InternationalBeatlesFreakDay - January 14th of every year!
 
And what is I-BFD??? Round the clock Beatles songs on Beatles-A-Rama Radio by ONLY The Beatles (no cover bands) for one thing! It's also trivia contests, historical facts of interest, prizes, and contests! It's a fun INTERNATIONAL celebration of the Fab Four that everyone who tunes in to Beatles-A-Rama radio can enjoy! It's a holiday commemorating our lads.
 
And who started it all?   Jenn Vanderslice.

Meet Jenn Vanderslice

I did.
 
Two years ago, just after the first edition of Shoulda Been There was published, I (having no agent, no PR rep, and very little knowledge of the politics of "The Beatles World") began writing to every single Beatles website that I could find asking them to read and possibly review the book. I hit the "Contact Us" link on I-BFD.com, asking the person on the other end of the e-mail if he or she could help me promote my brand new researched historical novel on John Lennon.
 
A reply came almost immediately from Jenn Vanderslice.  Of course, she would help me, her e-mail read. And she did.
 
First, Jenn got me a connection with Rev. Greg's Oldies Program on Sunday evenings out of Philadelphia (my home town by heart!). It was the first radio interview that I did! I was so nervous!!
 
Then, she put me in touch with Andre Gardner of Breakfast with the Beatles(of whom I've always been a huge fan!) Andre didn't have time to interview me at that point, but one never knows I'm still hopeful.
 
But that wasn't all.
 
Jenn also told me about The 10! Show in Philly and got me a contact for the program. And she suggested that I write to Just Four Guys, Ray Whittaker's program. She even found me the names and addresses of several bookstores in the Philadelphia area that I could contact. (Remember, she didn't even know me, people!)
 
All in all, she did more than I ever imagined that a stranger would do to help a new, fledgling writer. She did more than many of my closest friends.
 
As the months flew by and the second edition of Shoulda Been There came out, Jenn continued to be a guardian angel for me. And when I flew to Philly in April for a book signing at S. R. Riley's Musical Café in Bridgeton, New Jersey,guess who drove all the way from Chester County to meet me and cheer me on? Yep,  Jenn Vanderslice!!!
 
After knowing each other for quite some time, I was lucky enough to be around when Jenn made the decision to start her own PR firm, MOONGLOWPR.com and I was blessed to be one of her first clients. (You'll read all about it in her story.) And to tell you the truth, I can't think of a person whom I'd rather have in my corner. Because even when it gained her nothing at all to help me, she did.
 
There's an old quote that says something to the effect of: "The measure of a human being is discovered by watching how he or acts when he thinks no one is looking."
 
Jenn measures up quite beautifully, doesn't she?
 
Here's her exciting story enjoy!

Jenn Vanderslice
 

My story isn't really all that exciting...

...just an ordinary Beatles fan that happened to think the right thought at the right time, emailed the right friend at the right moment and put up a website that turned into a worldwide Beatles sensation. It could happen to anyone...

But let me start at the beginning.

The first real memory I have of a Beatle would be in 1974...I was 9 years old. A neighbor of ours took me to see my first James Bond movie, "Live and Let Die". (For over 30 years, that would remain the only Bond movie I ever saw.) That was the same year that McCartney's "Band on the Run" came out, and in my mind I can still hear my 4th grade friends singing, "Jet."

1976 brought the world "Silly Love Songs" - a song I still love to this day (but then again, I've always loved to chill out and watch "Give My Regards To Broad Street"). And in 1979, I got my first McCartney album, "Back to the Egg."

I remember the day John Lennon died because I remember kids talking about it in school. But I wasn't a huge fan, though his song, "Watching the Wheels" reminds me off driving to the mountains when I was seventeen with my boyfriend.

A couple years passed, and in my senior year of high school, my friend Anne and I cut school. We walked 5 miles to spend the day hanging out at the shopping mall. I'll never forget walking into the bookstore and looking at the top shelf where I saw Paul McCartney on the cover of Playgirl. Being only 17, I wasn't old enough to buy it, but my friend could. I knew then that I would name my first son Paul. The cover and interview still exist, but a jealous boyfriend made me destroy the rest.

By 1986, I had my first record store job at the local Sam Goody store. The job also gave me first dibs on promotional materials sent by the record companies. Thanks to employment that only lasted 4 months, I'm the proud owner of the promotional poster for McCartney's "Press to Play" album. It hangs in my "White Room." Also in the room are two other Beatles posters, a Hofner bass, and my husband's 1966 Ludwig Black Diamond Pearl drums (Ringo used a 1964 Ludwig Black Oyster Pearl kit).

In 1989, our first son was born: Paul Corey Vanderslice. I had told my husband that my first son would be named Paul, but we could give him any middle name he wanted and call him by his middle name. Interesting story about Corey and the real Paul McCartney: At the 2005 McCartney US Tour, a friend with connections got us two of the band's tickets in the second row - center stage. My husband and I gave them to our two oldest children. We sat in the nose-bleed section and watched as Paul came out on stage. He pointed to his forehead and said something to someone in the audience. It was my son he was talking to...telling him he liked his headband. Honestly, the very fact that Paul McCartney talked to the son I named after him makes me just as happy as if he had talked to me.

We attended McCartney's 1989 World Tour and 1993 New World Tour in Philadelphia. Once again, a friend of ours got our tickets to the '93 concert and scored us 5th row seats! I was pregnant at the time with my second son. Thinking back to that night makes me miss Linda.

In 1994, I gave birth to Christian Julian. He was born two weeks late and wouldn't make his official appearance until several hours after I put my Walkman headphones on my belly and played "Hey Jude" to him. I decided to name him after John Lennon's son...a decision I've never regretted. I had seen Julian Lennon in concert twice in one week in June 1986 (NYC and Philadelphia). In the 15 years since my son's birth, Julian Lennon is still an incredible human being, and I think his father would be so very proud of the man he's become.

So how did I create International Beatles Freak Day?

It all started very innocently in March 2007 with an email to an old friend, Michael Kropp. I sent him a link to a petition that I started online (you can find a link on the I-BFD.com website). It was done on a whim when I realized that there was no official "Beatles Day" in existence. We celebrated the Fab Fours' birthdays and recognized John and George's deaths, but never actually celebrated the Beatles.

So I picked a day at random (and despite what people think, it really is random) - January 14th. The second person I sent the petition was the key factor in getting International Beatles Freak Day off the ground. I e-mailed it to Andre Gardner of Philadelphia's Breakfast with the Beatles, and he absolutely loved the idea. With Andre in my corner, I threw up a website, www.I-BFD.com, in November 2007, and by the end of December I was being interviewed for Andre Gardner's Breakfast with the Beatles program.

Click to read interview

In 2009, I partnered with Pat Matthews and his web-radio station Beatles-A-Rama, www.BeatlesARama.com, to celebrate International Beatles Freak Day. Together, Pat and I were able to come up with a 36 hour broadcast of all Beatles music, interviews and podcasts for the listening pleasure of Beatles Freaks around the world. Our two websites worked so well together, that we continued our partnership. Pat now features the I-BFD Artist of the Month (see below) every Tuesday at Noon (ET) on his station.

Since its humble beginning, I-BFD is growing into its own. I want people to celebrate the Beatles without needing to buy a ticket. I want a day when everyone can just feel the love. It's not about me - the creator of the day, it's about you - the fans!

After the first official Beatles Freak Day in 2008, I started a monthly feature on the I-BFD website called, 'Artist of the Month'. Every month since then, I have chosen one artist, whether it is a band, artist, or performer - someone whom I feel keeps the spirit of the Beatles alive. I'm very proud of the choices I've made and the recommendations I've gotten for all my Artist of the Month. This month (July) is very special to me, and I love to pick a special artist as a birthday present to myself. (Last year I was happy to feature May Pang.)

This year, I'm truly excited to have The Smithereens as my Artist of the Month for July!

It was my monthly promoting of the I-BFD Artist of the Month that made me realize that there are so many new artists, bands, authors, and companies that don't have a whole lot of money to invest in a Public Relations company, but they are the ones that need the publicity the most! This lead me to create my company MoonGlow Pr,on a "No strings, no commitments" basis.

At Moonglow, I'm willing to send out one press release or do a client's entire PR, but I charge them by the job, not monthly. I love the challenge of getting people noticed. Not only is my company representing Jude Southerland Kessler and 25 Smokin' Figurados, but MoonGlow Pr is also the PR representative for Shannon - The World's Greatest Beatles Artist!

Shannon has given me opportunities that I would have never had. This first week in July, she and I will be meeting with Cheap Trick to discuss a business venture...and later this week we're flying to Utah for an event featuring the Jonas Brothers.

And in the end, it is my love of the Fab Four that is taking me to the 'Toppermost of the Poppermost'!