  
|
Posted By Gregory Pappas,
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Updated: Saturday, January 19, 2013
|
When USC film school graduate Alexi Papalexopoulos participated in the Greek America Foundation’s 2009 short film contest, he never envisioned that his participation would lead to a connection to Greg Yaitanes, one of the most important names in Hollywood directing and fellow Greek America Foundation member.
To most, Greg is an Emmy Award-winning television director who has directed over 100 hours of television's top shows including Lost, Heroes and Grey's Anatomy. His Emmy Award came in 2008 as a result of his work on House, M.D., one of the most popular shows worldwide. To me, he's a friend of nearly two decades who has generously offered his support to everything I have undertaken to do and has been one of those people you're glad have come into your life.
Currently, Greg is directing Banshee, the new show created by Alan Ball, who also created True Blood, which is airing on Cinemax.
Greg has also earned a reputation for his foresight in technology by investing in startups such as Square, Pinterest, Twitter and Foursquare.
And despite one of the business schedules in Hollywood, Greg takes time to support the Greek America Foundation and share his expertise with young people who are involved with our network. He was a member of the Class of 2010 Forty Under 40 and has attended all of the foundation's major events.
In 2009, he directed the opening of the Gabby Awards ceremony at Ellis Island, an emotional journey to the past that involved video footage, still photos, live music and acting.
Yaitanes took more than two hours of his day to meet Papalexopoulos at his HBO offices where he offered him important advice about his career and offered the young film school graduate valuable mentoring insight.
I am grateful both to young people like Alexi who believe in the work of the Greek America Foundation as well as rock stars like Greg Yaitanes who see our work important enough to support.
Tags:
Banshee
Greg Yaitanes
HBO
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
|
Posted By Gregory Pappas,
Thursday, October 11, 2012
|
 One of the questions I hear most often, both directly and indirectly from cynical and suspicious Greeks, is "where does all the money go?" That question used to bother me. Everything is on the website, I explained. Names, tax returns-- we even got great marks from Guidestar, the non-profit watchdog agency that looks at charitable organizations and makes sure they are true to their mission.
But then I realized that those who ask are lazy. They don't want to look on a website, or read a student's blog, or even look at our financials, which are open to all to see. No. They will be cynical no matter what you tell them and no matter how easy you make the content accessible to them.
So the way I have decided to battle the cynics is to ignore them and keep moving forward with the good work that we set out to accomplish a decade ago, and impact lives-- one at a time.
One such life we are impacting is Dakotah Apostolou-- the latest recipient of our full year, Post-baccalaureate Fellowship, who will sound a year in Athens-- compliments of the Greek America Foundation's generous donors and supporters.
Dakotah studies architecture at Taliesin, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture founded by Wright himself in 1932. It is the smallest accredited school in the US and one of the most prestigious in the world. Students study at Wright's two estates: Taliesin in Wisconsin and Taliesin West in Arizona.
The school is unique in that it provides students an opportunity to design and build their own accommodations either in the Sonoran desert in Arizona or in the forest in Wisconsin. The photo attached is Dakotah's mini cabin that he will finish and live in it for a half year after he returns from his year in Greece.
During his fellowship year in Athens, Dakotah will be learning modern Greek intensively, volunteering at several Greek-owned architecture firms, and conducting research for his Masters degree. In his research project, Dakotah will investigate how the built environment can support young entrepreneurs in Greece through mixed use development.
I am proud that the Greek America Foundation can offer Daktoah the opportunity to reconnect with his Greek heritage while furthering his professional goals through a unique immersion experience in the country of his ancestry.
If you have donated to our programs, attended an event, sponsored a runner or even run on our marathon team-- these are the lives that YOU are impacting. If you haven't supported our scholarship fund, please consider doing so with a donation.
This post has not been tagged.
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
|
Posted By Gregory Pappas,
Saturday, October 06, 2012
|
Tomorrow morning, 35 runners representing Team Greek America will be joining 45,000 other runners in the 35th Chicago Marathon-- one of the largest races in the world. The team is the official running team of the Greek America Foundation.
What is unique about our runners is that they will be perpetuating a legacy and tradition dating back over two thousand years that started, according to the story that has been passed from one generation to the next, when a runner named Pheidippides ran from the town of Marathon twenty-six miles to Athens to share the news of the Greek victory against the Persians, proclaiming NENIKIKAMEN-- we have won.
I am in awe of the dedication and spirit of these runners who have trained for an entire year and traveled to Chicago from throughout the United States and Canada-- at their own expense and some with tremendous difficulty-- simultaneously committing to raising over $1000 each via a team website. Some of our runners are disabled and have experienced tremendous personal challenges to be here. Another drove twenty hours from Florida.
All in all, the team raised more than $26,000 that will be applied to the foundation's scholarship efforts that send North American students to Greece for full-semester study abroad programs. These dedicated team members are selflessly running for someone else's education.
Just as Pheidippides proclaimed "We have won," I proclaim that you, the runners of Team Greek America, have won. And you are helping all of us win. Because your support and dedication to our cause helps support education of our young people, which makes for a better community and a better country.
Tags:
Chicago Marathon
Team Greek America
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
|
Posted By Gregory Pappas,
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
|
 At the Greek America Foundation's upcoming retreat in Newport, Rhode Island, we will be convening several committees and groups to discuss various projects that the Foundation will consider taking on, or expanding upon. One such project that is near and dear to my heart is the topic of entrepreneurship.
No matter how you cut it, this is an ideal that is ingrained in our DNA. Our parents and grandparents were the epitome of innovation and entrepreneurship, arraigning in a strange land and acclimating, starting new businesses, taking risks. Think about where they would be today if they had all of the resources at their disposal that we have today.
This is why we started the National Innovation Conference in 2010-- because I believed that innovation was a core ideal that we, as Greeks, should celebrate and embrace. From the time our ancestors were building temples that still stand today with piles of rocks, to creating intricate and complex deity structures and solving the big mathematical issues of the day-- all the way to today's business leaders and philanthropists-- we are outside the box thinkers.
At the Newport retreat, we will discuss ways the Foundation can expand our NIC conference into a more substantive weekend with sessions, competitions, prizes and other activities focused around helping people with good ideas succeed.
If you are interested in being a part of this discussion, or joining the Greek America Foundation's committee on Innovation and Entrepreneurship that will discuss how to incorporate such initiatives into our programs, please email me and I will put you in touch with the right people.
Tags:
entrepreneurship
innovation
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
|
Posted By Gregory Pappas,
Monday, July 09, 2012
Updated: Tuesday, July 10, 2012
|
 Welcome to my first blog post I've decided to start writing some thoughts about our work at the Greek America Foundation, and related activities that I wanted to share with a broader audience. Many of you might follow me on Facebook, or Twitter-- but I also realize that a lot of you are old fashioned types and stay away from the social media networks. Regardless, we are excited about the work we do at the Greek America Foundation and want to share it with a broad audience. That said, we appreciate your shares, posts and comments-- and by all means, spread the word about our work when you find it in your inbox or on your newsfeed. Our scholarships, internships and other programs for young people deserve to be shared with the young people in your lives. The same applies for all of our programming. I look forward to engaging with you on this blog. Feel free to comment-- and comment often.
This post has not been tagged.
Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
|
|
|
Latest News |
There are currently no news items posted. |
|
Print to Page
Blog Home
All Blogs
RSS
