SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS — At least four members of the Jewish community were on the list of the Top 50 Kansas City Influencers | Social Media by Influencers & Bloggers chosen by Blogger Local (kansascity.bloggerlocal.com). The list, posted Dec. 1, includes meteorologist Gary Lezak (3), Royals sportscaster Joel Goldberg (4), executive Michael Levine (6) and “solopreneuer” Julie Cortes (33).
According to the blog, these online influencers “are part of the fabric of society these days, and the general meaning is someone who influences others to take some sort of action using reach, contextual credibility and salesmanship.”
Lezak has been in Kansas City since 1992 and chief meteorologist at KSHB 41 Action News since 1999. He’s active on Twitter, Facebook and kshb.com. Kansascity.bloggerlocal notes Lezak’s personal website is weather2020.com. Another Jewish meteorologist, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy parent Jeff Penner, is a founding member, co-chairman and chief meteorologist of this website.
Goldberg has a front-row seat to the Kansas City Royals and speaks to businesses and organizations regularly. Listen to his podcast and read some of his blogs at joelgoldbergmedia.com.
Levine is now the interim executive director of the newly merged Susan G. Komen affiliate. The organization formerly covered only Kansas City and now serves Western Missouri and the entire state of Kansas. The blog calls Levin, as Komen’s communications director, “a wizard when it comes to all things digital marketing and manages everything related to print, broadcast messaging, and digital. The local Kansas City affiliate has come away with multiple local and national awards thanks to Michael’s efforts.” Levine, who actually has a few bylines to his credit as a former Chronicle staff writer, has a passion for food and beverage and is the founder of EAT (Entertaining and Training), an events and marketing firm, and leads monthly caffeine crawls to various spots in North America. He is also the chairman of the Social Media Club of Kansas City.
The blog calls Cortes a “solopreneur” and says she regularly “fires up audiences with her high-energy speaking and helps people reach their full potential with a no-BS coaching style.” She is the founder of The Freelance Exchange and teaches a course called Freelancing 101 at the Kansas City Art Institute. Learn more at juliecortes.com.
ESSAY WINNER — Martha Gershun has had a busy year. She published her first book, donated a kidney and now has won the 2018 Women’s Voices Essay Contest, sponsored by the Johnson County (Kansas) Library and The Writers Place. Her essay titled “Channeling Marjorie” was written as a gift to her best friend and his son and “is about the ways knitting brings us closer to those we love.” You can read it at https://bit.ly/2BYbs9t.
TREE OF LIFE: A CONCERT FOR PEACE AND UNITY — Earlier this week PBS aired a concert by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) to honor the Tree of Life Synagogue victims and first responders. The performance, featuring Itzhak Perlman at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall, was taped one month after the tragedy on Nov. 27 as part of the PSO’s “Music for the Spirit” series. The concert is available for streaming on PBS.org and PBS apps for iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast.