APPLEBOX March Newsletter

Dear APPLEBOX Member,

Here we are heading rapidly towards Easter already! It’s been a huge start to the year, I think we all agree recent events have made us take stock about who we are and where we're heading. Between the financial crash and the bushfires all Melburnians have had plenty to think about.

Bushfire Appeal

Spare change is gratefully accepted on the counter of APPLEBOX. So far we have donated on your behalf, $202 in loose change, and have another $130 ready to go. Well done everyone! The appeal doesn't finish until the 17th of April and we'll be collecting all the way until then. So please, continue to give generously.

Also, this friday night donated artworks are being auctioned at the Melbourne Town Hall in an event called "Art For Life". You can read about it here: www.artforlifeappeal.org. All proceeds are going to support the rebuilding of communities affected by the fires. If you can get there and bid, you'll be helping out and may walk away with some fantastic pieces.

Speaking of rebuilding, you can follow blow by blow as the community of Flowerdale begin rebuilding themselves. This is being blogged by Pete Williams (an APPLEBOX local) at Flowerdale - Survivor Spirit. Their progress, largely without government help, is stunning. Continuing the support direct from Fairfield, our very own Michael Silver of newNorth Printing is a key member of Bushfire Photo Help, who are donating time and resources to help affected families recover and reconstruct their photo memories.

We're in the Smart 100!

Yep, we're smart. Mara's maybe the smartest, but we're all pretty much up there. So much so we've been included in business mag Anthill Online's ranking of Australia's smartest 100 companies. We're not sure where we're ranked, and even if its 100, we'll be pretty chuffed. The list of the 100 and where we all sit will be revealed at a gala event on the 9th of April. On the back of our Leader Award for Best New Business, we figure we must be doing something right!

Our Elevator Pitch

On the business front we are still getting our name out there and waiting for the commercial deal that will finally get us off eating 2 minute noodles and back to buying jeans and mingling in restaurants again! Simon put a pitch up on a pitch site in the US to see what might come of it. We'd love your vote! Just go to APPLEBOX Pitch and cast a green thumbs up. It might be a bit cheesy, but being a media personality isn't easy!

Earth Hour

This Saturday it's Earth Hour. The aim is to reach more than 1 billion people in 1000 cities around the world, and get them to turn their lights off between 8.30 and 9.30pm! You too can be a voice for action on climate change. We did it last year .. you can see some pics here. We'll do no lights for the whole night. Not much happened on Station Street last year .. perhaps they'll get with the program for 2009. No lights doesn't mean no movies though! (nice try Jess).

Customer Talent

Fairfield oozes with talent. And we've got alot of them coming to our shop! There's some outstanding computer programmers but also penty of arteeests. We last celebrated our wall hangers on-masse at Art in Place which seems like forever ago (perhaps we need another one). We've also got plenty of performers, writers, producers and directors milling through. So a quick sound out to:

Anna Zagala
Congrats to Anna on having her feature film script Three Point Turn optioned by Big and Little Films. The production company is run by Tony Ayres and Michael McMahon. Tony Ayres (Home Song Stories, Walking on Water) has put his hand up to direct. The drama is about a widowed immigrant, torn between realizing his personal ambition to be a surgeon, the demands of his wayward teenage son and the complications of them falling in love with the same girl. With so many scripts out there and so few being made into films well done Anna.
Nigel Karikari
Congrats to Nigel for winning funding from Film Victoria for his next writing and directorial effort. Nigel wrote and directed the short film The Deal (which we've got) and is behind the APPLEBOX short film we shot late last year. For APPLEBOX he's graciously gone lowbrow and we'll be submitting to the AFI awards for the 'suitable cheese' catagory and think we've a chance of taking it out.
Jodie J. Hill
Jodie is onstage at the upcoming Comedy Festival with her show AMUSEum. Kick back and be taken on a comedic journey about the process of comedy!

We love highlighting what our members are doing, so if you're got something interesting to tell the world .. let us know and we'll help out.

Oscar Winners

The competition was fierce ... (between Sarah and Simon for who got the most correct predictions!) 15 out of 24 ain't bad! In store already are the Oscar nominated and winning movies - The Visitor, The Duchess, Wall-E, Tropic Thunder, Wanted, Kung Fu Panda, In Bruges, Happy-go-lucky, Hellboy 2, Iron Man and of course The Dark Knight. Yay Heath! Don't miss the doco about Heath; Heath Ledger: A Tribute. And while we are on about awards don't forget our own AFI Award winners. The AFI winners were The Square, The Dark Knight, Elizabeth; the Golden Age, Hey Hey it's Esther Blueburger, The Black Balloon, Unfinished Sky, Death Defying Acts, The Tender Hook, East West 101 and Summer Heights High.

Alphington Primary School Fete

It's the Alphington Primary School Fete this Saturday. There's always plenty going on and you can never go past good home cooked preserves. Get on down there and if you notice the little ones glued to the box as a cheap diversionary tactic .. yep we're behind that. We've provided the DVDs so you can take time out and grab a coffee!

Just Quickly...

DVD Trade Ins
We're still hammering away with our trade-in offer. We've now given away $1,500 worth of credit .. this is a great way of cleaning out your home library and funding your home entertainment forward. Times are tight for lots of people and we're happy to trade any way we can. Let us know what you've got and we'll make you an offer!
Deals Deals Deals
Don't forget we do any 3-for-$10, 5 weeklies for $10 and $2 Tuesday. We're working hard on being the best value video store in the neighbourhood!
Facebook
Join us on Facebook. We blog as well so there's plenty of ways to keep in touch.
007
007 is back this month with Quantum of Solace. We've now got every single Bond movie including the elusive Never Say Never Again, and George Lazenby in Her Majesty's Secret Service. Check them out.
Disc Repair
We repair DVDs and CDs at $4 a pop .. our machine is state of the art and we've bought plenty of favourite CDs, DVDs and kids movies back to life for others. We can do the same for you!
Ex Rentals
We sell ex-rentals at around $15 a pop. No cruddy overnight stickers and dirty covers. 'Cause we use don't use them, we've stored our covers carefully for when we re-sell, and our discs are in pristine, buffed and cleaned condition. You won't get a better ex-rental disc anywhere, and THAT'S a guarantee.
Loyalty Cards
Come and get em’. Get your card validated every rental visit and once you have nine you get a $5.50 credit on your account.
Icecream
The ice cream is back, new freezer, new flavours, come and get it before Andrew eats it all. Fig Honey and Pistachio, Death by Chocolate, Peanut Butter Disaster, Vanilla Bean, Honey Almond Nougat, Mint Chip Swirl, Hokey Pokey, Strawberry Jam, Raspberry, Mango and Lemon Sorbets. Heaps of gluten free and all the containers are 100% recyclable.

We'll be back for another update soon,

Cheers from the APPLEBOX team!
Sarah, Simon, T'Mara and Andrew

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