EBONY Magazine—the curator of the African-American experience, past, present and future—celebrated our third annual 2014 EBONY Power 100 Gala presented by Nationwide in Los Angeles on November 19. The famed gala was held at one of Tinseltown’s most historic landmarks, Avalon Hollywood. For a third consecutive year, Nationwide proudly presented the prestigious affair to celebrate the honorees on the 2014 EBONY Power 100 list.
The EBONY Power 100 list salutes the achievements of the most influential African-Americans in the country. Among the game changers honored this year are actresses Gabrielle Union and Viola Davis, radio personality Rickey Smiley, NBA star Kevin Durant, singer Usher Raymond, talk show host Wendy Williams, producer Pharrell Williams and Bishop T. D. Jakes.
“This event pays tribute to those who have made it their mission to make a positive impact on their industries and in their communities,” said Matt Jauchius, Chief Marketing Officer at Nationwide. “Nationwide is honored to have once again presented the EBONY Power 100 Gala and celebrate the achievements of these amazing men and women.”
The star-studded evening was hosted by comedian and actor Wayne Brady, who is known for his television work on Whose Line Is It Anyhow, The Wayne Brady Show and Don’t Forget the Lyrics. Performers included Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Patti Austin, James Ingram, KEM, Savion Glover, Chaka Khan and Terence Blanchard.
Legendary icon Quincy Jones befittingly received this year’s coveted EBONY Achievement Award. Known for his groundbreaking strides in music and film, Jones is arguably considered one of the most innovative pioneers in entertainment. Throughout his remarkable career, Jones has encompassed the roles of composer, record producer, artist, film producer, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist, TV producer, record company executive, magazine founder, multimedia entrepreneur and humanitarian. As a master inventor of musical hybrids, he has shuffled pop, soul, hip-hop, jazz, classical, African and Brazilian music into many dazzling fusions.
Many of music’s biggest names appeared to pay tribute to Jones, including Queen of Funk Chaka Khan, Grammy-award winning vocalists Patti Austin and James Ingram, hip-hop pioneers Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh, soul singer Kem, dance performer Savion Glover and jazz musician Terence Blanchard. Renowned music director, producer and musician Ricky Minor and his band served as the house band for the evening. Hip-hop icon LL Cool J also made a special appearance to present the award to Jones, who he mentioned is a long-time mentor of his.
DJ Kiss, recognized as one of today’s most influential DJs, procured the evening’s soundtrack. Kiss has spun for many of the world’s biggest celebrities, and is well sought after for adding her signature sound to the hottest fashion, music and charity events.
In addition to Nationwide as the presenting sponsor, EBONY Power 100 Gala sponsors and partners included Toyota, STARZ, United Airlines, Ariel Investments, McDonald’s, Georgia Pacific, CIROC Ultra Premium Vodka, Vosges Haut-Chocolat and Fashion Fair Cosmetics.
Comcast will broadcast the event on CelebrateBlackTV.com and Xfinity On Demand during the month of December. Red carpet guests also had the opportunity to interact with the famous Twitter Mirror, a device known to assist celebrities take the perfect “selfie” photo and send it through @EbonyMag and #EBONYPower100.
The 2014 Power 100 list is featured in the December issue of EBONY on newsstands now. The full list of the EBONY Power 100 can be found here.
