Heroes of Hollywood Luncheon Honors Nancy O'Dell with The Mary Pickford Award
June 01, 2017
The Heroes Of Hollywood Luncheon presented by the Hollywood Chamber Of Commerce Community Foundation honored 'Entertainment Tonight' Host Nancy O’Dell with the Mary Pickford Award on June 1st, at the Taglyan Cultural Complex in Hollywood.
Returning for another year in their role as Co-chairs were Carol Sarian and Cindy Braun. ABC Entertainment guru George Pennachio served as celebrity Emcee.
Returning for another year in their role as Co-chairs were Carol Sarian and Cindy Braun. ABC Entertainment guru George Pennachio served as celebrity Emcee.
This prestigious award is given to a celebrity who has made a difference in the entertainment industry and the Hollywood community. O’Dell is an Emmy Award-winning entertainment journalist and producer with more than 20 years of experience. She began her broadcasting career as a reporter and anchor in South Carolina and Miami. Shortly thereafter, O’Dell joined Access Hollywood and was named one of Television Week’s “10 Most Bankable Stars in Syndication.” She is a go-to anchor for live TV specials and has hosted red carpet specials at the Grammy’s, Emmy’s, and Golden Globe’s. She has contributed to NBC’s Today Show and Dateline and contributes to CBS This Morning.
O’Dell has been honored with two Emmy Awards, three Associated Press Awards, and two Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Awards. In 2012, O’Dell was honored in New York Moves Magazine: Power Women issue as one of the most influential and successful women in her particular field. The Alliance for Women in Media honored O’Dell in 2013 with their esteemed Genii Award for Excellence in Television. Also in 2013, O’Dell was asked to host the highly-respected National Association of Broadcasters Luncheon.
After her mother passed away in 2008 from complications related to ALS, O’Dell became a National Vice President of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and serves as the spokesperson for ALS.net. In 2009, MDA, O’Dell and O’Dell’s family formed a foundation in her mother’s name called Betty’s Battle: Fighting ALS. In 2002, O’Dell was inducted into the American Red Cross’s National Celebrity Cabinet and remains in that position today. She also acts as an international board member for Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.
O’Dell currently co-hosts the most-watched entertainment news program in the world, Entertainment Tonight.
Founder and Owner of the Hollywood Museum Donelle Dadigan received the Distinguished Service Award in Memory of Johnny Grant making history by being the first woman to be recognized with the Johnny Grant award.
View photos from Heroes of Hollywood 2017
The 2017 Heroes of Hollywood Awards luncheon honored Beatrice Girmala, Assistant Chief, LAPD; John Lyons, owner of the Avalon; Baydsar Thomasian, Deputy District Director, Office of President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon; and Pink’s Hot Dogs.
Platinum Level sponsor of the event is the Hollywood Museum in the Historic Max Factor Building and the Gold Level Sponsors include Avalon Hollywood, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, LaTerra Development, LLC., Managed Career Solutions, MBS Group, Pink’s Hot Dogs, and Taglyan Cultural Complex. The Silver Level Sponsors include City National Bank, The CrisCom Company, Famous Hollywood Dental Care, FilmL.A., Inc., Harridge Development Group, Hollywood Hotel, Hudson Pacific Properties, Jimmy Kimmel Live! Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Occidental Entertainment Group Holdings, The Original Farmers Market, Pacific Commerce Bank, Pantages Theatre / Nederlander Concerts, Paramount Contractors & Developers, Southern California Gas Company, and US Bank.
The Annual Heroes of Hollywood Luncheon fundraiser allows the Hollywood Chamber Of Commerce Community Foundation to give out around $50k per year in grants to nonprofits in Hollywood that help the community.
About the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce - www.hollywoodchamber.net
For more than 96 years, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has provided leadership, business development resources, networking, and government affairs programs and services to keep the Hollywood business and residential communities safe, relevant and economically vital. Jeff Zarrinnam of Hollywood Hotel, is the Chair of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors 2017-18, and Leron Gubler is the President/CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. For more information please visit www.hollywoodchamber.net.
About Heroes of Hollywood – www.hollywoodchamber.net/heroes
The Heroes of Hollywood Awards recognize exceptional leaders in the Hollywood community who have transformed the lives of others and/or have made a remarkable contribution to the physical environment. Since 1993 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation has saluted more than 125 extraordinary leaders from Hollywood, through what was previously named the Women of Distinction Awards. Since 2011, the awards have honored both male and female leaders, as well as families, businesses and organizations. The awards ceremony serves as one of two major fundraisers for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to improving the lives of Hollywood community members. All funds raised from this luncheon will be awarded in the form of grants to local charitable organizations. “Heroes of Hollywood” Awards Committee is comprised of members of the Hollywood Chamber who are volunteers and have proven to be community leaders themselves. For more information, visit http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/heroes
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation – www.hollywoodchamber.net/foundation
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation is an organization within the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that promotes outreach and the well-being of the non-profit organizations within the community. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation achieves its goal by awarding grants to support and advance the educational, cultural and economic interests of the Hollywood community. The Foundation is unique because, as part of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, it illustrates the success of a business advocacy group giving financial assistance to the community that it serves, namely the charities that are members of the Hollywood Chamber.
Contact:
Hollywood Chamber
info@hollywoodchamber.net, (323) 469-8311
