Bryan Cranston, Joshua Henry, Jason Robert Brown- Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence

Last night, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence hosted their annual Bear Awards in honor of Jim “Bear” Brady in NYC, an evening that celebrated champions and real heroes in the gun violence prevention space.  Reflecting on one year after the Las Vegas massacre, the evening was inspiring, uplifting, and left guests feeling charged to create change. 

ROY WOOD JR. (comedian and actor) opened the evening followed by remarks made from KRIS BROWN and AVERY GARDINER, co-presidents of Brady.  The recently launched End Family Fire PSA was shown to guests as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done. The PSA, which was covered in The New York Times, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Refinery29, Bustle, PEOPLE and NBCamong others, aims to raise awareness around the chilling statistic of 8 kids unintentionally injured or killed by an improperly stored gun. 

A highlight of the evening was the live auction which featured items such as a set visit and meet and greet to MADAM SECRETARY generously donated by TEA LEONI, an ERIC CLAPTON experience at Madison Square Garden and tickets to The Golden Globe Awards official after party.  Amid the auction, BRYAN CRANSTON surprised both guests and Christie’s auctioneer ROBBIE GORDY by jumping on stage to offer two tickets to opening night of NETWORK, his new Broadway play opening this fall. The winner will enjoy two tickets, a backstage meet and greet, and access to the after party on December 6th.  After one guest rounded out the bidding at $11,000, which according to Bryan were tickets earmarked for his agents, he surprised the crowd again by offering a second pair for a matching bid, thus taking seats away from their “mooching relatives,” according to his wife who shouted from Table 8. 

As guests finished dinner, BRYAN CRANSTON took the stage and joked about the mood changer that is Roy Wood to Walter White. He spoke about his outrage and despair for what he sees on television and reads in the news on an almost daily basis, and made reference to his upcoming Broadway play that is based on the movie Network by Patty Chayefsky. He read a short passage that was written back in 1975 but rings true to today.  After sharing startling statistics such as there being 9 gun dealers for every Starbucks in the country, he introduced Tony Award winning composer JASON ROBERT BROWN.  Brown, a 2018 Brady Bear Award recipient, took to the piano to perform “A SONG ABOUT YOUR GUN,” followed by a duet with multi-Tony Award nominee JOSHUA HENRY. 

SARAH ULLMAN, filmmaker and founder of One Vote At A Time, introduced the Real Heroes portion of the evening - an opportunity to recognize the 2018 honorees including The Gun Safety Alliance, AMANDA WILCOX (Mother, Lobbyist, and Activist); JAMES SHAW, JR. (Father, Champion, and Activist); IVY SCHAMIS (Teacher, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and Activist); and AALAYAH EASTMOND (Student Survivor, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and Activist) who is using her voice to create real change. 

Five real life heroes were honored for their work and a special performance took place as well. A full recap is below, along with a link to photos. 

MAYOR DE BLASIO AND MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT COMMISSIONER LÓPEZ PRESENT THE 2014 ‘MADE IN NY’ AWARDS

Mayor De Blasio and Entertainment Commissioner Cynthia LÓPEZ go together like P&J and a cold glass of milk.

Their innovative yet careful management style has helped make our city busier than ever, the “Made in NY” Awards come at a time when New York City is hosting record levels of television production: 39 primetime episodic, digital and mini-series, including 20 new series. Add that to the 230 films that have shot in the city and that robust activity means bigger spending and that provides more earning opportunity for the average New Yorker.

The Made In NY' Awards celebrates the excellence in the New York City creative community while recognizing the achievements of individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the City’s entertainment and digital media industries.

The 2014 MADE IN NY’ Awards honorees are: Golden Globe and SAG Award-winning and Emmy-nominated actor and director Steve Buscemi; five-time Emmy Award-winning actor, executive producer, writer, director Louis C.K.;  Tony and five-time Emmy Award winner Neil Patrick Harris; Brooklyn-born digital design and technology consultancy Huge; MacArthur Fellow and National Humanities Medal honoree Stanley Nelson; Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated actress, activist and The View co-host Rosie Perez; Producers Guild of America’s Lydia Dean Pilcher, VP Motion Pictures, Chair, Women’s Impact Network; Mari Jo Winkler, Chair, PGA Green and Rachel Watanabe-Batton, Vice Chair, PGA East, Chair, PGA Diversity; and Blue Bloods co-executive producer and Sex and the City producer Jane Raab. The “Made in NY” Mayor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to Albert Maysles, filmmaker and founder of the Maysles Documentary Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exhibition and production of documentary films that inspire dialogue and action in Harlem.

“The ‘Made in NY” brand has been a tremendous success—becoming a globally recognized symbol of innovation and quality,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’re proud to honor the talented New Yorkers working in front of the camera and behind the scenes, supporting the industries that help make up our city’s cultural soul and economic health, and creating opportunities for New Yorkers along the way.”

Commissioner Cynthia López added: “The 2014 ‘Made in NY’ Award honorees are a testament to the kind of talent that is born or bred here in New York City.  They are the reason that the city continues to thrive as the creative capital. All the honorees have three things in common: they have a profound commitment to their craft, they possess an unflinching work ethic, and they are trail blazers in their respective fields. They do not follow trends; they create them. Their collective body of work promotes New York City as the invigorating arts scene that it is. It is an absolute honor to recognize these individuals at this year’s awards.

Putting their words in action, the City announced a generous donation of $160,000 from the Teamsters Local 817 to MOME through the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City to support community enrichment in local neighborhoods as part as of their commitment to New York City.

It's a tremendous show of support and a sincere investment in the future growth of the industry.

Bravo to the Teamsters who will send two graduates from the “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program to commercial driving school in order to receive their commercial driver’s licenses and get added to the Teamsters’ referral list in time for the upcoming TV pilot season.

The recipients are Tim Valerio, who served as a corporal in the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan before returning to New York and who, since graduating from the “Made in NY” PA Training Program, has worked as a grip, and Jimmy Gonzalez, a native New Yorker and father of two, who finished the PA program earlier this year and has been working as a set PA on an upcoming NBC comedy.