans are rigorously vetted by a panel of entrepreneurs and experts. This executive panel looks for quality businesses into which the VEIP fund will invest capital. The PenFed Foundation looks to invest in the very best.

“At entry level investing, you’re really looking at the person: their character, their passion, and their knowledge of the market gap they’re trying to fill,”

explains Schenck. “We want those who really understand the need for a product or service and are laser-focused on meeting that need. They need to do one thing really well and then scale that thing.”

In the years since its inception, VEIP has seen immense success already, having accelerated more than 350 veteran-owned startups and helping to educate over 4,700 veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs. The VEIP’s second investment fund of $10 million is currently being put to work funding veteran-owned start-ups in a variety of industries, and the Foundation’s goal is to raise $25 million and $100 million for the program’s subsequent third and fourth funds.

For those looking to help VEIP continue its mission, there are a variety of ways to do so. The (tax-deductible) donations made to VEIP help fund the educational seminars, bootcamps, and pitching competitions that the program hosts several times a year. Additionally, donors

have the alternate option of joining the VEIP fund as a limited partner, where they will participate in the selection and financing of these growing businesses. The PenFed Foundation is also continually seeking volunteer mentors in a variety of areas, such as human relations, finance, marketing, and pro bono legal advice.

VEIP is a cause that Schenck calls “a gift that gives both ways.” As he sums up quite nicely, “These are men and women who went into harm’s way to provide the way of life and the freedoms we enjoy. The real success story is giving these entrepreneurs the ability to pursue their dreams and seeing them when they get their first contract signed or hire their first employees or get their first funding check. Working with entrepreneurs is inspiring—the energy is absolutely contagious when you surround yourself with smart, driven, passionate young men and women. It’s an energy that’s hard to replicate.” ♦

If you’d like to learn more about the PenFed Foundation and the Veteran Entrepreneur Investment Program, please visit penfedfoundation.org and veip.penfedfoundation.org

Photos courtesy of the PenFed Foundation

What’s In a Name?

e Weird and Wonderful Nicknames of Nashville & New York

MUSIC CITY

Nashville’s reputation as a musical hub is almost as old as the city itself. The Music City nickname is believed to have originated with an a cappella group from Fisk University— known as the Fisk Jubilee Singers—who toured throughout the U.S. and Europe. The story goes that when the group performed for Queen Victoria in 1873, she said that they must have come from “a music city.” However, the nickname is primarily credited to David Cobb, a radio announcer for WSM-AM. Cobb coined the nickname during WSM’s Grand Ole Opry broadcast, which featured live musical performances from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

ATHENS OF THE SOUTH

Philip Lindsley, a classical scholar who served as the president of the former University of Nashville from 1824-1850, was the biggest promoter of this nickname (originally the “Athens of the West”) in a bid to associate Nashville with the educational and cultural sophistication of Athens, Greece. An aspirational title to begin with, Nashville soon grew into it, becoming known for its many prestigious institutions of higher education: Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, Fisk University, Lipscomb University, and Aquinas College to name a few. By 1897, as Tennessee approached its Centennial Exposition, Nashville had embraced the “Athens of the South” sobriquet. For the Exposition, the city constructed a full-scale replica of the Athenian Parthenon, which remains a popular visitor attraction today.

BUCKLE ON THE BIBLE BELT

The Bible Belt refers to a broadly defined geographic and cultural region in the south and southeastern United States known for its prevalence of Protestantism. Nashville has often been referred to as the “buckle” (i.e., the informal capital) of the Bible Belt because of its high number of churches, seminaries, and other religiously affiliated educational institutions. Beyond this, Nashville is also the epicenter of the U.S.’s quickly growing contemporary Christian music scene and is home to the headquarters of multiple religious printing and publishing houses that produce everything from Bibles and hymnals to multi-media entertainment.

NASHVEGAS

This tongue-in-cheek nickname juxtaposes the glitzy, fun, over-the-top aspects of Nashville with those of Las Vegas. The neon lights and pulsing nightlife of Nashville’s main drag, Broadway, certainly rival those of the Las Vegas Strip. Chock full of clubs, bars, music venues, ritzy hotels, and tourist attractions, both destinations are sources of seemingly endless entertainment for revelers, weekend warriors, and wedding parties alike. If they’re lucky, visitors may also catch a glimpse of one of the several celebrities that call these cities home (in all likelihood, it will be Elvis).

THE BIG APPLE

One of the most popular and seemingly nonsensical monikers, the “Big Apple” is first credited to John J. Fitz Gerald, an NYC newspaper reporter covering horse races in the 1920s. He referred to New York’s high-caliber horse racing circuit as the “Big Apple” in his columns after overhearing stable hands using the term. Jazz musicians in the 1930s also began using the nickname to refer to New York’s preeminent jazz scene and big-time venues. But the name officially entered popular culture thanks to a 1970s advertising campaign aimed at boosting tourism in New York. Creator Charles Gillett, a jazz fan, incorporated the Big Apple phrase and apple imagery into the campaign to woo tourists and rebrand the city’s then-reputation of crime and decay. Today, the Big Apple arguably remains the city’s most recognizable designation.

GOTHAM

Writer Washington Irving was the first to refer to New York City as “Gotham” in the 1807 satirical literary publication Salmagundi, which poked fun at New York culture and politics. The name was a reference to Gotham, Nottinghamshire, an English village whose residents—according to an old folktale—feigned foolishness and madness to avoid interference by King John. The nickname stuck and was subsequently incorporated into the names of several New York businesses over the next century. In 1940, comic writer Bill Finger was sifting through the phone book when he came across an entry for Gotham Jewelers. He decided that “Gotham” would be the perfect name for the noirish, fictionalized version of New York that would serve as the setting for his newly created superhero character—Batman. The hero that Gotham deserves.

THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS

Although there is some debate, this nickname is largely credited to an Indiana newspaper, the Fort Wayne Daily News , that referred to New York as “the city that never sleeps” in a 1912 article. Several decades later, the name was revived in the theme song for Martin Scorsese’s 1977 film New York, New York . The song—which was made popular by Frank Sinatra and is played every New Year in Times Square after the ball drops—goes: “I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps.” The name refers to the city’s vibrant nightlife, along with its spate of 24-hour services, such as the subway system, cabs, bodegas, diners, and the Staten Island Ferry.

THE EMPIRE CITY

New York’s designation as the Empire City (and the state’s parallel designation as the Empire State) is most commonly attributed to George Washington. In a 1785 letter to New York City’s mayor, Washington praised the state for its role in the Revolutionary War effort and referred to it as the “Seat of the Empire.” In 1789, Washington would take the presidential oath at Federal Hall in New York City, which served as the first meeting place for Congress. The Empire label has become one of New York’s most enduring and lends its name to the Empire State Building, New York license plates, and—most importantly—Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ hit single “Empire State of Mind.”

e Future Ain’t Bright, But it Also Ain’t Boring

New York as a Setting for Dystopian & Post-Apocalyptic Films

Dystopian and post-apocalyptic films may seem like a modern subset of the science fiction genre but have in fact been around since the early 20th century, almost as long as movies themselves. Whether just for action-packed fun or for purposes of social commentary, these films provide a playground for us to explore the many possibilities—and worries—about the future. Often set in fictionalized versions of real cities (such as New York, Los Angeles, and London), these films wrestle with themes related to urban, technological, socio-economic, and environmental anxieties. While we may feel like the logic of these films is farfetched, the use of familiar locales and landmarks directly connects our very real present with a possible (if very improbable) future.

One might suppose, then, that selecting New York as the epicenter for a dystopian narrative would be an offensive gesture towards the city. But one may also interpret these films as sort of warped love letters to New York and as testaments to the city’s ability to incite imagination. New York has always compelled people to ask What if…? What if New York turned into a prison, or was overtaken by zombies, or ran out of food, or was submerged in water, or employed Bruce Willis as a flying cab driver? Regardless of how one chooses to interpret these movies, it’s fun to imagine New York as a place that will adapt and endure, regardless of what the future brings. Because even in a future where the world is headed for ruin, New York is still the best place to be.

*Some decades-old spoilers ahead Escape from New York

(Dir. John Carpenter)

Year Released: 1981

Year Set: 1997

Ahhh. A classic “bro-savesthe-president” movie. Set in 1997, the island of Manhattan has become a self-contained, maximum security prison for the world’s worst criminals (coincidentally also how I feel when fighting traffic in midtown). When the president’s plane crashes in Manhattan, ex-soldier and recently convicted felon Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is offered a deal: save the president and receive a pardon. But to do so, he’ll have to go head-to-head with a cannibalistic gang known as the “Crazies” and the formidable Duke of New York, a crime boss operating out of Grand Central Terminal. But if anyone can do it, it’s Snake Plissken and that smoldering jawline of his.

I Am Legend

(Dir. Francis Lawrence)

Year Released: 2007

Year Set: 2012

Virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last man in New York. Or at least the last one who isn’t undead. Set in the then-futuristic year of 2012, a rampant, genetically engineered virus has swept through the world, turning most of Earth’s population into nocturnal, vampiric zombie creatures known as Darkseekers. When Neville isn’t working to find a cure to save the human race or isn’t busy staving off violent Darkseeker attacks, he spends his days hunting deer in lush and grassy Times Square, driving golf balls off an aircraft carrier at Pier 86, and gazing at the remnants of an obliterated Brooklyn Bridge.

Soylent Green

(Dir. Richard Fleischer)

Year Released: 1973

Year Set: 2022

The year is 2022 (yikes) and virtually all of Earth’s natural plant and animal life has been destroyed due to human overpopulation (double yikes). Earth is experiencing a perpetual heat wave. Everyone is very sweaty. The human race has only managed to survive thanks to the Soylent Corporation’s mass production of meatless food substitutes, the newest of which is called “Soylent Green.” But when a wealthy member of the corporation’s board of directors is assassinated, rough-around-the-edges NYPD Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) picks up the case. Thorn is determined to find out the truth behind the murder and the Soylent Corporation—a queasy, horrifying, and somewhat darkly funny truth.

The Fifth Element (Dir. Luc Besson)

Year Released: 1997

Year Set: 2263

It’s 2263 and New York is a futuristic metropolis with a dash of cyberpunk, crowded with flying cars and extraterrestrial visitors.

Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) is a Special Forces-majorturned-cabbie just trying to make a living when he has a chance encounter with Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), an orange-haired woman embodying the elusive and ancient “fifth element” necessary to combat a great evil bent on destroying Earth. Whew. From there, things only get weirder. Futuristic priests. Alien opera singers. Space hotels. Unhinged villains. And costumes by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. This film is a wild ride from start to finish and may leave you with whiplash by the time the credits roll.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Dir.

Steven Spielberg)

Year Released: 2001

Year Set: 2142

In a world ravaged by overpopulation and global warming, intelligent androids—aka “mecha”— have become sources of companionship, entertainment, and labor. A young android boy named David (Haley Joel Osment) is unique among AI because he has been programmed with the ability to love. He embarks on a journey to become a “real boy” so that humans will love him back. His quest eventually takes him to a beleaguered Manhattan half-submerged in rising seawaters, to the headquarters of his maker. The audience is subsequently treated to some very cool and very creepy shots of iconic New York landmarks underwater— Radio City Music Hall, Coney Island, and Lady Liberty.

Planet of the Apes (Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner)

Year Released: 1968

Year Set: 3978

Astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston, again) and his astronaut buddies crash land on a mysterious planet after almost two millennia of space travel. The astronauts subsequently discover a society of apes that have evolved as the planet’s most intelligent life form, with their own cities, culture, religion, and science. To the astronauts’ horror, they find that the apes hunt the planet’s primitive human population and keep them locked in cages for study and experimentation. But the famous twist comes at the very end of the film when Taylor discovers the crumbling remains of the Statue of Liberty half-submerged on a deserted beach, revealing that he has been on Earth the entire time (and in the tri-state area no less!).

“I just knew there were stories I wanted to tell.”

Octavia E. Butler