Parties

If all the spring conferences and after work mixers typically leave you noshing on free appetizers rather than actually meeting people, there’s a cure. In mediabistro.com’s latest AvantGuild feature, career coaches outline five steps to help even the most socially averse conquer their new-people phobia.

No. 2: Listen first.

The one hard and fast rule to remember is to listen more than you talk, says Juli Monroe, a coach at 1 to 1 Discovery, a Washington, D.C.-based networking and social media agency. “If you listen first, then you know how to talk about yourself,” she explained. “If you can address their needs, then you can pitch your services, but in a targeted and strategic way.”

Read more in How To Network in Any Situation.

This article is one of several mediabistro.com features exclusively available to AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, you can register for as little as $55 a year and get access to these articles, discounts on seminars and workshops, and more.

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

WeTV hosted a premiere party for its hit reality show Braxton Family Values at Tribeca Grand Tuesday. mediabistro.com was invited along with other members of the press to screen the first episode and attend a Q&A with the singing sisters. While Toni Braxton was notably absent, Traci, Towanda, Trina, Tamar and mom Evelyn more than made up for it with their usual candor.

Although the cast is still filming the final episodes, the show kicks off this Thursday, November 10. Here’s what you can expect this season along with more photos from the event:

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Top movers and shakers of the wedding industry kicked off the week by rubbing elbows with the lifestyle and cooking tycoon at the 10th Annual Martha Stewart Weddings Bridal Market Party. Guests had plenty to do with the 18 vendor booths set up all around the event space created in MSLO’s Chelsea headquarters. Make up by Vênsette, manicures by Essie, henna by Henna Studio and eyelashes by Paul Labrecque helped attendees touch up their already fabulous looks, while the candy buffet, wines and cupcakes by Edible Artistry, Creme-Delicious and Cake Power continued to fuel their energy throughout the night. Guests grooved to the live band provided by Elan Artists.

Behind the scenes tours of the editorial offices were given every half hour, and the guests also got a sneak peek at the publication’s test kitchen, personally presented by the food editors themselves. To top it off, a photo booth and flip book station gave guests something to upload to Facebook.

Among the sparkling crowd were celebrity wedding and event planner Colin Cowie, Randy Fenoli from Say Yes to the Dress, celebrity wedding designer and planner David Stark, Reem Acra, Amsale Aberra, Lela Rose and Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings. Check out more pics from the event after the jump.

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Tuesday, mediabistro.com threw a party for New York startups at Chelsea Manor. The event was hosted by yours truly, and guests enjoyed drink specials and appetizers compliments of Chelsea Manor. Peep the pics below.

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It’s hard to believe but, once upon a time, Google was just a couple guys with a great idea. So were Apple, Facebook, Pandora, and even our own mediabistro.com (founded by Laurel Touby, all woman).

So, Tuesday October 11, we’re throwing a Startups Party in honor of all the tech and media entrepreneurs in the New York area. Join us for networking, complimentary drinks and appetizers, and the scoop on how your company can be featured on mediabistro.com’s Elevator Pitch.

Plus, I’ll have a special treat for whoever can guess which hip-hop song the headline is from. (Not really, but it’ll give us something to talk about, no?)

Go ahead and RSVP here.

Yesterday evening Discovery Communications held its annual upfront presentation, wooing advertisers and media buyers, while previewing upcoming programming and networks.

With a suite of channels that includes Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, there was plenty of ground to cover.

Luckily, they had Oprah there to sell it.

Yes, talk show queen turned media mogul Oprah Winfrey herself was in attendance at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and revealed the 2011/2012 OWN programming slate on stage.

She was joined by Rosie O’Donnell, who will be making her return to daytime with a talk show on OWN later this year. O’Donnell performed a song and dance routine with a troupe of male dancers.

Discovery had other big names in attendance, inducing actor Morgan Freeman, who hosts and produces the program “Through the Wormhole” on Science, and magicians Penn & Teller, who have a new show “Penn & teller’s Secrets of the Universe” on Discovery later this year. Billy Ray Cyrus also unveiled his new show for TLC, “Homecoming,” which reunites military men and women with their families, while SNL’s Andy Samberg told some jokes in advance of his gig as “Chief Shark Officer” during 2011′s Shark Week.

FishbowlNY also spotted:

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The Hammerstein Ballroom was packed to the brim with wannabes, has-beens and the occasional celebrity last night, as Comedy Central taped its roast of Donald Trump.

The roast, which will air next Tuesday, saw a lineup of comedians like Lisa Lampanelli and Jeff Ross, join some celebrity roasters like Marlee Matlin, Larry King and Snoop Dogg to mock one another and Trump himself.

Also in attendance: Jersey Shore’s Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, but more on him later.

Trump, who made (and lost) billions in real estate and casinos, and is said to be considering a Republican presidential run, spent much of the night in a chair in the middle of the stage, glowering, as his daughter Ivanka and wife Melania watched from the audience. FishbowlNY also spotted John Legend, Ice-T, Norah Jones and Russell Simmons in the crowd.

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Partsearch Technologies marketing and sales coordinator Pamela Granoff, Patricia Jorgie, Rawlings Atlantic director Sanford Dickert, Next New Networks project manager Trish Engelman and network marketing manager Michelle DeForest

Last night, mediabistro.com threw a cocktail party to celebrate Internet Week at The ParLour — Midtown in New York. Mediabistro.com founder Laurel Touby and senior editor Donya Blaze hosted the party. PRNewser’s Joe Ciarallo was there, too, along with many others. Guests enjoyed drink specials and appetizers complimentary of The ParLour – Midtown.

Additional pics after the jump. For even more photo action, check out the party’s Flickr page. (All photos courtesy Ashley Hoffman.)

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You’re from the Internet? We heard you like cupcakes. Nick McGlynn photo.

Media types of the Internet stripe flocked to B5 Media‘s launch party for its trio of lady-centric blogs last night at Manhattan’s Kingswood lounge. Drinks flowed from the open bar as guests munched on complimentary cupcakes (aside from bacon, perhaps the Internet’s most highly fetishized foodstuff). Ultragrrrl (DJ by night, global PR firm employee by day) even got some people dancing. We don’t have a smartphone, but we imagine the Foursquare checkins were off the charts.

We didn’t gather a ton of intel, but there were a few noteworthy tidbits. We hear B5 plans to roll out a pop culture – oriented parenting site (sounds interesting), and a men’s lifestyle site should be launching later this year. We also hear that the gears are grinding hard at existing sites Crushable, TheGloss, and BlissTree, where writers are on a strict 10-post-per-day quota.

All in all a fun time! There were even crudites and hummus. For more photos, check out Random Night Out. A list of some of the revelers after the jump.

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This week is one of the biggest in the television business, with all four broadcast networks and some of the biggest cable channels (ESPN, TNT, TBS etc) making their pitch to advertisers and media buyers. Yes, its upfront week.

But this year the upfront week party was crashed by eight tanned youngsters, screaming something about GTL. MTV, looking to generate buzz during the broadcast heavy week, threw a “Jersey Shore” party at the Edison Ballroom in midtown Tuesday night.

Bars served “Ron Ron Juice,” vodka-Red Bull and spiked lemonade, while food consisted of Italian favorites (spaghetti and meatballs, penne rigate) as well as beach food like hot dogs, chicken tenders, fries and pretzels.

The cast of “Jersey Shore,” Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, Vinnie Guadagnino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, Jenni “JWoww” Farley and Angelina Pivarnick (who left season one of the show after just a few episodes) were all in attendance.

Four audience members were pulled on stage to get “Jersey Shore” makeovers (pictured), and the cast participated in a question & answer session with the audience. The Q&A served mostly to let the cast trot out their catchphrases from season one (example: “Don’t fall in love at the Jersey shore!”), Though after Angelina gave advice on the correct way to “party,” fellow cast-mate Snooki zinged her, saying “You weren’t even on the on the shore! How would you know?” Oh snap.

There was also a fist pumping competition judged by the cast, who couldn’t help but participate themselves. Video is after the jump.

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