Category: News

Two learning solutions produced by SweetRush in collaboration with its clients were honored with Awards for Excellence in this writing- and communications-focused competition.

San Francisco, Calif., August 7, 2017 — The results of the 29th Annual APEX Awards for Publication Excellence have been announced, and SweetRush was named the winner of two Awards of Excellence in the category of Electronic Media – Education & Training.

One winning learning solution, designed in collaboration with Bridgestone Americas, was a scenario-based game that helped tire sales associates master their skills and be successful in their jobs. The other winner, an educational and motivational animated video created for hospitality training, resulted from a creative partnership with Hilton.

“The creation of effective learning solutions is really a team effort. Eye-catching visuals and great functionality have to work in concert with strong, engaging writing and communications,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, SweetRush Cofounder and Chairman. “Being recognized for excellence at the APEX Awards is a tribute to the creativity and expertise of our instructional designers, scriptwriters, and copy editors, who share the challenge of addressing the learning objectives, inspiring and motivating the audience to engage with the learning, and delivering the highest-quality work to our clients.”

APEX 2017, the 29th Annual Awards for Publication Excellence Competition, is an international contest that recognizes outstanding publications ranging from newsletters and magazines to annual reports, brochures, and websites. APEX competition officials said that “the awards were based on excellence in graphic design, quality of editorial content, and the success of the entry in conveying the message and achieving overall communications effectiveness.”

Awards were offered in 100 individual categories that fell within 11 main categories that included newsletters; magazines, journals, and tabloids; annual reports; print media; electronic media; social media; websites; campaigns, programs, and plans; writing; design and illustration; and one-of-a-kind publications.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mind-sets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 15-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as gamification and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team applies the lens of creativity, building upon its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development, to craft a unique solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 100 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training and the gamut of custom-developed eLearning modalities.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

About the APEX Awards

The APEX Awards for Publication Excellence is an annual competition for publishers, editors, writers, and designers who create print, web, electronic, and social media. Communications Concepts, Inc., the sponsor of the APEX Awards, advises professionals who write, edit and manage business communications on best strategies and practices. Communications Concepts also publishes business communication reports, including Writer’s Web Watch, an e-report for professional communicators, and special reports on topics such as corporate writing and web publishing.

SweetRush’s creative and innovative mobile and video learning programs impressed the judging panel in the prestigious and rigorous competition.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 17, 2017 — The Summit Creative Award competition recently announced its results for 2017, and SweetRush was named a winner in two categories, educational video, and multimedia.

Silver Winner: Educational Video
For a promotional video for the new Hilton Honors® loyalty program and educational curriculum created with Hilton

Bronze Winner: Educational Interactive Media
For Counter Intelligence, a sophisticated, serious game for tire sales associates, created with Bridgestone Americas

Including this year’s awards, SweetRush has been honored with a total of six Summit awards. Previous honors include wins in the categories of video and interactive media and a Platinum award for education marketing.

“Shifting demographics in the workplace are really driving demand for creativity in learning solutions, to make sure that we’re gaining—and keeping—the attention of learners,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, SweetRush Cofounder and Chairman. “Being recognized by an awards organization that focuses on creativity is an honor, and it demonstrates that our focus on creative—and the results our clients are seeing—is helping us lead the learning and development industry.”

This year, the Summit Creative Award received more than 5,000 submissions from 24 countries, and all projects were reviewed by a panel of international judges that included professionals in Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Africa, and the United States.

“Winning a Summit Creative Award is a significant accomplishment in one’s career. With vetted judges, tough judging criteria, two-phase blind judging processes, and strict bylaws limiting winners, only deserving entries receive recognition,” said Jocelyn Luciano, Executive Director for the Summit International Awards. “The creative work this year was outstanding. Watching the judges debate the details of individual entries in the runoff for the top spots was inspiring.”

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help a business grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and development of these tools has been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in a near-zero turnover of teammates, loyal clients, a 14-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as gamification and mobile delivery. In our Talent Solutions service, we harness creativity and our unique knowledge of talent, team-building, and learning and development to find you the best temporary staff to augment your team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to how we treat our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 100 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom and the full gamut of custom-developed e-learning modalities.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

About the Summit Creative Award and Summit International Awards

The Summit Creative Award (SCA) recognizes and celebrates the creative achievements of small- and medium-sized advertising agencies worldwide with annual billings under $30 million. Celebrating its 23rd year, the SCA has firmly established itself as the premier arbiter of creative excellence for firms of this size and has become a coveted honor.

The Summit International Awards (SIA) is an organization founded in 1994. Each year, it conducts the Summit Creative Awards, the Summit Marketing Effectiveness Awards, and the Summit Emerging Media Awards. Additional information about the Summit International Awards organization, its competitions, and winning firms can be found on the Summit International Awards website.

The recognition highlights SweetRush’s partnership with Hilton in developing an innovative mobile learning solution for hospitality workers.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. June 20, 2017. — The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), based in the United Kingdom, has announced the finalists for its 2017 People Management Awards, and SweetRush was recognized along with its client, Hilton.

Submitting in the “Best L&D [Learning & Development] Initiative” category for the private sector, SweetRush and Hilton highlighted their collaboration on a highly successful mobile learning solution for housekeeping staff. This category recognizes “creative and effective L&D” initiatives that have “contributed to the success of the organization and its people.”

“This learning program truly hits on all cylinders—it’s innovative as an onboarding and performance support tool and in its instructional design approach and use of technology,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Co-Founder and Chairman at SweetRush. “We’re so proud of our partnership and true collaboration with our friends at Hilton, which has resulted in a winning and effective solution.”

The winners will be announced at a prestigious black-tie ceremony in September, following the judging panel stage of the competition.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help a business grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and development of these tools has been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in a near-zero turnover of teammates, loyal clients, a 14-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as gamification and mobile delivery. In our Talent Solutions service, we harness creativity and our unique knowledge of talent, team-building, and learning and development to find you the best temporary staff to augment your team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to how we treat our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 100 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom and the full gamut of custom-developed e-learning modalities.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

About CIPD People Management Awards

The CIPD People Management Awards reward and celebrate outstanding achievement in people management and development, honouring the valuable contribution that Human Resources (HR) and L&D make to the success of an organization.

SweetRush joins the annual list of industry-leading training partners for the third year in a row.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 12, 2017 – Training Industry recently announced its 2017 Top 20 Content Development Companies List, and SweetRush has been honored with a spot on the prestigious list for the third year in a row.

The Top 20 Content Development Companies List recognizes the leaders in developing learning content for training and performance improvement. Judges consider factors including industry visibility, innovation, capabilities, company size, depth and breath of subject matter expertise, quality of clients, and geographic reach.

“Learning and development — and, as a result, content development — has changed. Not the need to meet business and performance objectives, but the way learning is delivered to digital-native Millennials, soon to be joined by Gen Z. To connect with today’s learners, in every project we produce, we are adding elements like branding, video, mobile, gamification, storytelling, engagement, learner experience, 3D environments, avatars, and animation,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, SweetRush Cofounder and Chairman. “We’re so pleased to be named to the Top 20 list again this year. It validates why clients choose us, trust us, and stay with us: Our solutions are sophisticated and effective, aligned with business needs and performance objectives, and relevant and engaging for learners.”

“The organizations selected for this year’s list continue to make great strides in game-based learning and training re-enforcement and sustainment mechanisms,” said Ken Taylor, president of Training Industry, Inc. “The 2017 Top Content Development Companies List is a collection of the most innovative and advanced providers with the capability to offer learning content and solutions matched to the needs of the modern training program.”

“The content development segment of the corporate training market is one of the most active and sought-after,” said Doug Harward, CEO of Training Industry, Inc. “This list highlights the strongest providers of content development, who are able to transform the learning experience based on their proficiency in learning technologies and the depth of their subject matter expertise.”

See the full list at TrainingIndustry.com.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help a business grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and development of these tools has been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in a near-zero turnover of teammates, loyal clients, a 14-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as gamification and mobile delivery. In our Talent Solutions service, we harness creativity and our unique knowledge of talent, team-building, and learning and development to find you the best temporary staff to augment your team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to how we treat our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 100 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom and the full gamut of custom-developed e-learning modalities.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

About Training Industry

Training Industry, Inc. spotlights the latest news, articles, case studies, and best practices within the training industry, and publishes annual Top 20 and Watch List reports that cover many sectors of interest to the corporate training function. Its focus is on helping dedicated businesses and training professionals get the information, insight, and tools needed to more effectively manage the business of learning.

SweetRush forecasts the important trends its thought leaders believe will make an impact on corporate training and instructional design this year.

San Francisco, California, February 6, 2017—As part of its efforts to share knowledge and expertise with its peers in the industry, SweetRush recently shared an article with its predictions on trends for instructional design and learning and development in 2017.

Tim Coffey, Instructional Designer and author of the article, asked a multidisciplinary team of experts at SweetRush what clients are asking for and what learners are responding to in the world of instructional design. The result, “2017 Instructional Design Trends Compass: Your Accu-Learningcast,” is published on eLearningIndustry.com.

Based on his interviews, Coffey says, “Definitely, the overarching theme centers around the learner experience—giving the learner an experience akin to the types of electronic engagements they seek out in apps, games, and video content.”

A rain of knowledge

The article comprehensively describes six important trends and includes links for further reading, sharable quotes from the experts, and an infographic that offers a quick view of the highlights of the piece. Coffey uses weather as a metaphor throughout, which helps illustrate the forecasts and predictions in the article.

Coffey says the perspectives of the SweetRush thought leaders will be of value to anyone working in instructional design or the corporate training industry. “Learning and development professionals provide clients and learners with high-quality learning assets as efficiently as possible. Technologies and the way we engage as learners are constantly evolving. Keeping up with those shifts is essential to good instructional design,” Coffey says.

To read “2017 Instructional Design Trends Compass: Your Accu-Learningcast,” visit eLearningindustry.com, the site preferred by the learning and development experts in the industry, with more 500,000 unique readers per month.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help a business grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and development of these tools has been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in a near-zero turnover of teammates, loyal clients, a 14-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as gamification and mobile delivery. In our Talent Solutions service, we harness creativity and our unique knowledge of talent, team-building, and learning and development to find you the best temporary staff to augment your team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to how we treat our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 100 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom and the full gamut of custom-developed e-learning modalities.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

SweetRush takes home two awards in a highly competitive field of nearly 4,000 submissions.

San Francisco, California -December 10, 2016 – The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts recently announced the 2016 Davey Awards winners, and SweetRush was honored with two awards.

SweetRush received a silver award in the “Online Film/Video – Education” category for a motivational teaser video produced as part of a learning program for Hilton’s HHonors loyalty program.

The second award, for a serious game produced for Bridgestone Americas that simulates a day in the life of a tire sales associate, was given a silver in the “Interactive Multimedia Training (Corporate)” category.

“The learning and development industry has always had to contend with much more limited resources when compared to advertising and marketing budgets, but that doesn’t mean creativity must be sacrificed,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Co-Founder of SweetRush. “These awards highlight the creative spark that our team brings to learning programs—in this case, through interactive multimedia and video. It’s that something extra that really engages the learner audience.”

“The winners in this year’s competition truly reflect the notion of small agencies executing big ideas,” said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Davey Awards. “The work entered into this year’s Daveys portrays the smart approach to creativity that embodies the capabilities and talents of small firms across the world.”

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help a business grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and development of these tools has been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in a near-zero turnover of teammates, loyal clients, a 14-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as gamification and mobile delivery. In our Talent Solutions service, we harness creativity and our unique knowledge of talent, team-building, and learning and development to find you the best temporary staff to augment your team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to how we treat our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 100 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom and the full gamut of custom-developed e-learning modalities.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

About the Davey Award

The Davey Awards exclusively honor the “Davids” of creativity, the finest small agencies, firms, and companies worldwide. David defeated the giant Goliath with a big idea and a little rock—the sort of thing small agencies do each year. The annual International Davey Awards honor the achievements of the “Creative Davids,” who derive their strength from big ideas rather than big budgets. The Davey Awards is the leading awards competition specifically for smaller agencies as they compete with their peers to win the recognition they deserve. Please visit www.daveyawards.com for more information.

The Davey Awards is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms. Please visit www.aiva.org for a full member list and more information.

In this free resource, the SweetRush Talent Solutions team offers insights, tips, and best practices to help learning and development professionals interview and choose the right temporary talent.

San Francisco, California – November 18, 2016 – SweetRush is pleased to present its new eBook: How to Interview Temporary Talent for Learning and Development Positions: Finding the Best Fit for Your Needs, written by staffing and recruiting experts Arturo Schwartzberg, SweetRush Chairman and Cofounder, and Rodrigo Salazar, Manager of Talent Solutions at SweetRush.

“In selecting talent, the interview is always the most critical, pivotal part of the hiring and assessment process,” said Salazar. “It’s a time to be on your game and ask the right questions so you’ll make the right choice. This eBook will absolutely prepare you to make the most of the short window you have for the interview.”

“There really is a difference between interviewing temporary talent and full-time employees,” said Schwartzberg. “Interviewing and hiring temporary talent is something our staffing team does every day, and we are extremely excited to share our experience-based best practices for the interview process.”

The new editorial piece contains four chapters in which the SweetRush Talent Solutions Team explains:

• Why interviewing temporary talent is different than full-time hires.
• How to manage and what to expect from the interviewing process.
• How to ensure your candidate has the ideal skills for the learning and development position.
• How to assess if your candidate is the perfect cultural fit.

The eBook also includes:

• An infographic on how to recruit learning and development professionals (with or without a staffing vendor).
• A tried-and-true list of questions to bring to learning and development interviews.

How to Interview Temporary Talent for Learning and Development Positions: Finding the Best Fit for Your Needs is available to download now.

About the authors

Arturo Schwartzberg, Chairman and Cofounder
Arturo’s passion for people, culture, and team building means having your best interests at heart, a philosophy that shapes our Talent Solutions team and the way we work with both clients and job seekers. Contact Arturo at [email protected].

Rodrigo Salazar, Manager, Talent Solutions
Rodrigo knows that it is the people and, by extension, the team, who really drive and enable business success. Through building teams, he helps unlock the secret formula organizations needs to thrive. Contact Rodrigo at [email protected].

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help a business grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and development of these tools has been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in a near-zero turnover of teammates, loyal clients, a 14-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as gamification and mobile delivery. In our Talent Solutions service, we harness creativity and our unique knowledge of talent, team-building, and learning and development to find you the best temporary staff to augment your team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to how we treat our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 100 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom and the full gamut of custom-developed e-learning modalities.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!