The Hollywood Reporter Will Honor Issa Rae At Its Annual Women In Entertainment Gala!
BlackAmericaWeb.com, By Sammy Approved, Posted October 17th 2022
The Hollywood Reporter announced today (Oct. 6) that they will honor both Issa Rae and Charlize Theron at the annual Women in Entertainment gala. Read more about their prestigious awards inside.
Theron will receive the esteemed Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at the annual gala hosted in Los Angeles. Issa Rae will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award at the breakfast, which will be attended by 750 of the leading women in entertainment.
The event will award over $1 million in university scholarships to high-school seniors from underserved communities across Los Angeles, all of whom have taken part in THR’s acclaimed Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program.
The gala coincides with the release of THR’s much-anticipated annual Women in Entertainment issue of the magazine, which will reach newsstands on the same day of the gala. It highlights the Power 100, featuring the leading female executives in entertainment.
Theron is the latest recipient of the Lansing Award which recognizes trailblazers and philanthropists and was established in honor of the former CEO of Paramount Pictures (the first woman to head a Hollywood studio). Previous recipients include Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Jennifer Lawrence, Tina Fey, Barbra Streisand, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Halle Berry, Jodie Foster, Glenn Close and Barbara Walters.
“Charlize Theron is a generational talent: A brilliant actress, a thoughtful producer and a philanthropist who is the very definition of a change-maker. As someone who has been an activist for change in the industry, she embodies the very spirit of the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award,” THR editorial director Nekesa Moody said in a statement.
Through her Denver & Delilah banner, Theron, alongside partners Beth Kono and AJ Dix, has built a prolific production company with a diverse film and television slate. Denver & Delilah’s past feature credits include an array of features, which have garnered several awards and critical acclaim.
In addition to Denver & Delilah and Theron’s acting success, Charlize serves as founder of the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP). CTAOP’s mission is to advance and invest in the health, education and safety of youth living in Southern Africa. CTAOP supports transformative, locally-led change by partnering with and supporting community-based organizations that support young people, their sexual and reproductive health and rights (including staying safe from HIV), and the prevention of gender-based violence. Learn more about CTAOP here.
Rae is the latest recipient of the Equity in Entertainment Award, which recognizes individuals who amplify the voices of underrepresented communities in the entertainment industry. The award was created in 2016 and previous honorees include Ryan Murphy, Amy Pascal, Nina Jacobson, and Selma Blair.
“We are equally as excited to present Issa Rae with our Equity in Entertainment Award,” Moody added in her statement about this year’s honorees. “From her beginning days with Awkward Black Girl to her groundbreaking and hilarious Insecure to her latest creation Rap Sh!t, Issa Rae has been instrumental in expanding Hollywood’s too-often narrow view of Black lives. She has also provided the platform and pipeline for a plethora of talent both in front of and behind the scenes. An innovative, multifaceted artist, Rae’s forward-thinking vision makes her the perfect honoree for THR’s Equity in Entertainment Award.”
Rae is the author of the New York Times best-seller, The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl, and creator and star of the Peabody Award-winning HBO series Insecure, which garnered her multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Rae’s production company, HOORAE, is breaking boundaries in storytelling and representation across film, TV, music and digital by creating series such as A Black Lady Sketch Show, Sweet Life, and Rap Sh!t.
Rae also celebrates Black Angelenos and creates job opportunities through investments in her childhood neighborhood of South LA including support of Destination Crenshaw and ownership of the Hilltop Café + Kitchen.
The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women In Entertainment gala will be held in LA on Dec. 7th.
Congrats in advance to these beautiful women!
