JIMI YAMAGISHI

As the current director of the SongNet.org, Jimi Yamagishi brings over four decades of life in this industry to the table, helping other songwriters make those crucial connections while actively playing the circuit to keep current.  A veteran session musician with a wide variety of genres in his pockets, his solo material features lyrical wit similar to Michael Franks, smooth James Taylor-esqe guitar lines, with a lil’ spritual sauce on the side. 

Having written over a thousand songs, he’s currently working on archiving them on Youtube, having already released several albums & CDs along the way.

I first experienced The Exercise Coach’s patented Smart 20 minute workout during my senior year at Trinity International University. A family member of mine talked me into trying out two free sessions to experience the workout. As a member of the Basketball team for Trinity, I couldn’t believe how effective 20 minutes of exercise could be! I began an internship with the Exercise Coach at their Corporate Headquarters in Lake Zurich. I also became Trinity’s strength and conditioning coach during my senior year, in which our team made it to the elite 8, set a school record for most wins and most importantly for me, had no missed games by any players due to injury! Towards the end of my internship and my time at Trinity, the opportunity developed to be part of The Exercise Coach here in Naperville. I graduated from Trinity with a Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Wellness Management with a minor as a fitness specialist and a minor in business. Being able to help people achieve their personal goals and seeing first hand their quality of life improve because of increased energy levels, reduction of chronic conditions and many other ways that The Exercise Coach impacts people’s lives has proven to be one of my most rewarding experiences ever!

Joel Franco tells compelling stories with an elegant voice, a crisp Italian sensibility and beautiful pictures. Franco’s experience, vision and intensity bring leadership, heart, and an eye for detail to his films. His understanding of the human condition and his passion for authenticity combine to create artistic, highly commercial works that draw the audience in and make them feel. Franco’s genuine desire to protect the integrity of each story and to bring out the best in the actors and crew have made him a trusted source for getting the job done. Colleagues trust his refreshing character and understand that he is a man of commitment and does what he says he will do, when he says he will do it.



Joel Franco was born in Italy and came to the United States in his late teens where he quickly immersed himself in American culture and film. According to Franco, “I have always admired American films. The American school of acting has a long history of producing great actors and I wanted to be a part of the world of film–a place where captivating stories are unveiled. The creation of film plays into my strengths: I love that magic is the result of the creative process. There must be passion to nurture the momentum of the story. And one must have intense focus to get the job done.” 



Influenced by American filmmaker Sidney Lumet for his vigorous storytelling and Italian director Robert Rossellini for his social realism, Franco is dedicated to staying true to the story in a fast paced, realistic and refined style. 



In 2006, Franco partnered with Solidaris LLC to found Chesapeake Films, LLC. Chesapeake Films has option agreements to produce several feature films and plans to produce two features per year in-house and to collaborate with established film companies for additional opportunities.



Joel Franco is a graduate of University of Maryland/Baltimore, a graduate of the USC-Universal Producing and Directing Program, and holds an M.F.A. in film production from the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

joelfranco@youthsports-themovie.com

P   A   T

V   E   G   A   S

BASSIST, SONGWRITER,AUTHOR AND

CO-FOUNDER

OF

LEGENDARY NATIVE AMERICAN ROCK GROUP

R   E   D   B   O   N   E

According to co-founder,bassist,singer and songwriter Pat Vegas, it was Jimi Hendrix who talked the musicians into forming an all-Native American rock group. Vegas told Record Collector writer Jeremy Isaac, "Hendrix was a friend of ours.... and he was half Indian. Once he knew that we were Indian too he used to come and hang with us because of that. Jimi made me aware of my roots: He'd say, 'Native American is beautiful, man, be proud of that.'"

Redbone's story is interesting from more than one point of view. The band itself of course, who had a great career, with ups and downs. The fact that the musicians were all native Americans from different origins (Cherokee, Yaquis, Apaches and Shoshones...). Their political implication and the fact there were censored that shows a very interesting political and social background of the US nation. All this plus the fact that they produced a unique, powerful and soulful music!

The name Redbone itself is a Cajun term for a mixed-race person ("half-breed"), the band's members being of mixed blood ancestry. The band referenced Cajun and New Orleans culture many times in their lyrics and performing style.

The mid-seventies were the period of big success, not only in the USA but even more in Europe and especially in the Netherlands. Maggie, The Witch Queen of New Orleans, Come and Get your Love, Wounded Knee and even Suzy Girl were big hits in many European countries, some reaching Number One. This led the band to tour and play almost non-stop during this period.

They shared the stage at various times with Dr. Hook, Albert Hammond, and others. Highlights on U.S. tours include playing at Carnegie Hall in New York with Argent and Kiss, opening for Marvin Gaye at the Forum in Inglewood, California, sharing the bill with Parliament Funkadelic in Philadelphia, and playing with Steely Dan at the Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Pat Vegas has continued to write music over the years. Some tunes had been recorded since 1980, with Lolly of course, but also with Tony bellamy for some songs. Finally, in 2005 Pat puts this work out on a new CD called One World. It was released in 2005 by a small independent record company. It was reedited in 2009 and retitled as Peace Pipe. At the same period Pat Vegas recreates the band with new musicians. They tour mainly in the west of the United States since.

Redbone was inducted into the Native American Music Association Hall of Fame in 2008, as well as the New York Smithsonian in 2013.

In 2014, "Come And Get Your Love" experienced a resurgence in popularity – and has been thoroughly embraced by a new generation - when it was featured in the Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy as the very first, and many say most important song, on a mixtape made for the film’s hero, Peter Quill- “Starlord” It was also included on the film's soundtrack album, which reached the Number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, where it remains.  When released as a single in 1974  it went certified Gold, selling well over one million copies, and it is a song that just does not fade away-- there have been over one hundred million hits on YouTube alone.

Since 2015 "Come And Get Your Love" has been used as the theme song for Netflix produced cartoon series “F is for Family” and the TV series “Big Shrimpin”.

"To synthesize is to combine numerous things into a coherent whole" and that's Brenda's role on the YouEQ team. She is the visionary for YouEQ and has a skill for attracting the exact talent required and inspiring these people to connect and contribute their wisdom to the project. Combining brain science, gamification and emotional intelligence, the YouEQ platform connects & empowers people.

Calling on over 20 years experience as a finance executive, business strategist and an expert of whole life health and vitality, Brenda contributes to the strategic direction, business structure and content of the platform. 

In the spirit of accomplishing this—with a lot more fun—we have drawn on the latest in brain science and gamification to optimize the learning and retention of information delivered through our multi-faceted platform. Through gamification, we educate people on intrinsic motivation, whole-health and develop multiple levels of emotional intelligence—teaching them to apply this to build powerful relationships.

A powerful speaker on the impact of neuroscience and communications, Brenda  specializes in sharing her wisdom on: Empowering People, Employee Engagement, Enhancing Productivity, Creating Powerful Corporate Cultures, Leadership Development, Business Strategy, Financial Modelling, through Public Speaking and You-EQ games.

John Perna is the CEO of TPS Player Service, chicagoland's premier golf academy, specializing in developing golfers into players! After a successful college campaign at Florida Gulf Coast University and a stint of playing professionally, our founder, John Perna, decided coaching full time on the PGA Tour wasn't enough for him. He was ready to pursue is true passion, coaching and mentoring dedicated junior golfers. Since 2010, 5 of John's 6 original students have gone on to earn PGA tour affiliated status by the age of 24, cementing TPS Player Service amongst the golf community elite. TPS has developed the # 1 ranked boy or girl in Illinois in the class of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017. Currently, TPS is training the # 1 ranked boy in the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024 class and the #1 ranked girl in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 class. The 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016 IHSA State Champions and the IHSA all-time scoring record holder have all come out of our program. In the last 8 years, TPS has sent more than 75 players to Division 1 schools to play golf and more than 100 players to play golf collegiately. TPS students have racked up 500+ tournament wins worldwide. The success of our players has been unprecedented for a golf academy in the northernly geographic location of Chicago, Illinois, making us the #1 golf academy in the midwestern United States."

At a very young age, Lance had an insatiable passion for health and fitness. He became fascinated with the body and passionate about bodybuilding. He competed against some of the greatest names in bodybuilding (yes, including Arnold), and won the titles of Mr. America (1981), IFBB Mr. Universe (1981), and Professional Mr. Universe (1986); among other awards.



Lance spent over 6,000 hours training with Bob Gajda, inventor of the phrase "core", and co-author of the seminal book, Total Body Training. After finishing his professional bodybuilding career, Lance pursued a PhD in Nutritional Counseling and Physical Education and along with his doctorates, became a certified Life Coach.  This training allows Lance to understand the key components to losing weight and the psychology behind why many sabotage themselves and have trouble with keeping their weight off.​

Lance has nearly 4 decades of experience as a personal trainer. As a Baby Boomer himself, Lance understands the aging body. He specializes in personal training and weight loss for Baby Boomers, especially those with medical conditions, such as diabetes.



To date, Lance has helped thousands of patients over a period of 30+ years lose a combined total of over 10,000+ pounds of fat.

R  I  C  K

L  A  M  B  E  R  T

GUITARIST,SINGER,SONGWRITER FOR

 AUSTIN TEXAS ROCK SENSATION'S

'E M P T Y   T R A I L'

Austin, Texas has spawned a variety of world-renowned bands over the years that covered a wide variety of styles - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, the Sword, Scratch Acid, Dangerous Toys- and a band that one day may very well be mentioned in the same breath is the fast-rising/hard rocking Empty Trail. Comprised of members Rick Lambert (vocals/guitar), Shane Wallin (bass), and Rom Gov (drums), the band was started elsewhere. “The band essentially formed here in Austin,” recalls Lambert. “However, it has been a personal project of mine since the spring of 2013 while I was living in Los Angeles. I thought it would be better to start a band in Austin because of the highly saturated market in Los Angeles. I went through a couple of members, but eventually found the full live band in the summer of 2016. I decided to keep it as a 3-piece. It seemed a bit less expected.”

Empty Trail’s most recent single, “My World,” Lambert and company have already solidified their sound.  Lambert states … “I think Empty Trail’s sound takes bits and pieces of the most iconic hard rock/metal bands while maintaining authenticity. I’ve always wanted things to be relatable and believable. I don’t really want to be limited to a box. I’m sure every artist says this, but it’s true! I think the music fits the mold of catchy and even pop-y at times, which seems to be what’s going around, but it comes from a real place. I’m in music because this keeps me going. I have something I need to say, something that I need to let out, because if I bottle it up it is destructive. Yes, it’s rock, and it’s exciting and I want everyone to have a great time, but if you are listening, I hope it makes you feel understood. Somewhere where you can be free and not judged for who you are.”

Download the new single by Empty Trail entitled 'My World' at https://emptytrail.lnk.to/z925TID

For more information about Rick Lambert and Empty Trail

Visit … 

https://www.emptytrail.com/