All posts by Piercing Ken

I'm a Freelance Music Photojournalist from NYC and Founder of the Heavy Metal website PiercingMetal.com; I created this blog site to showcase the other things in life that keep my interest or catch my attention. Believe me that is a lot of stuff to talk about when it comes down to it. I hope you enjoy what we are delivering because there is so much to share as a resident of this bustling metropolis.

Shoppe Object Announces Move To Starrett-Lehigh Building

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The Press Release:
Shoppe Object, New York City’s premier home and gift trade show, is thrilled to unveil its highly anticipated new home for 2025. After six successful years at Pier 36 and the addition of Skylight at Essex Crossing, Shoppe Object has grown into its next chapter and will be bringing the show back under one roof in the magnificent Starrett-Lehigh Building in West Chelsea, marking a new era for the celebrated event.

Shoppe Object will occupy a 195,000-square-foot, avenue-to-avenue, Art Deco loft on the 3rd and 4th floors within this iconic venue. The new space will feature a continuous expanse of windows with stunning Hudson River views and an abundance of natural light, a private entrance, excellent on-site food and drink options, as well as access to an outdoor terrace on the building’s 10th floor for events and gatherings. This location will offer all the comforts and amenities that will ensure attendees and exhibitors have the extraordinary experience for which Shoppe Object has become known. With a 30% increase in space from past shows, the venue will provide ample room for an expanded array of exhibitors and an enhanced experience for attendees.

“We began our search for a permanent new home in earnest last year, and we needed a space that could carefully balance complex needs,” says Jesse James, Founder & Show Director, Shoppe Object. “The venue we were seeking didn’t exist, so we set out to find a way to create it, and a broad search brought us to every corner of the city until a conversation sparked with the perfect partner in Starrett-Lehigh. I’ve known and loved this building for years, and it truly ticks all our boxes. It’s an ideal location in a vibrant neighborhood that answers the call of our customers, and our custom footprint gives us room to welcome more great brands into our community, while maintaining the intimacy, the energy, and the careful curation that’s at the heart of what we do.”
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Brookfield Place Announces “Canstruction New York 2024”

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The Press Release:
Canstruction returns to Brookfield Place! The beloved annual design competition challenges teams of architects, engineers, and contractors to build sculptures made entirely out of unopened cans of food. The large-scale sculptures are displayed in an exhibition open to the public and later donated to City Harvest to help feed those in need. This year, we’re giving you more ways to engage with and learn about Canstruction, including a live build, tours, and fun activities for youngsters.

LOCATION: View Canstruction at Brookfield Place located at 230 Vesey Street in Lower Manhattan. This year, you can donate cans of food and visit the Information Table in the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. View the Canstruction exhibition map HERE.
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Actor Interviews from BroadwayCon 2024 @ New York Hilton Midtown

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As previously mentioned, “The Chronicles of Piercing Ken” was in attendance at the annual BroadwayCon this past July and during the course of the exploration a number of video interviews were done for our Official YouTube Channel. In the post that preceded this one, I shared the opening ceremony and a couple of Marketplace interviews but now the time had some to share some one on one chats with two talented actors that I have been fortunate enough to talk to during the convention. First up is the awesome Alyssa Jaffe and then the master of ceremonies himself, Ben Cameron.

Talking To Alyssa Jaffe, Actress/Influencer at BroadwayCon 2024


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Marketplace Interviews and More from BroadwayCon 2024 @ New York Hilton Midtown

convention logos, broadwaycon, broadwaycon logo

The Chronicles of Piercing Ken was in attendance at the annual BroadwayCon this past July and during the course of the exploration a number of video interviews were done for our Official YouTube Channel. The convention had returned to the New York Hilton Midtown where it had been held for a number of years and to start this collected feature here is some of the always fun opening ceremony with their host Ben Cameron. After this I headed over to the Marketplace and spoke to both “Little Shop Of Plushies” and “Broadway Up Close”.

The BroadwayCon 2024 Opening Fanfare with Ben Cameron at New York Hilton Midtown


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Universal Pictures “Wicked” Official Trailer 2

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Before I get into the sharing of the second trailer from the soon to premiere “Wicked” film I wanted to share something that I found rather interesting. Now while this bit of information is older than a year by the time of this posting, back in April 2023 it was shared that the “Wicked” Broadway musical had been seen by about 65 million people. Since the show’s attendance numbers on Wikipedia say more than 8.1K performances, those numbers have gotten closer to the mark by this time. That’s pretty damn awesome and speaking of awesome here is the second trailer.

The Premise: Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Glinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.
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