For Immediate Release: June 3, 2014
Media Contact: Ana Martinez
Vice President of Media Relations
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
Tel: 323.468.1376
Stargirl@hollywoodchamber.net

HOLLYWOOD CHAMBER COMMUNITY FOUNDATION TO HONOR
JUDGE JUDY SHEINDLIN WITH THE MARY PICKFORD AWARD AND RECOGNIZE COMMUNITY LEADERS WITH HEROES OF HOLLYWOOD AWARDS

Thursday, June 5 at The Taglyan Cultural Complex

HOLLYWOOD, CA – May 27, 2014--The Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation also announced the incomparable Judge Judy Sheindlin as the 2014 recipient of the Mary Pickford Award at the Heroes of Hollywood Awards Luncheon on Thursday, June 5, 2014, at The Taglyan Cultural Complex in Hollywood. Foundation Chairman Heather Cochran and Heroes of Hollywood event co-chairs Homer Alba and Cindy Braun have also announced the selection of the 2014 Heroes of Hollywood: Jeff Anthony, Iron Mountain Entertainment Services; Denise DeCarlo and Betty Fraser, co-owners of As You Like It Catering and the restaurant Grub; Jackie Goldberg, Senior Star Power Productions; Hollywood Arts Council, a non-profit dedicated to the arts in Hollywood; Starline Tours, Hollywood’s oldest sightseeing tour company; and Marc Wanamaker, principal officer at Bison Archives. Returning in his role as emcee again is Robert Kovacik, anchor of NBC4. The reception will begin at 11:30 a.m. and the awards luncheon will commence from Noon to 2 p.m.

The Foundation will honor the incomparable Judge Judy Sheindlin with the distinguished Mary Pickford Award. The Mary Pickford Award is presented to a woman who has demonstrated a commitment to the mentorship of women in the workplace, displayed innovative leadership, been a role model in pursuing a vision or challenge with tangible results, and who has made significant contributions to community service. “We can’t think of anyone who better epitomizes what Mary Pickford stood for than Judge Judy Sheindlin,” said Cindy Braun.  “She took her common-sense approach to legal issues as a family court judge and transitioned to TV judge and has made a significant impact on her community and the nation to become one of Hollywood’s most successful and beloved television stars.”

Judge Sheindlin holds court as presiding judge on “Judge Judy,” the number one first-run syndicated, Emmy Award-winning program, now in its 18^th season. She began her career in family court in 1972 in New York. A swift decision-maker, she earned a reputation as one of New York’s most effective judges, hearing more than 20,000 cases during her career. Judge Sheindlin is credited with pioneering an “open court policy” that allowed the public and the media to view her day-to-day proceedings.

She was the subject of an L.A. Times article in February 1993, which soon led to a segment on the popular “60 Minutes” newsmagazine show. After her appearance, Judge Sheindlin was approached about the possibility of presiding over real cases with real consequences in a television courtroom. She retired from the bench in February 1996, and “Judge Judy” premiered in national syndication later that year.

She is the author of several Best-Selling books, including “Don’t Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining”, “Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever”, “Win or Lose By How You Choose”, “You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover”, and “Keep It Simple Stupid: You’re Smarter Than You Look”.

In 2006, Judge Sheindlin received a Star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame. Other honors include the Gracie Allen Tribute Award from American Women in Radio and Television being inducted into the “Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.” Additionally, VH1 named her one of the “200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons.”

Along with Mary Pickford Award, the Foundation will be recognizing the following Heroes of Hollywood:

Jeff Anthony is Senior Vice President of Iron Mountain Entertainment Services, a company he has been with for more than 19 years. The company preserves content for entertainment companies around the world. He has been in the content preservation industry for over 30 years, and was the Founder and CEO of The dataLOK Company, an Inc. 500 company specializing in the field of information management. He has served on various boards and in several advisory boards during his Hollywood career, including as the past president and board member of the Hollywood Media District business improvement district, a board member of LACER, board member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, active in the Grammy Foundation, and The USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Betty Fraser and Denise DeCarlo are the co-owners of the Hollywood-based, award-winning restaurant, Grub, and the successful catering company, As You Like It. Their commitment to creating a sense of “home” has led to their undeniable success. They are the recipients of many awards, including being named “Best Lunch Spot” in L.A. as well as “Best Brunch Spot” as wsell as one of the “Top Five Breakfast Spots.” Betty appeared on Season Two of Bravo’s hit show, Top Chef, Denise has competed on ABC’s The Taste and The Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen. They are very involved in the community, serving on Hollywood Heritage, Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council, and on the Friends of the Hollywood Central Park board of directors. They also donate their time, food, and services to support numerous non-profits.

Jackie Goldberg believes that “age is only a number.” When she became a widow at age 70, she decided it was time to begin a new chapter in her life. She created a series of seminars called, “Get Up, Get Out, & Get a Life!” Dressing in pink became her trademark. The success of her senior advocacy seminars and her love of the theatre crystallized into her founding Senior Star Power Productions as part of her dream to revitalize the careers of senior performers. She produced a series of live stage shows called “Rockin’ With the Ages,” featuring a cast aged 60 to 80. She looks forward to producing her sixth show, a glamorous salute to Hollywood, in 2015, and hopes to have a year-round Senior Theatrical Arts Complex in Hollywood within the next few years.

The Hollywood Arts Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to contributing to the quality of life by nurturing and supporting the arts of Hollywood. Founded in 1978 as a grass roots membership organization, it has presented scores of projects over the years, amassing an impressive track record of accomplishments. Its projects include the annual Children’s Festival of the Arts presented each August at Paramount Pictures, and Project SOAR art workshops at Hollywood area elementary schools. The Council encourages the work of artists and arts organizations, publishes an arts calendar of events, and hosts Arts roundtables. Its annual Charlie Awards acknowledges contributions of merit to Hollywood and its arts. For further information, visit: www.HollywoodArtsCouncil.org.

Starline Tours will celebrate its 80^th anniversary in 2015. The company operates a full range of sightseeing tours in the Los Angeles area, including the world’s largest Hop-On, Hop-Off City sightseeing tour. They provide tours in nine languages. Movie Stars’ Homes Tours, and the TMZ Hollywood tour are among their offerings. Earlier this year, they opened a new Visitor Welcome Center at Hollywood & Highland, and will roll out a new Movie Locations Tour in partnership with Turner Classic Movies this summer. The privately-owned company has been a family affair ever since they purchased the firm in 1963. Brothers Vahid and Fred Sapir are the co-owners, with Vahid’s wife Noonoosh as Chief Operating Officer, and brother-in-law and Chairman Kami Farhadi as well as other family members keep things rolling.

Mark Wanamaker is acknowledged as a world expert in film history. A native of L.A. who grew up in the West Hollywood/Beverly Hills area, he founded Bison Archives in 1971. Bison Archives is a research and informational archive on the history of the Motion Picture industry as well as a fine-art library in connection with the provenance of art objects. He later formed Bison Productions as a film production arm. He co-produced a documentary on Hollywood history and has worked on more than 100 documentaries and feature films. He is a past president of the L.A. City Historical Society and past president of Hollywood Heritage. He is also a curator for the Hollywood Heritage Museum. He is currently working on an encyclopedia of the American Film Studios and has authored and contributed to numerous books.

The Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation is a 501c3 organization, and your support in sponsorship is tax deductible. Individual tickets are $100. Register online at http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/events

Gold-level sponsors for the Heroes of Hollywood Awards are the Hollywood Museum in the Historic Max Factor Building and Millennium Hollywood. Silver-level sponsors are CIM Group, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood Heritage, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, and Taglyan Cultural Complex. Bronze-level sponsors are Andrews International, Capitol Records, The CrisCom Company, Famous Hollywood Dental Care, Gensler, Hollywood Hotel, Hollywood WorkSource Center, Keepers Security Company, Madame Tussauds Hollywood, Occidental Entertainment Group Holdings, Original Farmers Market, Paramount Contractors & Developers, SAG-AFTRA, Southern California Gas Company, Starline Tours, Sunset Gower/Sunset Bronson Studios, US Bank, and Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tours.

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 Community Foundation – http://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. Since its inception in 1996, the Foundation has given out $731,270 in grants and this past year awarded $56,170.