Gold House, an esteemed cultural ecosystem that brings together and supports Asian Pacific creators, companies, and communities, recently held its second annual Gold Gala called “Gold Bridge” at The Music Center. The event celebrated the remarkable achievements of the 2023 A100, which recognizes 100 individuals of Asian and Pacific Islander descent who have had the most significant influence on culture and society over the past year. Leading nonprofit, business, and creative leaders within the Asian Pacific community voted to select the distinguished honorees.
The event saw the presence of honorees including Ke Huy Quan (Academy Award-winning Actor), Sandra Oh (Actor, Producer), Iman Vellani (Award-winning Actor), Eva Longoria (Actor, Producer, Director), Neal Mohan (CEO, YouTube), Radhika Jones (Editor-in-Chief, Vanity Fair), Geena Rocero (Author, Producer, Director, Trans Rights Advocate), cast and creators of Everything Everywhere All at Once (Actors Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Harry Shum Jr., and Producer Jonathan Wang who took the stage with Michelle Yeoh at last year’s inaugural Gold Gala), cast and creators of The Joy Luck Club (Executive Producer Janet Yang and Actors Ming-Na Wen, Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom, Rosalind Chao, Lisa Lu, and more), Andrew and Peggy Cherng (Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, Panda Express), Lea Salonga (Tony Award winner, Disney Legend, Singing voice of Mulan) and Dominic Ng (Chairman and CEO, East West Bank). They each received a custom-designed Gold Clover by Maia Ruth Lee, representing the infinity knot prevalent in Asian culture, as a tribute to their transformative impact on culture.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Joy Luck Club, the cast of Joy Ride, consisting of Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu, paid tribute to the creators and cast of the classic film, including Janet Yang, Ming-Na Wen, Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom, Rosalind Chao, Lisa Lu, and Kieu Chinh. The emotional event brought tears to everyone’s eyes, including Eva Longoria, who delivered a powerful speech about the Latino community’s commitment to teaming up with the Asian community. The event also featured an interactive program called “Give/Get,” where guests offered something to the community and requested something they needed. Olympian Chloe Kim offered snowboarding lessons, Westworld creator Lisa Joy Nolan invited attendees to join her in a strike with the WGA, poet Rupi Kaur offered to write love poems, chef Eddie Huang offered acting opportunities, NBA CMO Tammy Henault offered courtside seats, American Advertising Federation Chair Helen Lin offered free marketing campaigns to startups, and Brooks Brothers CEO Ken Ohashi sought partners who wanted to reimagine America visually. The night was also historic, with Netflix unveiling its 2023 slate of Asian Pacific content, including the trailer for the final season of Never Have I Ever. The evening culminated with the first-ever New Gold Award, presented by Academy Award-winning actress Brie Larson and Ms. Marvel creator Sana Amanat to Marvel Cinematic heroine Iman Vellani. The Gold Icon award was also presented to the cast and creators of Everything Everywhere All At Once, which included Ke Huy Quan, who had previously been honored with the Leading Man Award.
To commemorate a significant moment, Gold House unveiled its latest phase called “Gold Bridge.” This initiative aims to connect various industries and create opportunities for collaboration among communities. Gold House will invest $10 million in a studio-inspired fund called the Gold House Creative Equity Fund and Gold Consultancy Expansion, which will support filmmakers, journalists, fashion designers, contemporary artists, musicians, and other creatives. The fund will finance projects, provide education and career-defining tools, and produce creative extensions. Gold House’s Storybook and Gold Consultancy will expand their services to advertising, sports, music, gaming, books, and Broadway. The company has partnered with Spotify, Netflix, Endeavor, East West Bank, Conde Nast, AEG, Panda Express, Google, GoFundMe, Julia Gouw, and John Doerr to support this initiative. Gold House Ventures’ Advisory Council, which has invested $10 million in 68 companies and placed 30 diverse Board roles, has also expanded its services. Gold House has partnered with top venture capitalists to enhance deal flow and expertise. Gold House has also inspired top Latino leaders across Hollywood, media, and technology to create a Latino cultural collective that will reshape public opinions about the community through research, consulting, and LatinOpens. The initiative was attended by Ruben Garcia, Karla Pita Loor, Gloria Calderó Kellet, actors Sasha Calle and Michael Cimino, and director Angel Manuel Soto. A new venture with The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences and other top multicultural groups was teased for release in the coming months.