Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles (BBBSLA) will honor outstanding members of the Los Angeles community at its annual Big Bash Gala, October 19, 2018, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills.
Awards recognize individuals who are inspiring and positive role models to our youth. Chris Silbermann, Founding Partner of ICM Partners, will be presented with the Walt Disney Man of the Year Award, LAPD Police Commission President Steve Soboroff and his Little Brother Terry A. Williams with the Golden Legacy Award, self-made inventor and entrepreneur Lori Greiner with the Sherry Lansing Award, and actor Michael B. Jordan with the Trailblazer Award in absentia. Orny Adams will host the evening fundraiser.
“It is truly an honor to be able to recognize these outstanding individuals for all they have done to make a difference in the lives of children in our community,” said Olivia Diaz-Lapham, President & CEO of BBBSLA. " It is also very exciting to recognize a match which has lasted for 50 years. These honorees have exemplified what it means to ignite and empower the potential of the children we serve."
Walt Disney Man of the Year Award honoree Chris Silbermann is the Managing Director of ICM Partners, one of the world’s leading entertainment agencies representing leading clients in the fields of motion pictures, television, music, publishing, live performance, branded entertainment, public speaking and new media. In addition to running the day-to-day operations of the agency, including a team of more than 500 employees in Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC and London, Chris personally guides the careers of some of the most influential creative voices of our generation, as their agent. Mr. Silbermann is extremely active in local, state and national politics. He initiated the ICM Politics Department, the first of its kind within a major agency, dedicated to voluntary client and employee awareness and activism through grassroots involvement and US Senate-level interaction and dialogue. Chris and ICM Partners were the first company to pledge gender parity with their 50/50 by 2020 initiative, announced in December 2017. He is also actively involved in helping communities through foundation grants, generous charitable giving and employee volunteer days of service. Chris is the Chairman of the Board of Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), which raises hundreds of millions of dollars through fund-raising initiatives, including its signature semi-annual Stand Up To Cancer national event telethon and many more cutting edged programs.
LAPD Police Commission President Steve Soboroff and his Little Brother Terry A. Williams will be honored with the Golden Legacy Award, celebrating the 50 years they have been matched as Big Brother and Little Brother. In 1968, Steve and Terry became one of the first interracial matches in the history of Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. For 50 years, Steve and Terry have remained devoted to one another and their support of BBBSLA is unwavering – as a mentors, advocates and advisors. In 2016, Steve worked alongside BBBSLA to launch the Bigs in Blue Program, a partnership for LAPD officers to become Big Brothers and Big Sisters to children in the communities they serve, to positively impact the relationships between police and communities of color. Steve Soboroff served as past Chairman and CEO of the community of Playa Vista and is on the Board of Directors of The Weingart Foundation and the Macerich Company (NYSE). He is a senior fellow at the UCLA School of Public Policy, a member of the Board of Councilors to the USC School of Public Policy, and the Chairman of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. He is a member of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission and is the Senior Advisor to the California Science Center in its project with NASA to permanently exhibit the Space Shuttle Endeavour in Los Angeles.
Shark Tank star Lori Greiner, also known as the “Shark with a Heart”, will be honored with the Sherry Lansing Award. Greiner is well known as a self-made inventor and entrepreneur, who has created over 700 products and holds 120 US and international patents. She is known as one of the most prolific inventors of retail products of our time. Greiner stars on the 4-time Emmy Award winning and 5-time Critic’s Choice Award winning show, Shark Tank, a hit entrepreneurial business show on ABC, where she invests in companies and helps turn people’s dreams into a reality. Lori also has had her own show on QVC-TV, for the past 17 years called “Clever & Unique Creations by Lori Greiner.” In her effort to “pay it forward”, Greiner helped many budding entrepreneurs turn their ideas into hit products and wrote her first book, the National Best Seller “Invent It, Sell It, Bank It”. Lori Greiner and her company donate a substantial amount of their profits annually to a variety of charities.
Actor, producer, CEO and visionary Michael B. Jordan will be honored with the Trailblazer Award, who will be receiving his award through a pre-recorded video presentation. Most recently, Jordan starred in Marvel’s Black Panther for which he received critical acclaim for his role as Erik Killmonger. In 2015, Jordan starred in MGM and Warner Bros.’ CREED alongside Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson. For his performance in Creed, Jordan garnered numerous accolades including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture and the NAACP’s Entertainer of the Year Award. During the release of CREED, Michael B. Jordan created an Omaze campaign benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters and visited BBBSLA to meet the Littles. Jordan will reprise his role as Adonis Creed and serve as an executive producer in CREED II, which is set to release on November 21, 2018. Previous film credits include Fruitvale Station, Fantastic Four, Chronicle, That Awkward Moment, Redtails.
“Congratulations to all of our BBBS 2018 Award recipients,” said BBBSLA Board Chair Laura Lizer. “I am proud of our growth and accomplishments during this past year and look forward to our continued success in serving the children.”
Table packages begin at $5,000; individual tickets, $500. For ticket information, contact Daniel Rodriguez at 213.213.2420 or Daniel.Rodriguez@bbbsla.org or visit www.GoBigLA.org/events.
