Category: News

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!

The company’s second appearance at DemoFest will focus on an exceptional example of game-based learning for sales associates.

San Francisco, California, November 7, 2016— SweetRush is proud to announce its participation in DemoFest, part of the prestigious DevLearn 2016 conference for learning and development professionals. Two of the best and brightest at SweetRush, Erin Krebs, Director of Client Solutions, and Dr. Steve Yacovelli, Director of Inclusion and Change, will present a Brandon Hall Excellence Award-winning game developed for tire sales associates. DemoFest will take place at MGM Grand.

The game will showcase best practices in game-based learning and serious games for a Millennial audience, including challenging scenarios, engaging interactivity, feedback incorporating humor, working against the clock, and “special powers.” It serves as the culmination of an online learning program for extended enterprise sales associates, testing the skills they’ve gained throughout the program in over 100 eLearning courses. In addition to receiving two gold Brandon Hall Excellence Awards, the game has also garnered an International Serious Play Award.

“DevLearn attendees will not want to miss this opportunity to see this serious game in action,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Chairman and Cofounder of SweetRush. “Learning and development professionals looking for a truly interactive and engaging game-based learning solution will surely be inspired by our demonstration.”

The DevLearn 2016 Conference & Expo, produced by The eLearning Guild, is one of the most attended and anticipated events for the learning and development industry. It will take place November 16 to 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Steve and Erin will also present a session on hidden or unconscious bias for instructional designers and facilitators.

To register for the conference and learn more about DemoFest, visit the DevLearn 2016 website.

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!

Session attendees will learn how the hot topic of unconscious bias applies to instructional design and facilitation—and how to be more inclusive in learning materials and delivery.

San Francisco, California, November 7, 2016—SweetRush is proud to announce the session “Mitigating Hidden Bias in Instructional Design,” on the important topic of unconscious bias, at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, November 16, at the DevLearn 2016 Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. Dr. Steve Yacovelli, SweetRush’s Director of Inclusion and Change and an expert in diversity and inclusion, will present the session along with Erin Krebs, SweetRush’s Director of Client Solutions.

“Steve and Erin’s session will illuminate the topic of hidden or unconscious bias for learning and development professionals—it’s not to be missed,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Chairman and Cofounder of SweetRush. “Unconscious bias has come to the forefront of talent management and human resources discussions as organizations seek to be more inclusive in hiring and management practices, yet there is very little in terms of discussion and practical tips available for instructional designers and facilitators. This is an opportunity to see two fantastic presenters in an interactive session to learn more about this important topic.”

Steve and Erin will also participate in DemoFest, part of the DevLearn conference, sharing an award-winning serious game developed for a Millennial audience. Learn more about both speakers below.

The DevLearn 2016 Conference & Expo, produced by The eLearning Guild, is one of the most attended and anticipated events for the learning and development industry. It will take place November 16 to 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To register for the conference and learn more about DemoFest, visit the DevLearn 2016 website.

About the Speakers

Dr. Steve Yacovelli, Director of Inclusion and Change
Steve’s many areas of expertise include change management, diversity and inclusion consulting, instructional design, leadership and cultural development, learning strategies, and training evaluation. A published author, Steve’s writings focus on organizational and individual adoption of change, how adults learn using technology, and organizational readiness for technology-enabled learning.

Erin Krebs, Director of Client Solutions
Erin heads up our talented Solution Architect Group. Whip-smart, with an ability to capture the big picture and the details, she crafts solutions that go beyond her clients’ expectations. Erin holds a master’s degree in learning systems design and development and is a certified professional in learning and performance. She’s a speaker and author on numerous topics, specializing in learning techniques for Millennials.

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!

One of only 6% of 1,100 submissions to be awarded a top prize, SweetRush’s winning campaign demonstrates results-oriented, education-based marketing communication.

San Francisco, Calif., October 17, 2016 – SweetRush is a Platinum award winner in the “Education Marketing” category in the Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award competition. The award recognizes SweetRush’s work with Bridgestone Americas in developing a holistic, education-based marketing program for extended-enterprise sales associates.

“Education marketing is still a relatively new field that has largely been the purview of agencies. What’s different about SweetRush is our ability to combine agency-level creative with the art and science of instructional design. The result is education-based marketing that’s both engaging—including branding, 3-D, and gamification—and truly effective,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Co-founder and Chairman of SweetRush, Inc.

The Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award (Summit MEA) responds to a common need in the marketing and advertising sector: to acknowledge the contribution of results and messaging, and the achievement of the marketer’s business goals. The Summit MEA is unique to other award programs because it reinforces that the goal of marketing communications is to change, influence, or reinforce an audience’s knowledge, attitudes, or beliefs. Using this premise as a basis for its judging criteria, the competition is becoming a true arbiter of marketing communication effectiveness.

During the 2016 event, judges analyzed submissions and selected only 6 percent to receive the top spots. A truly international competition, the Summit MEA received submissions from the following twelve countries: Australia, Canada, England, Hungary, India, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Wales.

“Distinguishing between creativity and effectiveness is a difficult task, so winning a Summit MEA is a significant achievement,” said Jocelyn Luciano, Executive Director for the Summit International Awards. “The combination of experienced judges and our tough criteria ensures that only deserving submissions receive Summit MEA recognition.”

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 Summit International Award & the Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award

The SIA organization was founded in 1994. Annually it conducts the Summit Creative Award, the Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award, and the Summit Emerging Media Award.

The Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award recognizes and rewards companies for innovative and leading-edge creative work that uses strategy and results-based effectiveness to create solutions in today’s marketplace.

Additional information about the Summit International Awards organization, its competitions and winning firms can be found on the SIA web site.