By Nathan Wildes
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/10/19
A night of celebration and a message for all is what welcomed all that attended the ADCOLOR Awards 2019 on Sunday. The JW Marriott at LA Live was the setting for the evening’s affair as nearly two dozen of the top movers and shakers in the advertising world helped celebrate the message of diversity that is ever so vital in our country at this time.
ADCOLOR Awards Red carpet on YouTube:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSM2gIZx59g[/embedyt]
“It got started as an award show many years ago and now it’s a full-fledged movement. That’s what should be remembered.” That was the statement given by ADCOLOR Chairwoman Tiffany Warren on the red carpet as she led the evening’s honorees into the spotlight of the gathered press. The meaning of this statement became clearer as the evening progressed. With each award given and with every word uttered in the acceptance speeches you understood how the recognition of individuals in past ADCOLOR ceremonies had inspired this year’s honorees to do a little more and push a little harder.
When you expand that theme out to our larger society, every win here tonight, every example set can inspire a dozen more to do their part in moving us further and further towards total equality and acceptance for all. That was the message that Tiffany Warren, ADCOLOR and Sunday night’s award recipients delivered. From young students in the ADCOLOR program that represent the future to pillars or our current diversifying community like Eva Longoria, all were celebrated for their equally important achievements.
The ADCOLOR Awards are a celebration of achievements in advertising that serve to increase the presence and proper inclusion of people of all colors and cultural persuasions. As Eva herself said in her acceptance speech, while a movie or TV show might be seen once or once a week by a large population, any ad gets seen dozens of times within the same time period by an even larger population. So, representation in advertising is just as vital if not more in furthering cultural acceptance.
“We’re at an age where culture has become such a muddled world. People think it’s just tied to entertainment and arts. But, in fact, culture is everything. From the tech industry to Soul Fashion Week, I’m lucky enough to work in a company where we encourage our brands to look beyond the vertical industries and to examine culture at-large.” Those were the words of Joon Park, from big-data company Sparks & Honey, who won a Futures Award at last year’s ADCOLOR ceremony and this year participated as an ambassador handing out awards to each recipient as they stepped to the podium. Sparks & Honey use their big-data applications to provide cultural intelligence to their client-brands to help them take advantage of accelerating change. Joon, a transgender Asian-American, further elaborated on her relationship with ADCOLOR. “All I wanted was a champion. Then to suddenly get that and so much more in a setting like this has been so affirming. I feel really empowered and I hope that more and more people are able to not feel like they’re not worthy of being in space like this. You absolutely do belong.”
Many other esteemed professionals spoke on the red carpet of their thoughts on being recognized and where we’re headed as a society. Steve Pamon, COO of Parkwood Entertainment (Beyonce’s record label), shared “Whenever you work very hard you want to approach problems differently, and you want to take on bigger problems. My biggest thought about tonight is not me getting an award. It’s about celebrating each other. It, frankly, galvanizes someone like me to do better. I want to live up to this award.”
Here’s to hoping this award ceremony further inspires that many more people to galvanize around their cause and their work to bring us closer and closer to the goal of universal acceptance.
(Source: Getty Images North America)
ADCOLOR 2019 Partners
Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Omnicom Group, DIAGEO, Procter & Gamble, Verizon Media, Wieden+Kennedy, Apple, Spotify, TBWA\ Worldwide, American Express, NBCUniversal, Ogilvy, Twitter, 72andSunny, DDB Worldwide, Deutsch Inc., Disney Advertising Sales, Edelman, Pandora, 72andSunny, Anomaly, Apple Music, Beats By Dre, BMW, Buzzfeed, DAS Global Group of Companies, Digitas, FCB, HBO, LOL Network, McCann New York, Omnicom Media Group, Pinterest, Publicis Groupe, Publicis Health Group, RGA, Trip Advisor, Zambezi
ADCOLOR Corporate Members
72andSunny, Ad Club of New York, American Advertising Federation, BBDO NY, Deutsch Inc., Dieste, Droga5, Facebook, Hearst Magazines, MSL Group, Stephen Kim, TBWA\ Worldwide, Wieden+Kennedy
About ADCOLOR®
ADCOLOR® is a not-for-profit 501(c) (6) organization whose mission is to celebrate and champion diversity in the creative industries. Our process is twofold. First, we help individuals and organizations RISE UP, letting their accomplishments and ideas shine. Then we teach these new leaders and would-be-mentors how to REACH BACK and find others who deserve to be noticed and promoted. Our goal is to create a community of diverse professionals who are here to support and uplift one another. Learn more by visiting www.adcolor.org.