2014

2014

VISITS
-My family visited in January, finally had Christmas food I hadn´t had in 3 years!!!!
-Alexandra, Minna and Ligia came to visit us in Los Angeles

DAILY LIFE
-Comedy at the Comedy Store and Flappers
-Saw Book of Mormon, Little Shop of Horror and Vagina Monologues
-Thousand game nights with Steve, Mike, Hanna and more
-Saw our friends rock out with their bands
-Sex and the City Night with Moa
-Drinks with the Disney Girl Group
-Hiking with the Bucks

WORK
-Left Sugar Factory, PartyStaff and LA Fitness to focus on our company
-Side work: Quiz Up, Paid Audience Work (SRO/BTS), Special Events Staffing, Universal, Graumans and background work (How to Get Away with Murder)

TRAVEL
-Las Vegas with Alfredo and Ligia
-Michigan, visited Dan´s parents and friends
-Norco, visiting Dan´s extended family
-Iceland, Dan´s first visit, radio/magazine interviews, sight seeing, meeting friends/family
-Boston, visiting my relative Thor and sightseeing. Loved BOSTON!
-Florida, Two houses with my family, my love Dan and best friend Frikki. Amazing trip!
(Universal and Disneyworld)

SAW
Cameron Diaz, Celine Dion, Queen Latifah, Wayne Brady, Michelle Williams, Mike Epps, Lisa Edelstein, John Payne (Asia), Jon Lovitz, Andy Dick, Stephen Merchant, Dana Carvey, Pauly Shore, Jeff Garlin, Bill Burr, Bobby Lee, Chris D´Elia, Whitney Cummings, Brent Morin, Ron Funches, Paul Adelstein, Cast of 10 Things I Hate About You (David Krumholtz, Susan May Pratt, Andrew Keegan and Joseph Gordon Levitt, that´s right), Viola Davis and the Cast of How to Get Away with Murder and cast of How I Met Your Mother (except for Jason Segel/ Neil Patrick Harris)

ATTENDED
Queen Latifah show
The Real
The Chase
Sex Box

SUCCESSES
-Formed our company/podcast Entertainment Drive-Thru (Listeners in 125 countries)
-Released the song "Show Me Love" by our band Anna and the Bells
-The song got played for the first time on the radio
-2 Radio interviews on Bylgjan and Kaninn in Iceland
-Articles in Frettabladid and Vikan
-Passed the Driver´s Test!
-Became a certified bartender

We´ve lost friends and roommates but we also met some amazing people.
It´s been a really challenging year but also amazing. That´s LA for you!

Iceland - Boston - Florida - LA

WHAT´S UP DOC

ENTERTAINMENT DRIVE-THRU
We have listeners in 115 countries and have been listed in New&Noteworthy and What´s Hot section. With almost 150 episodes, we are very proud of our show. We changed it from daily to weekly so we wouldn´t kill ourselves and could pursue our other passion: music

Success Story at MI:  http://mi.edu/student-life/success-stories/dan-anna-zerin/

Interview with Modernpreneur:
http://www.modernpreneur.com/14-music-industry-changed-musician-can-benefit/


ICELAND
Dan´s first visit to Iceland so showed him all the main places and bars of course. My best friend Frikki got married, I was his maid of honor/best woman. Had a Zumba Masterclass. Did 3 photo shoots and interviews, including 2 radio interviews, one where Anna and The Bells song "Show Me Love" was played on the radio for the first time. What a feeling!

Best of all to meet my family and friends back at home. I hadn´t seen them for a while.

VIKAN

FRÉTTABLAÐIÐ
http://www.visir.is/islendingur-kennir-folki-ad-na-langt-i-hollywood/article/2014708059993?fb_action_ids=10100956155544088&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=top&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

BOSTON
We stopped in Boston on our way back to LA at my relative Thor´s place and saw Boston Commons, took a tour of Sam Adam´s Brewery and walked along the Freedom trail. Of course we had tons of Clam Chowder and stopped where "Everybody Knows Your Name"=Cheers. I fell in love with Boston. What a beautiful city!

FLORIDA
Family vacation! Even Frikki was there for the Zumba convention so it felt like the whole family was there. Loved getting to know my nieces, I hadn´t seen them since they were little. We spent the days swimming in the swimming pool, shopping, eating at restaurants and going to Universal and Disney World. The Harry Potter World at Universal was AMAZING!

OTHER
-networking events, my favorite by far NARIP events
-Asia Launch Party feat. John Payne
-seeing our friends in concert
-networking and BBQ at The Piano Bar
-became a certified bartender after Bartending course at ABC Bartending School

ITUNES, SPOTIFY, BANDCAMP, ETCHear and Buy "Show Me Love" on  iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp
Think Jessica Rabbit meets Joan Jett :)

Has gotten radio play and on different podcast. Great response so far!

LYFT
Love Lyft so much I became a brand ambassador.
Take your first LYFT ride FOR FREE ($25) ...You´re welcome!
https://www.lyft.com/invited/awesome100

Hello 2014

"Time flies by when you´re having fun".....

or in my case, when you form your own company :P

Dan and I formed our own company called Entertainment Drive-Thru, a daily podcast where we interview today´s most inspiring people in the entertainment industry.
www.entertainmentdrivethru.com

After a month we´ve had listeners in over 60 countries, 6 out of 7 continents and listed in New&Noteworthy in Music, TV&Film and Business! Really happy with the success!

Here´s the tidbits of my year so far

-been hanging out at the Comedy Store, hanging with friends and scouting for interviewees

-My family visited and after 3 years missing Christmas finally had Claessen Christmas appetizer with my family. So happy to be with them and my amazing husband

-Zumba conference with my mom and sister, so great to see them

-My best friend Alexandra visited, we were both crazy busy workaholics but at least spent her birthday with her and cocktails at Roosevelt like we do :P

-Minna visited from Finland, we went to a music business seminar at The Cool School, so awesome!

-supported my husband and friends and saw them perform

-Ligia, my Romanian friend came all the way from Germany to see us. Was a workaholic but thanks to our friend Alfredo we took Ligia to Vegas and had a blast, including seeing Celine Dion, playing Sex and the City slot machine with a cosmo in hand and strip club (when in Vegas :P ) 

-Sex and the city and wine with my girl Moa...gotta have girls night

-Saw Jeff Garlin perform at Flappers with Dan, Steve and Mimi

-Left the catering and Sugar Factory job, it was too much work. Want to focus on my company!

-Thousands of game night with Hanna, Mike, Steve and other good friends. So thankful to have them

Been workaholics lately but try to go out regularly and at least have game nights with friends. Super excited for Crystal and Jeremie moving to LA and hopefully we´ll find a house together. that´s the next step, as for the podcast, amazing guests on the way! 

Love my job thought, meeting so many people, getting so much advice and exciting things happening.
STAY TUNED!

Goodbye 2013

2013
-got engaged on New Years Eve at Disneyland....1.1.2013
-March 21, 2013 I married the love of my life and became Mrs. Anna Zerin
-Graduated with my husband, band and family all there....Mr&Mrs. Dan and Anna Zerin
-Mini honeymoon in Solvang, Santa Barbara
-2 weeks in Michigan, West Bloomfield and Kalamazoo with Dan´s family and friends.
-Kevin and Eric moved out and Crystal moved in. 
-Was a model for E! makeup school
-Interviewed Allan Rich (wrote Whitney Houston´s hit "Run to You") for MI Express
-Zumba Fitness Conference with my mom, Zumba Fitness, Zumbatomic, Zumba Toning, Zumba Sentao and Aqua Zumba
-Got interviewed by Frettablaðið, an Icelandic newspaper
http://www.visir.is/anna-claessen-lifir-drauminn-i-hollywood/article/2013706259993
-Raised money for our band Anna and the Bells 
-Got the Green Card
-Worked for Sugar Factory, Quiz Up, LA Fitness, Party Staff and Mary Kay 
-Gamenight with friends...always a blast!!!
-Got to be a zombie in HARRP´s music video "Dead To Me" and film behind the scenes.
-The following people came to LA: my whole family, Alexandra and Emelie 
-First Jewish Wedding and first baseball game ever....thanks Jacqui and Mark :)


-Went to the following concerts:
HARRP (Dragonfly, Viper Room, The Roxy, Loaded, Ireland 52's )
Jónína (Genghis Cohen) The Evening Guests (Skinny´s) Lonely Trees (Art Show Downtown) Arson Strike (Rainbow) Dead Heroine (King King) Brooklyn&The City Stones and Joan Jett!

-Saw the Sound City Players and Paul McCartney shut down Hollywood Blvd with an epic concert. IMAGINE everyone on the BLVD singing "Hey Jude" and "Jessie's Girl"

-Met Dave Navarro, Peter Dobson, Rosamund Pike, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme and Jay Chandrasekhar and saw Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jon Voight, George Lucas, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Diane Keaton, Angela Lansbury, Jake Gyllenhall, Judd Apatow, Matthew McConaughey, Octavia Spencer, Bill Hader, Pharrell, Kristin Chenoweth, Gena Rowlands (Notebook), John Goodman, Joan Jett, Chris D'Elia, Bobby Lee, Ashton Kutcher, Michael C. Hall (aka Dexter), Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey

-Our band Anna and the Bells is currently recording its first EP at Stage Red Studios.
Can´t wait to hear the final product....stay tuned on www.annaandthebells.com 

Birthday, Christmas and New Years

Birthday

What an awesome birthday...me and my man Dan took our own tour of Dash, Greystone Manor, My Name is Earl, Grey´s Anatomy and Back to the Future. Got a Sprinkles cupcake from an ATM and had Burger King where Doc Brown´s house (from Back to the Future) used to be. When I came home he gave me my awesome present....a Minnie Mouse Snuggie and hat. It´s soooo adorable and comfortable! Ended the night at Blue Palms Brewhouse, him with the best beer in USA and me with a cosmo.  I survived the rockstar age of 27 and think 28 will be an awesome one.

Dec.21
Saved Dan's friends from LAX and we took them to their friends in Hermosa Beach where we went to a British pub Underground as well as hung out with his friend.

Dec.24
Celebrated Christmas by skype-ing my family in Iceland at noon and then had Filet Mignon and red wine with my husband while watching White Christmas (starring Dan´s favourite actor Danny Kaye) and Jingle All the Way (90´s). Merry Christmas or as we say in Iceland "Gleðileg jól!"

Dec.25
Spent American Christmas (Dec.25) working at the Sugar Factory with fun co-workers selling tons of couture pops. Ended the night with my husband Dan and our awesome friends Bunny and Kent, who cooked a delicious meal for us (glazed ham, with green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, mashed potatoes, fudge, and chocolate torte). Topped it off with game night. Reminded me of Christmas at home. Great day!

Was working at the Sugar Factory during the holidays and on New Years Eve we went to Viv/Alex´s place for a little party. Hard to top last year, where Dan proposed at Disneyland so I was just happy to spend the new year with my husband happy in love. Happy 2014!!!!