The Imperial Order of Constantine the Great and of Saint Helen

By Michael Koehn,

Los Angeles has plenty of celebrities, millionaires, billionaires, dignitaries, Academy Award winners, sports legends, political figures, shakers and makers shaping the World, contributing to a new, more powerful future.  Of course it also has more than its share of infamous stories making the headlines for reasons hardly befitting The Ten Commandments.

“Most often however, LA seems to be hitting a higher accord with the World in general by bringing into focus forward looking ideas and inducing change little by little.  As if there was a higher level of consciousness present, even in its less than “noble stories,” which in my opinion addresses very humane realities and in that sense carries a certain degree of evolutionary message even though through its negative connotation.”  Because, after all, LA is the place from where all rockets are fired into the world of art and culture, shaping and forming young minds around the Globe, an influence carrying with it not only a responsibility, but also an obligation.

An obligation to be true, as LA’s forward-looking creativity paves the way for the new generation who seem to be wandering aimlessly in a world of chaos, a condition that not even the most sophisticated politicians in the White House, or in any house, perhaps with the exceptions of some of our finest minds, like Dr. Stephen Hawking could figure out.  What can we then hand down to those looking to us for directions when the world around us is crumbling down with the speed of light?

Many parts of the World, although indifferent to Americans, care more about where one is from rather than what one has to say. More about whether one was born poor or rich, or whether or not one has an advanced degree that gives one credentials to speak, which sometimes gets ignored completely in favor of birthrights.

Living on the West side of LA, however, gives you the privilege to say what you mean and mean what you say. The community cares, Jeff Hall, a recognized name on the West Side cares!  And, it is seen every day in his numerous local publications that have shaped the community for decades! They never concerned themselves with how rich or poor anyone might be, but they cared about what that person had to say! That is not only important, but is also key in a society that struggles for survival!

Adrienne Papp is being Knighted into a Lady / Dame

Yet, what LA doesn’t talk about, despite all the heavy-duty power players, are the people of royalty who, either by birthright, which then they turned into  several remarkable achievements, or a high level of accomplishments, have been selected as members of a royal order, a chivalric organization practicing an ethical code of conduct that goes back to Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, and which Order bestows the title of nobility based upon the service the appointed honorable person performs to others, in accordance with a chivalric code that has existed for centuries!

The phrase “with privilege there comes obligations,” means that being honored is not to be taken lightly.  ” Not much has been handed down to the younger generation about chivalry and courtesy over the past decades! Members of the Chivalric order, today and thousands of years ago, are bound by oath to a lifetime of commitment to the betterment of all, including ethics, and a financial obligation to help those who need it the most. It does not commit to one organization or another, but commits to serious human conditions that seem neglected, and it takes it upon itself to seek a resolution and not just a simple philosophical “understanding,” which is very common in our World today. We talk much about what should be done, but getting it actually done may take forever, or simply remains a philosophy that sounds really good especially from politicians,” says Adrienne Papp who has recently been awarded the unique and special honor of Chivalry. Papp is a local Westside publicist, journalist, economist and marketing and media professional, who has been received the royal honor of being Knighted into the Imperial Order of Constantine the Great and of Saint Helen due to her selfless contribution to her local community, but also Nationwide and in Europe.

This nomination comes with a privileged high rank, that of a Dame, or a Lady, as invested in this Chivalric Knightly Order only to those whose selfless conduct has demonstrated itself for decades.  The official and very formal ceremony took place at the Masonic Temple in Los Angeles, CA on October 23^rd, 2010.  The lifetime honor of Lady / Dame was bestowed on Miss Papp, along with Mr. Shepherd Clark, Ms Szylvia, Ms LeeAnn Quiroz, Ms Patricia Murphy ( only seven candidates,) and was formally conferred by the Duke of Belgium, His Grace, Michael Schmickrath and His Excellency, the Count of Esson, Michael R.S. Teilman, Grand Chancellor of the Chivalry. It is an honor so special that it seems to have come from another time, a knightly era completely out of place in our fast lane, computerized society.

So who are the people who stood up to the footsteps of Constantine and now do for others instead of serving themselves, and what does it mean to be part of this honorable society?

Lady Adrienne Papp

Adrienne Papp, one of the knighted Ladies, was born and raised in Northern Hungary by her father, a Count himself prior to World War II, who became an engineer active in local politics; and by her mother who was involved in the arts and ran art galleries around the country.  In Adrienne’s view, this honor is “really all about the mind and being at service to others and really not about me. Or, as His Grace would say: ‘Nobility is defined by One’s Birth and Actions and not by Titles bestowed upon them.’

Adrienne showed exceptional promise in very early childhood and school years, often challenging the status quo and questioning the prevailing order in a country that was under Communist rules. She was a rebel to the degree that it concerned her parents daily, who pleaded with her to “please just try to be like everyone else.” Upsetting the status quo was not the best idea in a country where only the government had true power.

After gaining scholarship to one of Europe’s best Universities, The University of Economics: Corvinus University of Budapest, her intellect was noticed by German educators from the West, which  allowed Adrienne to spend time in Hamburg, West Germany, where she innovated logistics, traffic and transportation systems that were beyond what had been available to that time, and later became the basis for on-time management systems used by FedEx and DHL, and other “on-time management companies.”  Her diploma work also included analysis of Joint Ventures Worldwide, which at the time was unheard of in terms of Global logistics

On her return to Budapest she graduated from Corvinus University with an MBA (Master of Business Administration) and Master of Science in Economics, and was offered an honorary Ph.D. for her diploma work in International Joint Ventures and Logistics.

Lady Adrienne with other Knights from the Order

Despite getting herself into trouble more than once through her rebellious approach to life and her free spirited nature, Papp’s work included, besides the innovative logistics, the invention of a mathematical formula for computer programming that has become part of the University’s IT Technology department. Her revolutionary diploma work is today on file with the Library of “Congress” of the University.

Even though there were professors working on her subject, nobody came up with the same conclusion that she did.   “I never gave in, it did not matter to me that I became an insomniac, or what it took out of me,” she says. “I just knew that I had to do it: that I had something to say!”

Papp’s intellectual curiosity (“discovery” being her favorite word and mantra,) and subsequent interest in international business led to a desire to travel, and she eventually ended up in Copenhagen, Denmark, where she was offered a job with a computer technology company.  “Even though I was able to branch out, I always had an interest in Western culture and saw myself in America, and specifically in New York.  That was an image I had for myself from the age of three,” Papp says.

True to her vision, Adrienne eventually landed in New York City with sufficient funds for venture capital investments, and she soon successfully obtained a green card as a “National Treasure to the United States,” under category 2 of the Immigration Law strictly based on her individual achievements and advantageous work to the country of the United States. In addition to her talent for publicity, by exporting American-made products to overseas territories, her company helped improve the country’s trade balance, which America badly needed then and does to this day.

His Grace Michael Schmickrath, the Duke of Belgium

“I’ve been an American citizen for more than ten years now, but I can say as an economist that we are still in trouble. We import nearly everything and there are not enough jobs nationally.  This is a very bad strategy that can spiral even further. The less consumers spend the more we outsource in order to cut costs.  And that is a feedback mechanism. The more we outsource the less money we have.”

Always passionate about her work, Papp ran a highly successful consulting business in the heart of New York City on Madison Avenue with a hundred percent dedication, traveling back and forth between New York, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France, Norway, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.  She also enjoyed exploring life in New York at the highest levels while staying completely independent and a woman of her own.

“It is not that hard to get used to the high life of black tie fundraisers every night in New York City, dressed in designer clothes empowered with a model’s looks and a Wall Street brain, flying around the World on a few hours notice and accounting to no one but yourself! It is a luxurious life, yet very demanding!  I got used to that in Denmark on my first job. My secretary would say, ‘your plane leaves in three hours’ and I would have my suitcase in the office just in case I had to fly to Iceland, barely having the time to get to the airport.  I am used to living in hotels, which after a while can also become exhausting mentally more so than physically. You just do not want to see another airport for a long, long while anymore… Let me sip some red wine overlooking the ocean and do my work from my laptop on my balcony and not see a soul, or talk to anyone…” she laughs, “is a real relief! That is your rescue, if you wish!”

Shepherd Clark Being Knighted

“But, at the same time, life in New York City for me had the same kind of energy that it had for Carrie in Sex and the City. I get asked this question all the time: ‘Is living in New York really like what was shown in the movie’…and I think it is…Depends of course which character you are. I never was anyone except Carrie. But, I have seen the rest in other people. So, yes, all of it exists.”

While doing some modeling for fun after having been “harassed non-stop to become a model,” Papp was also sought out by film makers to handle funds and investments, and was first offered a script that would star Keanu Reeves, a name she was not at all familiar with.  “I think I was the only one in the country who did not have the faintest clue who he was, despite Reeves appearances in such well-known films as Speed.”  When I lived in New York in my early twenties and was surrounded by investment bankers and venture capitalists, I was not into movies at all. Today, there is not one film I have not seen, or one actor I do not know about; well, I exaggerate a little, of course to make the point. Back then my knowledge of movie stars started and ended with Robert Redford and Paul Newman, both of whom I was madly in love with of course as a child. And for music, the Beatles! Other than that, anybody could have been anybody I would not have noticed.”

Nevertheless a small Destiny Films project called Great Jones Street took Papp to Los Angeles, where she made her first contacts in the entertainment industry.  Almost simultaneously, Charlie Rose, the eminent PBS talk show host offered her a business position, putting her into the Chateau Marmont for a long stay.

Sir Robert Simone and Lady Adrienne Papp

“Those years at the Chateau overlooking the pool, giving me the feel of a real home, were the most fun times of my life! Although we flew to Paris on the Concord for a weekend with my ex-fiancé from New York, my time with him never came close to the fun I had at the Chateau Marmont. Andre Balazs, a fellow Hungarian, put out a great book on that legendary hotel. I feel like I grew up there. That is where I became an adult. Harry Cohn, founder of Columbia Studios once said, ‘if you MUST get into trouble, do it at the Château Marmont.’ He was right!”

Reeves eventually moved on to the Matrix series, but Adrienne became intrigued with Los Angeles, in addition to her love of New York City, and decided to take her talents to the Golden State.   She returned to New York and bought out her investors, becoming the sole owner of a multi-million dollar marketing, advertising, publicity, educational media, and film production and finance company. “This last leg was kind of imposed on me…it just found me. One of those mysteries,” she says.

Now, determined to learn film making and not pressured to earn a monthly living, she got a production job with HBO and worked on the highly rated war film When Trumpets Fade, which was shot in Hungary, where she was a big factor in facilitating communications with the cast and crew.

“John Irvin thought I would be a good translator taken that the entire American production was moved over to Hungary and not one person spoke any Hungarian except me. So, they were glad to find me, although most everyone thought I was ‘overqualified.’ My language skills were a key reason I got the job as the assistant to John Irvin. I felt like a million dollars, and I made about $1,000 a month. We were freezing up in the mountains during winter in the middle of nowhere, had hardly any edible food or warm clothes, and burned down a forest or two and tons of rubber tires every single day to produce the smoky camera shots for World War II, but I felt so privileged just to be part of the film. Getting up at 5 am and watching trailers till 1 am for six months took a toll on all of us, but I remember Gavin Polone being there every minute of the film. He was an amazing producer. I was sick from exhaustion and he was always smiling, not caring about freezing to death, or not eating for a few days. But the entire cast and crew was just so diligent, and never gave up although we had hit the breaking point more than just a few times. We lived in trailers and hardly saw the light of day.  I learned a lot on that set. Everyone said ‘do not worry, movie making is not this tough, you got the worst of it,’ and I did, but I think it served me well on the long run. These were the most amazing people I had ever met and the entire experience was a real highlight of my life. Not that I understood any of this at the time.”

Investiture and Oath into the Chivalric Order

After a car accident due to the fault of another driver in LA in March of 1998 after postproduction on the film was coming to an end, Papp suffered serious injuries and had a very challenging two years during the recovery period due to complications resulting from whiplash.

In 2000 Adrienne moved back to New York, bringing her business expertise to the aid to some of the newly formed Internet companies launching new technologies, some of which eventually collapsed on the New York Stock Exchange in early 2001.

“Those times were strange. I knew there was no GDP, but their technology was remarkable and still drives the economy to this day. It as just that they were too disorganized and new, and everyone was too stingy to restructure them.”

Later, she was working with an investment banking company headquartered in the Twin Towers when they were struck by terrorists on 9/11. The event not only traumatized her, but the city as well, and changed life in New York, and America forever.

His Excellency, the Count of Esson, Michael R.S. Teilman, Grand Cancellor, and Lady Adrienne Papp

“By the Grace of God I had to survive for some mysterious reason. I should have been in the building when the first tower went down, but I refused to go to work that day (I still do not know why,) and I did not even wake up in my midtown apartment until after the first building was attacked and burning. I saw the whole thing from the roof of my building, which was right by the United Nations. We were then told that the UN is next to be attacked, and I started shaking and running out of my building down the stairs from the 32^nd floor in my PJs. The streets of Manhattan were completely empty. I never saw anything like that before. There were only people walking in the middle of the streets. Lots and lots of people. No cars anywhere. That had not happened ever before. Nobody knew where all the cars were.”

“I did not stop shaking till midnight that day! We did not know what was going to happen next or where. I had 48 messages on my phone. People from around the world called that day. Of course there were no phones or banks for days after the attacks. Our world literally collapsed. I had post-traumatic-stress syndrome after that event. All of a sudden everything was taken from me and I just saw one tragedy after another: losing people all around me.”

“At this time my private life was on the rocks as well. April 2, 2001 was the last time I heard from my fiancé. All I ever had was gone in an instance: My Life, my career, my status, my finances, the love I thought was real and all else I EVER thought was real!   As hard as it was, it started a whole new chapter in my life except I did not understand it then. And …I did not understand it for years, but the foundation to my success today was the fact that ALL was gone, everything was taken from me and all I had left was me.”

“As I saw everyone moving out of New York I went back to my old home: Europe.  Nobody knew much of anything about me there. I could go incognito. In New York I was a celebrity. But then, back in Europe, they invited me to teach at Oxford University for a while as a guest professor. It was a very quiet and calm time for me. I came to a complete stand still. But, I enjoyed the teaching and I was very retrospective. I needed that time to recover, I think.”

With clients on both coasts in the U.S., Papp then moved back first to her apartment in New York City then to her house in Los Angeles in 2004, and continued her most successful media and Publicity Companies. She worked closely with a number of celebrities and power players, developing full features, profiles and coverage for various events, BUT only to her liking and not as a means of living.   She also attended international film festivals and major award shows just the same.

“Doing for others I think is the only satisfaction in life along with self-realization. All else is just hogwash. Temporary satisfaction is an addiction.  Most people think the external is all that matters, and it never is. Not in the end. Not ultimately. But achieving in the material world is a reflection of the mind. And I admire that. It takes smarts and dedication, hard work and great courage. Only a few can really do that and it is more than honorable.  It is just that there is still more to life, AND for a lot of people, self-realization is the point when life really starts.”

Sir Rob Simone and Lady Adrienne Papp

Adrienne also completed post-graduate courses at NYU (New York University) in International Trade and Law and also at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) in Advertising, Marketing and Journalism.

Adrienne Papp is currently the Owner, President and CEO of Atlantic Publicity, with offices in Los Angeles, California; Aspen, Colorado, and New York City, New York.  Atlantic Publicity operates several business divisions, including a news release platform, and Atlantic United Films.

Adrienne is also the former Profile Editor of Flying Adventures Magazine, Celeb Staff, the Editor in Chief of Savoir Magazine and The Beverly Hills Times, a host and Editor of Chic Today, an online fashion and high-tech magazine, La2Day, and It Magazine.  She also Profile Edited six Southern California based publications, including Beverly Hills 90210, Brentwood News, Santa Monica Sun, Bel-Air View, Palisades 90272, and Malibu Beach. She also writes and produces Spotlight Media Productions, a cutting-edge interactive multimedia style and entertainment media production company that distributes news articles around the World.

“What I love the most about my life is when I see the joy and tears in my client’s eyes, as they see their lives changed completely due to my contribution to their dreams and hard work.  I truly believe that in the end, all we have are dreams, and the only difference is whether or not they have come true. I think that is the task.  And, when someone makes them true for you, your life changes to the degree that you want to do more for the World. And, that I think is chivalry. That, I think is nobility in its most selfless sense.”

Lady Szylvia, Sir Shepherd and Lady Adrienne

Some of Adrienne’s cover stories included profiles of Angelina Jolie, Robert Redford, Adrian Pasdar, Lea Thompson, Kathy Ireland, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Clint Eastwood, Gerard Butler, and the late Violet Parkhurst among many, many others. Adrienne also currently serves as the Chairman of Public Relations of the William Fox Film Club and Atlantic Publicity is the PR and Publicity Company of the Hungarian Film Festival in Los Angeles, which is happening right now with films such as the big screen Predators, directed by Nimrod Antal.

As a person with a lifelong concern for the planet and our way of life, Adrienne is also highly active in many organizations that she feels contribute to the well being of our culture and society at large. Her contributions promote pro-social actions that inspire life-altering and world-changing philosophies.

“I study Quantum Physics, Neuroscience, and Consciousness. I believe that the key to the future is really a new way of thinking. There is no failure in life despite what popular culture believes!  I believe in parallel universes and the Double Slit Experiment. Everything is really only happening because of the Observer. And the Observer is you and I. There is no experience without me, or you, the Observer, but more importantly, I can absolutely influence any situation the way I view it. Of course people confuse this with the Newtonian physics where everything has ALREADY been created. You cannot change that! But, you can change everything that has NOT yet been manifested. It is really all up to you. This is the good news! And this is the bad news! Because you cannot blame others from here on! I admire the work of Dr. Joe Dispensa, Dr. Stephen Hawking, Leonard Susskind of Stanford University and many other real great teachers, who are willing to go down the rabbit hole and are inventive enough to talk about their own experience as opposed to what they have learned.”

The Investiture Ceremony

“I love what Debra Pauli has to say, and one of my favorite geniuses is Mike Dooley who lectures with a fantastic sense of humor and a true dedication to his craft: the craft of life from a Universal point of view. Pauli is the same in a female version and very, very beautiful. “

“I am also fortunate to be able to work with extraordinary minds like Dennis Buzek of M55-Bike, Kay Roy of Vayaro, Peter Budahazy of Helia-D Beauty, Yasuko Siegel of MYRA-Kyoto, and music icons who are putting their lives and souls into their craft, just like I have always done with a never ending desire to bring about change! This is what the World will see and remember in the end. The people who MAKE IT HAPPEN! The message is: The old paradigm is out and dead. It is time for a new one, which I think is: ‘Do it and do it no matter what it takes, it will be worth it in the end for as long as you believe in it!’”

“I believe that we are not here to change people, but rather change the way we think!”

Papp has also been active in sponsoring better living conditions for children in Africa where she has her own adopted kids, but is also a contributor to many charitable organizations, including: World Wild Life Fund, Wild Life Rescue, Wildlife Way Station, Stand Up 2 Cancer, Green World, Free Tibet, and even met the Dalai Lama in person in Aspen in 2008. Adrienne is a guest host on WomensRadio targeting ten million women around the World addressing these issues as well as promoting the messages her very extinguished clients convey.

Lady Adrienne Papp

“It is the greatest honor and I take it humbly to be knighted into a Lady by the Imperial Order of Constantine the Great and of Saint Helen. I hope that through this exceptional recognition as the result of my work I can motivate and inspire others to follow their own paths of self-realization, wherever their path may lie!  Making a difference in not just talent, but a choice. ‘Nobility is defined by One’s Actions and not by Titles bestowed upon them.’”

“I believe in a new way of thinking…, and feeling the invisible. Nothing can win over that!”

For a Radio Interview on WomensRadio with Adrienne Please click here

For more information please visit:

http://www.lasplash.com/publish/Entertainment/cat_index_la_events/The_Order_of_Saint_Constanstine_-_To_Be_A_Knight.php

www.Adrienne Papp.com

www.AtlanticPublicity.com

www.AtlanticPublisher.com

www.AtlanticUnitedFilms.com

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By Adrienne Papp

Fulfilling the potential of his Matrix character title, Keanu Reeves proved that he is also The One when it comes to auto racing. He took the checkered flag in the competitive celebrity field at the 2009 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race as part of the 35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, California.

The star of blockbuster films like The Matrix, The Day The Earth Stood Still, and Speed, Reeves finished first among celebrities in a mixed field that included racing pros Al Unser Jr. who won the Pro division with just five seconds ahead of Keanu. Other participating celebrities included Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, comedian Carlos Mencia, 24 star Mary Lynn Rajskub and From G’s To Gents host Fonzworth Bentley.

The event is a popular tradition during the festivities of the Grand Prix weekend, and had the crowd cheering on their favorite celebs throughout the entire race. Both celebrities and professional racers were very success driven as they attempted to win some funds for charities, driving Scion tCs that had been performance modified for the event especially. Not that it made car racing any safer.

With proper training and practice, competing celebrities learned the driving skills needed to navigate the 1.97-mile racetrack through the streets of downtown Long Beach. And although their competitive natures came out during practice, the drivers also enjoyed the camaraderie of experience, which is what the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is really all about.

World champion pro skateboarder Danny Way led the celeb race for the most part, but got tangled up with Fonzworth Bentley on the ninth lap and ended up hitting the track wall in a head on collision. Reeves then gained the speed necessary and seized the opportunity to cross the finish line first, just seconds in front of E! Entertainment Television’s Executive News Editor, Ken Baker, and comedian Carlos Mencia. Carlos was a funnyman off track and on.

Keanu seemed almost surprised by his triumph even though his chance to win was obvious to me from the beginning. He was not only intensely focused, which is key factor according to Jeff Bodnar who trained Keanu, but also showed continuous commitment.  “It is such a great feeling,” Reeves said after the event. “Bentley and I had been going at it for most of the race, but when I got to the last lap and came around the fountain turn I almost couldn’t believe it. I figured, ‘I’m just gonna go get it.’”

Now the popular multitalented actor (also bassist for rock band Dogstar, and a fan of the heart warming documentary, Anvil! The Story of Anvil!) can add car racing to his resume. It’s probably too early to tell if he has the same bug that got into the blood of actors like Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and James Dean, but Reeves looked like a natural in his red and white Toyota racing suit, and took the checkered flag with great enthusiasm for a great cause. He is an active supporter of many charities, including Angelwear, City of Hope, Coach Art, PETA, Stand Up To Cancer and Wildlife Way Station.

Reeves’ acceptance of the trophy was followed by contributions to various charities, which made everyone’s participation all that more worthy. Toyota donated $5,000 to “Racing for Kids” in the name of each celebrity racer, and another $5,000 to the winning racer’s charity of choice. Racing for Kids is a national non-profit program benefiting children’s hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County, California.

Another $15,000 donation was made in conjunction with the annual “PEOPLE Pole Award.” Sponsored by PEOPLE magazine, the award was given to Danny Way who was the pole-position winner of the qualifying session. Way selected the Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC) as his charity.  Keanu Reeves’ big win will also benefit the charities of his choice, and adds to the list of his contributions on so many levels, not just to film, but also many other causes.

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