Academy Award Nominated Actor and a Red Orchid Theater’s Michael Shannon and Emmy Award Winning TV Contributor and Rockit Ranch CEO Billy Dec Co-Host “Man Of Steel” Screening

Michael Shannon Returns To Chicago To Co-Host

A Benefit Screening of MAN OF STEEL

 Join Academy Award^® nominated actor and A Red Orchid Theatre founding ensemble member Michael Shannon and Emmy Award^® winning television contributor and Rockit Ranch CEO Billy Dec, on Saturday, June 22 for a benefit screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure MAN OF STEEL, followed by a reception at Rockit Bar & Grill. All proceeds from the event will benefit A Red Orchid Theatre.

At 2pm, guests will join Shannon and Dec for a private screening of MAN OF STEEL at the AMC Loews 600 North Michigan, with a reception at Rockit Bar & Grill (22 W Hubbard) to follow from 5pm-7pm.

The reception will include seasonal passed bites, themed Grey Goose cocktails and a Movie Star Popcorn Bar with inventive toppings. Guests will also be entered into a complimentary raffle to win a dinner for two at Rockit Bar & Grill and two tickets to an upcoming A Red Orchid Theatre production. Event sponsors include Grey Goose, Rockit Ranch Productions, Rockit Bar & Grill and Heineken.

Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased at http://www.aredorchidtheatre.org/ or by calling 312.943.8722.

About A Red Orchid Theatre:

Now celebrating its 20^th anniversary in Chicago, A Red Orchid Theatre has long served as an artistic focal point in the heart of Chicago’s Old Town. Chicago Magazine named A Red Orchid Chicago’s Best Theatre Company of 2010. Over the past 20 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists. A Red Orchid is well known for its highly-acclaimed experimental and cutting edge productions. In addition to its professional season, the company also now maintains an exciting youth programming wing.

About Michael Shannon:

Michael Shannon, currently appearing as the villain General Zod in MAN OF STEEL, is a Founding Ensemble Member of A Red Orchid Theatre, currently plays the role of Agent Nelson Van Alden on HBO’s celebrated drama “Boardwalk Empire.”  Michael recently starred in The Iceman and in the award winning film Take Shelter and was nominated for an Academy Award for Revolutionary Road.   Michael originated the role of Peter in Tracy Letts’ Bug, which had its Chicago Premiere at A Red Orchid before playing off-Broadway and being adapted into a major motion picture, also starring Shannon. He has performed on numerous Chicago stages and is currently appearing in Uncle Vanya at New York’s Soho Rep. In the fall of 2012, he will perform in the Broadway production of Grace, a play written by fellow Red Orchid Ensemble Member Craig Wright.  Michael will return to A Red Orchid’s stage in the 2012-13 Season to perform in Sam Shepard’s Simpatico.

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Tags: A Red Orchid Theater, Academy Award Nominated, Actor, AMC Loews Theatre, billy dec, Boardwalk Empire, ceo, chicago, chicago magazine, Emmy Award Winning, General Zod, grey goose, hbo, Heineken, Man of Steel, Michael Shannon, Old Town, Private Screening, red carpet, Revolutinary Road, rockit, rockit bar & grill, rockit ranch productions, Superman, TV Contributor, vip

Joan Cusack & Billy Dec host Piven Theatre Workshop Fundraiser at Sunda & Rockit July 13, 2013

Click here to listen to the interview: Billy Dec & Joan Cusack Host Piven Theatre Workshop Benefit – WGN Radio

The Piven Theatre Workshop Gala Returns

Piven Alumna & Award-Winning Actress Joan Cusack and Billy Dec Co-Host

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Join award-winning actress and Piven alumna Joan Cusack and Emmy Award winning television contributor and Rockit Ranch CEO Billy Dec, on Saturday, July 13 for a red carpet evening of celebration and reunion with fine dining, cocktails and a spectacular live auction. All proceeds will benefit the Piven Theatre Workshop’s scholarships and outreach programs.

From 6pm-8:30pm, guests will enjoy dinner at the award-winning Sunda (110 W Illinois) with a live auction of exclusive items. From 8pm-11pm, guests are invited to attend the Gala at Rockit Bar & Grill (22 W Hubbard) for signature cocktails, appetizers, sweets and an exciting live and silent auction.

Exclusive auction items include set visits to Mr. Selfridge with round-trip airfare, New York packages with tickets to hit Broadway shows, Saturday Night Live tickets, A VIP package to Jimmy Kimmel Live, Courtside tickets to a Lakers game and more.

In 1971, Byrne and Joyce Piven founded Piven Theatre Workshop, a small acting school in Evanston, Illinois. The nationally acclaimed school and professional theatre stands as a testament to the Pivens’ enduring vision to train, nurture and mentor generations of students and artists, including hosts Joan Cusack who studied improvisation and Billy Dec, who not only took classes with Joyce Piven, but also acted in their last production “The Good Doctor” and was honored with the Byrne Piven Award for Community Service. Proceeds from the night will help continue to nurture students and artists in the programs.

For tickets, visit http://piventheatre.org/. Sunda VIP Dinner tickets (includes Rockit Bar & Grill Gala): Single ticket $300.00 ($250 deductible), Couples ticket (2) $500.00 ($400 deductible), Table of 10 $2500.00 ($2,000 deductible). Rockit Bar & Grill Gala ticket: $150.00 ($100 deductible). Please note, limited seating is available at Rockit Bar & Grill.

Event sponsors include Rockit Ranch Productions, Sunda Restaurant, Rockit Bar & Grill, The Underground, The Peyton Family Foundation and Grey Goose.

ABOUT PIVEN THEATRE WORKSHOP

Piven Theatre Workshop has excelled as a leader in the arts community for 40 years, maintaining a distinguished legacy in the training of children and adults in the theatre arts. Annually, between onsite and off-site programming, the theatre trains over 1,000 students, provides approximately $30,000 in need-based scholarships and maintains a professional theatre and numerous outreach programs throughout the Chicago area. Piven Theatre Workshop is located at 927 Noyes Street, Evanston, IL. Visit them online at www.piventheatre.org, on Facebook at “Piven Theatre Workshop” and on Twitter @piventheatre.

Tags: Alumni, benefit, billy dec, chicago, fundraiser, jeremy piven, Joan Cusack, joyce piven, piven, piven theatre workshop, rockit, rockit bar and grill, rockit ranch, rockit ranch productions, sunda, theatre

#Foodiechats will Share Our Strength and Rockit for No Kid Hungry

#Foodiechats ”Food Trends” 2-Year Celebration Fundraiser

Monday, May 13, 2013

Hosted by Rockit Ranch Productions @ Rockit Bar and Grill

5:30pm-8:30pm

Benefactor: No Kid Hungry

#Foodiechats is very excited to bring people together from all over the world for our 2-year celebration fundraiser. Our theme for the evening is “Food Trends.”

Our event will be taking place on Twitter of course and live in Chicago, at Rockit Bar and Grill. All ticket proceeds will benefit the amazing charity, No Kid Hungry.

Those in Chicago who want to attend our event, click “Donate Now” and in the “Other,” field enter your donation of $46 to attend our celebration.

You may be wondering why $46 to attend…One $46 Donation provides one child with one year of meals!

Included in your $46 donation will be incredible cuisine provided by Sunda, Ay Chiwowa, and Rockit Bar and Grill.  Each restaurant will set up as a pop up restaurant inside Rockit Bar and Grill! You’ll have a chance to feast on three of Rockit Ranch Productions Restaurants all in one night!

#Foodiechats is a Hashtag Twitter Chat every Monday 7:00pm CST/8:00pm EST- hosted by Founder, Steve Green.

Through the power of our Hashtag #Foodiechats, Foodies from around the world join in the conversation. We’re excited to “Share Our Strength” as a community during our 2-year celebration to provide hundreds of children with a year of meals for only $46! How amazing!

To our #Foodiechats community all over the world who are unable to attend, your help during this one of a kind Live an Online event will help make a difference. We ask that you donate what ever you can afford; even $5 helps their cause.

We look forward to eating and tweeting with all of you! Join #Foodiechats every Monday on Twitter at 7pm CST/8pm EST

Check out out #Foodiechats 1-year Video:

Steve Green – @steveGOgreen

Founder of #Foodiechats

Tags: "Food Trends" 2-Year Celebration Fundraiser, 2013, @Foodiechats, and Rockit Bar and Grill, Ay Chiwowa, billy dec, cuisine provided by Sunda, events on Monday, foodie events in chicago, May 13, no kid hungry, rockit bar and grill, rockit ranch productions, share your strength, steve go green, Steve Green - @steveGOgreen Founder of #Foodiechats

Billy Dec Discusses State of Restaurant Industry on WBBM FM Radio Business Hour

Andy Giersher of WBBM’s Noon Business Hour discusses today’s Restaurant Industry with Rockit Ranch Productions’ CEO/Founder, Billy Dec! Click this link to listen: WBBM FM Radio Noon Biz Hour

Billy and Andy cover various elements of dining and nightlife experiences including ::

1.) Visiting restaurants for an “elevated entertainment experience” …to be part of a community

2.) Why are restaurants so noisy

3.) Changing restaurant trends due to the recession

4.) Where Chicago stands in the US and the World as a “restaurant city”

5.) Can people really work their way up from the bottom to the top in a restaurant career

6.) The restaurant industry’s affect on local jobs

Tags: 105.9FM, 780AM, andy giersher, billy dec, CBS Radio, chicago, community, culinary, Employment, Entertainment Industry, Fine Dining, foodie, Lunch Money Friday, News Radio, Noon Business Hour, Radio, reality tv, Recession, Restaurant Industry, restaurants, rockit ranch productions, talent, trends, WBBM

Rave Runs Bring New Style to Chicago’s 5k

Hey Chicago!  I’m Kendall Rozell, the newest addition to Billy Dec’s intern team at Rockit Ranch Productions.  I have never been too keen on going for a run – the part that really excites me is listening to my favorite type of music, electronic dance.  So when the new trend of the Rave Run started spreading around Chicago, I knew I had to join in!

While running can be very serious and solitary, why not change it up by running in a 5k with glow sticks and dance music but still benefitting great causes?  This running season the Chicagoland area is being treated to three different glow-in-the-dark races

On Saturday, April 27th join runners from all over Chicago at Grant Park for The Rave Run.  Where adrenaline pumping music and special effects lights will pave the way of the course.  The Rave Run focuses on being happy and healthy as you run into a nocturnal world of lights.  The proceeds go to benefit local Chicago charities that are announced closer to the date of the race.

If you can’t make it then, try Living Social’s Glow-in-the-Dark 5k Dance Party on Saturday, June 1st at Soldier Field!  This race allows you to run around the stadium, and then join all the other participants for an after-party on the field, where the Bears play!  The proceeds help Mercy Corps and d.light bring 500 solar lanterns to schoolchildren in Somalia, so they can read and study at night.  So run in lights for lights!

Finally, on Saturday, June 15th try running again in Grant Park for The Glo Run.  It’s the same deal, a 5k at night with great music and lights!  The proceeds benefit Back on My Feet, which uses running to help those experiencing homelessness change how they see themselves!

It doesn’t matter which one you choose because they all have one thing in common…glow swag, dancing, and after parties.  Celebrate your love of running with these new, innovative, charity-driven races!  If it can get me running, then I’m willing to bet these are going to be fun!  If you have any additional questions visit The Rave Run, Living Social, or The Glo Run for more details.

-Kendall Rozell

Tags: Back on My Feet, billy dec, charity, chicago, d.light, dance, dj, electronic dance, Glo Run, glow in the dark, glow sticks, grant park, house music, intern, lights, Living Social, Mercy Corp, Music, neon, rave, Rave Run, rockit ranch productions, running, Soldier Field, Somalia, techno

Aveda’s Salon V Celebrates Earth Day with a Cut-A-Thon

Hey Chicago! I’m Sammi Raines, the newest addition to Billy Dec’s intern team at Rockit Ranch Productions. With so many events up and coming, it is hard to pick the ones that stand out. With spring in the air, I thought I’d give a sneak peek to Earth Day.

It is right around the corner and what’s a better way to celebrate than by pampering yourself? Although planting trees maybe the first thing that comes to mind on this earth-friendly day, Aveda has another thing in store for us! Salon V is participating in Aveda’s global 24-hour “Cut-A-Thon” which gets you a new do while raising money for local charity.

On Monday, April 22^nd Aveda stylists in salons worldwide- from Tokyo to Sydney, Moscow, London, New York and Chicago-will volunteer their time to provide haircuts in return for a donation to Earth Month. Alliance for the Great Lakes, whose mission is to “conserve and restore” water, will receive 100 percent of the proceeds. Since 2007, Aveda salons surrounding the Great Lakes have been working together and have raised over $1.5 million dollars. Not only does Aveda aim to make this event the most successful, they plan on setting a Guinness World Record for raising the most money for a non-profit organization by haircuts within a 24-hour period.

Now, for the details! And, ladies and gents—if you haven’t been to Salon V before, now is your chance to get your toes wet and take the plunge! Disclaimer—you may find yourself making excuses to get in the door more often once you’ve met the team. Maybe that’s why my hair is a bit shorter than usual.

Come meet the faces of Salon V, no RSVP needed, between 10 am – 3 pm for a shampoo, haircut, hand massage and a blow-dry style. All you need is a minimum donation of $25 dollars. For an additional $10 dollar contribution, a massage therapist will welcome you for a much needed stress reliever.

If you have other Earth Day plans and can’t make it into Salon V, they have graciously set up an account with Crowdrise in benefit of Alliance for the Great Lakes. If you have additional questions visit Aveda, or contact for Veronica at Salon V.

-Sammi Raines

Tags: Alliance for the Great Lakes, Aveda, Aveda stylists, Billy Dec's, blow-dry, charity, Chicago Earth, Crowdrise, Cut-A-Thon, donations, Earth, earth day, earth friendly, Earth month, Great Lakes, Guinness World Record, haircut, intern, Local, London, massage, New York, non-profit, rockit ranch productions, Salon V, shampoo, Spring, stylist, Sydney, Tokyo, tree, water

Common Threads Celebrates 10 Years With World Festival at Soldier Field

Hi Chicago! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Jessica Ortiz and I’d like to thank Billy for his support throughout the years. Billy has been a close family friend for some time now after being a student of my dad’s at Chicago- Kent Law School. One thing I admire most about him is how much he gives back to Chicago, especially to the children. I  found my place at the Chicago-based nonprofit Common Threads in 2012 and knew exactly who to contact as I quickly became a Chicago foodie. Who else puts more photos of food on social media than Mr.Dec?

Common Threads is holding the 7^th Annual World Festival at Soldier Field on Monday, March 4^th from 6- 9 PM to celebrate the organization’s 10^th anniversary!

Based in Chicago and founded in 2003 by Chef Art Smith and his partner, artist Jesus Salgueiro, with founding CEO Linda Novick O’Keefe, Common Threads has been teaching school-based nutrition education programs to underserved communities in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Palo Alto and Washington D.C. for ten years.

Bravo’s “Top Chef” judge Gail Simmons, ChicagoNow’s Candace Jordan, and Rockit Ranch Productions’ Billy Dec are among attendees joining the Chicago-themed celebration.

The World Festival will feature dishes specially prepared by top chefs including: Girl & The Goat’s Stephanie Izard, Sunda’s Jess De Guzman,  Slurping Turtle’s Takashi Yagihashi, Mercadito’s Patricio Sandoval, Boka’s Carl Shelton, Socca’s Roger Herring, Belly Q’s Bill Kim, Table Fifty-Two’s Rey Villalobos, among many more.

“This is an example of the power of the chef community,” said O’Keefe. “These chefs have rallied from around the world in support of Common Threads and our greater mission – to educate families about the importance of nutrition and physical wellbeing.”

The event  kicks off with an exclusive $1,000 VIP Chef Experience, where generous epicurean guests will board a trolley with Gail Simmons and Telepan Restaurant’s Bill Telepan for Kendall College, where students from Small Threads classes will prepare a meal before heading to Soldier Field for the main event.

General admission tickets: $250 (Provides chef hats and aprons for 15 students)

World Festival Sneak-Peak VIP tickets: $500 (Provides one 2-hour cooking class for 16 students)

The James Hotel After-Party tickets: $150

Click here to purchase tickets.

The evening will feature a live fund-to-need auction, with all proceeds going directly to Common Threads programs. Common Threads is also conducting a silent online auction, February 19 – March 12!

Bon Appetit!

-Jessica Ortiz 

Tags: Belly Q, Bill Kim, billy dec, Boka, Bravo’s “Top Chef” judge, candace jordan, Carl Shelton, ChicagoNow, Gail Simmons, Girl & The Goat’s Stephanie Izard, Kendall College, Mercadito, Patricio Sandoval, Rey Villalobos, rockit ranch productions, Roger Herring, Slurping Turtle’s Takashi Yagihashi, Socca, Sunda’s Jess De Guzman, Table Fifty-Two, Telepan Restaurant’s Bill Telepan

Create the best late night Bar/Restaurant! Rockit Ranch bought Martini Ranch. You choose the concept Chicago! (update by Billy Dec)

UPDATE 10/19/12- THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! The most voted for concept for our next venue was a play on a “Mexican Dive Bar” at 39% of the votes- so as of right now, we will proceed now in that direction!!!!! Please help us spread the word to hire the best staff for this project, and for positions available at our other Restaurants/Bars/Nightclubs…at our Open Call for Jobs this Monday 10/22/12 from 2p-530p at Rockit Bar & Grill (22 W. Hubbard). See: http://bit.ly/SAOFyP & email HR@RockitRanch.com for info.

Thank you all so much for your valuable input! More to come!***

Surprise!  We found a unique opportunity and bought Martini Ranch!  Not only is it one of the few 4am licenses left in the city, and walking distance from our other River North properties Sunda, Dragon Ranch, Underground & Rockit, but tons of Chicagoans from all over (like my partners Brad Young, Arturo Gomez & I) have meaningful history enjoying this local gem w/friends for the last 20+ years! Haha- I even was a bouncer there when I was 21!

So… now what? What should we do with it?  We figured you all have been so critical to our success with your insightful & caring suggestions on what we can  do to serve you better, that we thought we’d let you have a say too! We’d probably open it around the new year, just in time to send our late night crowd & employees there from Underground, while we give UG a fresh new look during the slower winter months of 2013. Which means we need to know what route to take now! 

[poll id="3"]

We will tally all votes and announce our decision in early October!  Thanks all and spread the word to all your friends via Twitter, Facebook, email (please use share buttons here too).. we want to hear what they think too!

AND since we are growing- WE ARE HIRING! Positions include experienced Servers, Bartenders, Managers, Hosts, Security, Cooks, Sous Chefs, Mixologists… At Rockit, Sunda, Underground, Dragon Ranch Moonshine & BBQ and whatever this new concept will be! Email HR@RockitRanch.com if interested!

Tags: 4am, arturo gomez, Bar, Best, billy dec, brad young, chicago, Dive Bar, Dragon Ranch, facebook, late night, Martini Ranch, New concept, restaurant, river north, rockit, rockit ranch productions, sunda, the underground, twitter, Voting

There’s Nothing Tricky About This: Rev Run is About to Rock Chicago!

Summertime Chi…there’s nothing quite like it: concerts nightly, festivals every weekend, crazy cool parties (like last week’s Talent Show) every weekend; it’s nonstop fun this time of year & there’s more to come this week!

Rockit Ranch Productions invites you to an exclusive private party this Thursday where legendary emcee, (and star of MTV’s popular show, Run’s House), Rev Run, will be hitting the turntables at Venue One at 7pm (and it’s free!).  The show kicks off with a DJ set by well-known Chicagoan Dante and is followed up by Ruckus before Rev Run takes over.  Run DMC is credited with bringing hip-hop mainstream in the late 80s and early 90s and Rev Run has been a huge factor in providing audiences with some of the most recognizable songs in hip-hop for years – see any of the 5 hits from the ‘Discover Run DMC – EP’ – and he’s coming HERE, just for this show!

As if that wasn’t enough, the official after-party continues at Chicago hotspot, The Underground and you know that means it’ll be a good night, especially since the Summer Music Series is wrapping up with DJ Cobra so the beats will be bumping!  There will be complimentary trolleys to transport guests from Venue One to The Underground starting at 9:45pm.  This is just a taste of what’s to come next week for Lolla, so be sure to save some energy for then.

The hosts of this event, Bud Light Platinum, want attendees to get interactive on twitter (share your pics, experiences, etc.) and use the hashtag, #MAKEITPLATINUM, while at the event!  We want to show Bud Light that Chicago is the best city, so let’s get this trending!

Be sure to RSVP to GuestList@rockitranch.com to get your name on the list!  See you at Venue One tomorrow night!

-Alex Chwastek

Tags: #MAKEITPLATINUM, chicago, concert, Dante, DJ Cobra, DJ set, emcee, exclusive, founding members, free, interactive, night out, Rev Run, rockit ranch productions, Ruckus, Run DMC, Run’s House, summer music series, twitter, underground, Venue One, vip

Join Dancing With The Stars’ Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Timex Intelligent Quartz Collection’s Father’s Day Pop-Up Barbershop at The Shops at North Bridge!

Timex Intelligent Quartz Collection will host a vintage Pop-Up Barbershop, designed by Rockit Ranch Productions, where your man can get a fresh (and FREE) ‘do while you browse the selection of Timex Intelligent Quartz watches. (hint hint…). This Saturday from 12 p.m to 3 p.m. at The Shops at North Bridge (just in time for Father’s Day!), bring your guy out for a trim from a “throw-back” barber (yep, it’ll be down-right old-school) while you shop.

And, if your “timing” is right, you may get the chance to see Dancing with the Stars’ most talked about professional dancer, Maksim Chmerkovskiy (aka Maks), while he’s in town shopping for his own dad.

Mix this retro experience with a totally modern gadget that’ll definitely keep your man entertained. The Timex IQ models have four independently-powered hands and digital sensors, as well as features including a compass, tide tracker, thermometer depth gauge and more.

Bonus: Enter to win a Free Watch or a $250 gift certificate to Nordstrom.

Double Bonus:  Don’t forget to hit up the giant Men’s Sale happening at Nordstrom.

Hey Chicago, let’s get #TimexIQ trending TOGETHER this Saturday from Noon to 3 PM at The Shops at North Bridge on the first floor mezzanine.  Time is ticking……Nicole Salerno

Tags: ABC TV, Barbershop, chicago, Dancing With The Stars, Father's day, free, Hair cuts, Kaplow PR, Maksim Chmerkovsky, Michigan Ave, New York, Nicole Salerno, Nordstrom, rockit ranch productions, summer, The Shops at North Bridge, Timex, Timex Intelligent Quartz Collection, Watches, weekend events