After a very successful event last year, AKT Enterprises presented TEDxOrlando 2011 on November 5th. TEDxOrlando is committed to sharing, fostering and developing ideas that matter, and to building a local community where people who are passionate about ideas that matter can connect.

Thanks to everyone who made this amazing and very special day possible: our hard-working, excellent speakers; our fabulous and generous volunteers; our visionary sponsors; all the folks who pitched in out of the goodness of their hearts; and most of all, our wonderful attendees.

Click here to read more about it on Full Sail’s “Minute 2 Minute” Campus blog!

AKT’s Chief Operating Officer Jared Mendelewicz is once again the featured guest blogger on YoungEntrepreneur.com, the largest social networking forum for entrepreneurs. This time, Jared writes on the sometimes sensitive subject of the bad hire and outlines key traits of red flag employees that might be doing your company more bad than good. Read more here: http://bit.ly/lzxzMx

The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists in 70 album, song, music video and design categories. This year, Studio AKT was nominated for an award for best music website for local artist Not Them! Studio AKT works hard on a daily basis to succeed in allowing customers’ ideas turn into reality.

The IMA’s receive submissions from over 70 countries on 6 continents, so to be in the top 5 total nominees is quite an honor in itself. In the past, popular artists such as Mark Hoppus, Zooey Deschanel, Keith Urban, and Ozzy Osbourne have all been judges of this program.

Not only is this nomination an honor, but it also allows for major exposure to artists, fans, and programmers. Winners will be announced in the spring, please vote for StudioAKT’s Not Them web site here.

As a courtesy to existing Emptees.com user’s, Mintees.com offers a migration tool to activate any users uploaded designs, comments, articles, feedback and threads on the Mintees.com platform.

Mintees.com is scheduled to officially launch its approximately one week before Emptees.com officially shuts down on March 1, 2011.

RIP Emptees.com

AKT Enterprises recently donated over 100 toys, games and educational books to the Marine Corps ‘Toys for Tots’ Foundation to help spread holiday cheer to the children of Orlando.

AKT has donated to Toys for Toys since 2008. Over the past two years, theyhave contributed over 300 toys to the organization and are contributing their largest donation ever this year, as the company has nearly tripled since its launch in 2005.

For more information on Toys for Tots, please visit www.toysfortots.org.

AKT kicked off 2010 with the announcement of the opening of its second warehouse. This warehouse, also located in Winter Park, Florida, is now home to AKT’s graphic design team and also functions as a fully operational print facility.

Throughout the year, AKT was honored by many local and national publications for its consistent and outstanding professional achievements. The Orlando Business Journal included AKT in its annual “Forty Under 40” list. The company was also recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for excellence, leadership and dedication. Inc. Magazine ranked AKT Enterprises No. 511 on its fourth annual Inc. 5000 list, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.

AKT was also asked to contribute to multiple media outlets this year, including YoungEntrepreneur.com, one of the largest online forum communities for entrepreneurs, Full Sail University’s Music Business Department and the Winter Park Observer, a popular newspaper in the Orlando community.

In March, AKT acquired Smartpunk, one of the world’s most popular online music storefronts. AKT’s expertise in online stores and entertainment merchandise, coupled with Smartpunk’s worldwide customer reach, has allowed the company to distinguish itself as a leading force in music products and services.

Big Top, AKT’s first retail initiative, opened its flagship storefront in August. Located in Winter Park, Florida, Big Top specializes in the development of specialty products, including direct-to-garment items, embroidery, web design, and more. The store is ideal for both big and small businesses, family gatherings, sororities and fraternities, and much more, providing AKT with the opportunity to infiltrate the local market. Big Top is the first of many planned retail projects for AKT.

AKT Management has established itself as an asset to the entertainment industry, utilizing all of AKT’s resources to foster long and meaningful careers for its clients.  In addition to the production of a sold-out tour for YouTube sensation LiveLavaLive in April, AKT Management announced the signing of the Orlando-based band Savannah, who recently released their debut EP to a great response. AKT Management also represents Dan Brown, the founder and star of Dan 3.0, the most-watched show on the number one Internet television station, Revision3.

AKT recently announced Smartpunk Live, its new music-based web show, which marks the beginning of an exciting turning point for Smartpunk. Smartpunk Live features live acoustic performances and in-depth artist interviews with both established and up-and-coming bands in a brand new state-of-the-art production studio and lounge.

Maintaining its reputation as the premier YouTube merchandising company, AKT is excited to present Playlist LIVE. Playlist LIVE is a two-day convention that will bring the biggest and best producers of music and video content together in a conference-style environment. The event will feature interactive talks and performances by some of the most successful people in the new media industry. Playlist LIVE will be held in Orlando, Florida in March of 2011.

AKT Enterprises continues to expand by delivering the highest quality products through the diversified talents of the company’s rapidly growing team of dedicated employees. The company’s success would not be possible without the endless support of family, friends, clients and team members. With exciting new ventures and plans for even more expansion on the horizon, AKT looks forward to making 2011 its biggest year yet.

AKT Enterprises is proud to announce the launch of Smartpunk Live, Smartpunk.com’s brand-new web series. The series features exclusive performances, interviews and news from artists and bands, all recorded live from the Smartpunk Live studios in Orlando, FL.

The first Smartpunk Live episodes, which premiered today on smartpunklive.com, feature the bands Hey Monday and Saves the Day. Both bands give acoustic performances of fan-favorites from previous and upcoming releases, as well as in-depth interviews conducted by Anica and Rob, the Smartpunk Live hosts.

The series will continue to air regularly on www.smartpunklive.com.