LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The City Gala, which has a vision to advance community through humanitarian events, has announced plans for its 2nd annual event. On February 12, following the 59th Annual Grammys, exclusive media sponsor Entrepreneur Magazine will present the second annual City Gala event at The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. The event will include a Red Carpet, plenary presentation, and celebrity meet and greet, live entertainment, and a silent auction.
On the heels of a 2016 event that included Sir Richard Branson, Jane Seymour, and many others, City Gala is pleased to present its 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary producer, entertainer and philanthropist Quincy Jones.
Named by Time Magazine as one of the six most influential jazz artists of the 20th century, Quincy Jones is an impresario in the broadest and most creative sense of the word. Over six decades Jones’ career has encompassed the roles of composer, record producer, artist, film producer, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist, TV producer, record company executive, television station owner, magazine founder, multimedia entrepreneur and humanitarian. Among the multitude of awards that he has received for his contributions are an Emmy Award, seven Academy Award nominations, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and 27 Grammy Awards, and he is the all-time most nominated Grammy artist with a total of 79 nominations.
He is the recipient of the Republic of France’s Commandeur de la Legion d’ Honneur, and in 2001 he was inducted as a “Kennedy Center Honoree,” the United States’ most prestigious cultural award, for his lifetime contributions to the culture of the country. He was recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master - the nation’s highest jazz honor, and in 2010 was bestowed the National Medal of Arts, our nation’s highest artistic honor. In 2016, Jones received a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for the Broadway production of "The Color Purple." The award completed the rare EGOT set for Jones, putting him in an exclusive club of artists who have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award.
Even more important to the focus of City Gala, however, is his lifetime of commitment to philanthropy, beginning with civil rights work in the 1960s with Martin Luther King and proceeding through a spectrum of endeavors including the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation, which has built more than 100 homes in South Africa and provided intensive support in technology, education, culture and music for South African youth.
Jones was responsible for what is perhaps the most seminal philanthropic endeavor in the history of music by spearheading the recording of “We Are the World,” which featured a large gathering of celebrity musicians including Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie and Paul Simon and produced $63 million to address hunger in Ethiopia. He has worked tirelessly within a spectrum of programs including NAACP, GLAAD, The Peace Games, AmFar and the Maybach Foundation and others.
John Paul DeJoria, philanthropist and business leader most known as the co-founder of Paul Mitchell hair products and Patron Spirits, will present Quincy Jones as a Lifetime Achievement Honoree at the 2017 City Gala event.
Said DeJoria, “I consider Quincy Jones to be a good friend to everyone, and am especially honored to present him with the 2017 Lifetime Achievement award. Even more than his record of 27 Grammy wins, his devotion to philanthropy through the Quincy Jones Foundation and in efforts to address cancer, malaria, and as an activist for children makes him the ideal recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award.”
Jeff Timmons, of the Grammy-nominated pop group 98 Degrees, will return to the City Gala 2017 as emcee, and best-selling author and business conference leader Greg Reid will moderate the event.
Says City Gala founder and executive producer Ryan Long, “We are tremendously honored to present the 2017 program in support of the International Arts & Philanthropy Foundation (IAP), which provides funding in support of arts, education, early childhood development, as well as the Breed Life program, which supports and facilitates the gift of life through live organ donation.”
In the coming days, City Gala will announce additional keynote speakers and special guest appearances for the 2017 event.
About City Gala
Since its inception in 2015, the City Gala program has raised funds and awareness in support of non-profit, charitable organizations. Based on its success, the program has expanded in 2017 to include the City Summit, a full-day and evening entertainment and networking experience that brings together the highest level of entertainment and business leaders in a common agenda of social consciousness, achievement, and a dedication to giving forward to worthy humanitarian programs throughout the world.
The City Summit is a business conference and networking event that takes place on Saturday, February 11th, at the USC Building – South Park Center. Red Carpet for the Summit will begin at 8:00 a.m.
The City Gala features a keynote speaking program and awards ceremony for humanitarians, followed by social atmosphere and party, which takes place on Sunday, February 12th, at The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Red Carpet begins at 7:00 p.m.
