Television’s biggest night took place in West Hollywood, CA on Saturday, January 13th when Emmy Awards nominees and presenters, along with some of the most powerful entertainment industry influencers, joined together for MPTF's 17th annual “Evening Before” benefit.
Credit/Copyright: Getty Images for MPTF
Co-Chaired by Quinta Brunson and Bob Odenkirk, the annual event raised over $2.5 million.
“I’m excited to celebrate with MPTF. We’ve had quite a year, and this organization and its fundraiser has helped many weather the storm, " said co-chair Quinta Brunson.
Co-chair Bob Odenkirk added, “I’m thrilled to be a co-chair of MPTF’s The Evening Before benefit with Quinta. MPTF really stepped up during a very challenging year to support the entertainment community, and I’m proud to be a part of a fundraiser that will help to sustain that vital support.”
Funds raised for the event will be used to support industry members and their families who benefit from MPTF’s charitable programs and services such as financial assistance, crisis counseling, caregiving support, and residency on the Wasserman Campus in Woodland Hills, “home” to television and film veterans alike. During the recent work stoppages, MPTF received over 13,000 calls for aid and provided over $8 million in charitable financial assistance.
“The Evening Before is always a great night for the guests and MPTF, and this year’s show of incredible solidarity and support was remarkable. The need is still great for many of our industry members who suffered during the recent work stoppage and are not yet back to work, and the support of our many Evening Before sponsors, donors, and guests will make a great impact on their lives,” said MPTF CEO Bob Beitcher.
The 17th Annual “Evening Before” Host Committee consisted of Nicholas Braun, Rachel Brosnahan, Brian Cox & Nicole Ansari-Cox, Kieran Culkin, Phil Dunster, Ayo Edebiri, Meghann Fahy, Brett Goldstein, Kathryn Hahn & Ethan Sandler, Jon Hamm, Taraji P. Henson, Sharon Horgan, Theo James & Ruth Kearney, Riley Keough, Melanie Lynskey & Jason Ritter, Natasha Lyonne, Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi), Kumail Nanjiani & Emily V. Gordon, Jenna Ortega, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Adam & Naomi Scott, Michael Shannon, Will Sharpe & Sophia di Martino, and Henry & Stacey Winkler.
The Executive Host Committee included Bela Bajaria, Bob Bakish, Greg Berlanti, Frances Berwick, Casey Bloys, Michelle & Paul Buccieri, George Cheeks, Matt Cherniss, Nicole Clemens, Kristin Dolan, Channing Dungey, Joe Earley, Craig Erwich, Megan Haller & Peter Rice, Jeffrey Hirsch, Pearlena Igbokwe, Chris McCarthy, Dan McDermott, Katie McGrath & J.J. Abrams, Jay Penske, Jennifer Salke, Tony Vinciquerra, Rob Wade, and Dana & Matt Walden.
This year’s presenting sponsors were Delta Air Lines, Penske Media Corporation (PMC), PEOPLE, and UCLA Health, with additional support from Diamond sponsors Apple TV+, IATSE, Netflix, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Wondery.
Among the celebrities who attended this year’s event were Awkwafina, Caroline Aaron, F. Murray Abraham, Paulina Alexis, Anthony Anderson, Jonathan Bailey, Ike Barinholtz, Alex Borstein, Zach Braff, Danielle Brooks, Yvette Nicole Brown, Sophia Bush, Lizzy Caplan, Pauline Chalamet, John Cho, Sam Claflin, Auli’i Cravalho, Kristin Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Ariana DeBose, Zooey Deschanel, Danny DeVito, Adam DiMarco, Nina Dobrev, Colman Domingo, Phoebe Dynevor, Abby Elliott, Nathan Fielder, Frances Fisher, Beatrice Grannò, Max Greenfield, Carla Gugino, Tony Hale, Colin Hanks, Marin Hinkle, Brendan Hunt, Sarah Hyland, Ken Jeong, Rashida Jones, Joe Keery, Keegan-Michael Key, Nick Kroll, Joseph Lee, Matthew Macfadyen, Ashley Madekwe, James Marsden, Rob McElhenney, Camila Morrone, Kaitlin Olson, Evan Peters, Kevin Pollak, Lily Rabe, Matthew Rhys, Christina Ricci, Keri Russell, Alexander Skarsgård, J. Smith-Cameron, Jason Sudeikis, Kiefer Sutherland, Simona Tabasco, Hannah Waddingham, Shaun White, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Jeffrey Wright, and more.
The “Evening Before” was designed as a relaxed town square atmosphere by Studio Komorebi with specialty food provided by Carmelized Productions by Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo.
